Operation: Nomad II MG
Written: Jul 02 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Portability: |
|
|
| Battery Life: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Competitive price, FM tuner, voice recording
Cons: Costs to expand memory, limited range microphone, no inline remote
The Bottom Line: The Nomad II MG is a an excellent solid state MP3 player with voice recording, FM tuner, and 64 MB internal memory.
|
|
|
| gorocco's Full Review: Creative Labs Nomad II (64MB) MP3 Player |
This is you mission should you choose to accept it.
Mission Objective: The MP3 music format is the wave of the future in portable audio. You are charged with field testing a device for carrying these important data files from your home computer to a destination TBA while infiltrating the local culture. During your travels, you are advised to listen to said files as they contain important cultural information that will assist you in blending into the so-called "in crowds."
For this mission, we are issuing you a Creative Labs Nomad II MG.
This entry into the solid state MP3 player market is small and fits nicely into the palm of your hand. The unit is thin, sleek, and comes in two colors (light metallic blue or silver). The controls are located at the top of the unit and are easily manipulated with one hand. A round LCD finds its home on the center of the unit and uses a soft blue backlight that is easy on the eyes.
The data files for transport have already been downloaded into your computer by means not otherwise specified. The Nomad II MG utilizes a USB connection, so delays due to "downloading" information will not be tolerated. The quality of the audio will be hamped only by the original quality of the MP3 or WMA files. There should be no skips or other unforeseen, noticeable breaks in the sound. Any difficulties in understanding the audio will not be due to the Nomad II MG.
The Nomad II MG allows for voice recording, if you should require it on your mission. The microphone is located on the top of the unit, but note that the range is limited. Using EAX Time Scaling technology that can speed up or slow down the playback speed, up to four hours of voice recording is possible with the 64 MB of internal memory. You are advised to use this limited space wisely, but should you need it, the easy-to-use Smartmedia slot allows you to add an 64 MB, or a 128 MB card if you install the latest version upgrade.
A FM tuner is installed in the unit. You can preset up to 32 frequencies with it. Beware that the clarity of the tuner varies depending on your position. However, mission objective updates may require you to record FM broadcasts into the unit's memory, making this imperfect feature potentially valuable.
You will be supplied with an AC adapter and a pair of AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries. These batteries will give you approximately 3.5 hours of usage from a full charge. This includes the time spent downloading the files. Backup batteries are available and come highly advised.
An inline remote is available; however, it is not standard issue. Thus, it will set you back $59.95 plus $8.95 for shipping and handling (from the developers at Creative). The remote attaches to the headphones socket and will add considerable cord length to the headphone. The inline remote is powerful and versatile. The LCD on the remote replicates the information on the unit's main screen. You also gain remote access to main functions such as play, stop, and search/skip.
You will be supplied with a case for the Nomad II MG. The case is purely for protective purposes only. It sacrifices your access to the unit's functions for protecting a pricey piece of equipment. If you wish to use your issued case, seriously consider the inline remote as it will bypass the lost accessibility.
The software enclosed with the unit are more than adequate to get you started on your mission. The software is intuitive enough that you should have no trouble using it. As we cannot foresee all possibilities, software compatible with Windows OS and Mac OS are included.
Some of your data may be encoded in the WMA format. Your unit is not equipped to interpret this file format. You have been forewarned to download the software patch before trying to play these files.
You are advised to be careful with the unit. The Nomad II MG cost this department $250. The Smartmedia upgrades can be found at prices of $34 for 64 MB cards and $90 for 128 MB cards. However, these prices may be outdated as these memory cards are decreasing (albeit slowly). While alternative units considered for your mission can supply more memory, other solid state MP3 players such as the Rio 800 add considerable cost that this mission's budget will not allow.
While the Nomad II MG is more expensive and supplies less audio than the vaunted CD-MP3 players such as the SonicBlue's Rio Volt and TDK's Mojo are available, uninterrupted, skipless audio was considered to be of utmost priority here. Voice recording features are also a distinct advantage over CD-MP3 players that was considered in our decision. For your information only, specifics about the Rio Volt may be viewed by cutting and pasting the following:
http://gorocco.epinions.com/content_25608490628
In conclusion, the Nomad II MG comes highly regarded as an excellent solid state MP3 player providing quality audio and voice recording features. FM tuner and recording support is yet another plus. And with expandable memory via Smartmedia cards and upgradeable firmware, we expect the unit to enjoy a long life in this competitive market. Your experience with the unit should confirm our hypothesis.
We wish you good luck and godspeed in your mission.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
gorocco
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: Stony Brook, NY
Reviews written: 91
Trusted by: 59 members
About Me:
Closing in on review 100
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.