USB Key-Sized MP3 Player With LCD Display 399
nhahmada writes "The Muvo MP3 player/storage device from Creative has been out for awhile, but some have complained of its lack of a display or equalizer. Well, now Innogear has released the 128MB Duex mp302 with a backlit LCD supporting ID3 tags, a "multi-category" equalizer and a timer (Why?). The mp302 also has the ability to record/playback voice via its built-in microphone. It can be used for storing any type of file and plays MP3/WMA/WAV. Both the Muvo and mp302 run on one AAA, giving 12 hours of continuous playback. Running at $179, it's a little more expensive than the $169.99 128MB Muvo, but I am willing to shell out ten bucks for an LCD. Go here for a better look at the display."
Creative Zen (Score:3, Interesting)
What I want (Score:5, Interesting)
So I can record, say, Talk of the Nation on NPR in the morning and listen to it in the afternoon.
Why doesn't anybody make this yet???
Tivo for NPR. It would be great for saving stuff to listen to while driving, for those times when I want to actually use the time to learn something.
Abuse (Score:4, Interesting)
hopefully.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Timer is for Exercisers (Score:5, Interesting)
Because when you're working out, you often want to know how long you've been going. "OK, good, i did my 5 minutes of hard running, time for a smoke!", etc. Joggers, treadmill junkies, and other people-who-move are a target audience for these things (remember anti-skip CD players? "Perfect for Runners!")
It'd surprise me if this didn't come with an armband of some sort, either out of the box or as an option.
Re:to eliminate a hundred comments (Score:4, Interesting)
Doesn't the OGG codec require a lot more processor power to decode?
Re:What I want (Score:3, Interesting)
Better software (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:to eliminate a hundred comments (Score:3, Interesting)
Headphones (Score:3, Interesting)
My problem is headphones. Even earbuds are fairly large, and easily broken in your pocket. Carrying my music with me everywhere is of no use if I can't listen to it. Are there any good solutions for carrying around headphones in a safe but non-huge way?
Similarly, there needs to be a stereo hands-free kit for my phone (I much prefer hands free) with a 1/8 jack which doubles as headphones for this thing (yes, stereo is useless for the cell). Does such a thing exist?
I guess the truth is I'm just another person waiting for convergence, when I can have my phone, mp3/ogg player, networked PDA, digital wallet, etc. all embedded in one false tooth and hooked wirelessly to the other relevant parts of my head. I guess the problems there start happening when people see me talking to myself in the street, or I accidentally answer the phone by piping Eminem into it at high volume.
Thus endeth the rambling.
-Puk
A more durable alternative (Score:3, Interesting)
Check out the MPIO-DMK [zdnet.com]
Re:What I want (Score:3, Interesting)
Mp3 for exercising. (Score:3, Interesting)
The newer ones with longer antiskip anyhow. My older player has Anti-Skip, it still chirps and clips when I'm blading.
Memory-based players are nice because they don't skip and also have no (powered) moving parts to break or drain battery.
The timer is also useful for track-times, to see if you can get around a little faster next time (i.e. if your fitness is "improving"). I prefer to set my pace to a particular song though, fast upbeat music for harder work, and shorter songs for trying to make a sprint
Re:Recharge? (Score:3, Interesting)
I think you have volts and amps backwards there. All USB ports supply +5V, the only that changes from port to port depending on the controller/hub/etc is the available amperage. Considering that it's a AAA battery we're talking about charging, I'm sure even the lowliest USB amperage would be sufficient. Right now I have my Motorola i1000plus (Nextel walkie-talkie cellphone) charging from a ubs hub port, using a custom cable I spliced up that puts the USB's +5V signal into the bottom of the phone, it powers and charges my battery just fine. [BTW if you like that idea and don't want to make one yourself, they sell something similar on ThinkGeek]
12 hours of continuous playback? (Score:2, Interesting)
"Innogear has released the 128MB Duex mp302"
I don't get it. Sure you get 12 hours of playback, but even at the mediocre MP3 quality of 128kbps, audio is a megabyte a minute. So at 128MB, you just get to hear the same 2 albums over and over again for 12 hours, and if you want to listen to other albums, you have to upload them. The price for these memory units/sticks/cards/whatever-a particular-device-uses is just inexorably stupid to settle for as a consumer. I couldn't be happier with my $119.00 CD-Based MP3 Player [tdk.com]. It has never skipped on me (it loads 8 minutes of track [longer than 99% of tracks] straight to memory, then the disc stops spinning.) and with it , I get over ten hours of 128kbps music per disc and carry as many discs as I want, and because the disc only spins to read, I get 10-12 hours of listening time per battery set, and the unit I have has a built-in recharger.
Until these trinkets come with 512MB of memory, there's no way they can compete with my 25 cent 700MB storage units for the same quality experience. Sure, if you dont want to stick a CD-player in your pocket to jog (which I do with no problems), then the little guys are fine. But if you're just gonna use it to jog, get an earbud radio for $25 bucks.
The only people who buy these trinket MP3 players seem to me to be the people who get them as some sort of status symbol. I can really see no other good popular reasons.
And some more... (Score:2, Interesting)
Is the recorded audio (e.g. voice recordings) in a format easily accessible using Open Source tools?
If the answer to both of those was yes then I'd probably buy one without hestitation. Does anyone have one they're willing to post a review of?