The mysteriously inexpensive MP3 Player
Written: Feb 08 '05
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Pros: Good battery life - about 10 hours per charge. Good user manual. Warranty card.
Cons: Menu navigation confusing at first, but not a problem once you get used to it.
The Bottom Line: This player was a steal for me at $90 via Amazon. It is small, has good sound, and great for the average mp3 listener.
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| Etherix's Full Review: Perception Digital Minutemen PD-1000 (1.5 GB) MP3 ... |
This item comes in one of those impossible to open plastic shell things that most electronics seem to come in now.
After some effort and a sharp pair of scissors I was able to open the package. The contents are: the unit, ear buds, USB 2.0 cable, mini line-in cable, AC adapter, warranty card, quick start guide, and the user manual.
The unit actually had a plastic cover not only for the LCD portion but also across the entire body and around the buttons. No scratches to be seen anywhere. In fact, in the plastic piece it came in, there are rubber bumpers all around where it sits.
When I turned on the unit for the first time, I heard a high pitched whine. After about 6 seconds it stopped. I turned it off and back on, and the whine disappeared. This sound has not repeated itself... perhaps it was a one-time test of the hard-drive? After the player started up, I saw that the contrast on the screen was way to high. I turned it down to a readable level and made some corrections to the backlight timeout and such.
The PD-1000 is very small and fits comfortably in your hand. It is smaller than it tends to look online. The player that I have is the black one - I have seen silver ones being sold as well. Looking at the black one in person, I can tell you that it is very cute and aesthetically pleasing (trust me!). It is so small and thin and not thick and clunky like some of the other MP3 players out there. The front side of the unit is very shiny and reflective... you don't feel like this is a cheap plastic mp3 player, but rather something that looks and feels like quality.
Inside the PD-1000's menu are the following options...
Play Music
Voice
EQ
PlayMode
Organize
Settings
To start playing right away when you start up the player, you can just push the play button on the right. I decided to try to create a play list to see how that worked. This can be found under Organize > MyPlaylist > Create Playlist
After naming my playlist, I proceeded to select songs, however you cannot see the full title or artist in this mode if its longer than 9 characters. After pouring through the manual I still have not figured this out, it shows a ">>" next to long names, but never scrolls through them like one would think it should. Also, there is a limit of 40 songs per playlist, which seems more than enough for me.
I started the playlist and boom, it works flawless and the title of the song now scrolls. whoopee
The browsing of the music is all done via the joystick on the front side. There are no other means to do this.
Regarding the sound quality...
Included with this unit is a no name pair of ear buds that don't sound exceptional. However, I didn't bother with them anyway because I already own my own set of headphones.
The sound coming from the unit itself sounds great to me. I do not have any objections regarding this. My siblings own an Apple Ipod and Creative Nomad Muvo and I frequently use both of them... This unit sounds better than the Creative, maybe about the same or suh-lightly below Ipod quality. But no complaints... it's so small and I use it for workouts that I can't tell the difference unless I'm concentrating on it and I'm in a very quiet area.
Regarding file transfers...
Easy as cake, if you have Windows XP, this device will automatically install. If you happen to be running Windows 98/ME you can visit the PD site and download drivers as they are no longer included in the package. After that, its just drag and drop using Windows Explorer.
Cons:
Difficult navigation till you get used to it
Funky playlist setup, no ability to create playlists and import
No scroll of title/artist in file view modes
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I am happy with this unit, as it does what I need it to, play music.
If you have further questions or would like to see any additional info, let me know.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 89.99
Recommended for: Athletes - Lightweight and Portable, Perfect for the Gym
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Epinions.com ID:
Etherix
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Member: Ryan
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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