Customer Reviews

Coby MP3 Player with 1 GB Flash Memory, USB Drive and LCD MP300-1G (Black)

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I had one just like this with only(!) 2GB only it was a Rixxo Mambo brand. The functionality was identical though the buttons are differently placed. My son broke his (he's not real gentle with stuff) so I gave him mine and bought this. It plays MP3s and WMAs very well. I use it through my car radio (external input on the front) and it sounds beautifully clear and clean. It also plays podcasts very nicely so that when you turn it off then on in the middle of one it picks up exactly where it left off - almost to the syllable. Doubles as a USB drive if you mistreat it as my son did and break a button.

It also claims the ability to delete songs without going to iTunes or WMP on your computer and the ability to jump to different folders according to the well written instructions though I don't use those features since I just want to hear whatever I put on in any old order. Since it is about 1/4-th the cost of the 4GB iPod or Zune I am quite happy with it.

The output connector is at one of the ends so the headphone jack goes in straight with the body. This makes it easy to fit in my pocket when I'm at the gym listening through my big Sennheiser headphones. Next to the headphone jack is a small ring for some thin thread or wire or something so you can attach some holder.

4GB is about 1,000 MP3 tunes for me at 160-192 Kbps, tunes being 2 to 12 minutes long, mostly 3 minutes. That is a lot, and I'm finally getting to hear my 3 star selections instead of the same 500 5-star selections.

I had some trouble with WMP at first not seeing some of the tunes I had loaded from my other computer so I reformatted it as if it were an external drive (which it is) and reloaded everything and then it was fine. Likely a WMP issue.

The connection to the computer is USB 2.0 and it connects like a USB drive - take off one end protector and stick the whole thing in. It also has a USB cable if the angles are wrong for sticking it directly in.

The MP3 player is easy to use. Although it's a MP3 player, it's still a memory stick so to think of it as only a MP3 player will make it difficult to figure out how to use.

When putting songs into the player, the order the songs are put in is the order they will appear. If Track 2 is put before Track 1, Track 2 will be played before 1. If you want to play songs according to the album or artist, you have to make a folder first. After putting the songs in their respecitive folders, it's simple to have them played. Let's say you want to play the folder where the artist is XYZ. First, play a song in that folder. Second, go to the menu, then settings, then select Dir normal, in which Dir stands for Directory. The player will then ONLY play songs in that folder. If you picked, dir repeat or dir shuffle, ONLY songs in that folder will be repeated or shuffled, depending on which option you picked.

If you think of it as only a MP3 player, you will never be able to figure out out to get it to work. You need to think of it as a memory stick first and MP3 player second.

I bought the 1GB player at Walgreen's on sale for $19 and loved it so much that I 'up-graded' to the 4GB player which I ordered from Amazon this summer. I own a 2007 Toyota Yaris with an aux input plug that will absolutely not work with my iPods, but works perfectly with the Coby MP3 players.

There are many bells 'n' whistle features on the screen, which makes it a bargain - you can see the track, the artist name, time elapsed, which number track in the album and what the number the song is in the entire memory, battery life, whether it's on repeat, etc. There's a way to set the equalizer, the background colors, just about everything you can think of to tweak.

Some reviewers complain that it isn't a rugged case, but it's made from thick, hard plastic and it gets its share of bouncing around in my car and it isn't even scratched yet.

The positives:

Price per gig is incredible

Tough plastic case

Loads of features

AAA battery instead of USB charging

Sound quality better than I would expect

Solid buttons and headphone connector (nothing loosy-goosy)

Loading with Windows Media Player files is super-fast and easy

Cute style (in my opinion)

The negatives:

No iTunes compatability (at least that I could figure out)

Navigating the file structure takes practice (rather irregular)

AAA battery life isn't as long as an iPod's (I get about 8 hours per battery)

Long-term satisfaction is not known, as I've only had this player a couple of months

Unit weighs a lot more than a comparable iPod (partly due to the battery)making it less 'wearable' than an iPod shuffle or Sansa clip.

I recommend this player:

You're looking for a basic MP3 player on a budget

You're new to MP3 players

You don't want the hassle of iTunes

You want to just copy off your CD collection (no podcasts or new music)

You want to use an auxillary input from your stereo or car

This is a great little mp3 player for it's price. It's very tiny....a bit bigger than a larger sized lip stick tube... that makes it great for working out. Which is exactly what I use it for. In the past, I've owned Coby's MPC840 (much smaller capacity)....and the similarly designed mp3 player still works without a flaw years later. I've also owned a 20gb iriver (now upgraded to a 60gb Zune) that I will not part with, but this little Coby is a great secondary option because it is a great size to use when running or on an eliptical or even weight training. I also use it when I bowl (controled noise). Toss it in your pocket, attach it to your wrist with a strap thru the built in loop, use a lanyard, or even get a pair of Y ear buds that allow the little guy to just hang around your neck.

Now they make this exact player in numerous size capacities to fit your individual needs. I opt'ed for the larger 4gb one becuase its a great price for the size (I say 'no' to ipod). If you are using it for the examples I gave, then you could probably get away with a smaller sized one (save a few bucks) because the average work out is 12-18 songs long....maybe less, depending on your schedule. Buying the larger sized 4gb mp3 player (like I did) would really only be needed for the convenience of tossing it on shuffle (which this player does have) and not have to worry about getting tired of the songs for a few weeks.

Whats even nicer is the simplicity of it. There are no cables to loose or search for. They include a cable in the packaging, but it is not needed. Just pull off the end cap, and attach it to your PC. The usb connector is right there, built in. The controls are easy to master... even if you aren't a gadget junky and you need simple things in life. :) The buttons are all on the top. Some buttons do have dual uses, but it won't take a rocket scientist to figure them out. Press and hold the play/pause button and it turns it off. Ditto for turning it on. If all else fails, the instruction booklet is pretty simple. And in all honesty, if you still can't figure it out.....start pressing buttons and use the trial and error method......unlike other mp3 players, you really can't screw anything up on this one! LOL!

It also has a lock on it so you can't press buttons while you are working out. The volume is fine for your average joe... as long as you aren't looking to blow your ear drums to kingdom come. It has shuffle, repeat all, different backlite colors (or no backlite at all to save battery power!), contrast adjustments, and even an equalizer! Oh....and the most important thing of all... NO DRIVERS NEEDED! Just plug it in and it works. Need to re-load it with songs? Delete and then Drag and Drop new ones. Think of it like a flash drive. It's that simple. And the upload speed is pretty reasonable. About 3 minutes for 14 songs if you load them all in one lump.

I will say that if you are an organizational-freak and want your songs to play in a particualr order according to tags, you may want to stear clear of this mp3 player. It doesn't work that way. It's a flash drive. If you want it to play things in a certain order, you have to load them that way..... or load them via named folders. Then you can go into the controls and tell it which folders to play and/or not play. For the simple-joe's out there....just ignore this paragraph of my review. You don't need to worry about any of this. Again, this player duals as a flash drive..... you can save ANYTHING on it. So it is weak on built-in mp3 flexbility....but that is why there are no drivers! So what is perfect for one person, may be a nightmare for another person. It depends on what you are looking for. If you could care-less about tags and play orders...and love loading and shuffling.... this player will be perfect.

*Shhhhh!* And the other good thing about no drivers? You can plug it into any PC and it will work after about 30 seconds of windows automatically configuring for it. Just plug it in and wait. What does that mean? That means you can load it at home...or at work.....or at a friends house and, uhhhh, 'borrow' their mp3s without having to worry if your player works on their pc. *grin*

My other favorite part is the power. It uses a single AAA battery. When I'm out and about, I don't want to have to worry about powering a mp3 player up by connecting it to a computer. I prefer to leave my secondary player in my work out bag or bowling bag (or where-ever) and not have to worry if it charged up for my next event. I also don't want to have to worry about the power failing in the middle of what I am doing. If your mp3 player only charges via usb connection.....you are up a creak if this happens. Not with this player! Just replace the battery. Some people may like this....some people may not. I love it because to me it is more convenient. The other nice thing is if you turn off the backlighting, it wont eat up battery juice. Most mp3 players don't have that feature. Plus, when it is connected to your pc to load (or unload) songs, it does not use the battery....it uses your pc's power.

And one last thing... while I don't suggest droping ANYTHING electronic and still expecting it to work :)...I HAVE accidentially dropped this little guy on ceramic tile, AND HE STILL WORKS WITH NO CRACKS IN THE CASE. It does scratch a bit easily, but this type of mp3 player really is not display sensative (like an mp3 player that also does videos). Call it luck, call it whatever you want... I call it "I'll buy Coby again any day of the week and twice on Sunday!"

Coby is a great off-brand name that deserves more attention! Buy without worry!

According to the manufacturer, this player "supports" ID3. What that means in practice is that it will display some of the ID3 information when it plays a track.

As far as i can tell (and i've scoured the Coby web site and searched the web for info), there is no way to use the ID3 information for *navigation*. (Compare the Sansa machines, for example, with menus that list albums by Artist, or by Title. And that *order the tracks within an album* correctly.)

So i now have a player that is loaded with several hundred tracks, in essentially random order. (I have a folder structure--by artist, then by album--in place, but the machine doesn't list the tracks in order within a folder, nor does it seem to provide "play this folder" capability.)

The manufacturer's website is useless. If i don't soon find out how to access my content in a rational way--and i've already wasted 2 hours too many of my life on this--i'm going to throw this machine into the garbage.

I've had no problems with this since purchasing it about a week ago. It gets good battery life and the sound quality is fine. The display is also very easy to read.

I have had my Coby MP3 player for about a month now and it worked it great from the start. Read the user manual from cover to cover and couldn't believe how easy it was to use. This player also comes with a USB cable (even though you can insert the player directly into a USB port for direct transfer), a AAA battery, and ear bud headphones. You can also store all kinds of files (Word, Excel, JPEG, etc). A great value! I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another Coby product in the future.

I've had my first one (now own 3) for 3 months. It continues to do well. Great sound and easy to navigate (once you play with it for a while). I use it in my car by sticking a few Velcro `dots' on it and attach it conveniently to the dashboard. Battery lasts about 8 hours.

Very practical approach:

- Replaceable battery: no recharging hassle or expensive replacement when non-replaceable batteries wear out.

- Easy loading of songs: just like a flash drive. You CAN organize your songs. Put a number in front of the file name of each song and sort them before loading (I organize everything on the computer and then just transfer them over). The songs will play in numerical order. However, if you have songs organized into folders and want the folders to play in order, transfer each folder, one at a time, in the order you want the folder to play or number them. The same thing for individual songs, unless you number them as I mention above.

- Cheap: you can buy 5 of these and still be a lot cheaper than a standard big-name brand Mp3 player. Load different types of songs on each one and then just plug in the one you want. Then, if/when one breaks, you don't lose everything and they are cheap to replace. Remember the last time your $200 Mp3 player broke?

At $35 (no higher), you can think of it as a disposable Mp3 player, but with great sound.

UPDATE June 2010: Now at nearly two years and all five that I own are still going strong.

Because this device is not able to play the files in order, it is only a usb flash drive to me. And so it is now too large, delicate, and expensive too compete with comparable devices. I bought it to replace my LYRA 2317, which after 2 1/2 years, is beginning to show it's age. I would buy another just like it, but they are nearly impossible to find now. I have just tossed the piece of junk coby into a drawer to use as a backup/spare storage device and ordered a sandisk mp3 player. Coby forgot one of the most basic functions of a portable playback device.

It is unlikely that I will trust that name again.

After one month of light usage, the play button stopped working. The player has its pros, it's simple to use, it's light and the battery life is good. However, it looks and feels cheap so I wasn't surprised with an early failure.

I even took the player apart to see if something got stuck between the play button and circuit board, but I have found that the electronics on the player failed. So I threw it away.