New Haier ibiza Rhapsody sports a 2.5″ QVGA screen, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, FM radio tuner and an USB 2.0 mini-B slot. Podcasts are automatically updated via Wi-Fi through an included free subscription service.

12.jpgFor most people, the name Haier probably conjures images of refrigerators, dishwashers, and microwave ovens—that is, if you’ve heard the name at all. So when I received Haier’s Ibiza, the company’s first portable media player, I wasn’t very optimistic. I’ll admit the Ibiza seemed to have potential, since the player puts your Rhapsody music in your hand and never needs to be connected to a PC to do it—not even for setup.

The Ibiza uses Wi-Fi to connect to the Rhapsody online music service to stream or grab your Rhapsody music. The device also has a 30GB hard drive, so it can be used as a traditional portable media player. (You do need to connect to your computer to load non-Rhapsody files on the player.) Oh, and it plays video (there’s an AOL video tie-in, too) and displays photos on a screen identical in size to the iPod’s. On top of that, there’s FM radio, a Web browser, Bluetooth functionality, and an awesome navigation pad

NewMp3 reviews Elegant design isn’t one of the Ibiza’s strong points: Taking cues from other popular devices, it has an iPod- esque screen (2.5 inches, 320-by-240-pixel resolution) and a Zune-like touch-sensitive control pad, but the body of the player is covered with buttons. It isn’t exactly ugly, but it’s not as graceful as an iPod or a Zune. The Ibiza also comes with some adequate-sounding but flimsy earbuds. It didn’t take long for the left ear on mine to give out.

AnythingButiPod reviews the Haier ibiza Rhapsody and writes;

“I really like the ibiza, but it is not for everyone. To get the full benefit of the ibiza Rhapsody you must subscribe to Rhapsody. If you do not, it is just another player with the inability to use half of the features. If you are considering purchasing this player, plan on paying the $15 or so per month for Rhapsody, for which you will receive a huge all-you-can-download selection of music along with cool dynamic playlist features and artist bios. For the cost of a CD per month, I personally think it is worth it.”

PCMag reviews the Haier ibiza Rhapsody and writes;

The Ibiza also comes with some decent-sounding but flimsy earbuds (it didn’t take long for the left ear on mine to give out), an FM tuner that is easy to use, and the ability to download AirSkins—different graphics for the user interface… Is it worth $330? If you really want your Rhapsody on the go, yes. Otherwise, wait a while for Haier to iron out the kinks. (Plus, flash memory players are rumored to be on the horizon.) ”

Rating: 7/10

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