Fun toy, thin sound, disappointing.
Written: Aug 31 '04
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Pros: Slick little gadget, nice display, lightweight, upgradeable, expandable memory slot.
Cons: Thin sound, poor headphones, awkward strap, HORRIBLE software.
The Bottom Line: Look at others. I'd only suggest this if you like the way it looks.
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| jmyles's Full Review: Mpio FL100 (256 MB) MP3 Player |
I purchased this device for use while walking and working out in the gym. My goal was simple: to have enough variety of music on hand to keep from getting bored while working out. I added a 256 SD card to bring the total up to 512MB, about enough size to have 8 albums of music at a fairly high quality encoding rate.
The controls were non-intuitive. But after reading the manual, no problems.
The software sucks. Period. You absolutely must use it to drop songs into this device, unlike other machines that mount as drives. It was just simply confusing software and it crashed serveral times on an Athlon running XP Pro.
The supplied earbuds are probably worth about $2. Not only was the sound thin, the cord was not long enough for me, at 6'3", to be able to keep the player in my pocket. I used another pair of nicer Sony headphones which the device lacked the amplification to drive amply, even after tweaking the equalizer.
The FM receiver would never leave MONO mode. IT didn't seem to pick up stations that are strong in my car, and it had serious problems with anything below 95Mhz.
If you can't tell by now, I mustered out of the deal by returning it to Best Buy within 3 days. I moved up into the Rio Nitrus 1.5Gb drive-based player, which is much more musical sounding, has higher capacity, and much more intuitive control.
On a positive note, I suppose if I were shorter, and less picky about sound, the headphones would be fine for me. It is a nice machine, but if you're plunking down this much money, you should be happy with the purchase. Thankfully electronics can still be returned and exchanged in stores (for now).
A note: I highly recommend purchasing the 'replacement' program on this type of item, which normally costs about 20 or 30 dollars. For my money, it's worth it, in case I drop it or it just quits working. I've been through Sony's warranty hoopla and if you agree to jump through their hoops, it's almost not worth your time.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 169.00
Recommended for: Athletes - Lightweight and Portable, Perfect for the Gym
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Epinions.com ID:
jmyles
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Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 0 members
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