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Creative Muvo TX 256 MB
by miwa
My ventures into an Apple-free world have led me to some great products, and some unfortunately dud ones. With that in mind, this MP3 player was only the second one I'd ever used. It was bought for me in 2006 when I was 13 years old. After being replaced by an upgraded MP3 player some time later, I rediscovered it only a short time ago ... and I was surprised at its versatility for such a seemingly outdated product. Considering the product's age, it is now discontinued and unavailable to buy from Creative, but like many things online it continues to float around long after it should have disappeared.
The product I am talking about is called the Creative Muvo TX, apart of the NOMAD range of electronic devices. The item listed here is of the 250 MB size; as I tried to suggest the 1GB version that I own to Dooyoo's catalogue, I was redirected here. The only difference is, indeed, the amount of data the two versions can hold.
Moving on, the The Muvo TX consists of two distinct parts: a battery module and a USB drive. The two parts slot together to create an MP3 player about 36.7 mm (L) x 74.0 mm (H) x 16.0 mm (W), with curved edges. This amounts to a weight of 31.5 g (sans battery) or 41 g (with battery). Mine is in a shiny black, but there are other colours in the series, such as navy blue and white.
The earphone jack is at the top of the player, as well as a silver hook for attaching to a key-chain (presumably) or indeed a mobile phone charm for those that way inclined. At the side of the device is the usual volume-adjusting buttons (up and down) and a scroller for navigating content. At the front of the player are a play/pause button, a microphone (never used) and an LCD screen displaying track details, including name, artist and length.
The play/pause button also functions as on/off when pressed and held for several seconds. Likewise, the volume adjusters are sensitive to pressure and will increase or decrease the volume faster when held down. The scroller can also be used to restart or rewind a track, and to navigate the menu. The LCD screen glows blue when the Muvo is active, but the light may go off during a track - simply press the play button to reactivate it without interrupting the song.
On the back is a slot for a battery. The Muvo takes 1 AAA size (!).
To use this MP3 player, the manual would like to tell you that it is not as simple as slipping off the USB part and inserting it into a port (though that part is very easy); an installation CD is ostensibly necessary. However, I used this on my laptop without the long-lost installation CD and it worked absolutely perfectly. The device is compatible with all operating systems, even Windows 8, which the Muvo TX precedes by 7 years.
To transfer files to the device, the manual suggests using a Windows Media Player integration method to synchronise files across. This is, again, unnecessary. Open the player, navigate to the main folder, and drop audio files (ripped or downloaded) there. The player can read MP3 files and .wma files; no MP4 or .flac here I am afraid.
The Muvo automatically plays music tracks, but if you have voice files (from using the in-built microphone), you can access them using the menu feature using the scroller. The Muvo automatically starts playing your last track from its final position.
The following Play Modes are available:
* A-B
* Repeat Track
* Repeat All
* Repeat Folder
* Track Once
* Shuffle Repeat
* Shuffle Once
* Shuffle Folder
* Normal
To access these, use the relevant icons on the navigation menu (infinity-shaped arrows for repeat, piano to shuffle, X1 to repeat once - etc. Pretty straightforward, I think). Likewise, to record audio, navigate to the microphone icon. When recording, note that the available recording time is determined by the available space in your player and the battery power remaining in your player. Once recording, a stop-watch appears on the LCD screen.
You can also change the orientation of the LCD screen (up or down), listen to certain genres by tag (if you imported from WMP), change the time before the player automatically shuts off when idle, and change language settings from the navigation menu.
To lock the Muvo, activate the scroller until a padlock icon is shown, and click it. To unlock, press any button and choose 'unlock' with the scroller button. Very useful for classes!
As mentioned, the player comes in sizes of 128 MB (!), 256 MB, or 1GB.
At 128 MB, with CD quality bitrate of MP3 (~128 kb/s) the player can hold 40 songs.
At 256 MB, with CD quality of MP3 (~128 kb/s) the player can hold between 60 - 120 songs.
At 1 GB with CD quality of MP3 (~128 kb/s) the player can hold up to 500 songs.
This all depends on the length of the song and the bit-rate (quality). You will fit more lower quality, shorter songs and less long, high quality songs into the same space.
On a freshly-charged AAA battery this can work out to 14 hours of songs, but this playback time can be reduced by:
* skipping, fast forward or reverse during playback
* using passive speakers or high-power headphones
* long back light timeout setting (more than 10 secs)
* playback of .WMA files with a high bitrate and/or heavy bass
Technical output details:
Signal to Noise Ratio: Up to 90 dB
Channel Separation: Up to 63 dB
Frequency Response: 20 Hz~20000 Hz
Harmonic Distortion: <0.05%
Operating System/Firmware: Upgradeable via Internet
Headphone Out: 1/8" stereo minijack, 5~7 mW
Some people will question why I continue to use such an outdated product. Indeed, the past few months after I have rediscovered it, I have been surprised at how much I enjoy using it. Due to the size, it is an easily portable piece of equipment; is it still both aesthetically and technically pleasing after 7 years; and at the size I have (1GB) it holds enough songs and has enough playback time to satisfy my needs without all the bells, whistles and GPS of newer MP3 players.
I think this would be a great product for either an older or younger person as a first MP3 player, as it has all the playback options and technical specifications needed to play songs quickly and easily. No, it will not play videos or store pictures - it will also not take photographs - neither will it download apps, and it will *not* satisfy either musical afecianados nor technical ones. For some reason, it does have a voice record function, for those interested in that - and I suppose it could double as a Dictaphone. At ebay at time of writing it is selling for between £20 - £30 (not including P&P), so it will not break the bank either.
Finally, instead of talking about any more technical specifications or playback options, I'd like to mention what I found in this player after I rediscovered it at the bottom of a drawer. Though this will be tangential at best I hope that it gives better insight into my usage of the product. First of all, the main folder, where the audio files are stored, was prophetically titled "liberal democrats suck". Secondly - and most shocking - the files were organised in alphabetical files (anyone who has seen my desktop will understand just why this is so shocking. I feel a monkey delousing me, as the Germans say). I was cringing preemptively at the thought of what my 13 year old self would have listened to (I used to be a goth...). However, I was pleasantly surprised at the variation I found within the songs - Beck, Boney M., Billy Idol, The Beatles - and that was just the B folder. I did find some peculiarities, though... including the "I Love You Egg" song (look it up) and the Eurovision entry for 2006 "Flying the Flag" by Scooch (don't look it up). Generally, though, much like the player itself, the songs within it were a blast from the past but still very much enjoyable and usable today.
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Apple ipod Nano (7G)
by jawn
I literally use my Apple iPod Nano everyday, and I don't think that I could have bought a better music player. I do not like big, bulky music players that need to be clipped to a belt or fit awkwardly in a pocket, so the Apple iPod Nano was the right choice for me. I use it everyday for at least two hours to pass the time on my train ... ride to work. I have used it during travel to listen to both music and audio books, and I also use it to block out my mother-in-law (haha, but really!) It has an incredibly slim design, a very large screen and it is incredibly user friendly. The only downside to this device is that, because of it's size, it is very easy to forget that it is in your pocket, but that really is a non-issue. I would recommend this to anyone who likes to listen to music on a daily basis, pass time on long car, train or plain rides, or just block out annoying mother-in-laws.
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Apple iPod nano (6G) 8 GB
by milmol7
~PANIC STATIONS!~
When my beloved and trusty ipod nano 2G succumbed to the dreaded WHITE SCREEN OF DEATH just a week before a holiday last year, I knew I would have to replace it as a matter of urgency - I never take a holiday without my ipod, and I use it all the time in my car too.
Fortunately I'd built up a useful ... quantity of Tesco points, and money being tight due to the hol I knew that buying it from Tesco with £60 off was the only way I'd be getting one.
~FIRST IMPRESSIONS~
When I got to the display and saw the latest Nano 8gb (full price at the time £104) I was really taken aback. I use my ipod all the time, as I said, but in no way do I keep up with the world of gadgetry or what "generation" of this or that we are up to. At first I thought it was a shuffle, being apparently just over an inch square, but no - the label definitely said Nano. I didn't spend any time at this point in the process - I was getting a new Nano come what may, I had the fittings in the car and I had a holiday 2 days away. I suppose I was expecting a sleeker updated version of my old Nano, this gave the impression of being a bit of a come down.
~GETTING TO GRIPS~
Anyway, purchase made, I headed home to get everything set up. Firstly - it was charged, ready to go out of the box which was a bonus. Secondly I had no problems whatsoever in syncing it with my itunes. I think I googled a couple of questions on the subject and it did it no trouble.
So now to the actual kit itself. With no click wheel (boohoo) I did quickly got the hang of the swipe-through approach to scanning through menus and screens. After all, it's not rocket science - the main menu consists of music, radio, playlists, settings, fitness (Nike+), clock, podcasts, itunes U, voice memo and photos, and you scroll through them one at a time by swiping across left or right. When I went to look through my music, however, problems start to crop up. 3 and a half entries appear on the screen at a time - 3 lines of text on a screen 2.5cm square ... yes, quite small. If you want to select one of those tracks, you need to touch that line - so bear in mind, that area you need to hit is about 5mm maximum, and also only 3 at a time, that can amount to a LOT of scrolling! I couldn't understand then, and I'm no happier with it now, how that can be an improvement on the click wheel with central push option on the earlier models. Fortunately my hands are quite small, I don't see how anyone with large hands or fingers would be comfortable operating this particular nano. Swiping the screens may be no problem, but scrolling and selecting would be a nightmare.
Once you have familiarised yourself with the main operations on the Nano, you can personalise it in lots of ways, for instance arranging the menu in terms of what order they appear in, and whether you want 4 items to be displayed per screen or one item at a time, and what items you want to appear on your main menu - so you can ditch any that you won't need. Again, in my opinion, and even with my small fingers, the option of one item per screen is far preferable for usability. You can adjust sound in terms of Bass boost, whether you want "classical", "hip hop", "jazz" style etc, auto crossfade (between tracks), as well as its appearance - wallpaper, homescreen etc. There is nothing too radical there.
I did put the Nike+ fitness application, to use, it counts your steps, how many calories you burn etc. whilst wearing your nano. I found that quite a quirky little feature, and it did seem quite accurate. Obviously I had the best intentions to use it every day and to up my daily steps, but once back from hols that didn't last long! It's a good feature, though, particularly if you are wanting to use this whilst running or power-walking.
~PHYSICAL FEATURES~
The Nano itself has a nice enough feel to it, a solid and classy metallic casing (mine is silver) and a really bright clear screen covering the entire front. Covering the back of it is a clip which is operated by a simple spring type mechanism. If you want to clip the nano to your t-shirt neck or pocket, and still be able to see the screen the correct way up as you look at it, you can rotate the orientation of the screen by an action of "gripping" the screen and using turning motion. It's not as difficult to do as it is to describe!
One feature I thought was great was a "shake" feature whereby if you give the Nano a shake it senses the motion and moves onto/skips to the next track. Typical that this would be one thing I thought was great, yet to this day have not managed to get the hang of! I can very occasionally get it to pick up the shake motion, but to be honest I've just given up on that one - maybe there's some magic technique - if you could get it to work it would be a great feature. Otherwise, to scan to the next track it's a swipe across the screen.
The only physical buttons on this Nano are the "+" and "-" volume buttons and an off/sleep switch. A quick press of the power button will put the Nano to sleep whilst a longer press will switch it off. I found I failed at this a few times, thinking I had switched it off whilst I'd only put it to sleep - you need to wait until the dark screen with the apple logo appears, and its not all that easy to see especially in the sun.
~REFLECTIONS~
The ipod Nano is the cheapest way of getting my music to travel around with me, including in my car, whilst maintaining control over what I'm listening to (i.e. other than a Shuffle). But under any other circumstances I would not have chosen this 6th Generation design model. It's not particularly attractive to look at and it's not user friendly, the only two things I really want it to be. I'm sure if I had a need for the other things it does then those benefits may offset my two big negatives, but my needs are pretty basic in the ipod world, and this particular model does not fit my bill.
The pluses ... It comes with the usual set of earphones, it's light (unnoticeable) to carry around, not to mention tiny to pop in your pocket (or more likely - lose in your handbag!!) and of course, it runs your itunes with all the usual itunes features collating, organising and sorting your music. Those boxes all ticked, the last 'plus' being the biggest factor of all, versus the two fairly big 'minus' boxes ticked I think I'm left with a fairly sad rating of 3 out of 5. I still wouldn't be without my ipod Nano, but I wish my old one would have just survived past this particular model.
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