I love it
Written: May 28 '04 (Updated Mar 25 '05)
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Pros: USB 2.0, drag and drop files, long battery life, fast song loading
Cons: not an IPod, small buttons, i had some problems with the hard drive
The Bottom Line: Just one of those products that you are happy with b/c it does exactly what you want and does it simply.
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| mattknapp's Full Review: Creative Technology Nomad MuVo² (4 GB) MP3 Pl... |
!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Make sure you buy this from a licensed dealer or else Creative will NOT honor your warranty.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Perfect fit for me. I bought it primarily b/c of size and USB 2.0. This is an easy review - it does exactly what it is supposed to do. It plays MP3's. It is easy to use. It has USB 2.0. It is priced "just right" for its features. It has few thrills but does what it is supposed to do very well.
Pros:
1) The USB 2.0 transfer is FAAAAASSSSTTT. It takes 12 min to upload 4 GB to the player. The is the MAIN reason I bought this player. I use it when I work out in the gym and before I go each day I like to load whenever songs I happened to be listening to that day or what I'm in the "mood for." I couldn't stand to wait 10,15,20 sec plus for a single song to be copied with USB 1.0. I'm very happy with this feature and it is worth the price alone to me.
2) Small and lightwieght. This thing is tiny for what it can hold. It passes the "light enought that I won't notice it while I'm working out OR running" test. It is much lighter than an IPod. I have never seen an IPod mini, so I can't compare weight to that. But it feels like a feather compared to the regular IPod IMHO.
3) The price is completely reasonable.
4) Doesn't do much else other than play songs. I don't want an MP3 player with alarms, calendars, etc, etc, etc. I want an MP3 player that plays MP3's.
5) **** DRAG AND DROP FILES **** - This was really important. I can't stand all the cruddy software that most MP3 players force you to use (RealJukeBox, etc) to organize and copy files. Nothing makes me want to pull my hair out more that those horrible excuses for software / spamware / spyware. When I leave work each day I can drag 50 songs onto the player with Windows Explorer and also the files I was working on that day in case I might need them at home. Very Cool. Very very cool. It is easy to put those types of files in their own folders so that you / it doesn't get confused with the non MP3 files.
Cons:
1) The IPod mini looks way cooler, has more features, and has 15 gig of space. But it costs more. And I'm wary of the battery issues with the IPod. What if they come out with a battery that lasts 2x next year? I'd probably buy the new type of battery, but with an IPod, you can't upgrade or replace if it runs out. Ick.
2. Small screen but NO complaints about ease of use. Basically, it isn't an IPod screen. I don't want to play solitare on it anyway. It is very easy to read at night when the back light is on. However, if you wear glasses I would not expect to be able to read the screen without them! (the screen isn't that small. it is the size of 80% of the players out there - it just doesn't have a big LCD like an IPod)
3. The belt clip case - you can't change/skip over the songs without taking it out of the case. But, you could get a pair of cutters and fix that pretty easily. The unit is small enough that you could wear it around your wrist or upper arm (like where people wear their cigarette packs sometimes - rolled up - except the MP3 player is exactly half as tall and half as wide as a cigarette pack and about 3/4 as deep.) You can get a "remote" for this unit. The remote (you have to buy it separately) is not wireless and does not have an LCD screen on it so you can't tell what the next song is or switch folders.
**************** UPDATE 5/27/2004 *******************
Now, when someone writes a review that says "don't buy this product! When I got mine it was broken," I don't pay it any mind. Electronics are going to break and sometimes you get the bad one...that is just how it is. Anyway, mine did break! The hard drive has gone bad after 1 day. Here is how my conversation went when I called Creative's support:
C: Can I help you?
M: My MP3 player appears broken after 1 day.
C: Okay, what appears to be the problem.
M: It froze up and now it just clicks when I turn it on and it goes into "Diagnostic Mode", which tells me that I have a "Media Error"
C: Oh, I'm sorry. Well, let me get you a RMA # so that you can send it back.
M: Thank you.
C: Btw, you should be aware that this player has a Hard Drive and not a flash memory card and so if you are going to use it for anything other than normal use then I might recommend getting a flash memory player. The hard drives can go bad, or simply skip, under heavy stress. I've actually had one customer that has returned a different type of player 4 times b/c the hard drive has gone bad.
M: Well, I don't plan on using it when I run (lie). And I haven't done ANYTHING with it since I got it yesterday other than plug it in and listen to a couple songs (truth).
C: Okay, if you continue to have problems, then you might want to trade it in for a memory card player.
M: Ok, thanks for the advice.
I could not ask for better support than this. I had bad luck and got a bad unit but they gave me NO hassle and offered to let me trade for another type of player if I wanted. Customer service like this is invaluable.
However, I guess I was wrong in my review where I said I plan on using it to run. I won't be doing that and I wouldn't get this if you plan on using it to run. Running on a treadmill is different b/c you can just set it down on the treadmill. But I'm a pretty high impact runner - up and down stairs, offroad, sprinting, etc. Perhaps I might try using the flash card memory 'switch out' if I'm going to do that?
**************** END UPDATE 5/27/2004 *******************
**************** UPDATE 5/28/2004 *******************
The stock headphones that come with the unit are OK. I can't complain. However, I upgraded and got a pair of ER6 Isolator headphones. Wow, these things are great! Ear buds have always hurt my ears reaaaly bad (I have small ears for some reason...) but the ER6 Isolator headphones, while they fit it deeper than any other ear bud I've seen, do not hurt at all! I slept with them in last night. Why? Because they are also noise isolating. You can't hear anything other than music when you have these in and the volume set to low. I mean nothing!!! Which could be dangerous if you are't careful.
www.etymotic.com
I got mine from a place called iDealSound. They were great. They arrived in just 2 days with free shipping. $109 dollars. It was worth it to me...but if normal earbuds don't give you an earache and you are on a budget, then 100 bucks is a little extravagant I think.
**************** END UPDATE 5/28/2004 *******************
**************** UPDATE 6/15/2004 *******************
Well, I never returned my unit after getting a "Memory Error." It started working again. Then it gave me the "Memory Error" again every hour or so. But when I would give it a little "Fonz Jab" (you know - Happy Days and the juke box), it would start working again. Then, after 2 days of freezing, it hasn't frozen since. I use it to run, work out, whatever. Perhaps there is just some software glitch or small piece that needs to be knocked back in position sometimes? Anyway, I'm happy enough with it that I don't want to wait 14 days for a replacement b/c I use it everyday.
**************** END UPDATE 6/15/2004 *******************
My final thought - whatever you get - get something with a USB 2.0 connection (like mine). Too slow otherwise!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 225.00
Recommended for: Beginners - Easy Enough for Tech Newbies
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Epinions.com ID:
mattknapp
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Reviews written: 2
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