Motorola m500 Review

Back in the summer we announced that Motorola would be making its first foray into the audio player market. Well, the players still aren't available for sale yet, but Engadget did get a chance to play with one and they've written a brief review of the Motorola m500.

The m500 is a 5GB device aimed at, what else, the iPod Mini. At a reasonably compact 3.3"x2.5"x0.7 and 3.5oz, does the m500 have a chance to gain ground on Apple?

All in all, a solid first foray for Motorola, but is the M500 enough to take on the iPod mini? Probably not. It's not that there's anything wrong with the M500 (except for the highly questionable color choice), it's just that given how crowded the field for 4GB and 5GB players is these days, it takes a lot to stand out more stand out than it used to. To be honest, the Creative Zen Micro or the Rio Carbon are probably the only players that have a shot at dislodging the iPod mini from its lofty perch (and even that's thinking optimistically). That said, if it gets priced a little more competitively when hits stores (MSRP is $229), the M500 should find some fans.

Related Links:
Motorola Enters the Market

• Rio Says "Me Too!" to 6GB
  
• iRiver H10 Gets a 6GB Boost
  
• New Roc Box Site
  
• Cowon iAudio X5 Info and Photos