MPIO FL300 1GB Necklace MP3 Player Review


Sometimes I'll catch myself falling into the "Super-Size Me" trap of basing a digital music player's desirability on how many gigabytes it can hold - because in my mind, the more GB the better. Whether that is reasonable or not, I don't know - it's just the way that my mind works. I like the idea of being able to carry a large portion of the music stored on my Seagate drive at all times on my player.

But if I am being honest with myself, when considering my entire music collection, then I would have to admit that I have MP3s on my Seagate that I don't even want to listen to, much less wade through when a player is on "shuffle." In fact, there are usually only a small number of albums which I will rotate heavily through at any given time. Some are old favorites and some are new discoveries, but the entire combination of those songs or albums really wouldn't amount to all that much memory when one is speaking in gigabytes.

I have had a theory for some time that my daily use doesn't really necessitate a large digital music player. An offer from GeekStuff4U to review theMPIO FL300 1GB Necklace MP3 Player gave me an opportunity to decide if a smaller device could fulfill my needs. Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to put this player through its paces, and I have made a few decisions that may affect my personal shopping habits in the future.

The MPIO FL300 1GB Necklace MP3 Player is a little bitty flash based music player that is available in memory sizes of 128MB, 256MB and 1GB, and is available in blue, red or violet. I was sent the 1GB model in blue.

Measuring approximately 2" long x 1.1" wide x 0.5" thick and weighing just 0.9 ounces, it almost seems unfair to expect anything impressive from an item that is smaller than a box of matches...

...literally!

Nevertheless, here are the specifications for this diminutive player.

General
Display 2 Line LCD with White Backlight
Battery Li-Polymer Battery
Battery Life 10 Hours Battery life may vary depending on the usage, configuration, and condition. Memory Capacity and
Data Transfer Rate figures are maximums, actual values will vary
Audio Frequency Range 20Hz - 20kHz
Headphone Output 26 mW
S/N Ratio 90 dB
File Support Decoding Format MP3 / WMA / ASF
Recording Format WAV
PC Interface USB 1.1
Transfer Rate 5 Mbps*
Supported OS Win 98/2000/Me/XP
Mac v. 9.04 - 10.x
Mass Storage Device Works as USB Storage Device Just like a USB key. Can store files and data, or be used to transfer data to another computer. No special software is required. Works with Windows or Mac.

Some of the FL300 features are

  • Backlit LCD Display
  • Plug and Play - no extra software required
  • Built-in Voice Recorder
  • OP MPIO Headphones
  • Integrated Clock and Alarm
  • Philips Symphony sound technology
  • 6 Preset EQ Modes

According to the MPIO site, the box should include the player, an arm band, the OP MPIO earphone set, a soft case, an extension cable, USB cable, warranty information, manual, and installation CD. The player I received from GeekStuff4U included a slightly different lineup - instead of an armband it came with a lanyard for wearing the FL300 in the provided softcase when using a different headset than those included.

The FL300's body is chrome-plated aluminum with a front panel composed of clear plastic which reveals the player's colored face. In the center of the front panel is a 0.75" long by 0.25" wide LCD window. Everything is so shiny...so no matter how careful one is, there will be fingerprints everywhere!

The body does not flex or creak - it is very solid. Pressing the buttons on the MPIO's front side, the user is rewarded with a slight audible click, which is reinforced by the buttons' satisfying tactile feedback.

The FL300 is designed to "look like and be worn as" jewelry. With that goal in mind, the player comes with an integrated necklace headset. The headset has MPIO branded earbuds on each end. They seem to be a little bit on the large side, but for the most part they will stay in place even while exercising.

The length of the necklace can be determined by sliding the earbuds' wires through the locking slider. When worn, this slider will rest against the back of the wearer's neck.

The whole set-up is actually pretty comfortable.

Removing the necklace headset from the player will seem a little bit tricky the first time it is attempted, but from then on it doesn't require a second thought. The base of the headset is turned towards the front of the player in a clockwise direction as shown in the following picture.

Once twisted, the headset is unlocked and the 3.5mm connecter can be removed. There is a hidden reset button in the bulbous end of the lock slot, should the need ever arise.

Here are some shots of the included lanyard and clear flexible vinyl case...

...the FL300 in the soft case...

...and the items together.

Charging the FL300 is accomplished by plugging in the short USB adapter. This adapter is extremely clever because it not only allows files to be transferred to and from the player, it also serves to charge the device. I brought the FL300 along on our trip to Scotland, and I was able to keep it fully charged by using the BoxWave Battery Adapter. The combination of the two devices was incredibly convenient while away from my computer.

Here is a picture of the adapter plugged into the included 4' USB extension cable. This is handy when there is no USB port available on the front of the user's computer.

When the FL300 is turned off and plugged into a USB port, the device will simply charge. However, when the Play button (► / ■) is pressed before the MPIO is plugged into the computer's USB port, it will reveal the white LCD display in the USB sync / charge configuration.

Note the buttons surrounding the face of the player: the volume down (-) and volume up (+) buttons are on the top edge, next to the Play / Stop button (► / ■). The bottom buttons are reverse (◄◄), forward (►►) and Menu.

The FL300 specs state that it has a ten hour battery life depending on usage and configuration. One of the first things that I did when setting up the player was test the battery life. I started the test at 10:53 am, by turning the player on with the volume set to level 11, which is a comfortable setting when seated at an indoor desk. The meter was one bar down at 3:22pm. Two bars were down by 5pm, and the FL300 shut off due to the low battery at 7:47pm, which was exactly 8 hours and 54 minutes since I had begun the test.

Now let's take a look at the software which accompanied the FL300. Bear in mind that none of it has to be installed for the player to work.

The main reason to use the software is to install the MPIO Utility, a program that has several useful functions. The Setup Config button performs a format and recover process, the MediaFile Scan performs a recovery process, and the F/W Upgrade allows the user to upgrade the player with the latest firmware updates.

One the MPIO Utility has been installed, the following desktop icon will appear.

Once again, realize that installing the software is not necessary unless you want those added features. Whether or not the MPIO Utility is installed, when the player is turned on and attached to the user's computer via USB, it will be recognized as a removable storage drive...

Depending on how finicky the user is about file organization on the player, audio files can be added either directly into the disk or inside user defined folders. As you can see here, I am not that finicky.

So how much music will 1GB hold? I was able to load 151 songs, with a size of 917MB, before the MPIO started giving an error message and kicking back songs. I believe that this may be because it is programmed to save some space for voice messages and future system additions. The 151 songs I loaded equal approximately 11 hours worth of music.

Once music is loaded, the MPIO is ready for operation. Setting the date and time for the first time is done by pressing the Menu button and then scrolling to the watch screen in the Menu. Alarms may even be set at which time the player will switch on, and music will be heard if the FL300 is connected through the user's home stereo.

Oh...did I mention that the version I received from GeekStuff4U did not come with any English instructions? That means that everything I have described thus far - from the way to remove the necklace headset to working the navigation menu I am about to describe was learned by trial and error. I admit that for a short period of time after receiving it, I thought about cursing the FL300 because I could not figure out how to get the headset off without breaking it, much less get the player to transfer files. The good news is that the device is ultimately quite easy to figure out. Anyway, back to the review!

After the date and time have been set, they will provide the first user screen seen anytime the player is turned on.

These screens show how the player displays and handles folders. Let's say I wanted to arrange the music on my player by genre or by artist, I could create those folders on my computer and they would be transferred tot he FL300. The only thing that some may not like about this system is that it does not allow the user to create playlists "on the fly". I would argue that since it is only a 1GB player, its entire contents could be considered a playlist.

Yes, I know that it's hard to tell...but this screen shows the scrolling title of the currently playing song, and the next song is shown underneath. Holding down the forward or reverse buttons will cause the MPIO to rapidly scroll through all the songs in a folder.

Songs can be played in order, randomly shuffled or repeated (one or all), from within the current directory (or folder), from within all directories and from within random directories.

There are 6 preset equalizer modes on the FL300...

...four of which are shown in this picture...

...as well as several sound effects such as "dynamic bass", "concert sound" and "pure studio."

Even through the included headset, I found the MPIO's sound to be quite good. Of course it was even better when heard through the Ultimate Ears super.fi 3Studio headset I am currently testing.

The FL300 has a voice recorder function which allows the user to record notes as WAV audio files in either high or low quality. These files can then be replayed through the player or transferred to the user's computer.

Perhaps because the FL300's surfaces are so shiny and prone to fingerprints, MPIO markets various sets ofstickers for the player's exterior.


Photo courtesy of the MPIO site

There are all sorts of other accessories available directly from the MPIO site for those that are interested. The FL300 is also available as the upgraded MPIO FL350, which contains an "FM tuner feature." Since I do not have one in my possession, I can't say for sure if that means that the FL350 can receive FM radio frequencies or if that means it can broadcast over an FM band - but I am guessing it means that it will receive.

The FL300 is a very robust player that surprised me with all of its features. While the menu wasn't quite as intuitive as I might have liked, it was very easy to ultimately figure out and master. Using the MPIO FL300 1GB Necklace MP3 Player for the last few months has actually been quite liberating, in a sense. Why liberating? Because knowing that I only have a small amount of memory to fill with music, means that only music I really want to listen to will make the cut. All thriller, no filler!

This article was originally posted to The-Gadgeteer.com

 

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