Customer Reviews

Wolverine ESP 120 GB Portable Multimedia Storage Player

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I spent a while trying to find a multimedia device that could read multiple types of flash memory cards (Compact flash cards, SD cards), read the raw files from my Canon EOS 5D camera and have at least 80 GB storage.

This device met all those requirements and also has a big vivid screen. In addition to the above, it is an mp3 player, video player and has an FM radio.

I have the 100 GB version that I purchased from costco for $ 350. I took this along on a long trip (3 weeks), along with a couple of spare batteries.

It performed wonderfully. I downloaded the pictures from my 2 GB compact flash cards at least 15 times. It stored all my RAW files without a hitch. It could also read the raw files generated from my camera and display it. The download speed was very fast.

The Canon EOS 5D generates large files at it highest resolution and fills up my 2 GB compact flash cards quickly. It is too impractical and expensive to carry too many compact flash cards. This device really helps to bridge this gap.

It also has a tetris game, music and video capability in it, to keep my kids happy during long drives.

Highly recommended for digital photographers and also for people looking for a verstile multi media device that can do more than the ipod.

I have been delighted with my Wolverine ESP 120 GB player. It shines at displaying photos with a bright, reasonably sharp image and the company takes pains to update the firmware to support new RAW formats as they appear. It has slots for nearly all types of flash cards and uploads files quickly. It's got adequate battery power for any reasonably sized card and I can't imagine it running out of juice during photo uploads or out of space to store photos with its big 120 GB drive. If you want, you can see a histogram and some metadata for a photo file, a nice extra touch.
The ESP has good sound and comes with a nice pair of comfortable earphones. An added plus is the FM radio.
There are a few things I didn't like. The ESP has a small speaker but sound output is very weak. The FM radio uses the earphone cord as an antenna and plugging in the headset disables the speaker so you can't listen to FM radio at all through the speaker. The ESP will not play protected audio files so you can't listen to downloadable library audiobooks or purchased music on it. A big drawback is the lack of bookmarking. I have some mp3 audiobooks that I can play on the ESP but after turning the machine off and then on again, I have to start at the beginning of the book and find the spot where I left off. I emailed Wolverine about this and they say they have had trouble progamming in this feature. Hopefully they will figure out how to do this eventually. Meanwhile, I carry an iPod on trips to listen to my audiobooks. These complaints aside, I am thrilled with the device.

I actually own the the 100Gb model, just under this. But the storage capacity is the only difference. I love mine. It's no bigger than my HP iPaq (handheld PC), so it's a reasonable size I'm used to dealing with. I keep it with my camera gear to easily tranfer photos off my cards onto this device (which frees up the card again). I also show-off photos on the nice big screen. I have been able to upgrade the firmware on my ESP twice now, which was extremely easy! AND, the couple of times that I have called tech support with questions, they have been very nice, kind and quite helpful!! I love the versitillity of this media player device (& it already has an FM tuner built in). It does so much more than the ipods. AND... I think the fact that you can easily upgrade the firmware (which gets you new features and fixes any issues) is a HUGE Bonus, as is being able to replace the rechargable battery myself. (on ipods, you have to send the whole darned thing to the factory for something a silly as replacing the battery). I'm hoping to get the cradle for Christmas, because then I'll be able to record movies and programs from the TV and from DVDs and take them with me!! I look forward to that! I am VERY happy that I purchased the Wolverine ESP. I'm so happy with it, that when my mom looked into purchasing a media device, she got one like mine!

I just wanted to let people know that the operating system has a 128 GB limit due to address bits, so even if you buy a 160 GB drive for it, only 128GB will be visable. To change the disk you only need to remove 2 screws - the one under the square silver warantee void sticker (which goes back OK) and its counterpart. The drive cover then slips off, you remove the old drive, install the new one (80,100,120,160 GB but 128 max capacity) and put only those 2 screws back in (don't mess with the two deep screws) - now go to the drive which will have a red NFA on it (Not FormAteed) - menu click on it and click format drive - it takes 30 seconds or so for a 160 to be a 128, and then you have the maximum capacity. With the price of drives dropping, their cheaper model plus a 120GB drive at a discount is a 5 minute swapout, plus you can put the 80 GB into a portable USB drive case. I did this when I first bought my 80 GB with plans to upgrade it when drive prices fell far enough and got 128 instead of 80 GB on my mp3 player / camera dumper / usb2.0 disk.

I still think the Wolverine is a great overall product and beats the apple version feature wise (but not thickness wise) - being able to dump my CF cards on vacation to the MP3 player is a significant feature that the pod's dont have.

Hope that helps - the drive upgrade is simple, 5 minutes, and needs a Philips #00 screwdriver to complete.

I have the ESP 100gb version of the Wolverine. This is a must have for any photographer that makes their living from their photo files. This device is always with me at every shoot and allows me to effortlessly archive my .raw files immediately after swapping cards in my Nikon D200 - the old card comes out of my camera and straight into the ESP. I never leave a job without the shoot "in the can".

The ESP also lets me review the files with the client on a larger screen than the camera (it even has a slideshow mode). Or I can plug it into a monitor using the remote recording/playback cable (which does everything the dock does, except charge the unit, for a lot less money).

One of the nicest features is the ability to save hundreds of hours of audio recorded through the on-board microphone. Though the audio files are a proprietary mono format (there is aftermarket software that will allow you to convert the files to play on other devices) the device has come in handy to record interviews with my clients and for other meetings many times with excellent results.

I agree that a playlist feature would be nice but it is a small inconvenience for having an archive vault that will fit in my pocket (I never keep the ESP in my camera bag... I keep it on my person so if anyone ever steals my bag or it is confiscated by TSA, I have all of my work safely with me.

I just finished a 70 day road trip and took 10,000 .raw files along the way (www.scottyanddeb.blogspot.com). Every file fit nicely on the ESP (close to 80gb total).

I tend to stay away from the mainstream devices, and when my 80 GB Neuros couldn't do all I wanted it to do, I started looking for something else. I originally was looking at the Archos series, but I wanted something that would store .RAW pictures from my digital camera when traveling. Then I found this. In a word, it's awesome. Holds tons of media, to the point where I have a lot of extra space right now. Nice sized screen for watching movies and viewing photos, not a little teeny screen like the Creative and the iPod. It will allow you to store your photos on it while traveling, and the biggest bonus of all, it has a removable battery. You can buy an extra one, and just change them while on the road. This little powerhouse will allow you to leave the laptop at home, while still being able to watch films, listen to music, and check out all the great pictures you took while traveling. It also has a built-in audio recorder, which can be a nice feature. I'm looking forward to getting the cradle so that I can use it as a DVR too. The downsides include the size - it's a little bigger than the Creative Vision or the iPod, and in order to play all your tracks at random, you have to create a playlist for all of your tracks and then hit random play. I enjoyed just being able to hit play on my Neuros and have it play everything at random without a playlist. On the brightside though, it doesn't have it's own proprietary software, so it can work with any media player on the PC to set up playlists, etc. If you're looking for a tiny player, then this isn't it. If you're looking for a great player, then give this some serious consideration.

Prior to purchasing the Wolverine EPS 120, I owned an Archos Jukebox v.2 20 gig MP3 player. The player had a small screen and was not very intuitive to navigate. (Replacing the native OS with Rockbox OS helped tremendously.)

My primary reasons for purchasing this player were to be able to backup pictures from my Fujifilm S9100, to have a backup of critical data files, and play MP3 and OGG files. So far, the Wolverine does all of these beautifully. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the device could view the RAW files from my digicam.

My only complaint is the lack of an easy-to-use playlist. Currently, you have to go through several arcane levels of menus (like loading files and then putting the jukebox into the background to be able to add more files). This may be fixed in future firmware updates.

This machine seems wonderful out of the box, radio, game,recorder,backup. I ve been shooting for 19 years and am not an angry person take this information for what it is worth, I bought this item so as to backup images instead of carrying a lap top thru Thailand. The machine was purchased 16 months ago but never used just charged to keep battery up. The ESP was only used for this trip/job. So loaded images into system on CF and SD cards from Nikon and Leica systems. After 21 days after downloading machine froze! First the machine had hard time shutting down then the battery fell out during shut down stage which caused the HD to crash reset button never worked. I am not hard on gear in no way,my gear is how I make my living so I treat it well. Back in USA, Sent to company they charged shipping both ways after asking RA #'s and Matt explained there should be no problem just needed to reset HD (not format)! 2 weeks later Rico said they could not fix, hard drive broken, nor can they give me any idea of what went wrong, this never happens! Read into Amazon reviews way down the list some people not so happy. SO if you are serious about your money or making images. Best bet buy a Apple lap top $999 and Hard drive $120 and go that route or carry enough cards for work. This also enables emails and music movies for $700.00 more! The Wolverine ESP is a waste of time and your hard earned money. I am just passing on info so to save you $300+ and some stress. Please don't take this as a angry review did I get a lemon who knows can YOU take that risk. Am I upset sure but mostly that the machine cost $300+ and really doesn't work.

I bought the Wolverine due to screen size, and to keep away from the other multimedia players that require tags on music and video (Ipod, Zune).
The unit is very clean with easy to use navigate menu options. The large screen is perfect for watching movies. Screen resolution is not great for the detail of todays cameras, but for movies it is more than acceptable.
The MP3/Music feature needs some work as the unit loads songs into memory it is very difficult to raise or lower the volume. I currently have 4 folders with 1000 songs each and when I go to play them the first song plays great (except for the issue with the volume), then the next songs skip or stall until the Wolverine loads all songs into memory (the next 5 to 10 songs sound like garbage).
As for the video/movie side of the unit, It is AWESOME, (once you find a format that the Wolverine likes) the video is in perfect sync with the audio and you can raise and lower the volume when you want. Finding a format that the machine likes is a slight pain as I converted several Mpeg2 movies into several different formats before I found a good format.
Battery life is very good. I played 3 two hour movies (6 hours) on a flight one time and then played music for the rest of the flight (2 hours) and the battery still had life. Charging the battery is easy with a USB to mini USB cable (provided) from my computer. I also charge the unit with my Motorola cell-phone charger (easier than carrying a separate Wolverine charger). Data transfer to/from the Wolverine is quite fast compared to some other portable hard-drives that I have.
Overall the Wolverine is a fair unit, and if they would fix the volume/skip-while-loading issue it would be Awesome.

I purchased the ESP 120 after reviewing other similar products.
I am cery satisfied with the quality (appearance and workmanship)of the product and the performance.
The main purpose for me is to download photographs when on location without PC or laptop. My files are usually large (40 MB+ RAW), and the speed and space (120 GB) for downloads is amazing.
It has an FM radio as well.
Highly Recommended!
Werner Hennies