I’m a little bit of a gadget geek. Between my very own electronics collections and writing product evaluations for shops like GeekDad, I’ve had loads of alternatives to play with gear. With Father’s Day quick approaching, I although I’d revisit considered one of my favourite moveable music gadgets — one which’s cheap as well — the Ryobi TEK4 AllPlay music participant. Principally, this can be a ruggedized, extremely lengthy battery life MP3 participant constructed round a chargeable energy device battery. There’s nothing elegant about it and it does nothing however play music, however it can try this just about ceaselessly. I’ve had one since a 2010 assessment, and it continues to amaze me with its efficiency.
Ryobi is the final identify most of us would consider relating to music, however the firm launched the TEK4 AllPlay music participant as a part of its TEK4 energy instruments line. Consider an iPod Shuffle caught on prime of pair of C-cell batteries; now tack a clip onto it and also you’ve just about received the design. It has 2GB of storage, helps commonest music recordsdata (together with MP3, WMV, WAV and AAC), masses with music through old-school drag and drop, has no show and sports activities minimalist controls. To reset the machine, you take away the battery. In different phrases, it’s no iPod in appears to be like or performance.
However, the 4v Lithium-ion battery is person replaceable and rechargeable (so you possibly can maintain a spare available, not that you just’d want it), the battery can be utilized in different Ryobi TEK4 energy instruments, the case is affect/water/mud resistant and the claimed battery life is 72 hours. In contrast to most gadgets I check, this music participant not solely lives as much as the claimed battery life, it persistently blows it away. Compared, the iPod Shuffle goes for about 15 hours on a cost.
In order for you a transportable music participant that’s compact, this isn’t it. If you wish to carry round your complete music library, look elsewhere. Planning on connecting to a wi-fi speaker dock? There’s no Bluetooth, so higher deliver a cable. In order for you album artwork displayed and touchscreen controls, it’s not not even within the ball park. However in the event you’re available in the market for a reasonable machine that carries 200-500 songs (relying on bit price), lasts for days on finish, makes use of an interchangeable battery and is just about impervious to bodily harm, then the Ryobi TEK4 AllPlay music participant is that machine. I like my iPods, however I take advantage of the TEK4 AllPlay whereas chopping the grass, working outdoor and as my music supply throughout tenting journeys (that steadily final every week at a time) — and I recharge the factor perhaps twice a yr. It has brought about zero fuss over the previous three years regardless of being in sand, rain, chilly and warmth.
You possibly can nonetheless purchase them at Residence Depot for $63 (together with battery and charger), however I seen Amazon’s at the moment received the complete package on sale for $25 — in the event you’re in search of a Father’s Day reward, it’s fairly laborious to beat that worth. In the event you purchase one, throw away the included earbuds, although. These make Apple’s seem to be audiophile variations, however that’s the one criticism I’ve for this machine, which is saying so much.
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