1 Poor quality, broke after 1 hour use
I've read many great reviews about this mp3 player on this site and other sites, so I decided to get one myself.
When I got the player I immediately regretted. The player was bulkier than I expected and the contruction feels cheap, when I remove the battery and the USB storage unit I can see chasis of the player is poorly made.
The features are ok and although the controls weren't perfectly intuitive it shouldn't take long to get familiar with them.
After using it for 1 hour I accidentally gave it a slight bump, it looked ok at first then when I pressed the controls the unit died and never came back up, so I had to return the unit for a refund.
bottomline:
if you're tight on your budget but you want a flash mp3 player with many features, otherwise pay a little more for something with better quality
2 Great workout MP3 player!
My wife got one of these. It's extremely small, durable and has a nice selection of functions (MP3 playback, FM radio tuner with 20 presets and voice recording). It simply plugs into the USB port of your computer for MP3 downloading, so it's simple to replace music. The sound quality is excellent. It holds about 100 MP3 songs at 192 KbPS. Good for workouts or for travel.
3 Great player
I love this little player; great for running on the treadmill or on long flights or trips. Only downside I see is that the earbuds are much too big for my ears. I've had other people try them on as well and most agree that they fit, but painfully.
Otherwise a great alternative to the hard-drive based iPods and other juke-box types.
4 What a nice gadget
This is one fine product. The sound quality is great, even though it's such a small product (very small). I have about 60 songs (wma and mp3) at 128 kbps on my unit now, and still quite a bit of space. Alot of people complain about a product that does to much, but Creative handles it all well. The microphone is handy for recording boring Philosophy lectures while dozing off in the back of lecture hall. FM radio is ok, but I hardly use it. The screen is intuitive, and user friendly in my opinion. It's so cool how you can just remove the usb unit from the battery module, plug it in a usb port, and transfer songs in about 5 seconds (really fast), and plug it back in. Don't even get me started on the great battery life. Another cool thing is the replaceable battery modules. You can get a color to match your personality from Creative's website. I have a metallic grey one, which just looks awesome. This is definitely one of the best mp3 players on the market.
One uncool thing though is Creative's customer service. There is no US toll free number, and there is not as much product availability as say, the ipod shuffle, but you really shouldn't even need Customer service. Also, the included software sucks; I just use Windows explorer to transfer files (drag and drop), create folders and such. I would have given it 4.5 stars because of the mentioned negatives. But it still is the best mp3 player on the market right now.
5 Pretty Cool Unit..
I bought this at Christmas to have something that I could take to the gym. I was sold on its size. I had started shopping for a mini iPod but opted to go this route as the size was much smaller. I only want it for the gym and didn't see the need for a unit any larger. The built in FM radio was a nice feature as well.
What I also liked was that it can operate on a standard AAA battery and I didn't need to send it back in like the iPod to get a battery replacement. Battery life is long on your standard alkaline batteries.
No special cables needed to transfer data which I thought was another positive. I am forever misplacing cables and there always seems to be so many of them for each gadget or device that you own. This is pretty self contained in that respect and I'm very happy with it.
6 Neat technology, but almost too small.
Great little device which holds plenty of music (although, I would love to have had a GIG). After debating this one versus the new Creative Micro, I decided to go with this. It is really small, takes one standard battery, and lasts a long time on one battery. The fact that there are no cables necessary to connect to your computer was another plus (although the recessed USB ports on my tablet PC make this feature useless). It works great for voice recording, and is okay at picking up radio signals. It works as a portable file storage to shuttle files from the office to home. Really, my only problem has been that the buttons and the jog dial interface are TINY. Sometimes it is frustrating when trying to navigate or change folders. The headphones that came with this aren't great, but I bought some nice Sony earbuds that work great. I wish it came with an FM transmitter built in so as to be able to easily connect it to my car stereo, but then, very few manufacturers offer this feature.
7 Excellent device
Got mine (512m) two days ago. I needed to download the firmware update from the Creative.com site, because it kept turning itself off at inappropriate times. But since the download was installed, it works great! (Listening to it as I write this.)
The included software was a bit klugey, so I just use Windows Explorer for the more mundane stuff. I'm a subscriber to Audible.com, and the book I downloaded to it works great, after downloading the necessary update for Audible Manager.
It's really nice to have a player I can stick in my pocket, listen to audio books, music, or FM radio, without having to burn CD's.
Get one!
8 Neck Strap vs Armband
I ordered my muvo tx from Amazon and it came with the neck strap rather than the arm band. Kudos to Amazon's painless return policy and very responsive customer service.
Creative has three versions of this product. The European has the belt clip, the Japanese versions have the neck strap and the U.S. version has the arm band and clip.
It seems if your order comes from JandR than you get version with the arm band.
9 Right price for excercise music
I am very pleased with my MuVo TX FM 512 MB. Ordered from J&R music world online. Came with the armband and belt clip, as advertised. The software it comes with is very good. At one point I did encounter a problem downloading my music. I emailed tech support and Creative answered promptly, and within minutes, I was back up and loading music. Also love the fact I can use this to carry data as well as music and does not require cables to download. I would strongly reccomend buying this product and purchasing it from J&R.
10 I Love This Player!
I just recently got the Creative MuVo TX FM 512 MB MP3 Player for Christmas. Even though I've only had it for a day, I already love it!
Pros:
- the 512 MB space holds more music than I need as a teenaged girl
- the simple drap & drop feature allows me to easily add music to the player just by plugging it into the USB port and copying & pasting through Windows Explorer (this doesn't take a USB cable either; the plug is right on the player)
- it is easy to organize the player by creating and maintaing your own folders
- the voice recorder works well, even though I am not sure I will need it
- the sound quality is just as good as my 100 watt sterio system
- the radio comes in very well, and it is very easy to record songs from the FM radio and convert them into MP3's
- because of the small size, it fits in my purse and ways nothing
- it comes with decent earbud headphones, a case with a belt clip, an armband, and software if your computer is not compatible for the drag and drop feature
Cons:
- the plastic case with the belt clip that comes with the player fits very snug. That could be a good thing, since it won't come out, but whenever I try to take it off, I am afraid I will damage the player.
- other than the case, this MP3 player is perfect. so far, i haven't found anything wrong, and I absolutely love it!
11 No armband or belt clip = no good.
Great product. I loved the 256MB TX FM which came with the armband and belt clip. But this one comes with a flimsy neck cord? What the heck am I suppose to do with that?
I feel like I got ripped off. Of course you can buy the armband kit at creative for $20!
12 Help
Alex Williams, Did you find out why some 512MB muvo tx fm come with an armband and some come with a neck strap. I have recently purchased this mp3 player from Amazon.com and haven't received it yet. I would like an armband but am afraid it will come with a neck strap which would be useless for exercising.
FYI- I see you would prefer the neck strap. If I receive my muvo tx fm with a neck strap I would be willing to make a trade for the armband.
13 Sweet MP3 Player w/FM Tuner - Where's the AM?
I'll keep this review limited to a simple breakdown of my impressions of the player and what can be improved. Hope this helps in your decision to buy one.
Pros:
1. Tiny (3'L x ~1.40'W)
2. Great sound even with the supplied headphones (although a bit bulky with the padding...but good nonetheless)
3. Good interoperability (see past reviews/creative specs.)
4. Nice backlight.
5. Energy effecient
6. It doesn't come in SILVER! Woooohooo! I'd even choose a bumblebee yellow-cyan model to express my anamosity towards the flooded silver color prosumer electronic market (hmmm...an attempt to break stagnant consumers into buying new components to match the cheap silver components??? ;)
Cons:
1. Cheap plastic coated parts / platicky tactile feeling
2. Neckstrap Inside! (so you can annouce to the world your an idiot)
3. Bacteria/crud trap with the slider...
4. Can be a pain to remove the unit from the housing...slippery plastic with the power button in your way (I guess it depends on how you try to remove it.)
Wishlist:
1. Belt Clip (The J&R excerpt maybe wrong...I am emailing amazon now to find out if this is true: [includes] "...sports armband, belt clip..." - if this is the case, I want that as well. The neckband is silly and impractical...this player NEEDS a belt clip. The armstrap is silly looking but both (how creative for CREATIVE to tweak extra profits by including this as a seperate addon) are sold seperately on Creative's site boosting the player's overall cost to ~+$30. In addition, there is no case for this nor is there a case available on Creative's site, except for the more expensive HD versions. How can you NOT include a belt clip!!!!!!
2. AM Tuner
3. Compact Flash removable card (applications: in case of r/w cycles failure; create a removable library; prolong life of the unit in case of accidental damage to the flash memory, etc....)
4. Place the power[play|pause when on] button on the bottom - it's a pain unplugging the usb device from the housing or **** engineer it so that nothing has to be removed, maybe a retractable sheeth?****
ADDENDUM (12/25/04):
1. To A.J.: I assume you meant that I hate the neckstrap which is true. I primarily purchased this for size and function (jogging/exercising,etc...) Now imagine jogging around with this unit choking your neck and punching away at your chest (hmmm...potential lawsuit - no warnings on the box :)?) Sorry, I can't really say...J&R states, as well as "FYI", that it includes a belt/armstrap...but I did not recieve it...and EVERYWHERE that I trolled for a picture of it, I came up empty handed (aside from the pics that creative is hawking it - as a addon accessory of course - again, tweak the profits like Coke's "revenue management" with it's 1.5 "smooth serve" nonesense.) Their packaging of the unit hides any included accessories (the box doesn't state what assesories are included aside from what the unit does. I guess whatever was readily and cheapily availble at the time they would include so they could go to print without worrying about including it in.) BTW, the armband looks pathetic...hope you don't live in a "bad" area (easily to snatch and steal) or want to appear like a fashion dufus. Sorry if I'm nagging on this, but what idiot engineer at Creative decided against a TRUE belt clip (again, the belt clip I saw on creative was not really a clip, but a rubber case thats attached by nylon strap.) My god, 2 cents more worth of plastic that would put this player above all the competition!!! Couldn't they just have charged an extra ~$3.00 for a protective case that includes a real belt clip! Anyways, maybe you don't mind what I so obvisouly do....hope you enjoy more than I did. Good luck AJ! And let's not forget about AM stations...that's another paragraph!
2. Many thanks to amazon for providing fair resolution. I have been a long time customer of amazon.com and appreciate their service and support and will continue to do so. THANKS Amazon!
3. At this point, I'm not dealing with any of junk out there. I'll bite the bullet and jog / exercise without one until the idiot tanks out there listen to consumers. I'm going to hold off until a Compact Flash version comes out with a real belt clip. I hate to throw a unit away like this just because the fixed flash memory can longer be written to. With a removable card, that wouldn't happen - just replace the CF card. igo2 has a unit like that, but they are just UGLY (i2Go eGo)! Just imagine in 2-3 years from now, our garbage dumps will be full of AOL CD's and Creative Muvos :(
14 Easy to use, Small, and great sound!
I actually bought the 256mb version of this on Walmart.com but it's the same as this one, just less memory. It's my 3rd MP3 player and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. It's easy to use - plugs right into the USB port. No annoying USB calbes every time you want to sync music or files. Once you plug it in, it shows up like a hard drive and you just drag and drop (there is one caveat to this - if you plan on listening to protected music, that is to say music you purchased and downloaded online legally form places like walmart.com or musicnow.com, etc. you can only transfer the files using the creative software or using Windows media player - but the software included is very easy and it's almost just as simple as drag and drop). I like how the player has folder rention too, meaning when you organize your music on the computer, you can keep the same organization. Some players just download the songs and then you can only organize it by artist, album, or sometimes, genre - which must already be included in the tag extension or you have to type it in. I find that way to be a very ineffecient way to organize songs cuz sometimes you have 30 songs by 30 different artists and 15 different genres! But with folders, you can organize it the way you want it (ex. workout songs, chill songs, etc.)
The FM tuner is great - has an autoscan feature, and remembers your presets. And recording from the radio sounds surprisngly good - assuming the original signal is good. The voice recorder is not as good as my $250 sony digital recorder, but then again, that thing doesn't play MP3's! I think it's good enough for most uses, and it's a pretty good feature to have as an extra.
Also, using it as a USB drive works really well. With USB 2.0 it is just as fast as stand alone USB drives and works exactly the same way. No driver installation needed for Win XP.
In response to a previous reviewer, I recently saw on Creative's own website that you can actually purchase battery module's in several colors for the Muvo TX FM's. They are about $8 I think and come in several colors so you can personalize your MP3 player a little bit.
All in all, I love this MP3 player, and if I had to buy another one, I probably would (though this time I probably would go for the 512 instead of the 256, now that it's out)
ps - I got a really good deal on Walmart.com for my 256mb - it's about $93 and the best part is I got an extended 3-year warranty for only $16. Which is basically the whole reason I got it from them. And it doesn't just cover manufacturer defects - it also covers anything you do to it by accident! So you may want to check that out
15 Creative MuVo Tx FM 512
I have had the TxFm 512 for almost 2 weeks now. It's a breeze to add/delete songs to the unit using "drag and drop". Both W2K and WXP recognized the unit w/o any problem.
I have problem plugging the unit directly into my machines' USB ports due to the ports location and orientation, but an USB extention cable solves the problem.
The conversion software is very useful because I can store more MP3 songs in 64bit format ... my original files are either in 192bit or 128bit formats. I don't think anyone can tell the difference from listening thru earbuds.
Pros :
1) can display in different languages
2) available random songs (in folder) and random folder function
3) conversion software is user friendly
4) small and light
Cons :
1) should sell the 1G version in US (it's available in Taiwan)
2) should provide neck strap (came w/ armband and beltclip only)
3) volume output is too low if used thru FM modulator, using earbuds is fine though
16 Very Good Product for the price
I get the bang for my bucks buying this product ! First of all, other brands selling about $120 for 256k and this is 512k. Besides, I don't have to carry a cable to transfer data/music back and forth. I also like the slim/compact size for convinence. The sound quality is very good.The menu features are basic but it is sufficient for me. The earphone that comes with this unit is OK but I would recommand the creative noise cancellation earphone or better if you plan to use it for long period. The software that comes with this product is very good too. I have ripped many cd into mp3 and download into this unit with ease. The recording is ok and the FM is good. The only thing to be aware before buying is the stick is bigger that the regular memory stick and if you have a offset usb port in you PC, you might have a problem plugging into that port.
The only wish I have on this product is to have a larger capacity (1-5 GB with the same size), free color choice for the battery compartment, and AM radio.
