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It's not like Apple, not a major mover and shaker in the world of electronics, but Toshiba is still a respectable brand name nonetheless.  So when they released the Gigabeat Mobile Audio Player, people sat up and took notice. No one was really expecting a completely innovative product, but no one was expecting a disappointment either. However, it turned out to be just that – a surprising disappointment.

The Toshiba player has a 2.2 inch screen which would've been cool if it could play video. It can show photos, but that's about it in terms of  functions. This is a waste of space considering other brands of audio players can play video on screens of the same size.

The Toshiba player's navigation system, the PlusTouch cross, leaves a lot to be desired. The cross is located in the front and center and is used to manipulate the player. However, it has the tendency to do the opposite of what you're intending to do. This unwanted 'feature' of the PlusTouch makes the Toshiba player weak in comparison to other players with better navigation designs.

Lastly, Toshiba makes use of its own software, the Gigabeat Room Management Software. There's nothing wrong with that, except it tries to change MP3 files into SAT files. SAT files are often not readable so you need a converter if you're planning to transfer songs from your player back to the computer. This is very inconvenient to do, especially since there are players that allow direct transfer using Windows Media Player.

One redeeming feature of the Toshiba player is that it offers 10G to 60GB of memory for prices ranging from $159.99 and $249.99. Those are reasonable costs for such disk spaces. Perhaps some people will find this a decent tradeoff. It's really up to you to choose a player for yourself, and if the Toshiba player is right for you, then go for it. However, all in all, the Gigabeat Mobile Audio Player can't quite catch up with the other players out on the market today.