usb drives

Picked this up and a 256MB jumpdrive for my wife. She had NO issues with getting MP3's from her MAC to the drive. Pretty much figured out how to use it and is happy with it. There are 2 small issues with this though.
1. It is difficult to access the menu (to change backlighting, etc). Anyone else have this issue?
2. When using the play music randomly, it's not very random. My wife was real disappointed in that.

But for $40 for the player and $25 for the swappable USB memory pretty good deal.

The idea is great. The execution is not.

My JumpGear MP3 worked with one JumpDrive Sport (512MB) but not with another (256MB). Both JumpDrives work with my PC (although only through a USB hub, neither was recognized by the primary USB ports, but that's another story).

So, three Lexar products, two "good" JumpDrives but one doesn't work with the JumpGear. For a product that invites you to swap multiple JumpDrives in and out, this is a real problem. Prime suspect would be either the JumpGear USB connector or the JumpDrive 256 USB connector -- but unless both connectors are good for the long haul, this product will not live up to its promise.

Lexar Customer Support did call back, as promised, spent most of their time attempting to replicate the problem on their end, and offering to replace the JumpGear if it did't work with their JumpDrive (a 50/50 proposition, based on my experience). They are only authorized to handle RMAs. They are not equipped (or interested) to figure out what was wrong.

Sometimes the most useful things are the simplest ones, and this little guy fits that category. The controls are simple and straightforward, the buttons are rugged rubber, and the battery life is exceptional if you turn off the backlight. The earbud headphones that are included are sturdy but may lack a little in reproducing bass sound; I plugged in a larger pair of Sony headphones that I use on my computer and the sound quality from this guy was equal to listening to MP3s on my PC. I could fit about 50 songs on a 256MB card, which is enough to last me a week before I want to change them. And reloading songs from a PC is *so* easy with the USB technology. Make no mistake, this isn't an iPod, but it's very small, easy to use, and very practical.