Touchscreens have finally infiltrated the sub $100 MP3 market.

Many people think of the iPod Touch when they hear touchscreen. With it’s gorgeous screen and UI to boot, it certainly is a force to be reckoned with. However, not everyone has $300+ to drop on an MP3 player anymore. Some people want a little cash left over to eat this funny smelling stuff called food every once in a while that we need to survive. Such things have a higher priority than a touchscreen MP3 player. However, Memorex is happy to show you that frugality and touchscreens can now coexist thanks to their TouchMP player. Great, touchscreen and great price. But is it any good?

“Good” is a very subjective term that has many different meanings, condentations, and requirements for different people. As far as comparing it to the iPod Touch or even the Zune 80GB, the Memorex TouchMP a new crowning champ it is not. While it does bring touchscreen technology to a new, more affordable end of the market, certain features just aren’t that great if there at all.

Of course, a device costing $99 isn’t going to be packed to the gills with features such as an amazing web browser, calendars, or impressive mobile games. Instead, such a lower priced device will instead focus on the main reasons we buy MP3 players – music. As CNet reports in their review of the MPTouch, the touchscreen while a nice addition to this price point, is left to fend for itself with a UI that surely isn’t anything to write home about, nor is the sound quality. In regards to the UI being abyssmal, I or anyone looking for cheap yet good sound quality can overlook that minor setback. However, an MP3 player that really doesn’t have anything else going as well as poor sound quality basically gives you a recipe for a mediocore don’t-waste-my-time-or-money device.

If $99 is all you can afford on an MP3 player, I would suggest forgoing the touchscreen novelty and instead focusing on a player with better sound quality. But, that’s just my $.02.

Source: Crave