iAudio U2 1 GB Digital Music Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This review describes the complete thought/research cycle for deciding a digital player. It includes hdd based, flash based, different flash based capacities, features, battery life etc. The features etc for any player are already available on the detail pages and else where so I'm not including those, instead doing the comparison exercise. I've also written this review for other flash players which I considered in the comparison.

I've been using iRiver SlimX iMP-CD350 CD/MP3 player for quite a while now and decided that its time to move to a smaller player which is more versatile and portable. I'm just not a CD person, and as soon as I buy a CD, I rip it and get the files all over my computers/laptops.

There are lot of smaller digital music players available in the market. My first decision point was to decide between HDD (hard disk drive) or Flash memory based players. HDD based are available from 4GB to 60 GB and since it has a mechanical drive, it's not suited well for my activities (gym/running etc). While flash based don't suffer with this draw back, they come only in 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB.I wasn't buying a player to make it a permanent repository of all my music and having up to 1GB of music (16 hours of CD quality, 32+ hours otherwise) was good enough for me. For this reason, I decided to go with Flash based player. Plus, most flash based players have direct USB connectivity and some of those can also be used as a regular flash disk for document transfer and storage.

Next step was to decide the capacity. I was inclined for a 2GB player since it'll store even more songs, but found some warning in iAudio (Jet Audio) site where a 2gb version can store only up to 450 (files + folders) and the player cannot address the last 260MB memory of the player. I had also used a flash based 2gb usb storage device which had similar storage problems. So, I went with 1GB version and decided to give more time for 2GB+ technology.

Next was feature sets and brands. I had following things in mind in terms of features: formats capable, battery life, firmware upgradability, and FM player. I considered Creative (MuVO Micro N200), iRiver (iFP 799),Apple (iShuffle 1GB), and JetAudio (iAudio 5, G3, U2).

iRiverhad drawbacks were not being able to work as USB storage device, limitation on Ogg audio and MP3 VBR files. Apple was not just my thing since it lacked a display, FM tuner etc and accessories like FM player are added cost/size/weight too. Creative was also limited only on WMA amd MP3. It seemed like most of the players butiAudio/Jet Audio have format limitations.
Jet Audio (iAudio) had most of the formats available (MP3, WMA, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, ASF etc), firware upgradable, trendy size, good reviews, USB storage deviceand good choices. And, I was totally bought on iAudio.

The last step was to decide on the model. I considered iAudio i5, G3, and U2 version. The main differences are that I5 is based on 'AAA' batter and lasts only 15-20 hours, G3 is slightly wider but less longer model with 'AA' battery and supports up to 45-50 hours on one cell, and U2 was similar to '5' but had internal Lithium Polymer battery and the same 15-20 hours playback time. U2 model also lacked Ogg Vorbis format capability.
If I was travelling long distance and not able to charge LiPolymer battery, it's a waste. And, 15-20 hours just doesn't turn not ecnomical with 'AAA' battery, so I ended up with iAudio G3 1GB player and I'm very satisfied with the player itself.

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Product Description:
iAUDIO U2 is a ultra-compact 1 GB digital music player with FM Radio, Voice Recorder and Direct MP3 Encoder. Enjoy the highest-quality sound powered by BBE, 4 lines wide graphic LCD and 20 hrs of continuous playback with a built-in rechargeable battery.

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iPod: MP4 Multimedia Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)At first I was delighted to receive this little bargain player. Upon loading some audio books the problems began. The controls didn't seem to give consistent results, sometimes you push them and you go to the root menu and sometime you go back to the file you were listening to. Frustrating you say? Oh don't get me started. It's taken hours of my time as I don't give up on this kind of thing easily yet I'm ready to admit defeat in this case and just use it for what it allows.
Files were easily corrupted and became unable to be removed yet still took up space. There seems to be some "hidden file" feature that may account for all this but I didn't dare try to use it given all of the other glitches and bugs.
The instruction manual was frustrating to say the least showing pictures of screens that never appeared. Surely it was translated from Chinese mistaking words like fold for folder, and that's just the start.
For photo viewing all the photos were supposed to be .jpg although after loading my own the only one I could consistently view was one that came on the player marked .bmp.
Don't get me wrong it's not a TOTAL piece of junk....when it plays a file it does a good job moving between chapters automatically with good enough sound quality. You can even slow or speed up the files without change of pitch .
It seems to record voice just fine but with all the problems I've had with the other features I wouldn't rely on it for long.
The instruction book....if you can really call it that doesn't even tell you how to turn the device on. There is a small switch on the bottom next to the computer/charge port. I had to cram the 3.5mm headset jack into the tiny tight hole but it does seem to work.
The software that comes on the tiny disk included might work on something but seems only to confuse the tiny brain in this little player.
The upgrade of the "firmware" (I did mention the Chinese thing didn't I?)did nothing at all as far as I could tell.
At least you can use this for a 8gig flash storage. Don't rely on it.

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Product Description:
This MP4 multimedia can play back video file in AMV/MTV format (conversion application is included for you to convert WMV, MPG I/II, QuickTime and AVI files), and MP3/WAV/WMA/ASF audio files. 1.8 inch 260K colour TFT screen, excellent image quality. As a flash disk and can store all kinds of files. Built-in FM radio, channels can be saved. Moreover, you can record FM programs directly. eBook function for you to view text file. Electronic album, you can categorize your photos in different folders. Built-in rechargeable battery can be recharged by USB port or travel charger, upto 4 hours playback time And much more!

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