2005 December 5, ve on Entertainment Device Review: IMp3 Players Without a doubt, this holiday season’s “IT-gift” is the mp3 player. This media receptacle has entrenched itself into the national psy- EE che. A man can’t even get through the Sunday fun- nies without being barraged by that electronic brick that shoots music notes into his eardrums. The selection is daunting, and with Black Friday come and gone, most major electronic companies have released their flagship devices. The perennial favorite is Apple’s iPod. Now in its fifth generation, this small audio device packs a punch. In addition to its sleek, trim look that would meet space age standards, but it now comes in black or white and has a standard color screen for displaying current album art and music videos. The interface the iPod has is intuitive and uses simplistic hierarchal menus that allow you to quickly navigate to that hard rocking Yanni concert through the process of elimination. The selection of third-party add-on devices for the iPod lists in the hundreds — from armbands to car adapters, most portable audio needs can be filled. The new fifth generation iPod only has two capacity sizes: thirty and sixty gigabytes. File management is done through Apple's program “iTunes” which has versions available for Macintosh and Windows personal computers. The prices through the Penn State’s Apple Store are $269 and $369 respectively. A popular alternative to the iPod is iRiver’'s H10 series of Audio Jukebox Players. Hard drive capaci- ties are available in 20, 6, and 5-gig versions with prices at $299, $279, and $229 respectively. One of the H10’s best-selling points is the ability to listen to FM radio and record it for use later. Also includ- ed is a built-in microphone for voice recording: something the iPod can do only through a propri- £ . ge The best deciding factor on an ors, and has a blue glowing 3 . . bb) price versus practicality. The Lion’s Eye etary add-on. 1R1ver's color selection 1s a bit more copious with hues like “Remix Blue” and “Trance Red.” The battery life for the H10 matches the iPod’s: if used in its lowest power conditions, the total playtime is approximately twenty hours. This is according to iRiver’s site and pending on how you use the standard color screen, the device’s hold on a charge can drop significantly. The display can dis- play pictures, but not video. Media is managed through Window's Media Player. Creative's Zen Microphoto may be in a lower weight class than the two preceding mp3 players, but many of its features are designed to compete with the iPod and H10 this holiday season. Jumping on the color screen bandwagon, this pretty § little music player will get looks on the bus, in the classroom, and in church (it’s a bad idea to listen to music during service... who knew?) It’s available in 10 col- undoubtedly attentited the hot pink color option. The Microphoto is only available with an 8-gig storage capacity and sells for $249. Auxiliary options include photo storage and man- agement, slide show capabilities, FM radio and recorder, and the ability to sync with Microsoft's “Outlook Express” program, to satiate that PDA hunger in all of us. Distribution and management of files is handled by Creative's “Mediasource” application. Even with all the facts, it’s hard to decide what option is best. The best deciding factor on an mp3 player purchase is to weigh price versus practicali- ty. The iPod may have video and larger storage capacity, but for someone who listens to five bands religiously and nothing else, the higher price range may not be worth it. Good advice for a consumer that buys one of the aforementioned devices: To be popular is to purchase the most expensive and fancy mp3 player they can find. That way, everyone will know just how cool he or she really is. — Daniel Robert Peter Delaney Movie Review: Eighties Holiday Classics Singing and dancing Raisins, a Lasagna lov- ing cat, a playhouse full of celebrity cameos, lots of various animals and creatures under one roof singing carols; it all points to one thing: a “Very 80’s” Christmas. I know you're sitting there thinking, “How can I take that walk down nostalgia lane?” I advise visit- ing eBay and searching for pieces of your childhood and buying them back. This is what I believe to be the top four best of the best. The Claymation Christmas This famous California Raisin’s special of little musical numbers has singing by various claymation characters. The film takes the viewer to Quasimodo conducting the “Carol of the Bells,” the soulful camels singing “We Three Kings” and the California Raisins themselves singing “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer.” However, one of my favorite memories of this spe- cial is the consistent groups of carolers singing the same song incorrectly: “here we come a wassailing (waffling, waddling, ect.)” Garfield Christmas In this classic, Garfield, Odie, and Jon take a trip to Jon’s parent’s farm- house. This special includes the classic Garfield sar casm that writer Jon Davis is famous for. The best scene is the emotional moment when Grandma, sit- ting stroking Garfield, reminisces on her past hus- band and his love of Christmas. Pee Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special This is the definition of Christmas specials in the 1980’s. It has everything from a Hanukkah celebra- tion, claymation, ice-skating, Santa and of course about 20 celebrity cameos; guests like Little Richard, Magic Johnson, Frankie Avalon, Charo and Cher among many more. The best moment however, is the overly forced Hanukkah segment with a woman so stereotypically Jewish it’s almost offensive. The Muppet Family Christmas This Christmas special is the all time greatest in my opinion. In this forgotten Christmas special, the Muppets go and visit Fozzie Bear’s Mother, accom- panied by all the Muppets, the Sesame Street cast and the Fraggle Rock cast. It’s also an emotional special to watch since it was Jim Henson's last film/special. The highlight moment is Big Bird and the Swedish Chef singing “The Christmas Song” (chestnuts roasting on an open fire). So go, find some of your favorite childhood Christmas specials before they go out of print or cost about $50. — Matthew James Gebheart Kelly
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers