Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Decent little player for the money, November 5, 2003
If you are searching for an MP3 player under a hundred dollars then you would be hard pressed to find one with as many features as this one. 128MB of (expandable) memory and an FM tuner plus a stopwatch feature. The manual that comes with the unit is pretty sparse and confusing but the one you can download on memorexelectronics.com is much better. The "Real-One" software that comes with it has been ill-received by reviewers on other sites so I didn't install it but you don't need it anyway. Just plug it into a USB port and the computer (Win XP) will see it as a removable drive (or two). Then you just drag and drop your MP3's. The other advantage of the computer seeing it as a removal drive is that it will function in this role also. So you could store pictures or other file types and transfer them to another computer. I have updated the firmware (downloaded from memorexelectronics.com) and it was a pain free and simple operation. It might be harder for someone who is not very proficient with computers. The sound quality is very good. It sounds as good as any portable CD player I've heard. The case has a cheap feel to it and the operation buttons could be beefier but it all works like it's supposed to. The FM reception is weak but strong stations sound good. My only real complaint is with the display. It is unreadable when the backlight switches off. I hope they fix that with a firmware update.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent flash/mp3 player, poor accessories, June 24, 2004
I bought this unit because I liked the expandability of an MMC card (which are falling in price all the time), the cheap initial price compared to other units, the ID3 informative blue backlit screen, its shape, and, most of all, its reported simple plug-and-play flash drive capability. All of these turned out to be as good as promised. In my Windows XP machine, I plugged the device in without touching the enclosed cd, and the unit was recognized and installed as the biomorph external drive (with two drive letters: one for the internal memory, and one for the card slot). I was delighted: I don't like to install software that comes with peripherals. My machine already has the software I want. I then just dragged and dropped mp3 and other files, and voila, no problems, and the mp3's play fine.
The other qualities worked out, too. I really like the shape: the rubber edging is nice, and the unit fits nicely in your palm. I prefer this to the long and thin units. Also, the biomorph is incredibly light. The ID3 tags worked fine. The battery compartment is a bit flimsy, but so far no problems.
The weaknesses, perhaps to be expected, are in the little extras thrown in. I very much wanted an arm band, but the enclosed velcro arm band was apparently designed for Hulk Hogan. Unless I'm wearing a thick sweater, the arm band won't seal. This has been my biggest disappointment. The other two accessories are equally useless. The headphones sound okay, but the earbuds are too large or something so they are painful in my ears after a couple of minutes. Have to go shopping for a new pair. The faux leather cover is obviously a 3 cent joke made in China. While it does fit over the biomorph, the clasp that seals it on fits partially over the power button, so I find the unit frequently turning itself off and then I adjust it, and then it happens again.
Finally, I have not tried other mp3 players, but the biomorph does not get very loud. I have tried all kinds of mp3's, and in general I have to leave the biomorph's volume at MAX all the time (including if I plug it into my stereo). I have not yet taken it to a loud environment, like an airplane cabin, but I imagine music won't be audible in such an environment, if I need to have it at MAX in an otherwise silent environment.
I can't say I'm unhappy. I have an expandable flash drive and workable mp3 player, and I didn't spend a fortune. That said, since prices on competing units (with working arm bands and decent headphones) have fallen recently to closer to the biomorph's price, I wouldn't buy this unit again. Since buying this item, prices on shock-resistant keychain flash drives with high Mac/PC compatibility (like Lexar's Jumpdrive Sport) have fallen through the bottom. Could I do it again, I would just pick up a cheap 256 meg Jumpdrive Sport for my flash drive needs, and look into a better mp3 player, perhaps the Rio Cali 256 (which my friend owns), even if it lacks the ability to serve as a flash drive without the installation disc.
UPDATE: After just over three months of use (funny, that's how long the warranty is), my Boimorph has died. It's actually a shame: I've really gotten to like it. Over time, I got used to the arm band (though they make it too loose and I had to stretch it a little to keep it from pressing the power button off) and with another pair of headphones, it was great for jogging and working out. It was also a nifty flash player for transferring files between my laptop and desktop, which I did often. But with no warning, I suddenly got an icon of a hand with "HOLD" on the palm. I held but nothing happened but the unit turning off. So I replaced the battery: no change. I read through the entire manual and the support web site, and no mention is made of this icon, and so no corresponding troubleshooting tips. (This infuriates me.) So I followed the only procedure the site and manual provide for the Biomorph not turning on: resetting it. Did so, and now I get nothing but a few broken lines which immediately disappear. Strangely, it still works as a flash drive when connected to a computer via USB, but otherwise it's locked in this oblivion state with crazy graphics. Not cool.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great little player, November 19, 2003
2 things with this player...
...don't update the firmware
...don't use their softwareFirst the current firmware update, only really changes 2 things... when you turn it on it won't start playing right away... 2nd, it allows you to use the stopwatch while it's playing music. Both aren't of big concerns for me, so after I saw some of the reviews I didn't update. Second the player shows up like a removable drive under windows and you can just drag and drop your music files on to the drive. You don't need the software to copy files over to the player. Of course I had already converted my cds to files before I bought the player, but you can do this with other apps. I've used this for about 2 months now, 3 to 4 days a week, changing the music every couple of days and it has been a great little player.
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