Nike Philips MP3MAX PSA250

Posted by T3 Online on Mon 22 Oct 2007

Add fun to your runs with Nike's newie

No wonder Paula Radcliffe bricked the marathon. She was running in 40-degree heat with nothing to listen to but chortling Greek shepherds and the sound of her brain melting. If she'd had the theme from Chariots of Fire blasting out from this lightweight, shockproof MP3 player instead, we reckon we'd have seen a slow-motion finish and double retsinas all round.

The latest brainchild to swoosh out of the Nike/Philips collaboration is a 512MB device that supports MP3 and WMA and includes a ten-preset FM radio. The player itself is a light metal-and-rubber disc with a bright, circular LCD and squidgy buttons. This fits into a solid neoprene-and-Velcro armband for hands-free use, which in turn attaches to a waistband with built-in controls, if you're not self-conscious about prodding away at your tummy to swap tracks.

Philips' basic PC software for music transfers is no match for the slick iTunes, although you do also get a copy of the fairly capable Musicmatch Jukebox. The 12-hour lithium-ion battery should last throughout even the slowest triathlon, and there's a stopwatch to enable you to time your runs.

Sound quality is superb and the armband is an excellent idea - even if wearing it does feel like having your blood pressure taken. The fully flexible earphones, however, had a tendency to pop out of our oversize lugholes when sweaty, and the hi-tech chest/wrist strap just made us feel like a cut-price Cyberman. Whether you opt for this or a 4GB iPod mini (T3 101, 5/5) will depend on how much training you actually do - if you genuinely exercise a lot, then the rugged nature of this Nike/Philips effort makes it the better bet.