Photos: Peapod Toys' SweetPea3

The SweetPea3 is a niche MP3 player that's an excellent choice for parents who want to provide their toddlers or developmentally disabled adult children with digital music.

CNET Reviews staff

Feb. 25, 2008 1:53 p.m. PT

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The SweetPea3 comes preloaded with two playlists, and you may add a third with MP3 and WMA tracks of your choosing. The first playlist includes 11 children-friendly tunes, such as "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain" and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," while playlist the second playlist includes a story called The Little Red Hen.

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Other physical characteristics include a standard mini USB port on the left edge and a power input and headphone jack on the right. The SweetPea3 does not include headphones; however, USB and power cables are included in the box.

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The SweetPea3 doesn't look anything like your standard MP3 player, and that's just as well because it's not trying to be the most stylishly compact competitor on the block. Rather, it looks like a baby monitor, with a circular handle shaped out of its top end and a large speaker built into the front.

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There are three buttons: two marked with opposing triangles on either side of one marked with a square. The limit to three controls is meant to make the main operation of the device as simple and straightforward as possible, and it does the trick.

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As one might expect, features are light in this MP3 player. No photo or video support here: The SweetPea3 has a simple grayscale LCD that displays whether music is started or stopped, the playlist number, the track number, the volume level, and a battery meter.

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"Advanced" functionality requires some effort, which puts control in the hands of the parents. Volume, for example, is adjusted in the internal menu, which serves to protect children's ears, and the battery compartment requires a screw driver to remove.

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In a market filled with Nano clones and wannabes, it's refreshing to see something different--even if that something is a clunky MP3 player with only 256MB of storage and no advanced features. Peapod Toys' SweetPea3 can get away with it because it's aimed specifically at young children.