When the auto shut-off time is reached, Busker usually turns off the music and the screen, although sometimes it ignores the auto shut-off and carries on with both music and screen on. Unfortunately, even when it does turn off, it doesn't always stay off. Sometimes I get a little burst of the song every few seconds, sometimes Busker turns off the music, then turns the screen back on, and sometimes it turns the screen back on and makes an odd sound, as though part of the song is skipping very quickly.

The display seems to have some update issues as well. When one song finishes, its information often stays on the screen instead of the next song's information appearing. Clicking on the information does update it, but also skips the song forward a few seconds. Powering off the handheld, then powering it back on also results in the information not being updated.

I spent a great deal of time trying to delete songs from within Busker. Sometimes there's a "Delete" item on the "Songs" menu, and sometimes there isn't. Sometimes selecting "Delete" does delete a song, and sometimes it doesn't. I eventually discovered that you could delete a song from the Artists or Folders view, but not from the Playlist view (where "Delete" is sometimes available on the menu but has no effect). Before I figured this out, I emailed Electric Pocket, using the support address on the Web site, and received no response.

Summary
Overall, I think that Busker has the potential to be an outstanding music player, but it has a long way to go before it reaches that goal. It absolutely needs to be consistent in its operation, it needs a clear user manual, which it doesn't have, and it needs to provide feedback to the user when an action is not available. There's currently a Web page at Electric Pocket's site that gives a general summary of the program, but more detail is needed.

Updates are coming out very frequently, three came out during the time I spent testing Busker. While these updates are adding excellent new features, such as the Playlist, they haven't succeeded in resolving its inconsistent behaviours.

At the moment, I rate Busker a 2. There are some interesting features, such as the Quick Mix and the Album Art, but the basic functioning of the program isn't solid yet. With additional testing and polishing, Busker could become a viable alternative. But right now I can't recommend it.

OUR RATING: 2 of 5