Hiya Ibiza Rhapsody! I was going to write about a product overcoming a strange sounding name, but decided to focus instead on some of the more unique aspects of the Haier ibiza Rhapsody 30GB Portable Media Player. This is the first Media Player from Haier, who are better known for their dishwashers, refrigerators, microwaves and other home appliances. The styling is reminiscent of an iPod classic with some Zune 30 thrown in. It has similar dimensions to the iPod Classic and a 2.5 inch screen. It also has a Zune-like touchpad. Yet it is rather costly in comparison.

This is not just any Media player. Like the SanDisk Sansa Connect, this is a wireless-enabled Media Player, but this one is linked to the Rhapsody music store. However, no computer is required to set up and use this player, just a subscription to the Rhapsody Music Service. Fortunately it comes with a 30 day trial subscription.

Among the multiple features of this device: Podcasts can be updated wirelessly. You can also access video on the go through AOL Video. It supports stereo Bluetooth, which not many players do. As well as an FM Radio with RDS, you can listen to Rhapsody Channels – the equivalent of customized internet radio channels.

The Ibiza Rhapsody comes in several capacities and colors, There is a 4GB and an 8GB Flash Player, or a 30GB hard drive based player. The colors: black, blue, silver, white and pink – that’s the 30Gb version, the 4GB and 8GB have variants of these.

This is a great player for discovering music, but obviously needs Wi-Fi access and a $15 per month Rhapsody Music subscription to get the most out of it.

Posted on January 30th, 2008 by mervyn