Wi-Fi music player cuts out the PC

Features
The MusicGremlin comes in one storage size: 8GB, which holds about 2,000 MP3, WMA, or WMA DRM tracks.

	Simple controls. Nothing new.

It's PlaysForSure-certified, so you can transfer subscription or purchased tracks from most other online stores--just not wirelessly. You can use the player without a subscription to the company's MusicGremlin Direct service (US$14.99 per month, on the pricey side of portable subscriptions), but in that case, you might as well take the same US$299 and buy a 30GB video iPod, because you'd be missing out on what makes the Gremlin unique.

With a subscription and an 802.11 wireless connection, you can go shopping right from your player and download all the new tunes you want. Downloads are 128Kbps WMA DRM tracks. With or without a subscription, you can purchase tracks at US$0.99 each. Purchased tracks can then be transferred to your Windows XP PC, saved and used on other devices.

The 2-million-track music library directory is actually saved and invisibly updated to the Gremlin, so you don't waste time or Wi-Fi battery life downloading track information whenever you browse the catalog.

We found the catalog consistent with that of other online stores. It's strong in rock and pop, and it's likely to have every popular artist you want, if not every song. Since you have the database right on the device, you'll notice tons of artists and albums you've never heard of. You browse by spelling out the artist or song you're looking for, then clicking the select button to jump into the directory when you're close to the right place. It seems cumbersome at first, but after a few tries, you'll be scrolling quickly.

	Mini-USB plugs here.

Enter Download Manager (one of nine items on the main menu), and you can monitor the status of your downloads. You can even move a song to the front of the queue, a good feature if the song you want to listen to now is at the back end of 59 titles.

Sadly, the Gremlin doesn't offer enough to justify the US$299 price. Considering that you'll need the US$14.99-per-month (that's US$179.88 per year) subscription to get the most out of it, we think the player should cost a lot less. Perhaps there should be a steep discount if you sign up for a year of service--similar to promotions offered by cell phone service providers--or maybe even a discount on tracks that you want to purchase as a subscriber.