Coby 4 GB Flash MP3 Player with FM and Color Display (Black)

by Coby

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 0.4 x 1.6 x 3.1 inches ; 8.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001PAEAYQ
• Item model number: MP600-4G
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,434 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Coby's MP600 offers playback of music, videos, photos, and text files, with a brilliant 1.44-inch LCD display for navigating your media. With 4 GB of memory you'll get enough room for about 1000 songs, and Coby's Media Manager software is included for easy and hassle-free media syncing.

Take 4 GB worth of music, videos, photos, and text files wherever you need them. Click to enlarge.

Enjoy your favorite tracks with ID3 tag info such as artist, album, etc. displayed.

Use Coby's Media Manager software to easily sync your device, or just drag and drop files.

1.44-Inch LCD Display
Enjoy your videos, pictures, and album art on the go with the MP600's color TFT display.

4 GB Flash Memory
The MP600 features 4 gigabytes of flash memory on-board, enough room for up to 1000 songs.

Rechargeable Battery
Get up to ten hours of music playback on a single charge with the rechargeable battery.

Enjoy Your Media
Play back your favorite MP3/WMA music files for hours of entertainment. If your music files contain ID3 tags, you will be able to view your tracks by Artist, Album, or Genre. You can also explore and share your JPEG photo files. The slideshow function makes a great way to share with friends. Finally, the MTV video format is also supported, so you can take a few video clips along.

Integrated FM Radio
An FM radio lets you check up on the news or your favorite programming on the go. Preset your favorit stations for quick access, or have the MP60 do a quick scan of local stations.

Text Files
Read text files on your screen, including eBooks in the TXT format.

Choose Your Software
The included Coby Media Manager software will let you convert your existing audio and video clips to the correct formats, for enjoyment on your device. You can also choose to handle the conversion in your own preferred way, and simply drag-and-drop files onto the device like any other system folder.

USB 2.0
This device uses USB 2.0 for speedy file transfers when you're adding media.

What's in the Box
Coby MP600-4G MP3 Player, Stereo Earphones, USB Cable, Instruction Manual and Documentation

Product Description

Coby MP600-4G MP3 Player with 4G Flash Memory with FM and Color Display, 1.44-inch Video LCD display, supports MP3, WMA, MTV, JPEG, TXT, black

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good buy for the money!, December 4, 2009

By 

Allan Brown Sr. (Rome, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Coby 4 GB Flash MP3 Player with FM and Color Display (Black) (Electronics)

The ear plugs included with the player are too hard and not easily inserted into the ear. I bought the CVE92 Isolation Ear Plugs (White) and they are very good. Manual does not offer a whole lot of advice. Computer literates will be able to find out how to rip and synch up with Windows Media Player. One main gripe! The player does not play the music that is added in the order it is ripped and synched; all music files are arranged alphabetically within the album name on the player. Bummer when listening to soundtracks, etc. Would have upgraded to a better model that loads files in the order ripped. However, for the money, this is a good player.

121 of 138 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Cheap Packaging, Antiquated Technology, December 24, 2009

By 

P. Epps "Avid Homeschooler and Web Shopper" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Coby 4 GB Flash MP3 Player with FM and Color Display (Black) (Electronics)

Admittedly, I purchased this product largely based upon the price and the good reviews mentioned here. Since I was purchasing this as a replacement for my Autistic son, my basic requirements and expectations for an mp3 player were minimal. An effective player without all kinds of technological bells and whistles would suit me fine. After opening the package, however, I immediately reassessed my "minimalist" viewpoint. The first thing I noticed was the player's cheap, flimsy encasing; which is some sort of cut-rate, thin plastic. That was my first disappointment. The second thing I noticed was the fact that the manufacturers appeared to have taken my minimalist theory a bit too literally because the entire unit consists of a display area and two buttons: a Menu Button and a Control Button. That's it. My second disappointment. Still, in an attempt to not be ultra finicky, I read the rather ineffectual instruction manual, hooked it up to my PC, charged the battery and, after a while, went about the process of transferring music files into it using Windows Media Player. Although the synchronization of the music files was slower than my other mp3 player (Sansa), it did go smoothly because it was easily recognized by both my PC and the media player. That was a nice plus.

Now that the unit is fully charged and loaded with 1,500+ music files, the time has come for me to turn it on and give it a whirl. I insert the ear buds that came with the music player into my ears. They feel weird; overly large and slanted at a strange angle. My third disappointment. Time to turn the player on already. Press...press...confused pressing. Eye-roll! The technology is extremely slow and rudimentary, and looks like something I would find on a 1996 CD player. Sigh. My fourth and biggest disappointment. Yet, I persevere on. OK, I got it. It's playing, but the sound is very, very low. I examine the player looking for the volume control button. No button. I search through the manual looking for answers to my volume dilemma. Nothing. Time to dig into the player itself to see if the volume can be controlled with either of the two buttons. After a series of frustrated presses and slow displays, I find an area in the system that allows me to alter the volume output, but the only selections are "Jazz, Pop, bass, etc." I stare at the display in utter disbelief. I haven't seen such options in years! This has got to be a joke. Am I being punked? My fifth disappointment. Before I begin to panic, though, I take my expensive Bose headphones and plug them into the unit with the hope that the ear buds that were enclosed with the player were of poor quality. No such luck; the same faint tinny sounds ring through. Huge sigh. The sixth disappointment. Disgustedly, I sit there looking at my purchase as the truth finally sinks in. I just bought a cheap, crappy mp3 player that is using Sega technology in a Wii world. I feel like such a doofus.

Cons:

- Looks cheap
- Feels cheap
- Extremely antiquated technology
- Slow start up and display
- Does not signal to the user that the battery is fully charged
- Confusing controls and display
- Ridiculous volume settings
- Very low volume
- Uncomfortable headphones

Pros:
- Low price
- Ease of file synchronization


In summary, unless you have taken out your disco ball and are in need of a music player to complete your ensemble, skip this one.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Buy (includes commentary on points addressed by other reviews), February 26, 2010

By 

Brian Mess - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Coby 4 GB Flash MP3 Player with FM and Color Display (Black) (Electronics)

Appearance
Yes, it looks kinda like a toy. That said, though, it's small, sleek, and black. If you put a large emphasis on your mp3 player's looks, try getting some blown up pictures on Google to see if you like it. Otherwise, just know that it isn't horribly ugly.

Ease of Use
This mp3 player easily connects to Windows Media Player to sync, the menus are intuitive, the controls are mostly intuitive, and it allows for decent customization. I was able to figure out the controls without even cracking the manual. I may be fairly tech savvy, but the controls really aren't hard to figure out. Volume's the only thing that may be hard. To adjust volume, just click up or down while a song is playing.

Battery Life
I've only owned it for a day, but even the worst critics of this conceded that the battery lasts a long time.

Price for Quality
Paying less than $30 with tax is a great deal for this mp3 player. It's not perfect, but for $30 I don't think I could ask for anything more.

Portability
It's smaller than my friend's iPod Nano, and holds a charge. 'Nuff said.

Sound Quality
At least on my unit, sound quality is great. I can hear all the individual portions of the music better than when listening on my computer.

Flaws
--I can't find a way to turn on either shuffle or repeat. For most people, this will probably be fine. If you want to shake things up, move through songs randomly while the music's playing.
--The menus are a bit slow. But really, you're buying it for the music and price, not for the menu speed.
--There isn't really a play list feature. This said, however, you can organize folders on the flash memory, and can play a folder at a time.
--Doesn't support .wma files. They say they do, but they don't. Just make sure you're music files are mostly .mp3 before you get this.
--Small display. For browsing music, this doesn't matter. However, I don't see videos (if they work, which other reviews have not been positive about) or pictures being viewed on this. Great for music, poor for visual arts.

Rebuttals
--"Flimsy, cheap casing"
I would disagree. The plastic seems fairly sturdy, and I doubt you want to drop an iPod, so this really isn't a big flaw.
--"entire unit consists of a display area and two buttons: a Menu Button and a Control Button"
This is sort of true. They aren't mentioning the directional buttons or the select button (total of 7 buttons). Since all you are doing is scrolling through menus and selecting music to play, this seems like a rather silly thing to pick on.
--"[the ear buds] feel weird; overly large and slanted at a strange angle."
This is true. I would recommend getting different earphones for it.
--"alter the volume output, but the only selections are "Jazz, Pop, bass, etc." "
When the music is playing, pressing up or down on the directional buttons increases or decreases volume. It's that easy.
--"faint tinny sounds"
I'm not sure where this came from, probably an issue with the person's unit. The sound quality on my unit is crystal clear, and of a nice volume on both the included ear buds and on my $10 Sony ear buds I usually use with it (for comfort reasons, the included earphones are oddly shaped).
--"The player does not play the music that is added in the order it is ripped and synched"
No, it doesn't. That said, though, does it really matter the order a playlist plays in? If your answer is yes, all you have to do is change the name via the included software interface once it's on the player. Just start the track names with their track number, and they'll play in order.
--"The only issue I have with it from a functional standpoint is the short time the screen stays active (illuminated) during use"
All you have to do to change this, is go to settings > display > backlight and change the number from 5 seconds to a higher number (the number is how long the back light stays on until it shuts off for power save, in seconds)
--"The pinwheel on the player is a button device, actually 5 buttons, 4 directional and 1 in the middle to select. It's easy to use but it is button pushing, not gliding across a wheel (like an iPod)."
Yeah, they're buttons. If the "gliding" is that important to you, go with an iPod or other mp3 player that has one. If you consider the lack of a "pinwheel" a big flaw, don't buy this. If you're like me and don't care, then know that the buttons are sufficient for the menus.
--"Just want everyone to be aware that this MP3 player is not compatible with iTunes. My iPod nano was destroyed so I thought I could just get this cheaper MP3 player and upload all my iTunes in my libary. Not so. This might seem obvious to some, but I am not very techie and was not aware of this incompatibility."
General rule for anyone who didn't know this: iTunes is for iPods, and doesn't really work well for anything else. However, if you're using a PC, Windows Media Player (which comes with all Windows systems by default) works great with this product.
--"When I added music, it doesn't play most of it."
The product doesn't play .wma or .wav files. When windows media player rips cd's, it makes them .wma by default. However, almost all music you buy online is in the supported format. Further, there are several free websites that allow you to convert files on your computer between various audio formats.
--"The Coby media manager software is loaded on the unit itself. "
This software is what allows you to make folders to organize music in. The setup is the "launcher" file in my computer under removable media.

I hope that this review helps.