Sound Quality:
I found the listening experience right out of the gate to be a little flat. With the default equalizer settings and the provided headphones, my MP3 tunes just seemed to lack any dimension. Playing with the settings, my personal preference was the "jazz" pre-set. Of course, this is a fairly subjective topic and it not only depends on the listener but the music type in addition to the equalizer setting and headphone combination. Switching over to some more traditional headphones, I found all the sound settings (including the default) to be much better. The radio function really didn'tít benefit much from better headphones, but the signal was clear and an overall pleasant listening experience.
The 8-in-1 really is capable of a fun listening experience which turns you again to the headphones. They have a really catch-22 element to them. On one hand, I like the innovative design, dropping the player around your neck and plugging into the earphones is a very convenient way to go about your day infused with MP3 goodness. On the other hand, you are pretty much limited to wearing it around your neck and as they are certainly of adequate quality, you audiophiles out there will probably want to replace them with your own favourite headgear.
One small niggle about them too is that they tend to get tangled up when packed in a backpack or pocket but then, so do most ear bud style headphones. Overall, when you combine the tether for a secure connection and their innovative design, Iím glad they are included and I do use them.
Email?
Another James Bondian feature is the ability to receive email using the 8-in-1. The email application files are stored on the built in memory. Basically, you configure your email server settings and they are stored on the player, it's pretty straight forward stuff. Once you have it set up, you can plug the player into any PCís USB port that has an Internet connection and receive your email. You will need to use the PC to read/write emails, you canít actually read your emails on the player stand alone but your emails are stored on the player so you could pop into an Internet cafe, retrieve your emails and read them when you get home or when you get to another PC. Itís basically a self contained and portable email client.
I personally don't see using this feature much but it's a clever little extra. If you are the type of person who travels a lot and donít have constant access via a laptop or mobile phone, I could see this really coming in handy. It could be argued that this could also serve as another layer of backup for storing critical emails but that's stretching it.
Conclusion
Does the 8-in-1 replace the likes of the iPod or the Zen? Probably not, mainly from a capacity and status point of view it falls short, but itís not in the same price bracket either. But if you are looking at other flash memory-based player (and there a lot of them out there now) the Ultra 8-in-1 must be considered. No other device in its class has the same suite of functions. I must admit, Iíve had it for a long time and I do use it to play MP3s but I probably do that on my notebook/desktop more. What I have found is that I do use it a lot though due to the fact that it can do so much. With the ability to expand the memory via the SD memory slot, I find myself storing files for transferring back and forth between systems, etc.. Sure, you can do that with a plain ol' thumb drive but the fact that I can do all these things on one device means that I have left most of my other portable data storage devices in a drawer collecting dust.
Pros:
Cons:
I found the listening experience right out of the gate to be a little flat. With the default equalizer settings and the provided headphones, my MP3 tunes just seemed to lack any dimension. Playing with the settings, my personal preference was the "jazz" pre-set. Of course, this is a fairly subjective topic and it not only depends on the listener but the music type in addition to the equalizer setting and headphone combination. Switching over to some more traditional headphones, I found all the sound settings (including the default) to be much better. The radio function really didn'tít benefit much from better headphones, but the signal was clear and an overall pleasant listening experience.
The 8-in-1 really is capable of a fun listening experience which turns you again to the headphones. They have a really catch-22 element to them. On one hand, I like the innovative design, dropping the player around your neck and plugging into the earphones is a very convenient way to go about your day infused with MP3 goodness. On the other hand, you are pretty much limited to wearing it around your neck and as they are certainly of adequate quality, you audiophiles out there will probably want to replace them with your own favourite headgear.
One small niggle about them too is that they tend to get tangled up when packed in a backpack or pocket but then, so do most ear bud style headphones. Overall, when you combine the tether for a secure connection and their innovative design, Iím glad they are included and I do use them.
Email?
Another James Bondian feature is the ability to receive email using the 8-in-1. The email application files are stored on the built in memory. Basically, you configure your email server settings and they are stored on the player, it's pretty straight forward stuff. Once you have it set up, you can plug the player into any PCís USB port that has an Internet connection and receive your email. You will need to use the PC to read/write emails, you canít actually read your emails on the player stand alone but your emails are stored on the player so you could pop into an Internet cafe, retrieve your emails and read them when you get home or when you get to another PC. Itís basically a self contained and portable email client.
I personally don't see using this feature much but it's a clever little extra. If you are the type of person who travels a lot and donít have constant access via a laptop or mobile phone, I could see this really coming in handy. It could be argued that this could also serve as another layer of backup for storing critical emails but that's stretching it.
Conclusion
Does the 8-in-1 replace the likes of the iPod or the Zen? Probably not, mainly from a capacity and status point of view it falls short, but itís not in the same price bracket either. But if you are looking at other flash memory-based player (and there a lot of them out there now) the Ultra 8-in-1 must be considered. No other device in its class has the same suite of functions. I must admit, Iíve had it for a long time and I do use it to play MP3s but I probably do that on my notebook/desktop more. What I have found is that I do use it a lot though due to the fact that it can do so much. With the ability to expand the memory via the SD memory slot, I find myself storing files for transferring back and forth between systems, etc.. Sure, you can do that with a plain ol' thumb drive but the fact that I can do all these things on one device means that I have left most of my other portable data storage devices in a drawer collecting dust.
Pros:
- Plays MP3s and so much more
- Expandable SD memory
- Supports MP3 Tags
- Recharges itself using USB connection
- Durable design
- Backlit screen
- Decent 256MB standard capacity
Cons:
- Headphones are a plus and minus but because they limit your options and real music lovers will probably shelve them for some better quality phones, they end up as a con
- Doesn't have a shuffle feature only repeat
MSI MPG Velox 100R Chassis Review
October 14 2021 | 15:04
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