MobiBLU US2 Digital Audio Player

Legacy | December 20, 2006 12:00 AM

INTRODUCTION

The US2 from MobiBLU is a small, attractive device that plays a variety of audio (MP3, WMA – including DRM, and OGG), video (MSV clips – with a converter for WMV, MPG, and ASF included), and photos (JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG, MNG, and ICO). It is available in 1GB (black) and 2GB (silver) sizes/styles. It has a nice etched control panel that has an appearance similar to the one found on Motorola RAZR phones.

Here’s a shot of the box.

And a shot out side of the box. The keypad as a laser-cut look to it.

Thin is in!

The US2 includes a necklace-style set of earphones (with 2 connections to the device) so that you can’t easily lose it. The connections are very strong – so strong that I had a bit of difficulty removing the connector so I could plug the charge/USB connection into the device! You can use the necklace earphones or use the two audio ports to connect 2two different sets of earphones for sharing.

Also in the package are a slipcase, a USB/power adapter (no external AC power is included) some screen protectors, instructions, and software for managing lyrics and for converting video into the MSV media clip format.

WHAT’S HOT
Here’s a list of features taken from the website!

    • Supports MP3, WMA, OGG, and “Protected” WMA (DRM)
    • Plays For Sure Certified
    • View Digital Images and Watch Video Clips
    • Available in 1GB, and 2GB (500/1000 Songs*)
    • Full Color OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) Display
    • Rechargeable Lithium Polymer Battery with 14 hour playtime
    • FM Tuner, FM Recording, and Voice Recording
    • SRS WOW HD (High Definition) and TruBass Sound Enhancement
    • Backlit Metal Etched Keypad
    • Dual headphone jack

PRODUCT FEATURES

The US2 has excellent sound quality and includes SRS WOW and TruBass audio enhancement with a 20Hz to 20KHz audio range.(and a respectable 90dB signal to noise ratio).

The US2 includes a world-wide FM receiver (covering 87.5-108MHz range for the world, and 76-108MHz for Japan). You can even record from the built-in microphone or from the FM receiver (recordings are in MP3 format).

The US2 offers support for Podcast Ready (www.podcastready.com) which allows you to manage podcasts on the device without using additional drivers or software.. I haven’t had an opportunity to explore this feature much yet, but it has potential and I’ll be reporting on it as I learn more.

I found the device easy to use and I really like the quality of the sound that it produces. The device mounts as a USB removable disk, so it’s possible to use it on either a PC or a Macintosh computer – just drag your files to and from it (there’s also a driver for Windows 98 users). There is bundled software (works on PCs only) that allow you to convert your video files into the video clip format used by the US2 (MSV). There’s also a piece of software to help you manage lyrics with your MP3 files.

I ended up upgrading the firmware on the device, which turned out to be relatively painless – unzip the firmware files, copy them to the root of the player, turn on the player and leave it alone until the upgrade is completed (a minute or two at most). The firmware update (to version 1015) actually seemed to make the player controls “snappier” and more responsive.

When you first use the US2, it starts up in "Music" mode. This is the basic MP3 player.

The controls are simple: you use the play/pause button above the screen to start/stop the music, and the four way pad to control what you hear – right and left toggle the song you are listening to and the up/down controls the volume you listen at.

Press the center button to bring up a file directory and select the track you want to listen to directly. This same file directory is also used in the photo, and video modes. If you press and hold the center button, you are able to toggle between the different modes: MUSIC, VIDEO, PHOTO, FM, RECORD, and SETTING.

The FM mode allows you to listen to FM signals.

The left/right controls the frequency, and again, the up/down controls the volume. In the SETTINGS mode you can adjust which frequency range FM uses (the range varies in different parts of the world).

There are also PHOTO and VIDEO modes for viewing pictures and video.

Remember, that the US2 only plays video in a clip format. This means that you must use the included desktop file converter before copying the file to the US2 for viewing.

There’s also a voice recorder mode included that allows you to record/playback voice recordings using a small built-in microphone. You can also record from the FM receiver, if desired (done from the FM mode, not the RECORD mode).

The last mode is the SETTINGS mode where you make all of the settings changes you could want. You can set the way the display works (how quickly menus disappear), how the record/playback functions work, what the default folder for playing music is and so on.

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HELP SUPPORT

There is documentation included with the device and on the MobiBLU web site as well as the current drivers, firmware options. Documentation for the device is adequate – nothing spectacular, but no major omissions, either.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

size=2>The US2 will connect to Windows 98/ME, 2000, or XP. It also functions on a Macintosh OSX machine, but the included applications only run on Windows-based devices. It appears as a mounted drive (USB Mass Storage) on most computers, but Windows 98/ME machines require that you install a driver before the device will operate.

BUGS AND WISHES

Well, for me, the biggest thing missing is AAC support. I have a lot of files in that format (AAC is the standards-based successor to MP3) from when I ripped my CD collection into iTunes a few years back. I suspect there are a lot of people in a similar situation. You can cross-convert the files, but then there’s usually some loss of quality. I could also re-rip the files, but that’s very inconvenient. Add AAC support – please!

The device also offers WMA-DRM “PlaysForSure” support so it will work in conjunction with online stores that have “PlaysForSure” compatibility, but I’m not sure exactly what that’s going to mean in the current (and future) market where MS has turned away from that standard in favor of the Zune Marketplace. I’ve read that there appears to be some level backward compatibility, but I’m not sure how far it extends or if it will continue in the future.

As mentioned earlier, the US2 has a control pad that resembles the RAZR phone. Also like that phone, it can be sometimes a little hard to be certain you pressed the pad correctly. It is not particularly difficult to press, it simply takes some getting used to and you may feel, at first, as though you aren’t pressing hard enough. Also, it can be difficult to work if you have long nails, because the surface is flat – nothing raised up to set your fingers on, but that is a minor concern that is probably outweighed, for most people, by the cool appearance of the controls and of the device in general.

Lastly, the device doesn’t include an AC adapter (you charge it using the USB connector). This practice is common in these smaller devices and, for many folk, this isn’t a problem, but some might prefer an AC adapter – especially when traveling. An AC charger and/or car charger are available as optional accessories ($14.95 each).

PURCHASING

You can purchase the US2 at the MobiBLU online store in 2 sizes/styles – 1GB (back) for $99, or 2GB (silver) for $129.

PROS

Small, thin and attractive
Beautiful 260K color OLED display
Plays a number of file formats including audio, video, and photos
SRS WOW Sound enhancement
Includes an FM receiver
Offers Podcast Ready support

CONS

Necklace-style earphone cord a little too short and difficult to remove from player
No AAC support
Only available in 1GB and 2GB capacities

Value
Ease of Use
Features
Overall

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