Phillips GoGear Vibe MP3 Player Review

Not to sound like a shill, but I have to commend Phillips. If you want a great little MP3 player, I have to recommend the Phillips GoGear Vibe

I have the little black 4GB one, which is too small (on storage space) for most people, I know. The Phillips GoGear Vibe is nothing fancy. It's just a small device that could easily get lost in your pocket.

It isn't the latest and greatest. Far from it. No touchscreen. No fancy anything.


It has a screen, but it's so small you can barely make out what's on it. I kid you not, I watched Enchanted during a plane ride on the itty-bitty screen. It works, but you can just barely make out what you're looking at.

With all these seemingly negative points to it, you might wonder why I'd bother to recommend it. I'll give you a hint:

It's not the price tag.

The Phillips GoGear Vibe comes in at a reasonable price of somewhere around $40. Like anything, it depends where you get it. I have a little older model so it may even be cheaper for the one I have.

Here's why I would recommend it to anyone, as long as you are looking for a no-frills way to listen to your music.

I recently did a load of laundry. I washed it, dried it, the usual. Heard something clanking around in the dryer. Had nothing in there that I could think of that would have been making a noise like that. I kept wondering what the heck was clanking around.

Finally, the clothes were dry and I took them out. Mind you, I don't mean air-dry either. I'm talking about full heat, for probably about 1.5 hrs, and that's after running through the wash.

Out falls my little MP3 player. I was sad that it was gone, since I really liked it. I was even more sad that the 4GB of music on it was also gone.

It wouldn't turn on. I kept trying, and trying, and hoping, and trying. Still nothing.

A couple days ago, I decided, just for the heck of it, to try turning it on again. Still nothing. I thought, maybe just maybe... it's just the battery needing a charge.

I plugged it in via the USB cable - voila! It turned on! After having been dropped numerous times during normal usage, squished in my pocket, squeezed up against this or that, and then washed and dried - it turned on!

Mind you, that is (unfortunately) all it does. It only turns on, and only when plugged in to charge. But it connected to the computer and allowed me to remove all the files off of it. I now at least have my music backed up for when I do purchase a new MP3 player to replace this one.

So if you are looking for a STURDY, reliable MP3 player for music only with a decent volume limit and great sound, you'll want to check out the Phillips GoGear Vibe MP3 player.

The fact that it still turned on after going through such abuse inspired me to recommend it.

That said, I am now in the market for a new MP3 player. Have any that you might recommend that would still be as sturdy? (I'm a klutz) I'll take any suggestions!