Very good value
Written: Oct 27 '02 (Updated Oct 27 '02)
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Pros: Inexpensive, nice if you already have CF cards
Cons: Lightweight construction, no playlist support
The Bottom Line: A little ideosyncratic but solid MP3 player that fills a nitch in the portable digital audio world by its use of Compact Flash; a very, very good value.
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| carbon13's Full Review: Frontier NEX II MP3 Player |
NEX II uses Compact Flash cards as it's primary memory, a real boon to those digital camera owners who already own a few or want another use for the IBM microdrive. No CF is included, which is just as well since most electronics that include the expansion memory only give a tiny 8 meg card anyway. As of this writing the cost of the NEX II plus a 128 CF card is about the same as that of MP3 players with 128 meg built in.
The playback functions of the NEX II are adequate but limited compared to what could be included. There is no scan function that allows you to fast forward within a song. External playlists are not supported. A simple play/not play songlist can be created on the unit but it is erased when the unit is turned off. The order of song play can not be changed. However, there are some third-party software solutions, I recommend looking at the NEX II discussion board at Yahoo.
If you are not too particular, song transfer from the computer is as simple as drag-and-drop. When connected with the included USB cable, Windows and Mac machines see the NEX II as another external drive. For quicker transfers just use your own CF card reader.
Some positives in the design are a very bright, easy to read LCD, five channel equalizer controls (accessed through the LCD), and about 10 hour battery life on standard AA batteries. My unit came with headphones that wrap around behind the head. Their sound quality is excellent, but like most headphones with this design, they start to hurt after 30 minutes (go look in the headphone section of epinions, you will see that this is a common complaint with the design, not the manufacturer). Note, some editions come with a folding headphone so I can't generalize my experience to owners who got that set.
Customer service from Frontier Labs is excellent. I managed to misplace the battery door not five days after purchase. An email to them and they sent me out a new one. Note that the firmware is upgradable, in contrast to an earlier review that said it was not.
In conclusion, the NEX II is a little ideosyncratic but solid MP3 player that fills a nitch in the portable digital audio world and is a very, very good value.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 74
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Epinions.com ID:
carbon13
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Reviews written: 1
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