Philips GoGear Spark MP3 player photos

The GoGear Spark is a bite-size MP3 player from Philips with an affordable price, well-rounded features and a unique design. It's also one of the first MP3 players to hit the market that offers the convenience of a lightweight, wearable design, while maintaining a relatively large 1.5-inch color display.

Philips designed the Spark with squeezable edges, allowing four directions of control. Squeezing the top or bottom edges of the Spark allows you to scroll through lists of music or FM radio frequencies, while squeezing left or right allows you to skip through songs or rotate through each of the eight main menu icons.

The GoGear Spark includes a short USB cable, average-sounding earbuds, and a braided lanyard for wearing the player around your neck. A version of Rhapsody Media Player is also included on CD-ROM.

Love it or hate it, the Spark is designed to be worn. Unlike the iPod Shuffle or Sansa Clip, the Spark's design does not have a built-in clip; however, an included neck strap can be threaded through a loophole on the corner of the player.

The Spark's screen acts as a four-way navigation pad. For music playback, pinching the top or bottom of the screen skips through tracks, pressing left backs you out to the menu, and pressing right will pause your music.

The GoGear Spark is tiny, but it's not the smallest MP3 player we've seen. The Creative Zen Stone, Samsung Pebble, and iPod Shuffle all offer a smaller, slimmer design. Only the Spark includes a color screen, however.

You can always go necklace-free and store the Spark in your pocket, but be sure to engage the button-hold switch to prevent the pressure-sensitive screen from skipping tracks accidentally.

Some of the Spark's controls are located on the sides, such as the volume button, options button, and power/hold switch.

You'll find the headphone jack on the top edge of the GoGear Spark. Philips doesn't chart any new territory when it comes to the Spark's audio quality, but the included earbuds, integrated FullSound audio enhancement DSP, and handful of EQ presets add up to a formidable combination.