Haier ibiza Rhapsody review: Haier ibiza Rhapsody

Editors' note: This review has been updated to reflect battery life test results, and the rating of the product has been lowered to reflect the subpar performance.

6.7

Haier ibiza Rhapsody

The Good

The Ibiza Rhapsody offers about every feature in the book, including Wi-Fi and stereo Bluetooth capabilities; podcast support with wireless updating; photo, video, and subscription music support; on-the-go access to Rhapsody; updatable themes and wallpaper; even a basic Web browser. It also comes in a variety of colors and is one of the few high-capacity, hard-drive players available. It's easy to use, the interface is well-implemented, and the processor is powerful.

The Bad

The Ibiza Rhapsody is expensive compared with competitors, and it has copycat looks. It also lacks EQ enhancement options and has a poor battery life. Works with XP and Vista only.

The Bottom Line

The Haier America Ibiza Rhapsody is a cutting-edge media player that puts its wireless capabilities to good use while still retaining an easy-to-use design and interface. If you're willing to shell out the dough for a massive feature list, give it consideration.

Photo gallery:
Ibiza Rhapsody

Home appliance and electronics manufacturer Haier America is certainly not the first company to come to mind when thinking about MP3 players and portable media, but there's nothing wrong with a little fresh blood in the market. In fact, a newcomer can bring a certain freshness for consumers--Haier does so with the 30GB Ibiza Rhapsody. It's a jack-of-all-trades media player that encompasses emerging wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi music downloading and stereo audio streaming via A2DP Bluetooth. The device, which sells for a slightly pricey $299.99 and is available in a variety of colors (black, blue, pink, silver, or white), handles its multitude of features surprisingly well, but not everyone will be happy with its standard looks, lack of audio-enhancement options, and subpar rated battery life.

Considering the lack of choice in this category at the moment, we're stoked that Haier is offering the Ibiza Rhapsody in a hard-drive model (flash versions with either 4GB or 8GB are also available). At 4.1 inches by 2.4 inches by 0.5 inch, the device isn't overly bulky--an especially impressive trait given the built-in wireless antennae (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth). Plus, it has a nice, substantial feel to it, with plenty of tactile controls to complement the square touchpad on the front. The touchpad--which is surrounded by Play/Pause, Track Shuttle, and Back buttons--is responsive and can be clicked in the center to make selections. A dedicated Volume toggle and a Power key are embedded into the right spine; the latter can be a bit difficult to press as it rests flush with the edge. The top side of the player contains the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, a Hold switch, and the Connect button, which allows you to activate the Wi-Fi with one press. Oddly, the bottom edge of the Ibiza houses both a standard mini USB port and a proprietary dock connector. The former handles syncing and charging, so we assume the latter is meant to accommodate future docking accessories.

The Wi-Fi antenna juts about 1/16 of an inch out of the back of the player, so it's pretty low profile.

The Ibiza's QVGA screen isn't the largest we've seen, but at 2.5 inches, it competes squarely with the iPod Classic. The interface in general is reminiscent of the iPod's, because of its blue-white tinge and simple, hierarchical organization. The main menu includes direct connections to Rhapsody Channels and the Rhapsody catalog, which is handy for subscribers. Also handy is the search field that shows up along the top of the screen once you delve down into artist, albums, and songs. And we're keen on the way the Ibiza handles album art: there's a full-screen, faded-out image behind the thumbnail on the main playback screen. It's a cool effect.

If you're listening to Rhapsody Channels, you can click the center of the control pad to save the currently playing track to the player.

Now, the overall design of the Ibiza Rhapsody is fine, though nothing shockingly new or stylish. However, the array and implementation of features is truly arresting. There's support for MP3, WMA (DRM 10 included), WAV, AAC audio and MPEG-4, WMV, M4V, AVI, H.264, and MPG video. (PNG and JPEG are the supported photo formats). You get an FM radio with RDS and integrated podcast support--with a separate menu selection and the ability to update podcasts on the go from any Wi-Fi hot spot. Much like the Sansa Connect does with Yahoo, the Ibiza can access the Rhapsody catalog and Channels from anywhere with wireless access (if you have a subscription: a 30-day trial is provided).

Our Ibiza came with the player, a basic silicone skin, some V-Moda-esque earbuds, a USB cable, and a power adapter.

As yet another added bonus, the Ibiza lets you access video on the go through AOL Video--for free. (Some videos offer better results than others.) The Ibiza has the useful ability to set and save wireless keys as well as get past terms and conditions pages for public hot spots. You can even pull in content through Wi-Fi while simultaneously streaming it out to a Bluetooth speaker, though I noticed hiccups in the connection during testing--unsurprisingly, the two antennae appear to compete with each other at intervals. Additional features include an airplane mode that shuts off all wireless, and the ability to download new themes (called Airskins) for the player on the fly--and they are sweet (see video). There's even a basic Web browser, though entering in new addresses is time-consuming. In short, there appears to be little this player can't do--except allow you to tweak your music. Unfortunately, the Ibiza doesn't include any EQ settings, which may be a deal breaker for some.

The Ibiza Rhapsody is an impressive performer in some respects, but not in others. The processor is definitely up to the task; we were able to download Airskins while listening to our music uninterrupted. And we got the same result while browsing Web pages and the AOL Video library. At no point did we experience any crashing. However, the player's rated battery life of just 10 hours for audio is pretty appalling. CNET Labs beat that time by about an hour, but that's still dismal. Video was no better at 1.8 hours during testing.

Using a pair of Shure SE310s, we found that audio quality was neither stellar nor subpar. The low-end response is nice and tight in bass-heavy tracks, but is tough to detect where it is more subtle. High-end clarity is definitely acceptable and the mids are well-represented, but music is not as quite as rich or encompassing as we like. We'd give audio quality a solid "good" rating, nothing more or less. Video quality is solid, as well. The screen offers good viewing angles from side to side and nice color saturation.