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iDisgo MP507 1GB
by blissman70
I like music, I mean, who doesn't? especially when I'm on the move or even in the gym, but I've never been one to inflict my type of music onto others as I feel that doing so is totally inconsiderate and show little to no respect for those around you. So I have spent several pound over the years buying an array of music players so that I ... can listen to music on the move and keep those around me happy as well.
Some of these players that I have used have been quite good players indeed, with some being so bad that it would have been better to sing to myself in the shower instead of trying to listen to music through those useless devices.
One particular MP3 player that I have used in the passed, although I don't use now for reasons I will tell you about later, is on fact from a company that I had never heard of in my life, and still don't know anything about the now really, even after looking on line for them. The only thing I know is that it is a company that speciallises in making electronic device such as tablets, PC's and more, including this device, an MP3 player.
This MP3 player goes under the full name of the Idisgo MP507 MP3 player, with the one I had being the 2GB version, even though there are a few different GB versions ranging from a smaller 1GB to a larger 4GB. I don't think it goes larger but I could be wrong. Let me know if I am so I can add it to this piece.
So what does it look like then..?
To be honest it looks like quite a few player out there, and to be honest it works in the same way as several I have used over the years.
It's small, being about 100mm long, 30mm wide and 25mm deep, which is bigger than some players yet smaller than others. It fits nicely into a jacket pocket without stabbing leg muscles.
It looks nice, having a mainly black body with a dash of silver around the controls and on the buttons themselves.
There is a little screen that sits behind a larger piece of glass which is there to make the screen look bigger than it actually is.
Above this screen there is a small round button which houses the the play and pause button. There is a small set of tiny holes around the play button, which aren't damage to the bodywork it is on fact the microphone for the recorder device that is built into this unit.
On one end there is the cap that covers the USB connector and on the other end there is a small loop so that you can attach one of those bits of string to it in order to stop you losing it in the street.
On one side there is the volume control, together with the hold button and the earphone port, which is a standard 3.5mm jack connector.
On the other side there is the mode switch which is controlled using the flick method so that you can scroll through the settings.
There was also a little sticker to tell me that this was in fact a 2GB version but this sticker was lost within a few days as the stickiness turned into nothing more than water.
Is it easy to use..?
Well, after you get passed the initial horrors of the 'set up' scenario syndrome then yes, it is easy to use.
What I mean by that is that when I first used this I was a little irritated by how trick this was to actually get to a particular track using the push/slide method on the mode button. The mode button being very, well, very temperamental, shall we say, with a mind of its own, until I got the hang of using it, giving it the correct pressure so that when I slid it it didn't assume I had pressed it.
Getting it started is a matter of pressing and holding the play button until the little display illuminates. Then you're ready to go.
All you have to do is select your track using the mode button, this is done by sliding the button from one side to the other, which scrolls through your uploaded tracks.
When you press the mode button it will take you into an option, such as the microphone, or scroll through any files and folders that are on the device. Then, when you open a file or folder, hopefully one with your music in, you simply select the track you want and then press play.
Simple as that really.
The easiest thing about it was actually transferring the track from my PC on this, which you can only do if your PC has certain specs, such as windows 2000 and above and a spare USB port of 1.1 and above.
Anything else..?
Well, to give you a more pleasurable experience when listening to your music it has a few selections of music methods, or as they call it, the equalizer options, such as Rock, pop, jazz, classical and the one I mainly use, Normal.
As for the storage size, you only have the internal memory as there's no chance of adding extra with an SD card, mainly due to the fact that there's no slot for it. But 2GB is not too bad for many tracks.
Also, apart from the player you also get a single AAA battery to get you going, plus a CD ROM, to get you set up to a PC, and a user guide which gives a brief idea of how to use this.
My opinion...
This started off as a fine music player, even if it was a little frustrating to get going in the initial stages. It held enough to keep me going for a while and made my songs sound like they were worth listening too.
Sadly though it was not built to last, which can be a bit annoying especially as you think an MP3 player should be able to withstand a few knocks during your daily life. This one fell short more or less on the first drop, which wasn't even a long drop either, it was only a few feet, yet when it hit the wooden floor it seemed to explode like an egg in a microwave, a can of beans in an open fire, a sneeze from an elephants trunk... you get the point...
When I picked up all the pieces I tried to put it back together, which, even though less confusing than the initial start up, didn't do it any good at all.
The MP3 Player had met it's match with its battle against a wooden floor and there was no turning back.
RIP music player and my all the tracks on you live on forever...
But before it did go to the big music player graveyard it did give me a fair bit of satisfaction and enjoyment.
It's far from being the most sophisticated machine that graces the market these days. The screen displays a fraction of the information that some players show, but what this does show is enough for me to understand what is happening.
The screen itself, albeit quite small, tells you what you need to know regarding what the player is doing. It displays such things as the track format, be it MP3 or WMA. Then there's the track duration, whether its playing or recording, the volume levels and more, quite a bit more in fact.
The sound is not too bad, although I do tend to use my preferred earphones rather than the ones that came with this player, but those weren't that bad from what I can recall so if you haven't got any spare earphones then you'll still be able to listen to your tracks straight away.
The sounds do differ quite a bit as you scroll through the different equaliser functions, with the bass giving some thumps into my head.
There are several functions which can be found on most MP3 players, so if you've used one then this one will be easy to get the hang of. Some of the functions are repeat a single song, repeat all songs, shuffle through the track so that the player decides what you are going to listen too, which gives you a bit of a surprise really.
The play button is easy to press and seems to stand out quite well so that your fingers can find it without having to keep looking at the player. This is brilliant when it is in a pocket and you don't want to take it out in order to press the button.
The hold button is genius, in a way, as it stops any accidental knocking of any of the controls so that you can listen to the music without any hassles.
I have spent a lot of time with my music collection on my PC, making sure that every track is named and in the right place. Sadly though when I have put the tracks onto this device the name of the song doesn't even come up, all I get is a number coming up on the display that tells me nothing about the track at all. So if I want to get to a certain track I have to remember what number that track is going to be under.
This isn't a big problem but it can get a little annoying when I have t a lot of tracks on the device and I can't for the life of me remember what track is at one number.
Using the mode button can be a little bit of a hit and miss process as sometimes when I press it thinks I've pushed it forwards and takes me to a track that I never intended to play. This has happened a few times, mainly when I first started using this, but after a little bit of practice I got the hang of pressing the mode button without pushing it left or right.
The cap that covers the USB connecter is well constructed and does a good job in protecting the metal of the connecter itself. The only downside is that the cap can be lost easily as it isn't strapped to the player unit itself. I mean, what's wrong with adding a small strip of runner or something to keep the two pieces together.
There is no built in rechargeable battery but it uses one AAA battery which is easily replaced with another one.
Plus, there's no clip to attach this to a belt so you do have to either carry this in your hand or pop it into a pocket.
I have given the voice recorder option a good running and it is not a bad thing at all. It is capable of picking up my voice from a good foot away and is easily used as a Dictaphone if you want to. I've even tried it in a pocket, seeing if the microphone can pick up a voice when the unit is behind some cloth, and it did a fine job, a little muffled but quite audible. So if you want to become a spy after watching the latest James Bond nonsense then this is the start.
The manual is well written but is about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. It tells you things that you don't want to know and when I did understand something in it I'm sure it was referring to a totally different type of MP3 player.
In the end I found it easier to throw the manual onto a fire and give the old 'trial and error' method a go. Getting used to the player as I went along, which took no time at all really as it is the same as quite a few players that I have used.
So what about the price then..?
This MP3 player is cheaper than chips, (where does that saying come from?). Sells for around a tenner. Yes £10, which is good money in anyone's books.
I know that this did eventually fall apart on me but I did have quite a while with it. So for a tenner I do think it is good value for money, and, if you don't drop it, it might last you longer than mine lasted me.
In all, it may not be an ipod, then again you don't have to pay the ipod price tag either, but it does what it is supposed to do, that is play music into your ear when you're on the move.
Would I buy another one?
If I didn't have the player that I use now then I would seriously think about getting another one of these. If I did then I'd try and be a little more careful with it.
©Blissman70 2012
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