This Seal is a Deal, if Not A Steal
Written: Apr 24 '05
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Pros: Great value, plays MP3s, portable storage.
Cons: Headphone cord too short, does not play WMAs.
The Bottom Line: Excellent dual-use device.
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| Bruguru's Full Review: Seal SFP-150 (128 MB) MP3 Player |
Just several years ago, I bought my first MP3 player, a Rave model that I hated and paid over $200 for. It held about an hour of music on a 64MB memory chip. I love to walk, and try to walk at least an hour a day or more. So, a good MP3 player comes in really handy. I decided to buy a new one. But I didn’t want to spend a lot of money, because I inevitably drop, kick, step on, and bounce the things around pretty badly.
After reading some reviews on Epinions, kicking the tires on a few models, and otherwise shopping around, I decided on the Seal SFP-150 UMPH! MP3 Player. Here’s why.
What You Get
-The Player
-Software CD
-In Ear Headphones
-USB Cable
What I like
There’s actually a lot to like here. The player is very compact, about half the size of a pack of cigarettes. That’s very convenient when you’re taking it along on a long walk or jog. It’s also very lightweight.
The SFP-150 has 128 MB of memory, allowing you to store up to two hours of music. Features are pretty basic, with play, pause, stop, and forward and reverse track scan buttons. There’s also a hold button to lock the keys so you don’t accidentally press them during use.
Battery life is very good. The player will work for about ten to eleven hours off of one AAA alkaline cell. How about the headphones? Surprise! They actually sound pretty good. I don’t know how many times I have purchased a personal audio unit and it was accompanied by junk headphones. These aren’t the best I’ve ever heard, mind you, but they’re decent and provide clear sound and good volume levels along with the player.
Connection to your PC is a snap. Although a USB cable is included, you don’t really need it. The front cover of the unit pops right off and there is a USB connector that will plug directly into any USB port on your computer. If you have Windows XP, you don’t even need to install the software. The unit is automatically recognized as an external drive as soon as you plug it in, and you can simply drag and drop files to it. Not just music files, either. The SFP-150 doubles as a sort of jump drive. It’s great for transferring large files from one computer to another. The file transfer rate is good, too. You can transfer a full 128 MB worth of files in about four or five minutes.
Durability
I have had this unit for a little over a year now. For the price I paid, it has held up well. I've dropped and kicked it and it's tough plastic shell has withstood whatever beating I can dish out. The compact size makes it perfect for just about any use.
What I Don’t Like
This is a very basic player, and there is no display other than a small LED that flashes green to let you know the unit is operating. So, no display of the song title you’re playing. Another problem comes in with WMAs. The unit is supposed to play both MP3s and WMAs, but it won’t even recognize a WMA I load onto it. Not really a problem since all my music is in MP3 format anyway, but definitely worth noting.
The headphones setup is slightly annoying too. It consists of a loop that goes around your neck and two cords with an earphone attacked to each. That’s actually nice, since it stops the phones from being tugged out of your ears if the player moves. Unfortunately, the cord that attaches from the loop to the player is far too short. It will stretch to a shirt pocket, but it would be much more convenient if it reached pants pocket length.
Finally, the built-in equalizer has three settings, but two of them are pretty useless. There is really only one that sounds good, rendering the feature irrelevant.
Overall
In the balance, though, I’m very happy with the Seal SFP-150 UMPH! MP3 Player. It has multiple uses, and does the job nicely for each. And the price? I bought one at CompUSA for $60 plus a $10 rebate, bringing the final price to just $50. Not bad at all.
In sum, this is a nice MP3 player and portable storage device. If you’re looking for either, be sure to consider the Seal SFP-150 UMPH! MP3 Player.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 50.00
Recommended for: Athletes - Lightweight and Portable, Perfect for the Gym
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