Tested and reviewed by Alex Sanfilippo, age 14.
Are your kids (5 years old and up) looking for a new and fun way to listen to their favorite music? Now they can with the Disney Mix Stick (available at Disney's online store and many retail stores, $39.95) MP3 player. The Mix Stick is pocket-size and sturdy; it holds about 240 songs and comes in fun Disney designs, including Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Disney Princess Flowers, The Cheetah Girls, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, and Tinker Bell. The package contains the player, a Windows Media software CD, stereo earbuds, and a lanyard so you can wear the Mix Stick around your neck.
The Mix Stick's directions are easy enough for parents to understand, to set up the software on the computer (PCs only) for younger kids. The software is not yet compatible with the new Windows Vista, but it works with XP.
For music files, you can rip songs from CDs, use a Disney Mix Clip, or buy songs from online music stores--including Disney's own online music store. There, kids can download Disney songs from the hit TV movie "High School Musical"; Miley Cyrus's pop-star alter ego, Hannah Montana; and Hilary Duff. You can also use the software to set up playlists to put on your Mix Stick.
The controls for the Mix Stick are also easy to use. It has the usual on/off switch, volume controls, play/pause button, skip/search forward, and skip/search backward. There are also two other buttons, the Repeat All button and the Mix It button. But the great thing is, all the controls are set up in a Mickey-Mouse-ears shape.
The Mix Stick has several unique features. When it's loaded with 25 or more "Mix It-ready" songs (you can make songs Mix-It ready with the included software), press and hold the Mix It button for 2 or 3 seconds and Mix It Scan will start: Scan mode plays the first 8 seconds of all songs, and you can create a playlist based on the current song at any time by pressing the Mix It button. When you press and release the Mix It button right away, it will create a Mix It playlist based on the song that is currently playing. (If the song playing isn't Mix It-ready, the created playlist will be based on the next available Mix It track found on your Mix Stick.)
The Disney Mix Stick is an ideal MP3 player for kids. It is easy to use and has a fun design. It is sturdy and won't break easily. The Mix Stick does everything it is supposed to do and works correctly. The Disney Mix Stick is good for keeping kids busy on long car rides; and if you don't want the radio playing in the house, then you can always have your kids listen to their Mix Sticks.
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December 25, 2007 7:10 PM
Ok.. My daughter got this for Christmas and its sad she can not use it to its full potential because its not compatible with Windows Vista...
December 25, 2007 9:32 PM
my daughter received this mp3 player as a gift for her birthday and im very unhappy with product.it is suppose to be easy to use but is not compatible with my windows vista and my media player. you would have to go and download a certain windows and media player for it to work on your computer. my daughter birthday was september 12 and the disney mix it up stick still dont have music on it. i have brought her a mp3 player for christmas and it worked instantly. i think this product is a waste of money
December 29, 2007 11:09 AM
I Purchased mix stick mp3 player for my 6 yr old for christmas and within a week the head (ear)phone stop working properly. she could only hear music in only one ear piece she has to apply pressure at the bottom of the plug for both ears to play music. I even changed ear plugs to see if it would fix it and it did not it is in the mix stick.This was a bad idea for christmas present she no wants to listen to the mix stick.(MONEY WASTED) I guess you get what you pay for, so take my advice and spend a little more money to get better quality.
December 29, 2007 7:32 PM
My daughter's love their mix sticks and really enjoy the cartridges that go with them. We have not had any issues with them and have even put different music on them. They are definitely worth the money!
January 5, 2008 4:03 PM
Purchased MixStick for my 7 year old daughter. Still have not been able to get it to work yet :-( Very dissappointed with this product
January 6, 2008 3:05 PM
I need the "Disney Mix™ Stick, Windows Media Software CD". Does anyone knwo where I can download it from? Thanks.
January 8, 2008 12:13 AM
I think this is a good product. bought 2 of them for xmas. But not very sturdy head phones doesnt work on 1 side and the other just stopped working all together.These were bought for a 2 8 year olds. As for downloading music no problem with vista. Just use media player and tab sync. Some downloads use drag and drop to media player.Hope this helps. pwest
January 8, 2008 8:45 PM
hi just want to know if i could download the disney mix stick software online cause i lost the cd.
January 12, 2008 7:20 PM
I love this productand it is compatible with vista, all three of my children have them and they work just fine. We have downloaded music and ripped music from CD's. To Paula: I think you can go to digiblue.com and download what you need.
March 20, 2008 12:05 PM
hi just want to know if i could download the disney mix stick software online cause i lost the cd.
April 26, 2008 9:28 PM
my 7 year old granddaughter purchased this mixit with Hannah Montana on it she is crazy about her so she paid for it out of her own money and it worked for only one day how disappointed she is after spending over $40.00 of her own money.
July 19, 2008 3:44 PM
I bought my mix stick from a walmart, it works fine on any computer however when i had to crash my computer and re-format it i was no longer able to use it, it says i need a cd software, but ive never had to use a cd software before. Ive installed the mix plug-in or what ever is on that cd that came with it however im confused because ive used it for a year with out that cd, and now i need software. Is it not compatable with a windows vista home basic software or are my ports acting werid im not sure but its not just this my camera isnt even letting me use it, everything that didnt need a software cd now needs one is there a software i can get or am i screwed.
August 10, 2008 10:08 AM
I bought this for my 8 year old daughter for XMAS 07... 8 months and working great. Easy to use, easy to transfer songs. she can play it with headphones, through her computer (using both Linux and Windows), through her boombox and now through this funky little pillow her mom bought.
A great first mp3 player
October 18, 2008 7:58 PM
i hate this mix stick its so dang hard to work im 12 years old and i got it when i was 11 and it stiil doesnt work thanks my mom spent alot of money on the junky thing i hate u disney mix stick people ur a waste of time to donwload :@