Not So Fast: ZDnet on Toshiba’s USB 2.0 MP3 Player

Don’t waste your gadget dollars on Toshiba’s new iPod clone, the Mobilphile. According to ZDnet, in order to prevent files being copied from the Mobilphile onto another computer, the device only plays files that have been encrypted using Toshiba’s software. The files are encrypted on the fly as they are transferred to the player, slowing down the entire process and completely mitigating whatever improvements in file transfer speed one might gain by having a USB 2.0 connection. Does anyone test these gadgets before they get shipped?

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