Excellent USB drive/mp3 player!
Written: Mar 15 '04 (Updated Mar 17 '04)
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Pros: Two different color battery cases included. Cable-less USB drive. 5 band parametric equalizer. Small.
Cons: Jog dial is too easily activated.
The Bottom Line: If this player/USB drive meets your needs/wants, this is one of the best you can get. Just know that you're not getting anything more than what you're already seeing.
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| flipteg's Full Review: Creative Technology Nomad MuVo NX (256 MB) MP3 Pla... |
Honestly, this is one of those gadgets that I consider a waste of money. Don't get me wrong, I like the MuVo NX and this is NOT an introduction to a bad review, but think about it, $179 for an mp3 player with only 256mb of memory is beyond what I consider practical. That said, I also do not consider myself as a very practical person.
~~~My Considerations~~~
A flash based mp3 player was not really on my list of want-to-buy things because as I already mentioned, they are expensive for the amount of memory you get. The only reason why I bought this player is because I need a USB flash drive. Being a compulsive buyer as I am, I figured that it would be nice if the thing played mp3's too. Well, that luxury has cost me an extra $100 (considering a 256mb USB drive from Lexar is only $79). I did my research on mp3 players and also considered other options such as the Yepp, TDK Mojo, iRiver, etc. The main feature I need the player to do is to be able to connect to a computer without a driver (note that you will still need to install the driver if you're using Windows 98). This consideration pretty much ruled out half the players out there including the really nice TDK Mojo. In fact, I really liked the TDK that I was even ready to sacrifice the convenience of a cable-less USB drive/player for it.
I wanted a player that is not much bigger than a stand alone USB drive. I also need it to be durable since I know it will be in my pocket or book bag getting knocked around. I went to Wal-Mart to check out some mp3 players, and although they didn't have the MuVo NX, they did have the older version of the MuVo. Before going to the store, I already wanted to buy the MuVo NX, but I was a little disappointed when I saw the older MuVo at Wal-Mart because it looks like it's made out of cheap plastic and it even had some play on the seams where the case pieces met. I went to CompUSA and saw the MuVo NX on display and definitely noticed the higher grade plastic used. Although the buttons are made of plastic, they feel great and of high quality.
I also considered the iPod mini. For $70 more, I get 4 gigs of storage, and it also acts as a driver-less hard drive even though I would need to carry that USB cable around with me. But some of the things I saw that made me think that the iPod is not going to work for my needs (other than the size, which I don't really mind, and having to carry that cable around) is it's irreplaceable battery. Remember, I am shopping for a pocket sized hard drive. Playing mp3's is just extra. I don't really want to find myself in a situation when I have an iPod with a dead battery and I need to transfer files to/from a computer and I don't have the power supply with me. OR does the iPod charges off the USB cable? hmm. I guess I didn't do enough of my homework on the iPod so let me know! Basically, it doesn't matter to me if the iPod's battery life is 8 hours or 24 hours, I want a USB hard drive that I can use without worrying about power, regardless. I also do not like how the battery is fixed in the iPod. Yes, 8 hours is great, but the one occasion when my Rio Volt (cd based mp3 player) gets its most use is when I travel to Europe or Asia. One plane ride lasts more than 12 hours. That's not even including the stop overs. That means I'm pretty much dependent on the battery for about 24 hours. I understand that Apple had to use proprietary batteries on the iPod especially for something that small, but how hard is it to put a latch some where on there that opens up the back of the player and allows users to use spare batteries?
Yes, I only get 256mb with the MuVo, instead of 4 gigs, but that should be enough for me since I don't really mind not being able to carry my entire mp3 collection with me all the time. The way I listen to mp3's right now (other than on the computers at home) is with my Rio Volt (mostly on airplane rides) and with my Kenwood cd player based mp3 player (which is one of my favorite toys of all times). Sometimes, I do find the 700mb limit of a cd too small and I always have to make compromises on which songs goes on the cd and which do not, but when I really think about it, I don't really listen close to half those songs that are on the cd. The only reason I put them there, other than the obvious "it fits" is because I don't like burning cd's. Call me lazy... ... ... really, because I am. I do not like burning cd's, so I put the songs on the cd even though it only have the slightest potential of being listened to. I figured that since I can easily just plug in the MuVo on my keyboard (which has USB ports), it shouldn't be too much of a big deal changing the songs that is on the player.
~~~Things I like~~~
The player does come with two different colored battery holders. Choose which one you like. One is blue and the other is dark green (I think it's dark green. I'm slightly colorblind). The finish is actually pretty cool looking. The plastic is the glittery kind with a "clear-coat-looking" finish. I think you all know what I'm talking about.
Other than the fact that the MuVo NX doubles as a cable-less (I keep using that word. I don't even think it's a word) USB drive and does not require drivers, other things I like about it includes it's small form factor. This player is tiny. I did find a lot of writings from people who complain about "its LCD screen is too small for middle aged eyes" and "buttons are too small for fat fingers". Although I understand where they are coming from, I can't really consider stuff like those as a downside of an item. People want their gadgets small, but some of these people complain when the gadgets are too small for them to use comfortably. Ever seen a person wanting an ultra portable notebook and then complains about it's small keyboard and small screen??? How about someone wanting a small digital camera to fit in the pockets of tight jeans and then complains that the screen is too small, "the camera is too difficult to hold for large hands", and "the buttons are too small for fat fingers". And then these same people will put "small form factor" as one of their gadget's pros. I think it's ironic. It's physically impossible to fit a full sized keyboard and a 19" LCD screen on an ultra portable laptop. That's just one of my pet peeves. Anyways! I also like the screen with it's blue back lighting. The battery life is also pretty good. When I got home from CompUSA, I pulled out the batteries from my TI calculator that I use for my accounting class (it's spring break!) and popped it in the player. A battery is included with the player but I did not want to open the manuals/CD/earphones/battery packaging in case I want to return it, because at that point I'm still not sure if I want to keep this $179 "waste" of money. The battery from my calculator showed half on the player's battery indicator. I listened to the MuVo the whole night which was probably 5 hours. This would be consistent with Creative's rating of 11 hours for a full battery charge.
One feature I like is the 5 band equalizer. For things like the MuVo, I do not give any consideration to an equalizer, meaning, when shopping for the gadget, to me, it is as good as having the equalizer as not. I just don't care. But the equalizer on the MuVo really surprised me. I do consider myself as having a good ear for high end audio equipment (seems like all males think that way, and I'm not trying to brag, just letting you know where I'm coming from) and I did tune my car stereo for sound quality competitions.
The Muvo only have enough room for about 60 mp3's. I started encoding the files that will be transfered to the MuVo to 64kbps WMA. I do notice the difference between a 128kbps mp3 and a 64kbps WMA, but considering I can fit double the number of songs, that's a compromise I'm willing to make. One thing I don't like about low bit rate encoded WMA's is that the highend of the music seems to stand out too much, meaning you hear too much of that "tsk tsk tsk" like those boom cars that drives by with their bass and treble settings all the way up. I did find that toning down the highend with the equalizer is a pretty effective work around.
~~~Things I do not like~~~
One thing I noted is the jog dial sticks out much more than it needs to. Sometimes, it is easy to accidentally change songs when putting or taking the MuVo out of pockets, especially since my MuVo goes in that tiny pocket on the right side of jeans.
Another thing I didn't really cared for is it's minimalist menu system. Actually, I don't really think this belongs in the "Things I do not like" because I understand that it is a "simple-straight-to-the-point" mp3 player. The menu displays the title of the song that is in the ID3 tag. If that particular ID3 tag is not there, the player will display the file name. I'd rather have an option that lets you choose which to display. In the mp3 player in my car, I have it displaying the file name.
I would also rather have a dedicated button to activate the back light, so that it is possible see if I just want to check the title of the song playing or the elapsed time. Again, this is a minor gripe considering the size of the player.
~~~Things to note~~~
One thing I read over and over again on the Internet about this player is user complaints that the volume is not loud enough. Trust me, it is loud enough for any NORMAL listening volumes (please note that I do use a small, in ear, Sony earphones with mine). The volume scale goes from 0 to 40. With the Sony earphones I use, 35 gets pretty uncomfortable. I usually listen to it at 15-20, but I think that the MuVo should be loud enough even when in an airplane. The player is not going to be loud enough for SOME people (especially when using bigger headphones). But those people are the ones who like their music really really loud. Like that guy at my school who walks into a quiet computer lab with his headphones loud enough to pump the jams for the whole room. It's so annoying.
~~~Bottom Line~~~
I really can't think of too much things not to like about the MuVo NX. If this player meets your needs, then you can't go wrong with this unit. But if it doesn't, then you're surely to hate it. For what it does, it does it very well. Just don't expect anything more than what it is. You know exactly what you're getting even before you open the box - a 256mb USB drive/mp3 player. Now, it's up to you to consider if that's really what you need/want.
ohsnap@gmx.net e-mail me if you have any questions. I always try to respond.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 179
Recommended for: Beginners - Easy Enough for Tech Newbies
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Epinions.com ID:
flipteg
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Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 2 members
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