Cheap Packaging Antiquated Technology
Admittedly I purchased this product largely based upon the price and the good reviews mentioned here. Since I was purchasing this as a replacement for my Autistic son my basic requirements and expectations for an mp3 player were minimal. An effective player without all kinds of technological bells and whistles would suit me fine. After opening the package however I immediately reassessed my "minimalist" viewpoint. The first thing I noticed was the player's cheap flimsy encasing; which is some sort of cut-rate thin plastic. That was my first disappointment. The second thing I noticed was the fact that the manufacturers appeared to have taken my minimalist theory a bit too literally because the entire unit consists of a display area and two buttons: a Menu Button and a Control Button. That's it. My second disappointment. Still in an attempt to not be ultra finicky I read the rather ineffectual instruction manual hooked it up to my PC charged the battery and after a while went about the process of transferring music files into it using Windows Media Player. Although the synchronization of the music files was slower than my other mp3 player (Sansa) it did go smoothly because it was easily recognized by both my PC and the media player. That was a nice plus.
Now that the unit is fully charged and loaded with 1500+ music files the time has come for me to turn it on and give it a whirl. I insert the ear buds that came with the music player into my ears. They feel weird; overly large and slanted at a strange angle. My third disappointment. Time to turn the player on already. Press...press...confused pressing. Eye-roll! The technology is extremely slow and rudimentary and looks like something I would find on a 1996 CD player. Sigh. My fourth and biggest disappointment. Yet I persevere on. OK I got it. It's playing but the sound is very very low. I examine the player looking for the volume control button. No button. I search through the manual looking for answers to my volume dilemma. Nothing. Time to dig into the player itself to see if the volume can be controlled with either of the two buttons. After a series of frustrated presses and slow displays I find an area in the system that allows me to alter the volume output but the only selections are "Jazz Pop bass etc." I stare at the display in utter disbelief. I haven't seen such options in years! This has got to be a joke. Am I being punked? My fifth disappointment. Before I begin to panic though I take my expensive Bose headphones and plug them into the unit with the hope that the ear buds that were enclosed with the player were of poor quality. No such luck; the same faint tinny sounds ring through. Huge sigh. The sixth disappointment. Disgustedly I sit there looking at my purchase as the truth finally sinks in. I just bought a cheap crappy mp3 player that is using Sega technology in a Wii world. I feel like such a doofus.
Cons:
- Looks cheap
- Feels cheap
- Extremely antiquated technology
- Slow start up and display
- Does not signal to the user that the battery is fully charged
- Confusing controls and display
- Ridiculous volume settings
- Very low volume
- Uncomfortable headphones
Pros:
- Low price
- Ease of file synchronization
In summary unless you have taken out your disco ball and are in need of a music player to complete your ensemble skip this one.
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