• 

  #1 written by MaggieConroy
  December 28, 2009 - 3:11 am

  Quote

  They have a very small lifespan. I don’t know whether it’s a firmware problem or a hardware problem – the firmware hasn’t been updated – but they tend to crash, which I didn’t reckon was possible for a flash device. After about three months, mine refused to turn on, and my PC wouldn’t recognize it when I plugged it in. My replacement sometimes hangs on booting up, or refuses to recognize certain files (”Cannot play this file”) on some boots but not on others.

  Other aspects:

  *The interface is a bit clumsy, and it’s simple to hit the incorrect quadrant on the gamepad-style controls.

  *Player inconsistently decides on booting whether to resume playing where you left off on shutdown, or to take you to the menu. I studied it for weeks trying to figure out what was making it choose one option or the other, but it’s utterly without rhyme or reason.

  *Interface has difficulty understanding file tagging. Mainly it ignores it.

  *Capacity is closer to 1.8 Gb than 2.

  *Sound quality is fine, but this device is quieter than other MP3 players I’ve used.

  *The voice recorder produces unusually grainy results. I’ve really gotten excellent results with the FM radio, although the first unit had distress retaining presets at first.
  Rating: 2 / 5

• 

  #2 written by GatsbyCat
  December 28, 2009 - 4:59 am

  Quote

  This player is a excellent value for the money, it does play and the sound quality is OK. The unit is cheaply made and the USB swivel doesn’t click all the way into the player; it feels like it will not last too long, but time will tell. My main complaint on first-day use is that the “belt clip” is a cheap piece of plastic that will not attach to the player; it just has some tiny ridges that are supposed to “clip” into some tiny slots on the player, but they don’t. In terms of quality this player would get only two stars, but I gave it three because it is a excellent value for the price, compared to other 2GB players.

  update 3 months later: Now that I have been using the unit for some time I would not buy it again, even at the very low price. The controls are hard to use, and the unit often unexpectedly just shuts itself off and has to be “reset” by removing the battery for a while. Also, it does not usually “remember” where it was playing when plaing mp3 files in the “music” category, so if listening to something where the location matters, such as a downloaded “podcast” of a radio show or a book, you have to spend time navigating around to get back to where you were when you shut the unit off the last time. Well, you get what you pay for!
  Rating: 3 / 5

• 

  #3 written by Alfonso E. Leon
  December 28, 2009 - 6:51 am

  Quote

  They say, “Excellent things come in small packages”. Well, this thing fell a small small. This could have been a very nice unit, but, I reckon RCA made it a small too small. The largest complaint I have is that the FM radio signal comes in very poorly. Even the strongest FM radio stations fade in and out depending on the movement of the unit. If you can find a strong signal and keep the unit stationary, fine! But if you start moving it around or place it in your pocket and start moving around, the signal will come and go. Maybe if RCA integrated an antenna in the earbud headphones, the problem could have been be resolved, who knows.

  Also, this unit comes with a removable “pocket clip” to clip the unit on your belt or pocket. My removable “pocket clip” (which is not attached to the radio unit when packaged) will not clip onto the radio unit itself. Hence, your can’t clip it anywhere.

  This unit is too small, too delicate and too crammed with features, but what can one expect for less than $30.00?
  Rating: 3 / 5

• 

  #4 written by B. Zhang
  December 28, 2009 - 8:03 am

  Quote

  It takes me some time to figure out how to use it. The easyrip software is hard to use and know. So I throw it away. Once I figure it out. It works just fine. I like the FM radio and it picks up stations quite excellent. The buttons are hard to press but it can prevent unwanted touch. One complaint is to the earphone. There is no foam cover so it’s kind of lose. Another feature I like is the AAA battery. In this case I don’t need to worry about charging it. Don’t know if it can really play for 30 hours

  My best wish is it can survive the kids abuse.

  ^_^
  
  Rating: 5 / 5

• 

  #5 written by J. Miller
  December 28, 2009 - 8:50 am

  Quote

  A compact, well priced 2GB MP3 player. Also has FM reception, voice recording and ability to download audio books. But, not enough storage for books and music. Also the software does not allow you to play songs randomly! It plays songs alphabetically every time you start it up, so you hear the same songs each time. Not excellent. I found that leaving it paused will allow you to continue with the last song played, but you must remember to pause it first, a pain. It would also be nice to be able to play albums, which is the way songs are organized on the player.
  Rating: 3 / 5

No trackbacks yet.