256MB embedded memory holds approximately 8 hours of music at 64 Kbps (or 4 hours of music at 128 Kbps) * built-in FM tuner with 32 station presets * built-in microphone (256MB holds approximately 16 hours of mono voice recordings) * USB 2.0 interface * backlit LCD displays MP3 ID3 info *
Creative's MuVo TX FM makes it a breeze to take your favorite music with you wherever you go--to the office, to the gym, or on a rollerblading expedition. The size of a small USB flash memory drive, the MuVo TX FM weighs just 1.1 ounces with the single AAA battery inserted into the battery pack. This multiformat player is compatible with both MP3 and WMA files, and it also includes an FM tuner and the capability to record music directly from the radio. It also includes a built-in microphone for recording short voice notes or long lectures. You can also use the MuVo TX FM as a mass storage USB drive, enabling you to carry important documents and presentations.
The 256 MB internal flash memory will store up to eight hours of WMA files at 64 kbps or up to four hours of MP3 music at 128 kbps; it will also store up to 16 hours of voice recordings. With support for WMA, MuVo Micro N200 offers you access to the widest selection of music download services on the Internet, including Best Buy MusicNow, Buy Music, Musicmatch, and Napster.
It's powered by one AAA battery that provides up to 15 hours of continuous play. With super-fast USB 2.0 connectivity and simple drag-and-drop transfer without software, the MuVo TX FM accepts music files as quickly as a song per second. The 96 x 32-pixel blue backlit LCD displays file information, and you can scroll through folders, playlists, or individual songs. You can customize playback with a five-band graphic equalizer with four equalization presets, as well as environmental settings for pop, rock, jazz, or classical.
What's in the Box
This package includes the 256 MB MuVo TX FM digital audio player, earbuds, 15-inch velcro armband, carrying case with beltclip, and CD-ROM with Creative MediaSource music management software. MediaSource is an easy-to-use application for ripping CDs, organizing entire digital music collections, and easily transferring MP3 and WMA files.
Choose your music. Choose your device. Know it's going to work.
Look for the PlaysForSure logo if you're shopping for a portable music or video device and you want to make sure the digital music and video you purchase will play back on it every time. Match the PlaysForSure logo on a large selection of leading devices and online music stores. If you see the logo, you'll know your digital music will play for sure. The PlaysForSure logo makes it easy to find digital media stores and devices that work together. Choose from a large number of digital music and video stores, including CinemaNow, MSN Music, Musicmatch, MusicNow, Napster, Wal-Mart Music Downloads, and many more. Look for the PlaysForSure logo on a wide variety of devices, including portable music devices, portable video devices, digital audio receivers, Pocket PCs, and Smartphones.
The checkmarks indicate if the device is capable of playing back audio and video that's been downloaded from an online store. Additionally, some devices can play back media that has been purchased through an online store that offers subscriptions or rentals. |  |
1 Great Mp3 Player!
I recieved this mp3 player for x-mas. I didn't have to read the directions because it's so simple to use. It is hard for me to plug it to the thing in the computer.( of course I'm only eleven so...) Anyways the earphones hurt my ears and often fall out. Another thing I don't like is it always skips in the middle of songs. I like the fact that you can record things, but it's hard to understand yourself. Something I do like is the accesories. It comes with a belt clip and an armband. I don't use these but my dad often borrows it and he finds them useful. My mom uses it too. BEWARE: IF YOU GET ONE BE PREPARED TO SHARE!!! I also recieved rechargable batteries which are a life saver. I would definately recommend getting some. In the end this is a great mp3 player. It comes with a couple minor glitches but nothings perfect. (speaking of perfect please excuse my spelling in this review)
2 First MP3 Player for My Daughter
I got this as an Xmas present for my daughter. It is the first MP3 player we have owned. I wanted a flash based player so my daughter could jog with it. This plays protected WMA files from internet music stores as well as music we rip from our CDs. It holds about 4 hours of music recorded at 128 kps. It also has FM tuner.
No drivers are required to move music from computer to player, which was one of my requirements. You can use Windows Explorer to drag and drop music you rip from your own CDs. But you must use an application like Windows Media Player or MusicMatch Jukebox if you want to transfer protected files (DRM) from online music stores. The battery life is pretty good.
The only downside is that as of the time of this writing, I could now go out and by the 512 mb model for what I paid for the 256 mb model. The 1 gb models are getting down there in the same range. But that is always the case with electronics like this. Bottom line is my daughter has been very pleased with it. And she has been using it for 4 months without any sort of problems. Next Xmas she may be getting the Zen Micro 5 gb.
3 Excellent alternative to iPod Shuffle
I already own a 40 GB Archos that plays video (with a huge color screen), but the size and weight of that player make it a tad inconvenient to port around, especially when I only want to listen to music. I carried an iPod Shuffle around for about a week and I liked the look and size of that little gadget but I felt that it had some drawbacks, like not being able to select the song I want or see which song is playing. I also felt the price was a bit steep considering the limited features. So, I began my search. To make a long story short I chose the Creative MuVo. The 256 MB model is about $20 cheaper than the iPod, it has an FM Tuner, and a digital recorder. There are larger models available, but I've found that the 256 MB size works for me. Because the device is USB 2.0, just like iPod, it can also be used to store regular data (PowerPoint files, photos, etc). So far, I'm completely thrilled with it. It only weighs about 1 oz and it's about the size of a pack of Dentine gum when it's not in the beltclip. Also, as a Digital Designer, I must mention the success of the interface. It's very intuitive and simple to navigate. I'm impressed with the amount of functionality they've been able to pack into so few buttons without making it difficult to use. The Upside: great functionality, tiny size, FM Tuner (with programmable presets), good price-point, displays ID3 tags (song titles), good sound, digital recorder, audio equalizer, and the power to choose your song. I really like the power to choose. The DownSide: no lanyard (which would have been very useful), a mediocre belt clip, awkward headphones. I don't use the armband that's included, but the small size of the player permits me to drop it into my shirt pocket when I'm at work and I don't even know it's there. With the money I saved over the iPod, I bought a nice pair of earbuds and a bag of groceries. This is the third MP3 player that I have owned and one of many that I've used. I'm very happy with this purchase. Even though I adore Apple's design and branding, I'd recommend the Muvo as the better value because of the higher number of features combined with a lower price.
4 User Friendly!
Since so many other people have talked about how wonderful this player is, I thought I didn't have to say anything. However,I saw one review that talked about un-user-friendly it was even though she owned four computers.
I don't own four computers, but I work with computers a lot and am VERY critical of applications which are not user-friendly. I would rate the controls on this A+.
I never opened the manual and did all the stuff I wanted to do within 30 minutes of opening the package. In fact, it was fun to try out all the stuff to see what they did without reading the manual.
I have had mine since the first of the year and I am still trying things out. I listen to audible.com books, the radio, music ripped from CDs, save data files to the drive, have recorded from FM stations and notes to myself. I haven't gotten tired of it. It's fun just to have around and try things out.
5 Creative MuVo TX FM 256 MB MP3 Player
I find this thing mind boggeling. I could not download a song to it, the earpiece wire was completely fouled up (two inches of lead on one side and 14" on the other) i tried to slide it back in place and it broke,and it keeps playing that stupid demo which is driving me nuts.
6 So Happy to Have this
What I like:
1) Small, light
2) No cable, no special software needed. Just plug in and drag-and-drop
3) Nice littel LCD display
4) Built in FM radio. Autoscan and save presets (32 at most)
5) Can display menu *and* ID3 Tag (song name) in the following languagues: English, Danish, German, Spanish, Finnish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. A true international player.
6) Great sound
7) Using regular AAA batteries instead of built-in batt that dies after a while
... ...
7 Purchased this yesterday..
I had been looking for an MP3 player for a month now. A friend suggested this one to me. I was looking at Ipod Minis. However, 4GB was too much space for me. When I saw this player I was impressed, plus it has an FM RADIO and you can record from the radio to listen to later... come on people!!!!
I love that I didnt have to charge this for hours. Just placed the AAA battery in and I was ready. Transferring songs from my computer to the player was sooo easy!! I haven't had to use the software at all. It took me about 5 minutes to copy 55 songs onto my player. I love the fact that if I don't want to listen to my songs, I can switch over to the FM Radio!! Using the radio for the first time was very easy. It just scanned all the channels. Then let me delete and save stations on my presets!
The player was alot smaller than I had imagined. I keep saying it's the size of a Trident Gum Package. I love it! Mine came in white. However, I was looking on the Creative Labs website and they have battery modules in different colors. So you can change the color!!!
All in all, I am wayy super happy with this find. If 256MB is too small for you, you can always buy the 516MB. But like I said, I was able to fit 55 songs. Plus, have the option to jam to the radio. The earphones have not bothered me at all. I do have small ears as well.
Good buy.
8 Only one problem
This is an excellent product that Ive had next to no problems with. My only complaint about it is the headphone jack. After a month it started acting funny so if you move the jack at all the sound fades or distorts. Its a minor problem though, so Im not worried.
One thing I like best about it is the recording ability. When Im playing my guitar I usually come up with a line only to forget it later. This lets me record it so I can remember it later. Its a great feature thats helped me out many times.
9 Must buy this!
Hi, first time a write a review. This device is one of my best buys in amazon. No problems, very easy to save mp3. I use this as a Mp3 player, flash usb, Fm radio. The first times is like dificult to take out de protective case, but now I know how to take it.
10 90 day wonder
This product would receive 5 stars if it were still working properly. It was wonderful for the first 100 days or so and I loved most every aspect of it. I was just about to add to the rave reviews when it failed.
A few days after the warranty expired, it stopped working properly. First it wouldn't turn on. After repeated tries, it powered on but I can no longer access the plus volume control nor can I use the scroller knob to access the other functions. I can still load songs, but cannot raise the volume or use the fm or recording functions. Creative will not provide any help after the 90 day warranty period, and the suggestion on the web site to reformat the player does not help.
I can still use it as an extra drive--but it is a huge disappointment, especially since I loved it so. I suggest getting an extended warranty if you buy this product.
11 Got my money's worth!
I bought this model after my previous MP3 player stopped working. Not only was it cheaper than the other one had been, but it also works much better. There are no cords to connect from the device to the computer, which is one less thing for people to keep track of! And the process of putting songs onto the device is very simple as well. As a couple of people mentioned, however, the design of the USB portion isn't as nice as it could be. If your USB ports are at all recessed into the computer, this device won't work. I have a laptop, so there's no problem, but I know some desktops would have issues with this design. Also, the earbuds are uncomfortable...but then, earbuds by nature aren't very comfortable! I have small ears, so they don't fit very well, and after about half an hour of wearing them, they start to hurt. I would recommend buying a pair of sport headphones. Otherwise, I've had no complaints about this device. Right now, I have a little over 2 hours' worth of music downloaded, and there's still room for much more!
12 Great
Owned product for... 8 hours.
Alright, first of all, this is a great mp3 player.
The earphones might be horrible, and if you take off the covering off the buds, it might bruise your ears like no tomorrow. But the sound quality is good.
Very easy to use, didn't even have to read the manual.
Just like it promised, drag and drop and your done.
Took me less than 2 minutes to cut the packaging open and to attach it to my computer and start dragging and dropping songs.
I would've just like the case for the mp3 player to have a plastice covering all around instead of just half. And maybe if they gave a lanyard. Then again it is a bargain to get this item, I would reccommend it for anyone.
13 A couple of issues keep it from 4-5 stars..
I read all the reviews of this player and decided to purchase. There's a lot to like about it. First off, the price is right. Lots of value for the buck.
Size is perfect for taking to gym or out running, which is what I was looking for, primarily. I can't wait to hit the road. This is going to be so much better than my FM radio that I was using. No 15 minute strings of commercials!
Ok, I just opend the package and was I listening to music in about 20 minutes (and that includes ripping some cd tracks to the pc. Build quality seems very acceptable, but time will better tell that story.
Audio quality (MP3 128) is very good.
A couple of negative things I noticed: Volume (mp3 listening) is a good bit lower than I expected. The volume display ranges 1-40. A setting of 20 is way too low for even background listening (and I'm in a virtually silent setting). I'm probably going to have to keep it set at top volume (40) most of the time. I'm really hoping this is caused by inefficient (included) earbuds. Otherwise, It's definitely not going get to the volume I like for running. I sometimes need that loud, hard driving music after the mileage starts to pile up.
Also, the volume is a little quirky when listening to FM radio. Top volume is significantly louder than MP3 listening. Strangely, the jump between the "32" and "33" setting is a really big leap.
Not sure how, but I'm gonna see if I can determine if these things are the norm with the MUVO TX FM, or if my unit is somehow defective.
If not for the volume issues (and there pretty critical issues in for me) I'd really love this player. As it is, it may have to go back. I hate that, because it really seems almost perfect for me in all other aspects.
14 Great player for the price
When I first purchased this mp3 player, I already had one. This one was a HUGE upgrade. This is probably the best Flash Based Mp3 Player out there right now. It is roughly $90 and you get everything.
First off, it has a very nice and bright LCD screen. The screen is kind of small, but it still shows all the information you would ever need to see.
The battery life is awesome. For one AAA battery, the player will last 30 hours. That's plenty, and even if you plan on listening to it constantly, it's very easy to replace the battery. Just carry around a little battery in your pocket, and it will be replaced fast and conveniently. This is better than having to take it home and recharging it, this way you can change it anywhere at anytime and not worry about running out of battery.
The best part about this player is the connection via USB. There are NO cables. No cables equals no hassle. All you have to do to connect to your computer is pull out the bottom half of the Muvo and connect it to your USB slot on your computer. This is what "Plug and Go" really means. You simply connect it, transfer the music, take it out, and you're done. This is also great when you are using someone else's computer and have music you want. With the easy "Drag and Drop" method you can use it anywhere. There is no software needed to transfer music.
You can also use the Muvo as a USB "Thumb Drive" to transfer files, documents, pictures, whatever you want. So you're getting 2 in 1.
The Muvo also has a Mic for voice recording, and FM radio which is something not every player has.
Overall this player gets 4 stars out of 5 for me because it's nearly perfect. The only thing I would change is the size of the LCD screen. I also don't like the scroll wheel, but for the price it's all worth it.
15 Fit 8 hrs with WMA
i've had mine for almost a month now, haven't had ANY problems. The only problem is that the headphones are cheap quality i would recommend a cheap sony headphones they make a big difference.
I use wma at 64 kbps(i found this was the same quality as mp3's @ 192kbps), meaning i can fit 130 songs about 7-8 hrs in a 256mb player, which is equivalent or better than the IPOD shuffle at 512mb, which only allows mp3's.
And u can put albums into different folders so u can select them quickly.
The software is excellent, it can rip or convert files into mp3 or wma directly to the player.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
16 Great but...
I bought the 1GB MuVo device last month. I finally love it.
But read on...
Once I download the software upgrade from creative's web site(it runs on your PC and upgrades the software in the MuVo) and ran it, the device worked (and still works) great! It really p***ed me off that the MuVo really, really didn't work right without doing that. Wow. Go ahead, Creative, ship crap and fix it later??? What about folks who don't realize they can/should/have-to go to your web site and search for a software (firmware) upgrade to make this thing work? The product management team that shipped this device in not quite working shape should be fired immediately.
17 a good inexpensive choice
Most difficult part of the set-up for this product was getting it out of the packaging. But a pair of scissors and one very sharp knife later, I was good to go. I found I had to reboot the computer (Windows XP Pro) in order for the USB drive to be detected. I also found it replaced one of my existing remote drives rather than creating a new one. Don't worry, once you stop the USB drive so you can "safely remove device" the previous remote drive mapping comes back.
I found it holds about 45 songs (mostly mp3 but a few wma). I could easily drag and drop songs from any Window's explorer window onto the player, and I did not need to install any player software. Whatever order they are in the explorer window is the order they play in "normal playback" mode. It also works well as a mass storage device. I was able to put both music files and a PowerPoint presentation on the drive, and still listen to the music files. When using the player PowerPoint (and other incompatible files) don't show up when you scroll through using the player's lcd interface.
FM radio works great (except in the basement of my work, but nothing works there). Also, the battery use is much lower when using the radio.
Main complaint: the earphones are not that great and too big for my small ears anyway. Also, more colors than just white would be nice. People using Audible.com to download audiobooks should note that only type 2 and 3 audiobooks are compatible with this player.
Overall a great choice for the price.
18 Just about the best thing I ever got for X-mas
This is such an excellent idea. Durable, sleek looking, and very useful!!! As a college student, I use this to record lectures, hold papers, and then listen to music at the gym. It comes with a workout strap and an adequate set of ear buds. You can organize your music files in folders. The FM is just as good as your car stereo! Whenever I've had a portable radio, the channels never came in as well as a stand alone, or car stereo. Well, this actually does it quite well and I find myself using the radio feature as well. And they're so comfortable that I'll even fall asleep in bed while listening. You can not go wrong with this MP3 player/jumpdrive/FM radio/new best friend! Get it! -Oh and for those who say it breaks easy ... they must really manhandle their stuff. These are electronic devices - not hockey pucks!
19 Best for Price
This is my second Mp3 player and it's the best by far. It is very small, very portable, and very easy to carry around. It comes with: belt clip, which is very nicely designed and fits on perfect. You won't even notice it is there. Headphones: started out fine, but I would recommend getting some new ones because the ones they provide do not last long. No USB cable or cord for media on computer. This is the easiest it will get, you simply pull out the bottom of the mp3 player and put it into your USB slot in your computer and drag and drop the songs you want into the desired folder. It is so easy and you can do this on any computer at any place during anytime. Because there are no cords and no software needed to transfer music. Also, the mp3 player acts as a USB drive. You can transfer files, pictures, documents, etc. with ease. This is one of the best Mp3 players out there at one of the best prices.
20 Multiple problems with this player
I ordered this MP3 player for my daughter for Christmas. Two months later, after endless problems with it, I finally gave up and returned it. It's possible that the particular unit we had was just defective, but since I've seen quite a few complaints similar to mine on Google groups, these defects may be fairly common. The problems mostly fell into two categories: 1) power-related and 2) skipping or stopping in the middle of songs.
The power problems got more and more mysterious. In the beginning (first week or so), there were no problems. Then, the player went through a period when it would suddenly turn itself off. We tried testing the battery that was in it (they always turned out to be fine) or just replacing the battery anyway, but that wouldn't help. In fact, then we started seeing the next set of problems. Putting in a new battery would make all sorts of strange things happen. Certain songs wouldn't play, or the player would always turn itself off during certain songs, or would claim that it only contained a few songs. Looking at the contents of the player on a computer, everything appeared to be as it should. Finally, the last straw, the player began refusing to turn on. My daughter, being very patient and persistent, discovered that she could get it to go on by pressing the power and shuffle buttons at the same time. It wouldn't always stay on, however.
The second problem was just as mysterious and random. My daughter would be listening to a song one moment and the next time she tried to listen to it the player would either refuse to play it, stop playing it in the middle and shut the player off, or not show the song as a possible choice at all. There seemed to be no pattern to the problems, whether or not we had connected the player to the computer in between playing the songs, for instance. Things would play one moment and simply not play the next.
Most other reviewers of this player obviously didn't have the troubles we did, so maybe this is an aberration. They also don't say, though, what the source of their music was or how often they were adding/removing songs. I sometimes wondered if we'd just loaded the contents of several CDs onto the player and left it alone if it would have worked. Instead, we were adding one song at a time, bought on various music sites, both WMA and MP3 formats.
Other than the frustrating problems we'd encountered, the player seemed like it would have been easy to use. So, if it works for you, great, but before you buy one you may want to check the reviews on Google groups.
21 Good so far: the MuVo TX FM Digital Audio
I don't have any long-term usage data on this player yet, but wanted to give my impressions (since I relied on the reviews when making my selection.) This gizmo will replace my long string of CD/tape players at the gym; which after several players I've found the weakest link to be the plug to player connector - where the player is okay, but the connector on the player starts to cause the music to cut out (bad interconnect @ player.) I've taken a couple players apart and the ear jack solder connection generally breaks away from the printed circuit board. I don't think I treat my players badly, but more or less never think about them at all, so if I drop my gym bag or leave it in the car for a week-I just don't pay attention to it (or the player sitting in the bag.)
I decided to time how quickly I could get my MuVo TX FM Digital Audio player playing music that I down loaded to it.
The preloaded demo starts playing as soon as you install the battery.
1. @3 min. mark: Finally cut through packaging. Used a pocket knife, but was trying to be careful, this would be a hard package to return no matter how you try to hack through it.
2. @9 min mark: After plugging the player into my d-link USB hub: XP did not detect it (and still doesn't.) Reboot=detect. Ready to download.
3. @16min17sec mark: Music Downloaded (USB 1.x - I think). I had 250Mb pre-RIPped CD music using Winows Media Player (WMP) ready and waiting. I was surprised WMP has a tab just for this - I'm not interested in the whole music downloading craze so I never looked to see if WMP was prepared to do something like this. Although the hd folder size says 250Mb I got a "disk full, change disk" error before full download. Player does not care - it just did not accept all the files.
4. @16min51sec mark: music playing.
5. @23 min mark: Finally figured out how to scroll to different directories and change music. I thought I was stuck in a sub-menu, but I don't think I scrolled in one direction enough times - to get to the folder called "skip folder" (for some reason.) "skip folder" allows you to change CD's/folders. Wait for rollover.
6. @55min mark: Set mine up, played with it, and download (after stupid reboot) my 2nd player (for my wife)
I hate to pile on the guy who sent his back (see other review)
because it was too complicated, but if this thing is too much to figure out, I hope you are a university professor because you are unsafe in the real world.
For size, I cannot even compare it to my Sony Walkman CD player, which I had to pack around in a fanny pack. I don't like fanny packs - if you do: see the previous paragraph. It is 3"x1.75"x0.5" or your index and middle finger side by side.
I was able to store almost 7-full (.WMA) cd's on it. I can go months w/o changing music for working out, but checked the FM tuner; the gym has tv's with tuner frequencies if I want to hear sports or O'reilly while working out.
BTW. The users manual and packaged software are untouched.
If I have a problem with the player I'll update this or repost, otherwise no news is good news.
Wayne
EDIT:
I WANTED TO ALSO ADD THAT THE BATTERY WILL GO DEAD AFTER ABOUT 1 MONTH OF NON-USE. I GUESS THE ON/OFF MONITORING DRAWS ENOUGH JUICE TO DRAIN THE BATTERY. MAY BE BETTER TO USE A ON/OFF SWITCH SINCE THE SYSTEM USES FLASH (DOES NOT NEED POWER TO MAINTAIN STORAGE)
22 Creative NOMAD MuVo TX FM 256 MB MP3 Player -A great value!
I was going to purchase a different mp3 player( headset type) until I read several bad reviews.
So, I started searching products and read 2 EXCELLENT reviews regarding this product.
I purchased this product and think it is an EXCEPTIONAL value for what you get.
1. FM transmitter- very clear
2. Tiny size
3. Simple and well thoughtout controls
4. Very good Microphone to record( Apple sells separately for $49.00)
5. Rubber Case - I already dropped it, and it was saved by the case.
6. Arm band- ( Apple sell it separtely for $29.00)
7. Battery -included -lasts 15 hours( don't use usb port to recharge).
8. Software
9. Earphones - OK
No, this isn't an Apple- iPod, but for working out at the gym, biking, walking carrying it around. It is everything you could ask for.
Excellent value , I strongly recommend this to you.
23 small but good
This is my first mp3 player and I love it.The reason I gave it four stars is that it took me a week to install it to my windows xp otherwise,it has alot of memory for your favorite music and it is VERY light.It skips around to different songs so you never no whats next.
24 Very hard to understnd and use
This MP3 player by Creative was not in my opinion "consumer friendly". Actually I would say it was something that could cause a fairly intelligent person to have a nervoous breakdown trying to figure out. I have a Ph.D. and also own 4 computers-so I am faily computer literate and not stupid by any means. I stuggled with downloading a CD of Cher into this device for hours and finally surrendered by returning it.Maybe I need a teenager in the house to have helped me!
25 Versatile - Compact - Covenient - Worth the Price
Before you buy, first do a price comparison at Bizrate.com or Pricegrabber.com because I recently noticed the prices have come down since I purchased mine. Even though I have the 256 MB version, I would recommend getting the 1 GB version, which is the most memory in this particular plug and play model.
The plug and play feature is so handy and dispels the need for an extra USB cable. And because the player is also 2.0 flash/jump drive, you can store any kind of file on it--WORD, PDF, JPEG, WAV--Whatever you want!
Regarding the EARBUDS, they are designed to sit in out ear with the short shafts resting over your earlobes. They are not meant to fit inside your ear canal. However, I found the buds burned my ears after 30 or so minutes of usage. If you find the buds bother your ears too, check out the Koss brand. They makes a respectable variety of headphones and earbuds around $20. I like the Koss buds that wrap around my ears.
Regarding the FM radio, forget trying to find stations manually, which I found a waste of time. Choose the auto prescan mode and the device will preset all the stations that come in your area. If you travel, you'll need to do another scan. Using this funtion, you will get around 10-25 stations.
Also the microphone/recorder too is a great tool and gives you the freedom to dictate your thoughts wherever you are. Purchasing a digital recorder separately can cost around $50 or more so this feature is a delightful extra.
Lastly, if you're an avid user, you may want to consider getting a rechargable battery set-up. Ray-O-Vac makes a great one that comes with the 15 minute recharger, 2 AAA rechargable batteries (which this device uses) and 2 AA rechargable batteries (which a lot of other devices use as well. There's also a car adapter with this product.
I hope you enjoy this toy as much as I do :0)~
26 Can't skip? Read the ONLINE manual!
A previous review said that you couldn't skip to the middle of a song with a MuVo. Not sure what the reviewer meant by that, but you can fast forward or reverse within a track by holding the jog wheel in the forward or reverse position. This feature isn't mentioned in the skimpy Quick Start guide that's included with the MuVo. To learn about all of the features go to Creative's website and download the complete 75-page user manual.
27 Less than it appears
I was all set to like the MuVo TX FM - it was small, but the important controls were easy to get at and I liked the design where it plugged right into a USB port. I bought this for my wife to use during multi-hour car trips to visit her mother (along with a Belkin Tunecast II, which I liked a lot, so she could listen through the car radio.)
I loaded it up with several of her favorite albums, using Windows Media Player 10. Very easy. Showed her how to use it, and she was on her way.
She called me on arrival to say that the player worked fine - but why did it play one song from one album, then one song from a second album, then a song from a third, and back to the first again? I was puzzled and annoyed. Had I somehow set it into a strange playimg mode?
At home, I read through the manual, not seeing anything that could explain it. Several days later she gets home and I take the player to look for myself. What I discovered was that WMP10 had copied all the song files to the "root directory", so that it played them all in alphabetical order! Since the tracks were prefixed by the track number, it played all the track 1 songs, then all the track 2 songs, etc. Yuck.
Ok - my mistake. I see that WMP10 has a setting to use folders, and I can see from the manual that the player can use folders. Fine - recopy the albums with folders, turn on the player, and.. what the... "No Music"?!?!?!
I mount the player and look at the contents. There's a top level Music folder, then folders for the artists, then folders for the albums, then the songs - just the way it appears on my disk. My Rio Carbon (love it!) has no problem with this. Hmm...
Some experimentation shows that the MuVo TX can "see" only one level of folders - any more levels and it's helpless. WMP10 can't, automatically, flatten the file structure to the right amount. Sigh. Ok, load Creative's MediaSource application - surely it can deal with the MuVo, right?
Wrong. Not only can MediaSource NOT store the songs in the right folder structure, but it annoyingly creates two entries in its library for each track I have, one with a track number prefixed and one without. Furthermore, the user interface is far inferior to WMP10, lacking the multiple view options WMP10 has.
So it seemed that the only way to get the MuVo to play songs in the correct order was to drag-and-drop the individual album folders and to name the songs in track order. Sorry, that's just too much work, so back went the MuVo to the store.
Right now, I don't know what I'll buy instead, but it isn't going to be anything from Creative (and that includes the Dell Pocket DJ, which had looked intriguing until I found out what it was underneath.)
28 Second One and Still great
I got the Creative Labs MUVO 64 MB a few years ago and twas great. Never had a problem with it, not once. Only that it could carry 1 hour of mp3's or 2 hrs. of wma's. But that was a lot then, for a flash memory mp3 player. Now, with the MuVo TX FM 256MB it's what was great before but with more memory, FM radio, Voice Recorder, and an LCD screen to let me know what I am listening to. In my opinion, more reliable then the ipods because who the hell needs 100 hours of continuous music play. Although I do have to admit that the ipod is good to backup your files, if you have a whole lotta files to backup.
29 Creative scores another 10 from me
I decided to go with a Creative device because a few years back I bought a sound card for my PC and was very happy with it<br />
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The MuVo TX FM is a great little device that burns all other MP3 Players in it's price catagory. I am able to store my files from work, record meetings, and hook it up to personal speakers in my office. The only problem is that the headphones that come with it are a bit too big for the avarege adult ear.<br />
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I love the 5 band equalizer that lets me change the sound settings for diffrent kinds of music. It even has a custom setting where you can adjust it to your liking. The AAA battery last about 5 to 6 days if you use it regularly, so rechargeable batteries are a good idea. Overall, this is a great device for the music lover/computer guy.
30 Love this little thing!
I bought two of these little babies as Christmas presents for my wife and my son, and I am very impressed to say the least. It's been quite a while since I've come across a product that is this well designed. It worked out of the box, no software installation required, just copy your music files to it and they play beautifully! Everything about the player is intuitive - neither my wife nor my son bothered to even open the user manual, they just started using the player and got the hang of it in less than 5 minutes flat. That says something for the quality of the user interface, from both a hardware and a software perspective. The quality so far seems great, too, and battery life is incredible, considering it uses one AAA battery only.
And yes, the included headphones are not of the best quality but they are certainly usable. Overall, I am highly satisfied with this purchase - so much so that I have now gone ahead and ordered one for myself as well! You won't make a mistake choosing this player.
31 Easy to use, fun to own!
I bought a MUVO TX FM 256 mb mp3 player for my wife, a runner. She's not too computer saavy so she had me get it set up, which took minutes. Install the software to allow the MUVO to be recognized by your computer, drag and drop mp3 files onto the MUVO (you computer sees it as a drive), and you're ready to rock. I found that it holds about 4 cds worth of music, plus a few single tracks.
The MUVO FM also holds an fm radio with more presets than you'll ever need. I set my wife's up with the 5 fm frequencies that provide the sound from the TVs in our health club, plus another 8 or so local stations she would listen to when running outside.
The best part is the unit's very small size; its ability to play FM or MP3's; and ease of use. It also comes with a belt clip and an arm band for use when exercising. Downsides? None that I have found yet...in fact, I bought another MUVO for myself!
32 Great product!!
I want to express my satisfaction and correct a review I read before I bought this item. The instruction booklet is not very detailed but I learned that you can fast forward through a song. You just need to hold the button to the right vs. pushing quickly to go to the next song.
The only thing I wish this had was a charger or power connection. Otherwise, it lasts a really long time with one battery. I enjoy taking it in the car with my cassette converter, the gym with headphones and the beach with mini speakers. It is easily carried in my purse for use whenever I desire. I would definitely buy it again.
33 Sweet MuVo
This is a good mp3 player but only holds 4 hours of mp3 which for me wasnt enough but its light and compact and is easy to carry on the go and to perform extreme activities without it weighing you down.............I LOVE IT!
34 Great deal for a reasonable price...
This is a great little player... period. The fact that it can be had for about a third of a ipod mini is just icing on the cake. It's light, fast (due to it being a memory based player.. no skipping!) and packed full of features. Record a voice note? Check. Record off the radio? Check. Drag and drop your music files with no special software being required? Check. Organize them into folders for different music genres? Check. Backlight for easy use at night or in low light? Check. As you can see, a lot of thought was put into the Muvo TX FM to make it easy to use, but be flexible enough for the most savvy of mp3 owners. There is a lot of little features (most are easily custom tweaked to your liking, like backlight time duration, LCD display flip for lefties and righties, support for ID3 tags, etc..) that just add up to making this a great little player.
There are a few nits, tho. I'd like the navigation of folders to be more intuitive, the scroll wheel to be a bit more weighty (several times I tried to skip a song and I accessed the settings menu with a push on the wheel) and a battery life counter would be greatly appreciated.
But all in all, this is a great little player. It may not be as hip as a ipod, or have a revolutionary feature that marketing would play up but it has a lot of thoughtful "little" features that add up to a enjoyable musical experience.
Also, to the person who said you cannot skip forward into the song... You can access the Cue/Review feature under the Setting menu and set it to do exactly that... a quick push of the wheel to skip songs, and a push forward and hold to cue forward into the song and it even lets you hear the audio so you can stop where you want to. Like I said, lots of thoughtful features!
35 Two Units Both Skip Even After Firmware Upgrade
I really like the design of this player. Unfortunately both of the units I bought for my sons for Christmas skip during the song playback. At first I though it might be that the MP3s were encoded in variable bit rate format. I converted them to 128 bps and tried again. Both untis still skip. I then tried to download the latest firmware 1.12.04 [per another review here, thanks!]and format the drives. Even after all that both units still skip during song playback. I've contacted Creative support and I'm hoping for a fix soon!! I have two very dissapointed kids with what now appear to be $120 lumps of coal.
36 Immediate Breakdown
I loved the unit. It just broke right away. The size was great although it is sparse on storagge. However, my rating is based on a 3rd or 4th time usage problem that caused all the music to be distorted and unlistenable.I found nothing about that in any literature on the product and researched online as well. I returned it as a result of never getting it to sound good again. Get something with better reliability as the products are getting better all the time.
37 Lots of features, reliable, great workout companion
This is my 2nd mp3 player--my first was an iRiver FP-190T which began having sound issues after about 15 months of use. I was looking for a flash-based mp3 player which would be small and lightweight for use while working out, would have easy file transferability and would be more durable than my previous player. After 6 months of use, it has met my expectations.
Size and weight is about as small as one can get, and the flash-based memory makes it perfect for use while exercising. The holder and armband work well. The FM radio has nice reception. I've yet to use the voice-recording capability, but it's nice to have there, just in case.
File transferability is the strength of this device. The iRiver software I had to use with my previous player was always kind of clunky. The Creative is very easy--in fact, requires no software. Just plug the USB part of the player into a USB port on your computer, and drag-and-drop. In fact, it doubles as a USB drive to hold other types of files such as Word documents, so its versatility makes it even more valuable.
The cons are relatively minor quibbles:
--While in use, navigation among songs and folders is virtually impossible. Basically you have "next song" and "shuffle" options. This is a needed software/firmware upgrade, IMHO.
--It doesn't have plug-and-play capability with all computers (e.g., my office computer). It may require installation of the accompanying software before it is recognized as a USB storage device on other computers.
--It is somewhat difficult to remove the mp3 player from the armband holder.
--I don't care for the earbuds, but I've yet to find a set of earbuds that I care to use, so I don't hold this against Creative at all.
Overall, the Creative has met my expectations. I hope it maintains its reliability longer than my previous mp3 player, and given my positive experience with other Creative products, I trust that it will.
38 Excellent for Workouts
If you are buying an Mp3 player to use while exercising, this is an excellent product for the following reasons:
1.) It is lightweight and durable. I have ran through some extreme weather (heavy rain, snow) without any adverse effects on the player.
2.)I am 5'8'' and 155lbs. The included strap kept the unit stable on my arm. People with wider arms might have problems with the strap, however.
3.) The software is easy to use. I was able to convert my CDs into Mp3 format within minutes of installing the package. Because a flash-based player, you just have to plug the flash drive into your computer and drag and drop the songs.
4.) The FM Tuner gets good reception in urban areas.
5.) Long battery life. I get about 16 hours of use before having to change the triple A battery.
Again, I only use it while working out. I can't give an informed opinion on the more advanced features.
39 Outstanding overall and #1 jogging mate
This is my second MP3 player I have owned and about the 4th I have tried...and it is the best. Creative has found their niche--high quality, reasonable price, good sound quality. Rio can't overcome their quality control issues, Iriver is high priced, and so is Ipod...and the rest are either low quality or low in performance value. This MP3 player is the perfect jogging companion, the belt clip is very tight (no worries of falling off while running), but also extremely comfortable...I don't even notice it is there. This MP3 player is so light, you can clip it on your running shorts, without worrying about the wieght draggin them down. If you prefer, it also comes with an very well designed armband. About the only potential drawback is if you like to listen to the music at levels that will guarantee to damage your hearing...this player doesn't go that loud, but it does get plenty loud enough where it will be impossible to hear anything but your music. Drag and dropping music via USB 2.0 makes this the fastest I've seen in music upload. It has all the features you want and 256 will hold plenty of songs. Best jogging partner on the market and one of the best overall MP3 flash players out there.
40 great little gadget
I just got this item a couple of days ago and I'm pretty happy with it. I really wasn't looking for an MP3 player, but I got sucked into the technology. I'm nowhere near computer literate so it took me a couple of tries to transfer my music files on to the player. For some reason I just couldn't just drag and drop so I had to use the software to get started, but I started flowing soon after. The biggest thing I like about it is the size of it. I can just stick it in my pocket and roll. I didn't have any problems with the carrier as I've read some folks did. The price is right if you're not looking at spending a lot of money and a first time buyer of this type of product. I'm pretty happy with my purchase so far.
41 I'm surprised
I'm bought this expecting to have to upgrade the standard earphones. After trying them, they are great. I'll use them. The equalizer is nice and speed of transfer is impressive. Since I bought this primarily for the MP3 player, I wasn't expecting much from the radio. The reception is great. This is one of those purchase where you actually get more than you expected.
42 How to display more that the song title
I just got this today, so I haven't had it long enough to give a review, but I noticed that other reviews commented on how you can only see the title of the song in the display and not the artist. What is shown in the display is what is in the title category when it's on your computer. If you go to the file and right click and go to properties, then clikc on the summary tab there will be a box for title. Just type in whatever you want for the title and that is what will be displayed on the mp3 player. A quick way to see what the titles are is if you look at the files using detailed list to view them (where it shows all the info about the files). If you right click at the top where it says name, size, filetype, etc. it will give you the option of displaying the title. This way you can easily look down your list and figure out which ones you need to change. Hopefully this will help some people, I'll write a review of the mp3 later when I have used it more.
43 The downsides to this MP3 player.
Here is a small list of a few things I found annoying about this MP3 player:
1) The earbud headphones are bulky and the foam covers are rough, which cause your ears to hurt after about 15 minutes of using them.
2) The earbud headphones are very limited in terms of frequency range. The frequency range is very narrow, meaning you miss out on some of the high end and low end sounds. I bought a pair of Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia Headphones in order to hear what I was missing and the difference was astounding.
3) While using the MP3 player, there are no playlist features or folders available to help organize your collection. This means you can only skip to the next song, one at a time and in whatever order you imported them in. This is probably due to the 1-line, tiny screen on the player, which can display only one song at a time.
4) The maximum volume is not very high at all. I turned it up all the way and I can still hear my surroundings. Oh well, at least I'll never go deaf using this MP3 player.
Other than that, it's a sleek-looking, highly compact player that packs a punch. No complaints at all in the sound department. Also, the custom EQ let's you tweek the quality of sound EXACTLY the way you like it!
44 amazing for the price
i'll preface this by stating this is my 3rd MP3 player in 4 years. previously i've used Rio products - the 500 (which i still feel is one of the more aesthetically pleasing players ever released) and the s10. compared to those products the Muvo TX FM is by far the best flash player i've ever handled. it supports mp3, wav, wma and Audible books (with the latest firmware upgrade at creative.com). the user interface is nicely done and leaps and bounds above what i've seen from competing manufacturers. all the features touted work as advertised - the radio reception is particularly good (at least in NYC), and the radio recording is loud and works well, though the bitrate used makes the feature more ideal for talk show recordings than music. likewise the microphone offers pretty decent recordings, but it isn't going to replace anyone's tape recorder for clarity and reception.
though the device has a sturdy construction that feels completely solid in your hands (especially once you slide the device into its rubber casing), i worry about the longevity of its spring-loaded rocker wheel. i haven't had any issues with it in the week i've had the device, but i'm not sure it'll last through months scrolling and occasional drops. as is, the case is great (though it's only protecting 3/4 of the device) and the included armband is a godsend for me since i will be using the Muvo primarily when i'm at the gym. as some have mentioned the included headphones are garbage. jettison them quickly and get anything else.
the player installs as an external hard drive on Windows XP/2000 systems. this highlights a great design feature of the Muvo TX, as it's basically a USB keychain drive with a LCD screen, buttons, and a battery holder attached on. unplugging the usb drive from the battery compartment, you can plug the Muvo into any usb-capable computer and access your files. throw your word documents, pictures, anything really, into the device and you can still use it to hold music. as a college student i carry documents on the drive to bring it back and forth from the computer science labs to my home system. easy and no hassles.
putting music on the drive is as simple as dragging it in from Explorer. if you want, however, you can use either the included Creative media program (bloated) or Windows Media 9/10 to transfer music over to the device. the Creative does not accept playlists, which could be a problem for some. users can get around that by either grouping audio on the device by folders, or by renaming their songs to play in the proper order. the Muvo TX plays songs by alpha-numeric order on the drive, so filenames starting with A will be read before B, songs with 01 read before 03, etc. since most of my music is appropriately tagged with id3 and named properly (artist, song number, title) this isn't much of a hassle.
a bigger issue for me is that the device does not read music nestled under 2 or 3 layers of folders. you can section off your music by folder, but the folders must exist on the root directory of your drive. the player won't find any music that's buried inside two or more layers of folders, which is a hassle because windows media player 10 by default transfers music organized under a litany of folders. after transfering songs from WMP 10, i have to manually go to the drive and drag folders, delete folders, and other sorts of nonsense to get the device to read them all. this is nothing that can't be rectified by a firmware update, but creative is spotty in this area. the latest update available at creative.com lets the device support Audible books, but introduced some radio volume problems (seems to jump up and down occassionaly).
music clarity is great, and i have no problem whatsoever with the decoding engine in the player. replacing the headphones with a decent pair, music came out loud and clear on my sony earbuds. the included EQ is very adjustable and its settings make a definite impact on the music. the player has a minimal set of buttons, which is great. there is a play/pause button on the front of the device which also functions as the on/off switch if held onto for 3 seconds (you'll see a progress bar on the player's LCD screen when you hold down the play/pause button to indicate that you're bout to shut the devie down). volume is controlled by two sets of buttons on the player's side, and rewind/fastforward and song skip are handled by the rocker wheel. the rocker wheel also handles the menu and interface, which as i've said earlier is intuitive and quick.
the best is the battery life. my Rio S10 spoiled me with 20+ hours of playback on one AA battery, and i expected the Muvo to be noticably less since it uses AAA. to my surprise i've had about 15-18 hours with the included name-brand AAA, and i doubt it'll change much when i switch to my rechargables.
all in all this is a great player and i recomend it to anyone who is interested in a flash-based device. though there isn't any room for upgrades, the device has enough memory for the job, and its dual function as a USB keychain drive makes up for the loss.
45 Excellent Product from Creative
This is an excellent MP3 player and I highly recommend this to anyone still searching for a MP3 player! It is small and light but heavy in it's functions! It allows you to customize your own equalizer setting to suit your listening preferences. I have tried other brands of MP3 players and I can say that Creative produces the best quality sound. For those people who complained about the limited number of songs that it can hold, if you cannot read the 256MB written on the packaging when you bought the player, it's not the product fault. There are 512MB and 1GB version of this in the market for those who requires a larger capacity.
46 Perfect for Audible audio books
First, a disclaimer: I didn't buy this to listen to MP3 music. I love to listen to audio books from Audible.com, and this is one of the approved players for that service (it uses a special audio format so you can't use just any player). But since lots of people want a device for audio books, I figured this focused review would be handy.
Setup was a snap: popped in the battery, and started exploring the controls. It's a testament to how smart the design is that I didn't have to refer to the manual at all. Once you figure out that the little rocker wheel can also be pushed in (like clicking the mouse wheel on a computer mouse) that's the "open sesame" to navigating all the menus.
I plugged it into a free USB port on my Windows XP PC, and the PC immediately recognized it; wonderful not having to install any drivers!
I got the Creative Muvo plug in from the Audible site to allow the player to be recognized by the Audible software on my PC, activated the player via Audible Manager (took 30 seconds) and then I quickly transferred a couple of audio books to the device. Easy, fast, and the audio is clear and high quality.
PROS
Incredibly tiny.
No hard drive--durable.
Thoughtful design, like a power switch that has to be held in for a couple of seconds to turn on/off, so no accidental presses will affect it.
Intuitive controls.
No special software needed to use it.
Easy to use controls without even looking.
Bonus: convenient way to transfer files between PCs.
CONS
The ear buds are junk. Toss 'em.
It'd be nice if the display was a bit longer, but this is a nit.
FM radio receiver is mediocre.
Can't force FM to mono; this is annoying with a weak signal.
Overall, this is the audio book device of my dreams. I was using a Pocket PC for the purpose, but it was bulky compared to this, and I was always afraid of dropping it because they're pretty fragile. And the software controls on a Pocket PC are incredibly awkward to use compared to the purpose-built buttons of the MuVo. This isn't a replacement for a really high quality FM reciever like a Sangean, but it's a nice bonus. I have no regrets getting this, and it's a great value too.
47 Happy with my purchase
Overall im very happy. My girlfriend picked up the 512 mb version for US$115 in Taiwan. My version didn't come with arm band or belt clip, it just came with a neck band, and energizer battery.
Pros
1. Value for money US 0.22c / mb
2. Size
3. Works as a removable USB Drive. No need to install crappy software or drivers to transfer files/mp3s
4. Customisable graphic equaliser
5. FM Radio
6. Dictaphone
7. Good amplification (can use low sensitivity headphones)
Cons
1. Included earphones are uncomfortable and have poor sound quality. They should be replaced.
2. Display is good quality, but unfortunately it only shows id title tag and time elasped. i would prefer it showed artist and title tags.
3. No way to skip through albums unless you store each album in a different directory
4. No dedicated hold switch
5. Only supports - mp3 / wav / wma. No support for ogg and monkey audio etc.
48 About fast-forwarding a song
One of the reviewers complained about the lack of a fast-forward feature, so he could not skip parts of a song.
There is a firmware update which adds this feature, and it's available from the creative website:
http://www.nomadworld.com/downloads/firmware/wma-getfw.asp?nProdID=553&sProd=NOMAD%20MuVo%20TX%20FM
They call it the "Cue/Review" feature. After installing the firmware upgrade, you can enable the feature in your muvo menu.
49 Creative Muvo MP3 Player
After weighing my options whether to buy a dedicated MP3 player and an MP3-cum-USB storage disk, I decided to go for the MP3 USB disk combo. I shopped around and stumbled upon this MP3 player from Creative. It delivers good performance for its relatively cheap price.
On the plus side, it is inexpensive, considering the fact that it is from Creative. It comes with features such as FM tuner, FM/Voice recorder and 256MB memory size for file/music storage. The software bundle is okay, although you may never need it if you know how to use Microsoft Windows media player 9.
On the minus side, the audio level is low, I wish the designers put in more power to its amps.
Value for value, the Creative Labs MuVo FM MP3 player is a very good buy.
50 An Amazing Thing
The MuVo TX FM 256MB is perfect for listening to music outside your house. It is practically weightless, at 1.5 ounces, and of course, it doesn't skip at all. Perfect for if you are running, biking snowboarding, climbing, taking a stroll around the block, or sitting through a boring English class. It is small and unobtrusive, easy to use and best of all it has an amazing sound.
It can hold a surprising amount of music for its size and weight, right now I have about 4 or 5 hours of music on it. But if you get bored of listening to your music, you can always add new stuff or switch to the FM radio. it doesn't have a big antenna sticking out of it, it doesn't even have an antenna, yet it has amazing reception. You can also switch from scanning mode, to preset mode. It you ever have a quick though that you need to remember, but you have no aper, just record it, with 16 hours of recording time, you wont need a note book any longer.
So over all this is an amazing MP3 Player, that you should consider buying. The only downside to it is changing the battery, but that is not too big of a deal, it has about 15 hours of it.
51 Great product with only minor flaws
This is the first mp3 player I have bought, but I am a techie so I know all about various computer related products. I had spent a couple of weeks looking for a decent mp3 player. I choose a Flash based player because I wanted to use it while I exercise (or when I start to actually) and a hard drive based player is just not a good idea for that. My requirements were that it have at least 256 MB of memory, have a FM radio and be able to carry more than just music. Having said that, I am providing a list of pros and cons.
Pros:
Small Size: Smaller than my cell phone so it can fit in all my pockets and I barely notice its there.
Connectivity: USB 2.0 is so much faster than USB 1.1. Loading music goes quick.
Ease of Use: I opened it and within 5 minutes I had it loaded with music and playing songs. I give it to a few other people who wanted to look at it and they were able to do everything with it right away.
Sound quality: It produces very good sounding music. I connected it to my speakers which have very good bass and all around performance and the Muvo was on par in terms of quality as my PC is.
Buttons: The buttons are nice and big and easy to find. The power button has to be held in for a bit to turn it on and off. At first I thought this was a con but it is actually a benefit as it prevents accidently turning it on or off.
One last thing, some people have said that you can't skip to the middle of a song, well if you press the dial forward and hold it there it will fast forward through a song. Same goes for reverse if you hold it the other way.
Battery: The battery that came with it is a major brand battery and it has lasted a long time so far. I would guess at least 10 hours and its only half way done. Its only a AAA so thats pretty impressive to me.
Cons:
Headphones: These things hurt! I have big ears and they still don't fit me. They sound from them when they are in is good but the discomfort of having them in outweighs this fact.
Included Belt clip: The way the clip is positioned is great if you use it with the armband but if you put it on your belt it kinda digs into your stomach and I'm a really thin guy so its not my stomach causing the problem. It would have been nice if the player could be turned sideways so it is horizontal instead of vertical. That would have made the positioning much more comfortable while I am listening at work.
Belt Clip Case-thingy: The rubber case covers only half of the player. Since it makes it really hard to take the USB part out of the battery pack, it would have been nice if the case covered more of the player to protect all of it or made smaller so its easier to take the player out.
Lanyard holder: Creative could have spent the extra 10 cents and thrown a key ring in with this so you can attach it to a neck lanyard since there is a spot for one.
Did I mention how uncomfortable these included headphones are?
52 The earphones are large, but...
Believe it or not, I'm on my second MuVu. I bought the 256MB NX almost a year ago for a pretty decent $119.99, and then I just bought the 256MB TX FM not too long ago for $99.99. I agree with what most people say, at least in the flaws.
The earphones are large, and I'm a pretty big guy with pretty large ears, etc., and even I find discomfort with them. What I did was sell the earphones Creative Labs packaged it with (which fetched around $10 on eBay), and I went out and bought new earphones. The included earphones are special because they use the metal Neodymium, but Neodymium earphones are readily available through other makers (although the Creative Labs one is the best fit for the Creative Labs player), so it shouldn't be a problem to find an ear bud that's the right size for you. Any earphone/headphone with Neodymium offers crazy bass than if you use an earphone without it. I think Coss sells affordable ones for $9.
Also, a lot of people were saying the buttons are too sensitive. Well, the reason I'm on my second MuVo, and not switching over to something else, is because the buttons are simple. I keep mine in my pocket, and I don't even have to take it out to see what it is I'm doing (unless I use something that requires the menu). I mean, there are only four buttons (!) I give props to whomever designed it.
My only beef is that the new MuVos come with a white battery case, and I looked at Creative Lab's web site, and found them peddling battery cases in different colors (I guess to keep up with the iPod Mini fad), and I really wished it would've came in gunmetal black (the original black color the NX came with). Some people won't mind it, but I use mine at work and I don't want it sticking out like a sore thumb because you see this chunk of white, so I'm going to have to dish out $9.99 for the gunmetal black battery case (plus S&H). And the radio's not that strong, unless you're outside or the station you're listening to has a strong signal.
But even then, its positive traits outweight the negative ones.
53 Excellent small player
After reading the other reviews, I selected this item as my first MP3 player. I think it is great! The sound is excellent; it's a great size (for a 256 MB player); it holds enough music to make it useful; the radio is ok; the battery life is impressive; the price is right. Some minor complaints: the ear buds are too big to be comfortable; the display is a bit too small; the scroller is too touchy? Overall, I'm satisfied beyond my expectations.
54 not bad
I have had this for several days and overall I am pretty satisfied with it. I won't bother going through all the features here. The things I like most are:
1) pretty samll and light weight, good for taking it with you jogging
2) it's really a jump drive, so you can use it just like a jump drive
A couple of complaints:
1) The earbuds are very uncomfortable (at least for my ears), even though the sound quality is pretty good. I had to junk it and get a new one.
2) The belt clip holder could be much better.
Also, a previous reviewer complained about a warning label on "lead contamination", I believe that is the same "warning" they put on all Christmas lights. In fact, I think that warning is only for residents of California. :) The same reviewer also mentioned the size of the armband being too big, actually if you put it on the right way, it won't be too big.
55 Nice toy !
The best of both worlds: MP3 - FMRadio in a small very practical design. Nice features.
One failure: don't have Bass Boost, so I guess it could have more powerful sound.
Anyway, it's good enough to keep.
56 Better by design
Like most who purchase from Amazon.com I do read reviews and try and help others who may come along. On the plus side I do like the small conveinent size,with easy to use controls. It would be perfect for cycling. I did have two concerns.
1. On page 12 of the manual there is a warning notice to wash your hands after use, because you "may" have lead contact with the cords. It does not specify internal or external. Based on how harmful lead can be I didn't want to take any chances. I don't think it matters on the size of the product and its components that contain hazardous materials. Warnings are usually there for a reason.
2. The Sports Armband has a poor design. Unless you have 16 inch arms than it may work for you. Having to gather the fabric to make it work felt odd and noticeable. As for performance I never go that far.
57 Simply awesome!!!
I've read the reviews and weighted the pros vs. the cons before deciding to buy it. No regrets. It's my first MP3 player and I just looove it. I use a file-sharing software (Limewire) to transfer my favorite songs in it thru Windows Explorer. Still trying to figure out how to use the SmartFit feature of the software that came with it. I listen to it for an average of 2 hours a day and this is the 4th day, I like to move the scroller to skip songs, battery life is still going strong.
58 Battery Life - Unacceptable
I have used the MuVo TX FM 256 MB for several weeks now and find that it does everything well except that battery life has never been more than 2 hours. I have bought the best batteries available, not used the variety of functions available on the unit and the result is always the same. Two hours or less battery life. I've even used the "monster" batteries that are made for digital products. Support from Creative labs has been a series of nonsensical emails that were obviously written by High School dropouts. I would not recommend this unit to anyone.
59 Let me tell you something....
Creative Labs has outdone themselves this time. The NOMAD MuVo TX FM 256 MB MP3 Player DAP-TD00004 and any other acronym you can cram in there is so WORTH the hours you have labored to produce that multi-colored paper currency. Convienence, Capacity, Ease, FM freaking radio ..
If I were to record my thoughts on this device, and I did, they would be located at http://www.iDevelopASP.Net
Always a fan of Creative (SoundBlaster, Audigy, Extigy, MuVo)
60 File System Error Fix
In general, I love this little machine. It has all the right features. It's small, but packed with goodies such as a FM tuner, a voice recorder, a 256 MB USB storage device with an integrated USB plug (no wires), and the sound quality is great.
A few small complaints. First when the clear plastic belt clip holder is on, it's really hard to remove the MP3 player from the battery housing. I guess it's not supposed to be removed with the belt clip on, but I'd like to be able to do that. I ended up cutting a chunk off the clear plastic so I can unplug it easier.
Second, the headphones are poor. The ear buds don't fit well and the sound quality is poor. The wire has an asymmetric joint so the wire to one ear is longer than the wire to the other ear. Ditch the headphones and buy a good one.
Third, I had the unfortunate experience of having the dreaded "File System Error" show up on the screen. Don't know how I got it, but when it happens, you can't turn the beast on. It just flashes the error message and turns itself off. I can plug it into the PC just fine and it will work as a USB storage device. Just won't work outside of the PC.
Formatting it didn't help. Calling Creative tech support didn't help. They told me to return it for an exchange. I did a web search and found some people with similar problems. They were all told to return it to Creative or to return it to the store for an exchange.
By an incredible stroke of luck, I stumbled on a way to fix this nagged problem. I formatted it again (using windows explorer), but this time, I specified FAT file format instead of FAT32. Voila! It turns on and seems to be working just fine now. So those of you who see the "File System Error" message, try that first. You may also try to put a Label on it. Perhaps that helps too.
Overall, I still love this little music machine and would recommend it to anyone.
61 Size Matters
We all know size matters, and as tiny as the MuVo is, it's one of my sexiest gadgets. I've owned larger lighters.
This is my first mp3 player, so look elsewhere for comparison based reviews. As a first time owner, I am absolutely delighted. The sound quality is as crisp as a CD. The controls are simple and intuitive. It's tiny enough to fit into the smallest fashionable purse, but also comes with an easy-to-use removable belt clip and exercise arm band. What more could I want?
I bought the MuVo to go with Audible.com. At 256 megs, it will hold 2-3 medium length novels or one huge unabridged one. I could've bought a MP3 jukebox, but in comparison, even the iPod mini is HUGE. I don't need every song I've ever heard with me all the time. I'd rather throw on a playlist and a book and have a wonderfully tiny little device.
The software is so simple I never needed to open the manual. Plug and play, baby! The MuVo is also a USB flash drive, so no cords are needed. Just slide it into your USB port and you're all set. Loading files is simple and intuitive. If you already have audible.com, loading audible books is just as easy (IMPORTANT NOTE: This is only compatible with audible files at a 2 or 3 resolution. Higher or lower and they won't be recognized by the player.)
The biggest shock was the FM player. I owned a Radio Your Way for awhile and couldn't hear the songs over the static. My tiny little MuVo picks up even the faintest NPR stations with incredible clarity.
The included headphones are a bit uncomfortable, but headphones are cheap and easy to come by. I can't begrudge them that. Other reviews complain about low battery life. I get about 8 hours on my rechargables, which I find pretty reasonable since it's powered by a single AAA.
If you're looking for a small, inexpensive mp3 player/FM reciever, with great sound quality, you can't go wrong with the MuVo.
***addendum:
The Samsung Yepp is, in fact a tiny bit smaller. For people out there who want to rub it in, the MuVo is the sexy thong of the MP3 world while the Yepp is closer to a g-string. Less is what you see and less is what you get - the Yepp is NOT Audible ready and does not offer any Audible support. In addition, the Yepp does not come with either a belt clip or an armband (MuVo gives you both) so make sure your clothes have plenty of pockets. The MuVo is still the tiniest MP3 player in it's class, but there is a less classy competitor out there if you're looking for sheer Geek Chick Size Coolness.
The size difference is pretty minimal. MuVo: 1.4 x 2.9 x 0.6 versus Yepp: 0.94 x 0.94 x 2.2. It's really more a question of whether you prefer your MP3 player flat (the MuVo) or cubical (the Yepp.)
62 Not a good choice
Wasn't satisfied with the product. After searching on Amazon.com, I found CreativeLabs Nomad Muvo Slim 256 MB MP3 Player and decided to give it a try.
63 AWESOME!!!!
USB 2.0, light weight, awesome sound, FM radio, long battery life, quality ear buds, and it took a total of 7 minutes for me to be up and running with this thing. I cant stress enough how easy it is to load it up with music. The software is great, it rips CD's, organizes music, compresses files, you name it. No cords no funky wires, just plug it in and the transfer is so fast. I personally dont needmy entire music collection with me, this holds just the right amount of music for my train commute and my jogs at night. This player is awesome.
64 First CREATIVE experience
My life is full of first-time experiences. As a oblivious infant, I experienced my first time walking. As a 5-year-old, I experienced my first time how to read, and speak cohesively. As a adolescent, I experienced my unbalanced emotions that I couldn't understand when I'm around girls. And now, as a modern electronic-enthusiast, I experienced my first time purchasing an mp3 player...or in this case, FLASH mp3 player.
~REVIEW~
Let me get right down to this: I LOVE this device. Any newbie who's under the same shoes I am, looking for good mp3 player at its core, should place this player on their electronics checklist. This review probably isn`t going to be THAT informative, because I don't know got-dang much about the selection of mp3 players. I took me quite a while to find the best player on the market with the green I little have on my wallet, and I believe this CREATIVE product is the right choice to make; right on the features, and right on retail.
The "CREATIVE MuVo TX FM" player is cool, because like what it says on the box, it's not only a mp3 player: it's a mp3/FM radio/microphone hybrid! The player is small, it can place well into the palm of an adult's hand. The screen is small too, but the buttons are big, and the text on the screen are quite readable, so the size is not that big of a deal. Plus, it shows how much juice the AAA battery got left. Like every music player affair, it has a standard play/pause, and volume button; the play/pause button also acts as a power button, but it's one of those power buttons where you press and hold it for a few seconds in order to turn off. The scrolling gray thingy on the black width side of the player controls the rewind and fast-forward of the song whenever it`s pushed either left or right, which also skips tracks the same way, and pressing it can activate the selection the screen highlights or go to the main screen.
On the mp3 side,...well, it plays mp3 songs obviously, and it plays well, and sounds clear and flawless (it also plays WMAs). Since I bought the MuVo TX FM with 256 Megs (approximately, meaning between 240 to 250), it can plays up to 4 hours of songs with 128 kbps. This player also has its own Equalizer, which is basically a bunch of bars moving vertically so the adjusted sound placement of the songs can be just right for the listener. It contains its own sets of EQs: rock, jazz, classical, or if you're a EQ pro, you can customized your own EQ to personalize.
I can pull the black piece out of the white area of the MuVo, and use it as a separate USB hard drive, which was the greatest thing about it, because it's the easiest way to drag in any files (NOT JUST MP3) from the computer and put it in the device shown as a separate drive without out all that yes-or-no legal-disclaimer nonsense. And I couldn't believe how fast the transmission is from computer to device; it took me almost a minute to put in all 25 4-minute songs. The MuVo package does include a CD program, and with it I can convert my CDs into mp3s; there are other programs that can do that, but I don't mind this one.
One thing must be notified: Licensed music files CAN'T be transmitted through point-A-to-B dragging, so you must transmit these types of files through a computer media program.
On the FM side, albeit without AM to back up, it sounds just as fluid as an mp3. I can save a preset to the radio stations, using the in-device menu, and up to 32 presets can I automatically go to any of my favorite rock/rap/whatever station. The reception is good; it's not great, though. Sometimes I have to wave my hands around like an airplane director with diarrhea just to hear the local college jazz station. Otherwise, the FM radio is a wonderful alternate if I don't feel like listen to my personal tracks.
You go to school, and you were snoozing while your algebra teacher is discussing about the Pythagorean theorem, this device is effective as a microphone. I went through the same situation, and this device works wonders as a listening stand-in. And up to 16 hours can I record any kind of situation I want to hear again, or forgot to hear the first time. Just a reminder, this takes up the same amount of Megs as the mp3s, so record it wisely...or not.
I made so much positive facts, the MuVo seems perfect, right? Sadly, not true. When it comes to putting the music files in the MuVo, I can't sort the tracks of my choosing, because the tracks are always listed alphabetically. For that, it became a time-consuming process to rename the whole files on the computer so the MuVo can list them the way I wanted, and that's tiresome. The play/pause button has a tendency to get a slow response when I press it, and like everyone who reviewed this product, the uncomfortable headphone included in this device can make a person spend 30 extra bucks on a new one.
THE FINAL WORD: Value. If a media player has a ton of features AND it cost less than $150, almost nobody would ever stop saying "wow!", and with MuVo, I still have the habit of keep saying that. Okay, it's not an Ipod, a Rio, or a Sony network walkman, and what I say is no different from every other positive reviewer for this item, but another positive review is just another example of why this is such a good buy and a good alternate for those who just wants to listen to music, no matter how much it can hold. Don't distant yourself on this one.
65 Great Product
The Creative MuVo 256MB Player is a great all-in-one product. I got it after losing my Otis player. I listen to a lot of audio books from Audible.com and there is a firmware plug-in from Audible to support this product for their download manager.
After experimenting for a few minutes everything works fine. I have experimented with all the features and they work fine. To have in one small lightweight package a flash memory drive, radio, audio book player, mp3 player, and voice recorder/FM radio recorder is very useful.
66 AMazing
I feel like a grandma being so amazed about the size of this thing! It is so small! I got it today and I have it already loaded with songs and the sound quality is very good. The headphones are great also. A little big for a small ear canal, but they tend tro stay in place. Amazing technology for under 100 bucks!
67 Love it - Can't put it down
The Creative MuVo is a 256MB Flash Drive that can be used to store music or data. All normal disk operations such as cut, copy, paste, delete, rename and also drag & drop can be used with folders or files. When you plug the MuVo into your computer USB, it will recognize and configure the MuVo and then lists on the directory tree as "Removable Disk (x)" with x being the next drive letter.
In addition to music, you can use the MuVo as a Secure Data Key. To do this, I am using a program called "Password 2000" which I have installed on the MuVo that uses about 625K of space. When used as a Secure Data Key, a double-layer of protection is provided. Two conditions must exist before protected information can be accessed. (1) The owner of the MuVo must plug it into the USB jack and (2) the correct password for Password 2000 must be entered. This is very handy since the MuVo's portability allows your encrypted passwords to be used anywhere, on any computer. Once unplugged, your data is off the computer and safely back into your pocket.
The MuVo lives up to it's reputation as outlined by other reviews on this web site so, I won't duplicate that information.
On the down side, I found the Earbuds to be difficult to use as they kept falling out. Also, they don't quite match the audio quality of the Radio Shack (Koss) "Pro 25" headphones I'm using.
For it's size, weight, portability, and sound quality, I highly recommend this excellent product. Be sure to shop around for the best price. I've recently seen this product at a local chain store for about 33% less than the typical price.
68 Muvo looked to be a great deal until.....
This was a great little MP3 player. Great sound, my wife loves the portability in the gym, but after 7 months of normal wear, the display stopped working. Worse yet, I call Creative and they tell me it's not under warranty anymore. They said the warranty was for 90 days!
Huh? The rep at Creative said they'd give me a "discount" and only charge me $45 to fix it. I asked for him to please talk with his manager about this problem. He said he'd call me back today, but I'm still waiting.
Beware ... Creative products look great, they sound great, but clearly they not only don't hold up well, but also don't have the type of support you expect to have from Creative. Sad.
69 The MuVo TX FM 256 ROCKS!
After 4 hours of testing, fiddling, and checking it out, I have to say that Creative Labs has produced a heck-of-a product! In less than 5 mins of getting home with it I was listening to my tunes on it! (That includes opening the package!) The sound quality is AWESOME for mp3's, wma, and FM radio! Even recording from the radio produces great sound! It's light weight, easy to use and generally a fantastic player.
Furthermore, the software that comes with it is a snap. I was able to convert mp3's to wma and drag/drop them into the MuVo with ease.
Also, as a teacher, I back-up my gradebook info and other files and transport them between class and home. The MuVo combines music and functionality nicely.
If you are searching for a good music player, you can't go wrong with the MuVo! I highly recomend it!
70 Nice Product !
Pros:
1. Small, light-weight, rugged & portable. Perfect as an exercise companion. Comes with armband & clip.
2. It sounds good. (Use the built-in or Custom EQ to fit your musical taste.)
2. It's plug-n-play (your system will see it as a USB device.) You can just drag & drop without any additional software (it does come with a nice software.)
3. You can also use it as a USB 2.0 flash drive for data storage. Its transfer speed is fast.
4. FM radio reception is quite clear (use Auto scan.)
5. Battery life is quite good using single AAA (Set the back light to 0 or shorter interval.)
6. Voice recorder function (I haven't used it yet, so no comments on its quality, but it's a bonus option.)
Cons:
1. LCD screen is a bit small (but very clear.) Just enough for essential info however, such as basic ID3's tag, Batter life, Playback settings, Elapsed time.
2. Stock ear buds are OK, not very good. I'd recommend a better portable headphone such as the Senn PX100, Koss PortaPro or your favorite in-ear canal phones.
3. A bit expensive for 256MB flash device. (Shop around first :-)...)
Overall, it's a good product, fits well for its niche - small, very portable, easy-to-use for people who just want a small selection of songs for a short trip. Perfect for gym or just a leisure stroll. (4.5 stars)
71 Great Player
I've had it for a few weeks now and it's just as described! I gave it 4.5 stars really. The earphones are a bit annoying (the foam type and they fall out after a while when you are jogging, at least for me they did). But then again, all players I've owned have had cheap headphones! So it can be a 5 star if you go by that standard. 4.5 if you include the headphones in the rating.
09/26/04 Still great but I've seen some bugs in firmware. I use it for aubible.com and I just noticed that when you download the nytimes or wall street journal for the day, as soon as you flip it on too listen, it starts off in the middle of the program and you need to flip back to the beginning. Also, the off/on and play button fluctuates between how long you need to hold down before the function activates, sometimes 1 sec sometimes a few. Also, to skip sections/chapters for audiobooks, the skip function sometimes switches off and you need to go back to the settings and switch off and on again before it recognizes that it is on even though it was switched on in the first place! Hope that makes sense. Still, it is a great product and I would purchase again. Just thought I'd update my review!
72 Better then iPOD
A lot of people told me to buy the apple ipod, but this product caught my eye. It was cheaper and potentially met all my needs. When i got the player, it was perfect. It took me about 30 mins to figure out almost everthing on the player, you dont need software to load music because it just plugs in and you drag and drop files. It has enough memory for me. I didnt intend to copy my whole music library (which the ipod would do better) but i do have about 18 songs on it right now and it still has about 70% more memory. I use it to go to the gym, ride my bike and walk to school. Its outstanding. Its super light, so i will use it when i go backbacking too. I havent explored the mic yet, but it seems like it will be ok for certian things. Over all i love it and couldnt as for better.
73 Best MP3 I've owned by Far!!
I've only had this MP3 player for 2 days and it is far and away the best MP3 player I've owned of the 4 that I have purchased so far. Unlike all the other ones that I've had, this one had no complicated software to install, the controls are intuitive and the battery life is seemingly neverending. I would recommend staying away from the Nike and Rio mp3 players as their software is very challenging and requires multiple firmware updates; additionally battery life is suspect and the players have a tendency to flake out randomly forcing you to reinstall all the music you had previously installed. The 256MB player has plenty of capacity; the biggest challenge now is figuring out what order do I want to listen to all this music in.
74 Great quality, great buy!!
I did a lot of research before purchasing the Muvo TX-FM, and one of the things that made sense to me was to consider the manufacturer. Creative Labs has been making quality software and hardware products for years, which puts them head and shoulders above smaller corporations that were just formed to crank out cheap mp3 players for the general public. They seem to understand how to make powerful programs and devices easy-to-use, even for novices.
I had concerns about compatibility with my Sony Vaio, as I have learned it doesn't always like to play nice with non-Sony plug-ins. But this was a snap - just pop the device into the USB port and off you go. No cords!
The player itself is very simple; menus are so easy that the instruction book is practically unnecessary. It's hardy and durable, having already survived a tumble to the bathroom tile with no ill effects (the belt clip is good quality but can only handle so much maniacal dancing). I agree with the other reviewers that the ear buds are not the most comfortable, but the sound quality is spectacular!
One thing the other reviewers haven't mentioned much is the accompanying software. The drag & drop capacity is terrific, the MuVo TX-FM works perfectly wonderfully with any software you're already comfortable with - a huge benefit. BUT, the software that comes with it is really nice too!! The "SmartFit" feature can automatically convert any tune you want into the smallest possible format so you can fits lots of `em on here. The software can even load songs directly from your favorite CD's onto the player, speedily converting them into mp3's or wma's at the same time. It took about 5 minutes to convert & load an entire CD! Older processors may take a little longer, but that's still pretty impressive. When I think of the DAYS I spent putting together mixtapes back in the 80's, it's mind-boggling!
Bookmark this page and do your own research, but believe me you won't be disappointed with this one.
75 Great Player
This is a great mp3 player, its my first one, and its very easy to use. you are sure to be listening to music within minutes. it also has great sound, i am in a band and have an ear for music, and this sounds great. the equalizer is awesome, you can set your own custom eq if you want. the fm radio has great transmission. one reviewer said that you cant skip to the middle of a song, but you actually can. you just push down on the skip button and in the direction you want to go.
76 very good player
i got this mp3 player and im totally blown away. the sound is great, i transfer music in a second and it couldent be any easier to operate the device. the fm radio has very clear reception. i like that it has a radio recorder but the voice recorder is kinda weak.
77 Very impressive mp3 player!
I was searching for a small mp3 player to use at work (landscaping) since my CD player was bulky and skipped a lot. When the MuVo TX FM arrived in the mail, all my expectations were exceeded. It has several features that make it the perfect companion on a long day of jogging, mowing, or flying on a business trip:
- it's very lightweight, small, and comes with an armband/belt clip.
- it only takes a single AAA battery, and consistently gives me 10+ hours of battery life, given that I don't use the backlight much.
- 256mb can hold a lot of music -- 10 hours of .wma format is plenty for any activity.
- it can reorient the LCD screen to face the other direction, which is invaluable if you need to wear it on your left arm.
- it has fabulous FM reception for its size.
- the scroll wheel/button makes navigating the LCD menu a breeze.
- rewind/fast forward is very simple
- being used to having to burn CDs to get a custom playlist for my CD player, I was astounded at how easy it is to drag-and-drop files onto the mp3 player after simply plugging it into my computer's USB port.
The MuVo TX FM does have a few disadvantages, although the good points FAR outweigh the bad.
- whenever the backlight is on, you will hear a low buzzing sound which quickly becomes annoying.
- sometimes turning the power off doesn't work right away
- as mentioned in another review, the voice recorder is pretty weak, although not completely useless.
I would highly recommend getting this mp3 player if you need quality music without having to worry about a bulky player and/or skipping.
78 Nice sound, good FM ... poor voice recording feature
Overall, the sound quality is very good! The maximum sound volume is a little on the low side.
FM is great and FM recording works quite well.
But as I said in the title, the voice recording feature is quite poor - for two reasons. First - the voice recording parameters are set too low, presumably to save space. Second - the mic is of poor quality and does not pick up too well sound from even slightly distant sources. Sort of spoils it for me; I bought it to record lectures.
The armband is really neat, works well.
Battery life seems to be pretty good, as advertised.
79 Volume Control ??
The sound even at max volume doesnt sound loud or rich, compared to an iriver which I had returned for other reasons. I tried fiddling with the equalizer to no avail. the sound is clean though.
why is the volume so low? worse, it varies across songs. the provided earbuds are awful for running.
if someone has a suggestion for fixes, please suggest here.
80 Believe ALL the great reviews of this MP3 player!
I've only had this player for a few hours, but I'm already loving it.
I plugged the teeny, tiny player into an open USB port and copied songs to it in a matter of minutes. I loaded the AAA battery, plugged in my Sony earbuds, and was TOTALLY blown away.
Navigation is incredibly easy, the MP3 sound is AWESOME, and the FM reception is great, too.
Highly, highly recommended!
81 A great MP3 Player
I concur with the other reviews here. This MP3 player is a gem.
I bought this player because I wanted something for the gym or for real short trips. For longer trips I have a Sony MiniDisc player and a lot of MD's, and I have a great stereo system for my home. Thus I didn't feel the need to buy an iPod or MP3 jukebox. I've read a lot of reports that the jukeboxes aren't good when you're exercising--especially if you run--and as this is the one thing I can't do with my MP3 player, I wanted something with flash memory.
Although I'd encourage most people to read the instructions, you don't need to--its that simple. The MuVO TX FM plugs directly into your USB port. Transferring songs is as simple as drag and drop. The menu is small, but that's the trade-off when getting such a small player--but its very easy to figure out.
Performance? Here are the highlights:
--Doesn't skip at all, which was the main reason for buying.
--Sound quality is very good, though I prefer my own earphones over the ones that came with the player.
--Runs on a single AAA battery; I get about 12 hours on it. This is far more convenient than using an iPod, where you have to recharge it (plus once your battery wears down, you don't need to send it away)
--256 mb is much more than I expected. If you use WMA files, you can hold roughly 120 songs, which is about 10 hours of music. That's definitely enough variety for a very long flight, much less a workout.
If you are looking for a device to hold your entire music collection, or that you can transfer between your home / work / car (but not take to the gym), then get an iPod--they're not that much more expensive. But if you want something smaller, easier to use, and more practical for the gym, then get this MP3 player.
To Creative Labs--another great product, thank you!
82 One of the best MP3 players out there. Gym Savvy!
This is one AWESOME MP3 player. It has so many features and the fact thats they are also easy to use makes it even better. I may have had it for a few hours, but that's all I (and most people) need to operate this player to it full extent. I have made a pros and cons list as well.
PROS:
MENU SYSTEM - This is GREAT! It's so easy to use because of the icons and the scoller button. One of those players that you could operate out of the box without the manual.
SIZE - It's VERY small for an MP3 player. I can't say it's an amazing size because I came from an Panason SV-SD80 (THAT player, by the way, is INCREDIBLY TINY! The size of a psotage stamp). But the size DEFINITELY pocketable.
SCREEN - It has a nice blue backlit screen. Some people says it's too small, but I don't think so. It displays the battery life, time elapsed, type of EQ (equalizer), and song name (NOT artist). The only showing the song name is a little bad, but it doesn't seem to bother me much. Technically, you DO get the see the artist's name because right before you select the song, it displays the file name. If you put the artist's name in the file name, you get the see it for a split second.
Accessories - It comes with Creative earbuds, a belt clip, and an armbamd. The earbuds are nice sounding, but they are so big and thick in my ears that it hurts them after 5 minutes. The belt clip is rubber, which does WONDERS to the plastic surface of the MuVo. It grips the player. Plus, the way the belt slip is designed, you must stick in the key ring side of the player, so the MuVo's keyring goes into the keyring hole. That way, the player cannot fall out. That was hard to explain; it's something that you must buy the player or see the belt clip in order to understand. The armbad is actually nice to use. Not hard to use and the player is VERY safe. To use the armband, you have to use it with the belt clip, even safer.
SOUND - The sound was GREAT when I first used it. Then it got even better when I setup my settings for the custom EQ. NOW it sounds AMAZING. Plus, now I can actually hear nice music coming from Sony Street style headphones (I couldn't before on my Panasonic)
TRANSFER - SOOOOOO FAST! The USB 2.0 is amanzing when it's on an MP3 player AND a thumb drive. I LOVE the drag and dropp ability of the Muvo. My panasonin had to use Realplayer to transfer the songs. ABSOLUTELY ANNOYING! Now I have no fustration. Drag and drop and I outta the house.
FM RADIO AND VOICE RECODER- GREAT I just autoscan for the radio station. I don't know how many presets it can save total, but when I autoscaned, I got 16. still impressive. I don't have picky ears, so the FM radio recorder was nice to have and listen to. Voice recoder is nice but not high quality. Can't expect much from an MP3 player.
PRICE - I think it is a plus because you get all these things all together in one packeage: MP3 player, Voice recoder, FM radio/recorder, and flash drive. Plus, the original 256 MB MuVo TX that had NO FM radio was more expensive than this one. Funny, huh?
CONS:
NOT RECHARGEABLE OUT OF THE BOX - It didn't come with rechargeble batteries. It was kind of sucky, but I cant juss buy either ALOT of AAA batties, or a rechargeble battery kit.
NO LANYARD - It didn't come with a neck strap. I kind of like those because if you don't want to use the belt clip or armband, but still hands free, a neck strap would be nice.
NO DISPLAY OF ARTIST'S NAME
SIZE - I had said that size was a PRO of the player, but it's also a CON. When you separate the player and the battery pack to plug in the player, you'll notice that the player will take up the space of 2 PORTS. Kind of annoying for some people since for me, I don't have that many USB peripherals. I'm just telling those people who DO have all USB ports filled and a USB HUB. Other than that, size is still a PRO
Memory - Although 256 MB is actually ALOT more than I expected, it would be nice to have a 512MB version or even a 1GB version of this AWESOME player. 256 MB is definitely plenty for the average user and even above the average user.
All and all, VERY nice player. When I rate this player, I have no doubt in my mind taht is deserves a 5.
83 Awesome, Easy to Navigate, Best Value
Super pleased with purchase- best value, small, sturdy, super easy to navigate- and drag and drop...sound wual is awesome- perfect for gym, comfortable arm band.
Would be cool if they made it with the M port, but it's still cool. Creative labs by far the best brand out there for players.
84 Awesome and Easy
When this came in the mail I was very excited but worried it would we hard to set-up. But it has really good instructions that make it very easy. The sound is great and I love that you can buy the battary part in other colors too. The sound is really good too.
85 Great product with some flaws
Background:
This is my first mp3 player. I have played around with my friend's iPOD and iPOD mini before so I have some experience with digital music players.
What I liked:
- Great value: Keep in mind that you are not just buy a 256 MB mp3 player. THe Muvo TX FM is also a USB hard drive, a voice recorder, and a FM radio. This was what made me buy the Muvo despite cheaper, comparable 256 MB mp3 players being on the market.
- Great sound: The Muvo delievers a really nice sound and I find it indistinguishable from an iPOD.
- Great headphones: The included headphones are very good and delivers a good range of sound. As an experiment I tried out a cheap $1.99 headphone and there is just no comparison.
- Good battery life: 14 hr on an AAA battery. More if you listen to the radio a lot.
- Accessories: You also get a protective cover/belt clip and an armband for exercise. The same cannot be said for other mp3 players.
What I didn't like:
- Earphone design: The earphones unfortunately don't fit my ears very well (I have small ears) and the left earphone has a tendency to fall out when I'm moving around.
- Inability to skip to the middle of a song. The Muvo only allows you to play a song from the beginning. There is no provision for to to skip into the middle of the song.
- Case design: The USB part of the Muvo (the black part) is very thick. This means that it can't be plugged into any recessed USB ports. This is not a problem if you have a desktop or a USB hub. Unfortunately, many laptops (including my Sony Vaio) have USB ports recessed into the case with an overhang. This makes it impossible to plug in the Muvo and requires you to buy a USB hub or an extension cable. Before you buy this product, try the following: take a usb cable and grab it with your pinkie flat on top of the plastic connector just behind the metal part. Attempt to insert the cable into an availabe port. If you can do it and not jam your finger, you are fine. Otherwise, you'll need an extension cable or hub.
86 Worth every penny!
I have been using this mp3 player almost everyday. It works great the battery power lasts longer than what they claim so that's really nice. The controls are easy and the players is really compact. It also works as a hard drive sometimes I use it as one. Only negative comment that I have is when scrolling through FM stations if you accidently hold the scroller longer than 2 or 3 seconds then it will scroll through all the FM radio stations in your area. I strongly recommend people buy this product.
87 Better than getting a pricey, fragile, and huge iPod
Unless you have a lot of songs you just HAVE TO put on a player--it doesn't seem necessary--just get one of these guys, they work great and I've had a Creative Labs mp3 player before and they're sturdy.
88 Excellent Product
I have read reviews here on amazon.com lots of times before when I had to make a decision about buying a product or not and I thought it was about time to return the favor.
I bought the player (I decided to call it "player" since it is not just a MP3 player) directly from Creative Labs. I live in Georgia (USA) and had to pay tax. The player was $167 incl. tax and shipping. I have had the player for about a week now and I love it.
The package included player, ear phones, quick start guide, CD-ROM with ripping SW, arm band, a white battery module, and an alkaline battery.
Transfer speed: Write: ~2.7 Mbytes/second. Read: ~3.2 Mbytes/second. That means that it only take about 100 seconds to fill the entire memory. Not bad.
Menu system: It is straight forward and user friendly. 3 buttons and one scroller make it very easy to navigate. It doesn't let you stay in one submenu for long before jumping back to showing the song playing though, but that is fine when you are actually using the player, and not just playing around with it to write a review ;-) You can't go that "deep" in the menu tree anyway.
Radio: The FM version has a radio. At first I was disappointed with the reception. That was because I scanned manually. Then I tried the automatic scan and boy did that make a difference. The radio quality is EXCELLENT. I can not distinguish between radio quality (stereo of course) and high bit rate mp3's or wma's. It picks up as many stations as my car radio! You can also record what is on the radio (also .wav format). You can even switch between international and Japanese FM radio regions.
Display: The display is small, but not too small. It provides you with the info you need not more not less. You can switch the display orientation and turn it 180 degrees, which comes in handy when it is on your arm. Contrast and backlight intensity is easily adjusted. When playing music files, the display only shows you the title of the song playing, not the artist. Other than that, it shows you time, battery remaining (3 levels), and equalizer setting. The player can turn off automatically if not used for 1, 5, 10 or 30 minute(s).
Equalizer: Normal, rock, jazz, classical, pop, and custom (5 bands). Custom is easy to set.
Playing modes: Normal, A-B, repeat track, repeat all, repeat folder, track once, shuffle repeat, shuffle once, and shuffle folder. I haven't had a chance to try all the modes out (and I probably never will).
MP3/WMA play back: I have tried both mp3 and wma files with 320 kbps and variable bit rate and it works well. You can't display the bit rate. I found that a bit annoying to begin with, but now I am asking myself what I should use that info for anyway.
The voice recording is easy and the quality is good (.wav format).
Ear phones: The normal ear plug kind, where the right wire is longer than the left, so you can take it around the back of your neck reducing the annoyance of the wire. The ear phones are decent, but not as good as the Sennheiser ear plugs that came with my girlfriends Rio.
Arm band: It is working well. I am not sure if the player will stay in the armband, but a key ring will make absolutely sure that the player, if it should fall out of the sheath, will not fall down and hit the ground.
15 languages: The Muvo can display the menus in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Danish (I am from Denmark, so - Thank You Creative Labs!), Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese and what I think is another Asian language and Arabic.
Battery: I have only used one alkaline (1.5V) battery with the player. Before I ordered the player I asked Creative Labs if I could use NiMH batteries (1.2V) and they said yes. I will let you know if NiMH batteries work when I have tried it.
Software (CD-ROM): I think that the software is good. It allows for ripping CD's and saves as either mp3, wma (constant or variable bit rates), wma pro or wma lossless. I haven't spent much time using the SW so maybe I am missing something out. However, since Windows Media Player and other freeware come with the necessary ripping capabilities, the included software is not that important in my opinion.
Conclusion: It is not the cheapest player around; however, I think it is well worth the money. The Muvo is very small and very light. The TX transfers files faster than the NX series, but I am not sure if that justifies the much higher price for the TX. I don't think you can get the NX series with radio, though. If you are looking for a good radio in a MP3/WMA player you should go for the Muvo TX FM. Even though 256 MB is not that much, it is still enough for about 130 songs in good quality. Since the Muvo TX FM transfers files fast, the limited space is not that important. If you want a player for running or if you want to be the coolest in the gym, this is the player for you. It is light, small, easy to carry, and you can actually read the display and operate the player WHILE running.
I can highly recommend the Muvo TX FM 256 MB from Creative Labs to anyone, especially runners.
I give it 5 stars without hesitation.
UPDATE: 1.2V rechargeable batteries work fine.
