Home appliance and electronics manufacturer Haier America leapt into the portable media player market last year with the 30GB Ibiza Rhapsody, a jack-of-all-trades device that came loaded with features, including Wi-Fi music downloading. Even at the time, hard-drive-based MP3 players were a dying breed, so it's no surprise that the Ibiza was followed up by a flash-based sibling of the same name. The flash Ibiza Rhapsody offers most of the impressive array of extras found in its slightly larger family member, but comes in a different array of colors and with either 4GB ($199) or 8GB ($229) of memory. It's large and pricey for a flash player, but it comes with some nice extras right out of the box--including decent headphones--so if you're after an advanced device, the Ibiza could fit the bill.

As mentioned, the flash Ibiza is not the most compact MP3 player you can find--not even close, in fact. It's only a bit thinner (0.4 inch) than its hard-drive-based counterpart, while its height (4.1 inches) and width (2.4 inches) are the same. However, the unit has a nice, substantial feel to it. It's housed in a smooth and shiny seamless metal casing, which is available in a variety of colors: aqua, black, blue, pink, and purple. A large, square touch pad on the front of the device is complemented by a good array of tactile controls. The touch pad--which is surrounded by Play/Pause, Track Shuttle, and Back buttons--is responsive and can be clicked in the center to make selections. A dedicated Volume toggle and a Power key are embedded into the right spine; the latter can be a bit difficult to press as it rests flush with the edge. The top side of the player contains the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, a Hold switch, and the Connect button, which allows you to activate the Wi-Fi with one press. Oddly, the bottom edge of the Ibiza houses both a standard mini USB port and a proprietary dock connector. The former handles syncing and charging, so we assume the latter is meant to accommodate future docking accessories.