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Usage:::…
Let’s
have a closer look at the features and go through them one
by one.
I
copied the below explanation of the functions from the quick
start manual, so you can see the different buttons and functions
that are available on the device.
Like
many portable audio devices, the three-way scroller button
has dual functions.
It
is used to scroll up and down and through options from the
menu. You depress it to select something or jump into the menu.
The
display has a nice backlight.
This makes it easy to read the display in dim lighting.
The
display settings can be changed to fit a right or left handed
person. This is something that not many companies consider
when designing a device of this type.
Giving
myself a little congratulatory pat on the back… ;-) Taking
photographs of the menu items was a bit tricky; but, I was
able to show the backlight function properly.
Saving
myself some time and trouble, I used the diagrams from the
manual to take the below photos.
Here
are some of the icons that are included in the menu.
You
can choose from the following options:
- music
- recordings
- microphone
- FM radio
- lock
- skip folder
- play mode
- equalizer
- delete
- settings
Music
You
can put MP3 or WMA files on the flash drive.
Uploading
your music files is easily done.
The USB flash drive has a USB 2.0 connector that
allows a good transfer rate.
You
can use the Media Source software that’s included in the
package. This software will be examined later in this review.
The Media Source software is basically a manager for your
mp3 player.
The
drive connects as a USB mass storage device.
That means that no extra drivers are needed; and,
you can easily drag and drop (or copy and paste) files onto
the drive.
Using
this feature, I was able to test the transfer rate of the
USB flash drive.
Sisoft Sandra
Sisoft
Sandra is the all in one benchmark suite to benchmark your
computer. I
used the flash drive benchmark to test the transfer rate
of the MuVo.
Here
are the results.
Something
strange happened while testing the flash drive.
It reported a read/write error.
These
results show the benchmark ¾ complete and it’s a nice indication
of how it performs.
Recordings and microphone
If
you look closely at the MuVo, you’ll see the tiny hole for
the microphone.
This
is used to record your own personal recordings such as memos,
lectures or any other recordings you may wish to make.
The
recording process makes a new folder on your flash drive
called “voice”.
In
this folder you will find all your recordings in wav file
format.
FM Radio
A
nice feature of the MuVo is the FM radio that has 32 presets
that can be loaded. You can automatically scan for radio stations
or manually search for them.
In
the menu, you can choose to switch, save or delete the presets.
The
ear phones double as an antenna for the radio.
Lock
If
you select this feature, the MuVo will continue what it
was doing before you locked it. After it is locked, any button that is pressed
will activate the choice options of unlocking or cancelling
the request.
Skip Folder
This
feature allows you the option of choosing to skip a folder
you have created on the flash drive and browse in the folder
you select.
Play mode
This
feature allows you to select the player’s play mode.
Selections
are: normal, shuffle folder, shuffle once, shuffle repeat,
track once, repeat folder, repeat all, repeat track, A-B.
Most
of these options are self-explanatory.
Option
A-B allows you to select what point in time for a song to
start repeating, basically creating a loop.
Equalizer
The
equalizer has 5 adjustable bands and 4 predefined presets,
jazz, pop, rock and classic, and allows you to make one
custom preset.
Delete
This
option is pretty self-explanatory…it deletes the currently
selected file.
Settings
There
are several options from which to choose:
-
LCD
Orientation - with this you can make your MuVo display visible
for righthanded or lefthanded users.
-
Contrast
- this allows the contrast to be adjusted to increase visibility
of the display.
-
Backlight
– this allows you to set how long the backlight will remain
lit when the select button is pressed.
-
Language
– this is self explanatory…it changes the language.
-
FM
region – this changes the FM regions…the choices are International
or Japan.
-
Idle
shutdown – this sets the time when the device should shutdown
when it is inactive.
-
CUE/review
- this allows you to jump several seconds ahead in a song
instead of scrolling smoothly through a song.
-
Information
– this shows information about the firmware version, total
space available, space used, etc.
-
Cancel
selection – this cancels a choice.
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