Iomega 31311 HipZip Digital Audio Player (with Two 40 MB PocketZip Disks)

Amazon Customer Reviews

(5 out of 5)

Great job Iomega!

I've owned a HipZip for about a month now and am extremely pleased with it. I bought it because 96MB of memory in my Rio500 was not enough anymore and additional 64MB memory cards were too expensive. For a bit more than a new memory card, I got a HipZip plus 80MB of memory on PocketZip disks. A pack of 10 more disks (400MB of memory) runs around ($) on the web.

The first thing to note about the HipZip is that it's both a portable MP3 player AND a portable USB PocketZip drive. Not only can you download and play MP3, WMA, and (promised) Audible formats, but you can move any type of file from PC to PC with it. That's a bonus.

The best things about the HipZip are: 1) Sound quality is stunning through the right headphones. The sound through studio quality Sony headphones is just phenomenal. I didn't know MP3 could sound this good. It's not near-CD quality, it's CD quality at 128 KB/s encoding rate. Wow, I didn't expect this. 2) Cheap 40MB media ($-$) hold 40-80 min of music depending on whether you use MP3 or WMA format. 3) 12 hour battery life 4) Doesn't skip. I can jog with it. 5) Durable. I've dropped it several times and it still works. The case pads the player. 6) Player shows up in Windows as just another disk drive. Files can be moved, added, and deleted FAST using Windows Explorer. USB transfers are just seconds per song.) 7) The player seamlessly plays MP3 and WMA format files in any order on the disk. 8) Dadio operating system is extremely stable for a first generation product. One crash in a month. I reset the player once with a paper clip. 9) Great display. Backlit. Song titles scroll by making it easy to find songs and skip around. 10) Free case...and it's a good one. I never take it off. You can operate the player right through a clear window on the front of the case. 11) Musicmatch jukebox is bundled with it. That's another ($) you don't have to spend. HipZip is integrated as a "send to" device right from Musicmatch. 12) It's plenty loud with the right headphones. 13) Firmware upgrade at ... was really slick.

Wait...there must be something wrong with it. Nothing does everything right, so here are the reasons not to buy this. 1) The tiny earbud headphones that come with the player don't do justice to the sound. I threw the headphones away and use the best sounding headphones leftover from years of walkmans. 2) The battery is not replaceable. It's Li-Ion which means it holds a 12 hour charge and will probably last for years, but it bothers some people that they cannot replace it. I expect that the players are going to be cheap enough in 1-2 years that buying a new player will be a better deal than replacing the battery. 3) I had to read the "manual" to understand some of the finer points of using this. Gasp! This unit is for people comfortable with computers, RIOs, Nomads, etc. The disk adds one more layer of complexity over a flash-based player. My HipZip started skipping and Iomega customer support said the disk was probably bad. They were right. I read the "manual," and learned how to reformat the disk and everything is fine now. 4) The current firmware version does not play Audible files and it doesn't have "bookmarks" so you can start up where you left off. This makes it a bit clumsy for listening to audiobooks. I'm waiting for Audible compliance, which I hope will add bookmark capability also. 5) Check ... for other complaints. 6) Do not buy one if you are a parent and have kids or teenagers in the house. They will each want one and you will have figure out how to come up with ($) for a HipZip for each kid. That's my biggest problem right now.

(5 out of 5)

singin' zipdrive?

An impressive piece of machinery, the Hipzip is a dream come true for me. For a scientist/music buff, the Hipzip is a dual purpose device : e-data storage and two-way transfer; mp3 playback (WMA, WAV are also compatible).

For an mp3 player with some moving parts inside, it is surprizingly sturdy and ergonomic. Very nice to look at and a beautiful carrying case I might add. Its USB link is so fast, that I upload 4 to 5 MB songs or files within 5 TO 8 seconds! Unlike some other industry driven Mp3 players, this player allows two way transfer of all files up to 40MB at a time using your explorer to dragg and drop selected data and/or mp3 files onto E drive (letter assigned to the hipzip). You may also automatically execute all file types through your computer and thus listen to music through your computer's sound card output!

Don't forget that The Hipzip comes with MusicMatch, although I prefer Winamp's simplicity. Nevertheless, MusicMatch is a powerfull ripping and encoding software that comes in very handy.

One important reason I'm sold to the hipzip : the 40 MB funky looking disk called pocketzip is today 10 US$ when you buy a pack of 10, while the 64MB flashcard is 200 US$. How does that compare? At this price, you can even afford to lose a pocketzip or two!

One final note : despite what Amazone claims in the Hipzip specifications area, the hipzip allows random, repeated and random repeated playback modes.

So it's a multipurpose device, which will make you respect Iomega for being so considerate of our integrated/integration needs.

You can bet that Iomega is working on a 80 or 100MB pocketzip. When that baby comes out, and considering the excellent (Li ion) battery life, the hipzip will be the mother of all singin' zipdrives...

Cheers Iomega!

(3 out of 5)

Not quite there.

I traded my Rio 600 (after a static shock fried it for the HIPZIP). The good things are that it has excellent sound! Sounds a lot better than my Rio ever did. The headphones that come with the HIPZIP (KOSS) suck! They are terrible so you will have to use some other headphones. The display is nice and well laid out with plenty of information on the screen with a ticker scroll of current song information. This guy has a rechargeable battery on it that last for 12 hours on a single charge (or at least a long time for me 5-6 uses)! The buttons are nice and easy to use and the carrying case is very handy. My RIO 600 never had a clip or a case so you had to have pockets in order to take it with you unless you wanted to hold the thing in you hand the whole time. One of the really cool things about the HIPZIP is the memory. "Clik"'s are cheap (well $10 a disc but cheaper than other MP3 memory systems). They hold 40mb and you can get a bunch of them to make a collection of music discs you can just swap out on your player real quick. Reminds me of MD technology. IT doesn't skip at all (I tried really hard to skip this guy. It is like a MD play but it would not skip, Iomega did a great job on this feature). The really cool and the best feature I liked about this product was how fast and easy it is to add songs to a "CLIK" disk and delete, really smooth!

Now for the challenges the HIPZIP has. The pause function is worthless! If you pause a song and leave it there for 30 seconds the player turns off. Why? When you turn the player back on you have to start from track one again. My RIO would remember the place you pause so when it went to sleep it would come back on to where you paused last. Plus I could set the amount of time on the RIO before it went to sleep (1min, 2min, 5min....never). You cannot program the HIPZIP. One thing I liked about my RIO was it had a Clock (so I could tell how long I went riding or running) on it, no clock on the HIPZIP. One thing that annoyed me was the fact that going from one track to the next there was a .4-.6 second load time from track to track. This is really a long time that your ears can detect and I did not like this. Its really annoying to have this stop and go affect in your head as you are working out or even working. One thing I don't know if I like or not is the 40mb "CLIK" disk. Yes its cheap, cheaper then memory flash cards, it holds more than 32mb which is what a lot of the MP3 players have now a days, and they don't skip like MD. But I don't want to carry around a bunch of discs. I would rather spend the money on a huge memory card (128k) and that would be enough for me! Maybe if the "CLIK" held 80mb it would turn my opinion. And my last challenge for Iomega is make this guy smaller. It is the size of a Walkman. The other MP3 players out there are almost half the size of this guy and a lot lighter. I bet 2 of my old RIO 600 would almost equal the weight of one HIPZIP. And get some new headphones! I think I am going to try the RIO 800 or the Nomad II MG next.

(5 out of 5)

Great Player

I recently went out looking for a solid MP3 player and after much research I decided on the Iomega HipZip. I know I made the right choice. I'll go over the pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Cheap memory: The player comes with 80 MB, which is about 8 songs in 128 bit MP3s. This is better than 64 MB as in most others. Plus, memory is much cheaper. Memory is about $10 for 40 MB, other than "Memory Sticks" which is like $70 for 64 MB.

2. Great software: Easy to install, easy to use, no more to say.

3. Skip-less: I have tried so hard, and I cannot get this thing to skip. Shaking it, hitting it softly with your hand, driving with it on the floor on a bumpy road, this is un-skipable.

4. Good sound: After using some new headphones (Jensen curved-style) the sound was perfect.

5. Clear display: Nice LCD, nice backlight. It displays the song title, artist, time (etc.) beautifully.

6. Nice Case: 'nuff said.

7. Rechargable battery: Great feature, saves you hundreds on batteries.

Cons:

1. A little heavy: This is one of the heavier players on the market, it doesn't make a big difference, but it's not easy to jog in.

2. Shut off: The shut off after 30 seconds of stopping is a bit annoying. This is something I'd like Iomega to change.

3. Horrible headphones: Everyone says it, so will I. But, you can get a good pair for $7.99.

So that's it. I think that this, overall is no doubt the best player you can buy. I'd suggest this over Rio, Compaq, Nomad, anything!! If you need a good, reliable player, get the Iomega HipZip.

(5 out of 5)

NICE MP3 player!

First off, let me begin by saying I was very weary about purchasing an MP3 player of any sort. They all seemed too expensive for the musical value(i.e. storage capacity) you got in return. And expandable memory cards are very expensive. I had a cd writer and could burn my own cds which I primarily used when I worked out in the gym. However, I got increasingly frustrated by the amount of skipping from my supposedly skip proof cd player and decided it was time to look into a decent MP3 player.

Boy am I glad I did. The Iomega HipZip is a great MP3 player. Despite having moving parts, it is completly shook proof. I have tested it out driving in my car, jogging, and working out in the gym, and the HipZip just won't skip. I also love the fact that the music files are stored on removable zip discs which are much more economical than flash media cards. On the audio side, I found the sound quality on the same par as my cd player when using a good set of headphones. The control setup is nicely laid out and very user friendly. The display screen is relatively large and you have a backlight option you can use when in dimmly lit areas. The built-in rechargable lithium-ion battery is a great feature and should save me alot of $ in battery costs (well that is if it lasts the 5-7 years Iomega says it should ). Aside from song playing capabilities, the HipZip also works great in playing other forms of audio such as audio books which are obtainable through sites such as ... and functions great as a portable zip drive for any type of file.

I have heard complaints that you simply can't hold that many MP3 songs on a 40 MB disc (roughly 9-12 songs). My advice is to use the Musicmatch or Windows Media Player software (provided to you with the HipZip)and convert your cd music into wma files which are half the size of regular MP3 files with the same audio quality. There is also a plug-in for the Windows Media Player (available for free from microsoft)that will allow you to make a wma file copy from your existing Mp3s. This will double the amount of songs you can hold on a disc.