Ericsson HPM-10 MP3 player

At First Glance
The HPM-10 snaps on easily to the host mobile phone and stays on securely. It is constructed of scratch-resistant molded plastic and has stylishly simple contours that make it look even a tad cooler than most existing Ericsson handsets. The bundled earphones set can also double as a hands-free kit, very useful indeed if you don't already have one.

Sound Quality And Controls
All music is stored locally on a removable 32MB Multi-Media Card (MMC), which gives users almost half an hour of distortion-free music. Any time there is an incoming call, the player will pause the track being played; once the call is completed, the user can continue listening to the track at the point paused.

The sound quality is very impressive considering how small a package the HPM-10 is. It did well even when playing the very expansive "Last of the Mohicans" track. While it may lack the fancy functions other MP3 players offer, it simply does what it was designed for: delivering good-quality sound from MP3 files.

Establishing A Connection
The most complicated part of using the HPM-10 must be transferring music from your PC to the Multi-Media Card, and vice versa; users must first plug in an MMC adapter (to either the parallel or PS/2 port) to establish the necessary connection. As many devices ordinarily use these ports, the extra female parallel and PS/2 ports mounted on the adapter allows you to continue using devices such as printers, keyboards and mice.

Once connected, the MMC adapter shows up on Windows Explorer as a removable storage device and downloading MP3s is a simple process of drag-and-drop. Ericsson has thoughtfully included additional PS/2 adapters for computers equipped with an older version of the PS/2 port.

MusicMatch Jukebox
Included in the companion CD is the MusicMatch Jukebox software and a comprehensive HTML-based user manual. The MusicMatch Jukebox software is a full-featured digital audio player that also allows users to tune into Internet radio stations. It also supports the CDDB (CD Database), an on-line repository that automatically attaches artist names, album titles and song titles to the tracks you "rip" from music CDs. All you need is an active Internet connection to enable this data transfer.

Conclusion
At a fraction of what some standalone MP3 players cost, the Ericsson HPM-10 offers good value for money and a welcome distraction from the daily humdrum of the work/school commute. The Ericsson HPM-10 is only compatible with mobile phones from the Ericsson T28, R320, R310 and A2618 generations and later. Judging from the direction Ericsson has taken in adding greater functionality to their handphones, we can eagerly look forward to what new innovations they may soon uncover.