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Overview
I already published some photos showing
the
MobiBlu DAH-1500 next to the Apple iPod shuffle to underline
just how small it really is. Before the MobiBlu DAH-1500 the coin-sized
EMP-Z from EraTech was a long time the world's smallest MP3
player. This one already was introduced in 2003. I reviewed it a
short while back branded as
Nachus EMP-Z. The
EMP-Z did not have a display. MobiBlu was able to pack a ton of
features in a small little splace without compromising quality, as
you can read below.
The JNC SSF-8002 comes in cube shaped
(what else?) box. Accessories are a necklace style headset, USB
cable,
plastic protector case, driver CD and handbook.
I upgraded the firmware with the new
1.56
version available on the JNC site. To update the firmware just unzip the
archive and copy the two files onto the MobiBlu. After disconnecting
the USB cable the player automatically starts updating. After that
it powers off and on next power on it initializes the new firmware.
There is no documentation available on what the firmware upgrade is
doing, but it works. The new firmware does not enable WMA-DRM
support though (I tested it), which is a bit of a downer. The Wal-Mart version does
support WMA-DRM, making it for sure a new version. Wal-Mart runs
it's own music store that uses the Microsoft DRM technology. So
MobiBlu
had to support it for Wal-Mart to carry this player.
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Behind the mirrored surface a blue
colored display shines through. More
hi-res photos of the screen in the gallery. |
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The cube mp3 player charges via USB that connects into the headset
plug. Initial charging time is 3 hours. After it was charged I copied several WMA files onto the flash memory
drive of the player. It was not lighting
fast, but acceptable. It is only USB 1.1. The MobiBlu DAH-1500
available at
Wal-mart claims to have USB 2.0.
Wal-mart is also listing it as MobiBlu DAH-1500i. USB 2.0 and
WMA-DRM support definitely making the Wal-Mart MobiBlu a much better
player.
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The Apple iPod shuffle is a tall
fellow compared to the world's smallest MP3 player, but it is
much thinner though.
The difference in volume is 0.236 inch3.
The MobiBlu is also lighter by 0.15 ounce. |
The usage of the MobiBlu DAH-1500 is
straight forward. There is a play button on the right surrounded by
direction buttons. On the opposite side is menu button. The menu is
icon based offering a Music, FM Radio, Music Setting, Display and
Settings options. Guess what, in the Music Settings you can choose a
random playback mode aka shuffle mode. Next to the menu button is
the hold button.
The sound quality is very good actually. There is also a sound boost
option in the music menu to enhance the output. Not really necessary
to switch that one on. Additionally 6
equalizer settings are available to choose from, plus a user
definable equalizer setting. I got several emails already asking
questions about the quality of the sound and the overall quality of
a device that small. To give a quick answer: the quality is
surprisingly good. The manufacturing, the features, the user
interface all make a great impression. The world's smallest mp3
player is at the same time also one of the best flash memory music
players out there. Just as a nice little feature example, the MobiBlu warns on the display that the headset is not plugged in (see
screen shot). Although this is a little feature it shows how
complete the design is.
I have been using the cute music cube in
the gym and it was very comfortable to wear it with the necklace
style headset. It is best to wear it short, so it does not move
around too much. It would be nice though to have other accessories
for it like a armband holder.
Conclusion
With
Wal-mart selling now the MobiBlu DAH-1500i, which is solving two
of the main disadvantages of the JNC-SSF-8000/MobiBlu DAH-1500
version. The MobiBlu DAH-1500i is USB2.0 and has WMA-DRM support.
The World's smallest MP3 player has become a even greater choice.
Adding the fact that the prices are as low as a comparable
Apple iPod shuffle, it makes the MobiBlu Cube even hotter. What
is missing now are cool accessories for the cube shape. A T-shirt
with a see-through cube pocket would be very cool for instance. So
if your are in the United States, definitly get the MobiBlu
DAH-1500i sold at Wal-Mart. For the rest of the world it is mostly
the
JNC-SSF-8000 series.
How to Buy
The 256MB JNC SSF-8002 sells for $146.00 on
Fancylogic.
See also this List
with more online stores selling the MobiBlu DAH-1500.
Wal-Mart just has just started to sell the MobiBlu DAH-1500i
in the United States at low Apple iPod shuffle prices:
Get the MobiBlu DAH-1500i with 1GB at Wal-Mart.com now for $129.72.
The 512MB MobiBlu DAH-1500 sells for $99.72.
MobiBlu DAH-1500 Specifications:
AUDIO FORMATS
MP3 (MPEG 1/2-Layer 2/3, 16-320Kbps}, WMA (Microsoft Windows Media Audio,
32-192Kbps), and new formats by Firmware upgrade
BUILT-IN MEMORY
256MB / 512MB / 1GB
PLAY TIME
16 hours with WMA (64Kbps) or 8 hours with MP3 (128Kbps) per 256MB
HEADPHONE OUTPUT POWER
16 Ω / 15mW
AUDIO OUTPUT FREQUENCY
20Hz ~ 20KHz
AUDIO SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO
90dB
FM FREQUENCY
87.50MHz – 108.00MHz
FM SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO
50dB
PC INTERFACE
USB 1.1 (The MobiBlu available on
Wal-Mart has apparently USB 2.0)
DOWNLOAD SPEED
Max. 6Mbps
AVAILABLE COLOR
Blue, Black, and Pink
for all storage sizes
POWER SUPPLY
Built-in Lithium-Ion Battery
BATTERY LIFE
Approximately 17 hours (10hours for the Wal-Mart version). It is save to
say it is around the 10hours depending on usage.
DIMENSIONS
0.94" x 0.94" x 0.94"
24mm x 24mm x 24mm
WEIGHT
0.63 Ounces (18 Grams)
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