MOST MP3 players merely attempt to imitate their rivals and just compete on price. Not so with X-Micro’s latest offering, the Video MP3 400. This product majors on a totally different capability – convenience.
It’s the first MP3 player the INQ has actually come across with such a full range of capabilities that’s been squeezed into a tiny package. Yet it can run on just one AA battery.
So instead of having to remember to plug the MP3 player into the mains overnight, all you need to do is carry around a spare battery. In terms of size, it’s a mere 29.8 x 96.2 x 29.8 mm.
What does it do? Besides playing MP3 files with an impressively high quality for such a tiny device? Well it acts as an FM radio too, if you get bored of listening to your own music. It even comes with white earphones so you can look suitably trendy.
I’ve also seen other journalists taking advantage of another neat facility the Video MP3 offers. Namely, a digital voice recorder capability. You can discretely record whatever the marketing people tell you, just in case they try to deny it later. This, we’ve heard, is good for Spodcasting, at which the INQ already outperforms any other UK site.
As the name implies, however, this particular model majors on its video capabilities. It has a remarkably sharp 65K colour OLED screen. The chief purpose is to enable owners to watch their favourite pop videos – not just listen to music.
The very latest software even has a conversion utility, making it possible to convert videos into the popular AMV video format.
And if all these facilities weren’t enough, it’s perfectly possible to treat the Video MP3 player merely as a USB 2.0 compliant memory stick. Currently X-Micro offers 265MB, 512MB or 1GB versions – which should be enough storage space for anyone.
So where are the Video MP3’s weaknesses? Our biggest complaint is definitely the lack of a play list facility. In order to store MP3s sensibly, it’s necessary to put them into folders with carefully chosen names.
There’s also room for improvement in the user interface department. It’s not 100 per cent intuitive but you soon get the hang of how to work it. Which is more than can be said for the Samsung Yepp, the INQ once tried.
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