Edge Memory DiskGo review: Edge Memory DiskGo

Edge Memory DiskGo
The Edge Memory DiskGo comes close to being a really solid flash-memory-based MP3 player. It sounds good and plays all the file types we expect, including protected WMAs purchased from online music services. It even has an expansion slot, a radio, and the ability to record voice memos. But tiny buttons and a poorly designed screen make this player no fun to use.

With its square, pucklike shape and its silver and dark-gray colors, the DiskGo isn't a particularly stylish player, but it's easy enough on the eyes. It's relatively small and light (2.25 by 2.25 by 0.63 inches; 2.4 ounces), and it reminds us of the old Panasonic SV-SD80. On the front is a small, blue-backlit LCD. As with so many players, the screen is overcrowded with cryptic icons and doesn't dedicate enough space for the most important information, such as the song name--the text is tiny. Worse, the player's case casts a shadow onto the LCD, obscuring the song name when the backlight is off.

Along the top of the player are five buttons to control playback and to change between the device's various modes. There's also a slot to add up to 512MB of SD or MMC media to increase your music storage. On the left side are two tiny rocker buttons: one for volume control and the other to engage A/B-repeat or to delete files. Both buttons are far too small and don't offer much tactile feedback. We were never sure we were hitting the correct side of the volume button until we heard the change in the headphones.

The DiskGo plays songs in alphabetical order based on the Windows filename. If you want songs to play in a particular sequence, you must rename the files. If that's too much effort, there's a feature to shuffle or repeat song playback. The DiskGo sometimes stops playing when it gets to a copy-protected file. Pressing Play restarts the music in the right place, but if you press Previous Track, the player locks up and reboots. This is an odd and irritating glitch.

Transferring music to the Edge Memory DiskGo is a little funny. The player's built-in memory shows up as one removable drive in Windows Explorer while the SD slot shows up as a second drive. If you're using an SD card, you need to transfer music in two steps: first, moving songs to the built-in memory, then transferring other songs to the card. You can use either Windows Explorer or Media Player to accomplish the transfers, though Windows Media Player is required for copy-protected files. Fortunately, all the music plays back as if it were one big collection.

The DiskGo also has an FM tuner and a voice recorder. In our tests, the tuner was able to pull in powerful commercial stations with only a little static. Still, its reception was limited. The voice recorder, too, was plagued with excess noise. We were still able to discern what was said, but there was a fluttering sound on all of our recordings.

Included with the player is a cloth carrying pouch and a useless neck lanyard/headphone. The hole in the player is so small, you can't attach the lanyard, and the cord is too short to put the player in a pocket or a bag. The other tidbits you'll find in the box include a USB cable, a warranty sheet, and a single page of instructions that essentially tell you to visit Edge Memory's Web site to view more complete details online.

The DiskGo sounds good. It's able to play fairly loud without noticeable hiss, although the amp isn't powerful enough to drive large, over-the-ear headphones without distortion. The six EQ presets were a bit better than we're used too. For example, the Bass setting increased bass without throwing other frequencies out of whack. In CNET Labs tests, file transfer over the USB 1.1 connection was a relatively speedy 0.72MB per second. Battery life was about average, at 12.8 hours on a single AAA cell.