Philips HDD120 20MB €299Highs: This is a solid and stylish multiple-format player. The software is easy to install, and it has an intuitive operating system that you will have up and running in seconds. The excellent headphones come with a natty remote control that allows you skip from tune to tune without having to fish the player from your pocket. The built-in voice recorder is a definite plus.
Lows: Not much to complain about in terms of design or sound quality, but with just 10 hours of battery life this has to be recharged considerably more frequently than the competition.
Verdict: Good-value functionality.
Star rating: ****
Apple iPod 20M €339
Highs: From the funky packaging to the sleek and super-cool iPod itself, Apple has paid stunning attention to detail. The controls are wonderfully tactile, the menu system is crystal clear, the extras are fun and functional and the headphones are superb. It's smaller and more robust looking than other players, and it can easily convert CDs.
Lows: Costly add-ons are available, but the out-of-the-box iPod could do with more stuff. The monochrome display is drab, and with a battery life of 12 hours it compares poorly with some rivals. And when is Apple going to bring iTunes to Ireland?
Verdict: Too cool for words.
Star rating: *****
iRiver H320 20MB €479
Highs: The colour display is better than the competition, if a little dazzling. And this is not only a player: you can download images to it from your digital camera, and it comes with an FM radio and voice recorder. The battery life is a substantial 16 hours, and it can be recharged while connected to a PC.
Lows: The iRiver looks like a 1980s Walkman, the menu is less intuitive than the others and, perhaps as it crams so much in, looking for tunes can be frustrating. And you may struggle to find replacement phones for the customised jack. This is also the most expensive by some way.
Verdict: Tries too hard to impress.
Star rating: ***
Creative Zen Touch 20MB €289
Highs: With a promised battery life of 24 hours, this is the longest lasting of the players. The software is easy to install, getting the player up and running in minutes. It plays multiple formats and, with its slim and ergonomic design, white colour and touch-sensitive navigation system, it comes closest to matching the iPod for funkiness. It is also the cheapest player on test.
Lows: The two-pinned recharger is an instantly irritating minus, forcing a frantic hunt for an adapter. It also looks a little clunky next to the iPod or Philips, and the headphones are a just a touch ordinary.Verdict: Long playing and lovely.
Star rating: ****
5 stars excellent; 4 great; 3 fine; 2 below par; 1 awful . . .
*******
The ticket prices that don't always add up: You spot the prices, we ask the questions.
If you've bought a ticket for a rock concert, play or football match in recent years, you've probably done it through Ticketmaster Ireland - and paid handsomely for the privilege. The company sells seats for about 8,000 events a year, whether through venues, its own outlets, over the telephone or online. Its service charge of between €2.95 and €5.95 a ticket is infuriating readers.
One of them, Eithne Hunt, booked two tickets for REM's concert at the Point, in Dublin, in February, for €55 each. As she plans to collect her tickets from the box office, Ticketmaster won't have to post them to her; other handling costs should also be minimal, she says, as she used the company's automated telephone booking service. She was shocked when her confirmation e-mail indicated a service charge of €11.90, the full €5.95 a ticket. "This is extortion and warrants attention," she says.
Ticketmaster Ireland defends its charges, pointing out that the convenience of its booking facility comes at a cost. "The 24-hour service has to be paid for," says a spokesman. "If someone is sitting in their house in Kiltimagh and they order their tickets online for a concert in Dublin and have them delivered to their door, well, there is going to be a cost. It doesn't come out of thin air," he says.
The company then issued a statement: "The provision of a 24-hour telephone service for ticket-buyers is a major cost [ Ticketmaster employs 500 people in a UK call centre to deal with Irish and British queries], while if a customer wants his or her tickets posted out to them, this is another cost. The service charge covers those costs."
Ticketmaster's policy of charging a service fee for each ticket rather than each transaction also annoys readers. Madeleine Flanagan, from Galway, says: "When buying goods in a shop and paying by credit card, one is not charged per item. Surely the same applies for concert tickets."
Ticketmaster's response? Its policy "is not out of line with normal business practice".
*******
What's more . . . Keeping an eye on banks: Bankwatch.ie, a new website, hopes to provide "an independent and transparent forum" where the public can post their views on Ireland's financial institutions. Maria Joyce, the site's administrator, says it wants to encourage banks to improve their services and products. "We are encouraging postings that are both bouquets and brickbats." The site includes a response page, which will allow banks to respond to visitors' comments. If you notice a significant price increase or discrepancy, let us know by e-mailing pricewatch@irish-times.ie
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PriceWatch: How much to rent a DVD?
Here . .
Eurovision Video Club, Bank Place, Tipperary €4.50
Pace Video, Wooquay, Ennis €4.50
Movie House, Bandon Road, Cork €4.50
Advance Vision, George’s Street, Dun Laoghaire €4.75
Chart Buster, Crescent SC, Limerick €4.75
Xtra-vision, Eglington Street, Galway €5.00
Laser, Sth Gt George’s Street, Dublin €5.00
The Movie Store, Rochestown, Cork, €5.00
There. .
Blockbuster, Boston €2.70
Universal Movies, Glasgow €3.90
Video Ezy, Perth €4.17
Lucky Video, Swansea €4.28
Archway Video, London €5.00
Prices are for a night’s hire of Shrek 2
