First off the product concept of a thumb drive sized mp3 player with an FM tuner and 1G of internal memory for under $40 US was the hook that caught me and I just had to buy it. It is a very nice looking package but there were a few “little” things that caught my attention.(I’m using an AMD based HP desktop computer with windows XP - all OS updates installed)
-
The USB cap is difficult to remove. The lanyard strap eye is also located on the cap so if the cap becomes separated from the player, you only get to keep the cap! Bye-bye player!
-
The player comes with a translucent window cover that should be removed or you will not see the display graphics and will falsely think the unit is defective. At least that’s what I thought and removing it was not obvious.
-
Updating the firmware was a series of false starts, freezes, file corruptions, and general operator panic and frustration. Beware of updating the firmware… proceed at your own risk! At best it was a cluster of shots in the dark. Somehow and someway it updated to version 01.01.12A2 and repeating the update program declared no further updates were available.
-
Using Windows Media Player to sync up music was a messy process - music, pictures, and files - a jumble of things on my hard drive wound up on the external (Transcend) microSD 2G chip. To get the player to even function, I had to remove the external memory chip, format it and then reinstall it and re-sync it again.
-
The controls are difficult to actuate, using a fingernail works best. The volume + / - control has a mind of its own… going full blast or all the way muted with the single momentary press of the + or - volume buttons. There is some sort of hardware defect or software bug there.
-
Even the addition of external memory is fraught with peril. Is there a 2G, 4G, or even 8G limit? Where is the documentation stating this simple spec? Is the player sensitive to only work with SanDisk MicroSD chips or are there various manufacturer compatibility issues?
-
Although the FM reception is less sensitive than I would have expected, having 20 preset stations capacity is a nice additional feature and well appreciated.
Overall, from a user’s point of view I would give this unit a rating of only 3 out of 10. I had hoped to recommend this MP3 player to friends and family - even given a few as gifts, but will certainly not now.
There is a lot of room for improvement regarding this MP3 player and the most critical area of concern is the firmware upgrade process or lack there of. Updating the firmware appears to be an easy way to turn this player into a brick. Even after updating the firmware, bugs continue to surprise and baffle this hapless user. It is a shame that such a nifty looking product with such nice features could be such a bangle of worms.
