mack-dohc's Full Review: Olympus m:robe MR-100 (5 GB) Digital Media Player
Camera giant Olympus decided to jump into the portable MP3 player market with the release of two MP3 players in January of 2005. Poor marketing and lackluster support spelled the demise of both players in late 2005, less than a year after they were released. I was marginally aware of the MR-100, Olympus' 5 GB hard-drive based player from a few ads, as well as browsing the display cases at a local computer store. I wasn't in the market for an MP3 player at the time, so I didn't look with much interest. In late 2005, however, a Radio Shack ad arrived showcasing the beautiful m:robe MR-100 for a mere $99. I was convinced that a touch screen, 5 GB MP3 player of such stunning design was worth a try at that price, so I bought the last one at the local store.
Overview
The MR-100 is a sleek and fairly compact MP3 player - it's dimensions are 3.5" x 2" x .6" (height x width x depth) making it easy to slide in your pocket. It weighs in at about 3.5 oz, which isn't terribly heavy, but it's enough to know that it's in your pocket. I've found that although the m:robe has fairly small dimensions, it's still large enough that it can be awkward at times - it certainly wouldn't make a good jogging companion if left in a pocket. Considering the hard-drive file space, however, the size is trim. Only two physical buttons can be found on the case - the power and hold buttons. As other reviewers have noted, the headphone jack is on the side of the unit - which is alleviated by the inclusion of a headphone "extension" cord with a 90 degree angle plug. Apparently this was an afterthought by the designers, but the included angle plug makes inserting the m:robe in your pocket much easier.
Design
The m:robe's design is quite striking - the front panel is entirely one piece of glass, with a black background. The back panel of the case and sides are metal, painted in pearl white. The glossy all-black appearance of the front is extremely modern and stylish, but if you're very worried about fingerprints showing up (which they do!) then you should purchase plastic screen protectors (apparently the PSP screen protectors fit the m:robe fairly well). Cleanliness aside, the front panel also scratches somewhat easily - if you plan on using this MP3 player on the go (I know, that's what it's for!) then a case is recommended. Unfortunately you'll have to be creative, since the Olympus-made case isn't even sold in the US (especially now considering the m:robe has been discontinued). From the minute the m:robe powers up, the red-on red LCD screen and red touch-screen indicators make for a striking appearance. The 1.7" LCD screen is monochrome with 20,480 pixels - the text and indicators are a bright red against a dark red background that is nearly black. As you turn up the contrast, the background becomes somewhat brighter (more dark red from black) - but I use the m:robe at the lowest contrast setting to conserve battery life.
Features and Use
In practice, the m:robe is fairly straightforward to use. After a few days I was very comfortable with navigating though the menus, changing settings, and switching from track to track quickly. Overall, I enjoy the touch-screen, primarily for its appearance - it definitely turns heads and I get many compliments and questions about the m:robe. From a purely functional standpoint, however, it is lacking - the touch-screen will never be as assured or accurate as a physical button pad. This is rarely an issue, except that I've found that using the m:robe in my car is awkward - it requires a little more attention than I'm comfortable giving while I drive. The on m:robe features are minimal - you can change equalizer settings, simple playback settings (random, repeat, etc), lyrics display (more on this later), and various music sorting options. These include 'favorites', 'top 20', 'never played', and others - I've never implemented these features, but they offer an interesting way to organize your music. The lyrics feature is pretty strange - you must enter in the lyrics within the m:trip software prior to transferring the files. To me, it's pretty much useless. You can also chose to sort your music by Artist, Album, Year, or other sorting criteria (which is based off of the MP3 file ID tag - so make sure your files have proper ID tags if you intend to browse in this manner). Navigating through the menus is straightforward with the middle up/down strip and the left and right arrows. Holding down on the middle strip allows for scrolling through lists or changing the volume. My primary complaint in operating the m:robe is the minor hassle around bringing the backlit display back while you're listening - you have to use one of the touch-screen controls to bring the m:robe "back", which results in entering a menu or changing the volume. You can flick the hold button on/off and get the screen to light-up again (to see a song title or time remaining) but I'd rather not wear out the hold switch prematurely. The m:robe does not have an AM/FM tuner and you cannot make playlists on the fly - but neither of these features were important in my purchase decision. Battery life is decent, I've never put a clock to my usage, but I would estimate my overall usage at somewhere around 5 hours of playback (well below the rated battery life of around 10 hours playback) - but I usually listen for about an hour at a time, once a day. Five or six days between 3-hour dock charges is more than acceptable for me, however.
Software and Connectivity
The m:robe connects to your PC via either a direct USB cable connection, or the included dock. The benefit of the dock is that it also brings in the A/C adapter power to charge the m:robe. The dock is small and stylish, and makes for a quick connection to your computer. The included "m:trip" software (yes, that's the name) is quite possibly the biggest complaint for most users. Olympus tried to do their part to prevent illegal file sharing, so they prevented the m:robe from functioning as a removable drive - no drag-and-drop file transfers are supported out of the box (you can browse to the m:robe in Windows, but the files are 'encrypted' into a new file-naming convention on the drive - You can use the drive to store files through Windows, but the m:robe will not play music files transferred in this manner). Some third-party software is available to bypass m:trip - but it hasn't been perfected, and less computer-savvy users will find m:trip to be more user friendly. For all the complaints I've heard, I have owned my m:robe over 6 months without a single glitch with the software - simply point m:trip to your media folders, and then click the "sync" button to initiate the transfer. About 400 MB of the 5 GB are reserved for the m:robe's OS and system files, but that leaves plenty of space for your music. A "full" transfer of about 4.5 GB takes about 15 to 20 minutes, which includes 'encoding' the files into a file-naming system for the m:robe. The free space is rated at a 1,200 song capacity - albeit at 128 kbps MP3 encoding. Larger files will reduce the overall capacity - I usually fit somewhere just under 800 songs at full capacity. The MR-100 supports USB 2.0 transfer speeds, which is absolutely essential for several-gigabyte file transfers. Plenty of features are possible in m:trip, such as listening to your music, creating playlists, rating your music, ripping CDs, and even creating remixes (?) of your music. I've never used any of these features, but for anyone who wants an all-in-one solution, it's a decent software package. Some users have experienced various bugs and glitches, but I've found that by simply using it as a transfer program it can be quite reliable.
Sound Quality
The MR-100 features excellent sound quality. Of course, the caveat with all MP3 players is that the quality (bitrate) of your MP3s greatly effect the overall sound quality. When I purchase a CD, I 'rip' it to MP3 to use my computer as a jukebox - I use variable bitrate encoding at 224 kbps, the level of quality where I can (usually) no longer tell that I'm listening to an MP3 versus the original CD quality. The m:robe's MP3 decoding is of very high quality, with great full-range sound. Bass and treble are very natural, and do not suffer from any clipping or distortion as with other decoders. The equalizer is decent on the MR-100, but unfortunately it is not user-definable - you must pick from a list of genre-related presets. I've found that R&B actually works quite well for rock and pop music, but at least it does include many choices for various tastes. Of course, none of this is useful without a great pair of headphones. The included ear buds are not quite as terrible as some reviews might let on, but they probably won't suffice for more discerning listeners. Few portable music devices come with high-quality ear buds, and as such, I wasn't terribly disappointed by the m:robe's. I already owned a pair of headphones that I knew I would be using instead, however.
Overall Rating
Overall, the m:robe is a stylish and simple MP3 player that is only slightly flawed. Unfortunately, the m:robe product line was dropped by Olympus in late 2005, which means that further firmware and software updates are not forthcoming. Essentially, you're on your own with a m:robe purchase, which might scare away some potential buyers - especially those who are less likely to seek DIY fix attempts, although there seems to be quite a bit of support from user groups online. Using the m:robe out of the box is possible, but a firmware upgrade is strongly suggested to improve the volume level and to work out a few bugs. Transfer speeds are fast enough to allow for a complete 4.5 GB library change without creating much of a hassle. The lack of accessories like FM-modulators, integrated speaker systems, and cases might deter buyers who would be attracted to the iPod line, however. Music enthusiasts who can tolerate the basic features and proprietary connectivity will find the m:robe MR-100 to be a unique and affordable alternative to the more popular MP3 players.
I recommend the m:robe to computer-savvy music fans who want a less-than-ordinary MP3 player.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 99 Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
Enjoy over 1,200 songs with over 5 GB of storage Convenient and easy-to-use touch panel lets you quickly play music, view music and device settings, b...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.