We also got a second chance to see the BenQ JoyBee 720 again. This time, we took it for a real spin through the park and decided that it has little potential, with all this new competition coming up or already there.

First of all, the 720 is just blatantantly huge. Seems as if they could have fit an 1.8-inch hdd into the casing, which of course comes with a nifty SD expansion slot (and a removable battery, from what we could see) - but still, this thing is big. Secondly, the unit comes with a color screen but the main menus and playing screen look like 1984 Space Invaders from DOS-kind of items. Almost no point in using a color screen this way, expect for the picture browsing. Whoever came up with the power switch must have been having a bad day as well - it's a combined on/off/hold slider. Want to switch the player "on hold" to prevent accidental operation? Just move the slider to the right... but not too far, because that will cause it to shut down. Arghr - reminds us of the eDigital O1000/Mpio HD100 (2.5 years old).

Of course, the JoyBee720 still has that ultra-cool front plate - all techno metal-like and all. That's one of its main aspects, actually. The GUI is awful right now, the size inexcusable and prices aren't expected to change your mind either.