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Overview
This is now the 6th MP3 Player we review this
year. The Jens
of Sweden and the Vandisori
Players stand out so far with their quality and breath of features. Daisy
Multimedia is actually not the first to offer Bluetooth in an MP3 Player.
Sony Ericsson released the HBM-30
a while ago (thanks, Tim Cederman-Haysom for reminding me). I
stumbled across another one on the Computex Award
Page from First International Computer Inc.
The Diva Gem is available in three colors (Fanatic, Stardust and
Glamour). I received the red (glamour) one with 128MB storage. The
Player has a good small size measuring 86x32x20mm. It weighs 25g
without battery (50g with battery). The surface has a metallic feel to it, giving the
Diva a high quality appearance. It is bundled with the usual
accessories a head-set (necklace style), power-adapter, USB Cable,
Audio Cable and a CD. The Audio cable is quite useful. It has on the
same end the male 3.5mm plug and the 2 RCA audio inputs.
The Diva Gem comes with a
450mAh Li-Ion battery that is supposed to power the player for 14 hours. When
connected to the Computer via USB the MP3 Player is charging. So the
power adaptor is not really necessary if you have a Computer
available.
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| Diva
Gem accessories: Audio Recording Cable, USB Cable, Player,
Necklace Head-set, Power Adapter. |
Besides the Bluetooth functionality, which I will explore further
down, the Diva has another not yet so common SD/MMC Card slot to
extend the storage of the player. The card slot is in the battery
compartment. In regards to the more or less standard features the
Diva Gem provides MP3 and AMR (Adaptive Multi-rate Codec - used in
mobile phones for ringtones) playback, a 20
station FM Tuner, a very sensitive Microphone for voice recording
and mobile phone head-set operation and a backlit 4 line LCD
display.
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| In
the battery compartment is the slot for the SD/MMC storage
card to extend the storage of the Diva Gem. |
Usage
Right away the Diva Gem is very intuitive to use
for me. The Player switches on by clicking the Play button on the
side (no waiting). To lock the buttons the Diva has a button that toggles the lock. A small key icon on the screen
indicates if the player is locked or not. Many other players have a
slider button to lock the buttons.
The display is very clear and bright. The Menu tree is very easy to
navigate with the joystick button on the front. Holding the joystick
button for 1-2sec takes me to the main menu. This menu has four
icons: Audio Player, FM Radio, Voice Recorder and Settings. In each
of this main modes a submenu with further options is available.
I
uploaded some MP3s and the sound is excellent. The 5 built-in Equalizer modes are noticeable changing the sound. The volume
control is very fine with 55 steps. It still sounds great on the
maximum volume. So definitely the Diva Gem is a solid MP3 Player
like the Jens
of Sweden or Vandisori.
Also the FM Tuner is working very well. With the automatic preset
the Player finds me 20 stations right away. The sound of the radio is very
good. I am actually inclined to say that the Diva Gem has the best
FM Radio sound and reception quality from all the MP3
Players I tested this year.
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| The
Diva Gem has 6 buttons and a joystick. |
Using Diva Gem as a Bluetooth Head-set
Now the Bluetooth functionality makes the Diva Gem unique, so I was
very excited to try this out. I tested it with the Sony
Ericsson T610 (provided by MaterialSpieler),
one of the view Bluetooth phones available on the US market.
Daisy Multimedia provides easy to follow instructions on how to
configure Bluetooth with the Diva Gem. In the Bluetooth settings
menu, I have to select Operation and make sure it is set to ON.
After that I need to choose the operating profile (HF/HS Mode). The
Diva Gem has 3 options there: Headset, Handsfree and Auto. I tried
Auto and that does not work with the T610. The T610 only supports
the headset profile and not the Handsfree.
The final step is to pair the T610 with the Diva Gem. To do this I
choose the Discoverable option in the Settings menu on the Diva Gem
and then use the discover function on the mobile phone. After a
couple seconds the Diva Gem shows up on the T610 as a list entry in
the paired Bluetooth devices. Last step is to type in the Diva Gem
Pin Code on the Phone (pin code: 0000) - Done.
Now I was ready to take my first call
via the MP3 Player. To test I was listening to Radio on the Diva
Gem, when a call comes in. The incoming call is notified to me with
a ring tone in my headset. Clicking the joystick button I pick up
the call. The sound quality is surprisingly good. I have the Diva
Gem hanging around my neck and the other party could her me very
well. The Diva Microphone is really very sensitive. (make sure it is
set to high sensitivity). So this is really usable. IF the phone has
voice commands stored those can be also issued through the MP3
Player and calls can be made without touching the Phone at all.
Considering that a Bluetooth
Headset is retailing for about $80, the Diva Gem is an
interesting alternative providing this as part of an MP3/FM Player
and Recorder.
More Best-selling 256MB
MP3 Players
Conclusion
Compared to the Jens of Sweden MP-300
the Diva Gem is as good in MP3 and FM functionality. Where the JOS
MP-300 has the built-in FM Transmitter the Diva Gem has the
Bluetooth functionality.
The Bluetooth capability sets the Diva apart and it really works and
the Diva can be used as a Bluetooth headset replacement.
I don't have a Bluetooth headset available to compare right now the
sound quality. We try to get one in the next couple of weeks. We are
also going to test the Diva Gem in a Car to see if we can hook it up
to the Car Stereo with an FM
Transmitter or a cassette
adapter to create a free-speak system in the Car.
How to Buy
Beware when you try to buy a Diva Gem. There are
currently models on the market that do not have the Bluetooth
feature!
In the US prices start at $199 at Technipeal.
In the UK the 128MB version sells for £129.00 and the 256MB
version for £169.00 at Amazon.co.uk.
Based on a list we got from Daisy Multimedia the following
stores carry the Diva Gem with Bluetooth:
USA:
www.technipeal.com
www.coolmp3store.com (the
Bluetooth version is not avail. yet)
If you see the Bluetooth version on sale
in the US please email us.
Canada:
www.wiredunderground.com
www.brightesthorizons.com
UK:
Amazon.co.uk 128MB
- £129.00
Amazon.co.uk
256MB - £169.00
Germany:
www.mp3-player.de
France:
www.surcouf.fr
Sweden:
www.dustin.se
Norway:
www.wlansupply.no
South Africa:
www.mp3direct.co.za
Hungary:
www.infopatika.hu
Australia:
www.calgear.com.au
Slovenia:
www.ram2.si
Croatia:
www.formel.hr
Estonia:
www.beesting.ee
Shop for other Bluetooth
Headsets!
About Daisy Multimedia
Daisy
Multimedia is a leader in the development of new digital
products.
The company's main trends are development and implementation of the
latest technologies in digital consumer devices: MP3 players,
Digital Still Cameras and Digital Satellite Receivers.
Features
- built-in memory (up to 256MB) and
MMC/SD card slot
- Multiformat support: MP3 and AMR
- FM tuner integrated, live capture
from the radio function directly in AMR
- Bluetooth Hands-free feature*
- Backlit graphic LCD and easy
navigation through menus and play lists
- Multilanguage menu
- Various playback modes
- 5 equalizer presets & one
5-band custom
- Sensitive mic, voice operation
recording (VOR), file folder system
- Over 14h continuous play on the
Li-Ion battery
- Embedded charger, charges via USB
or DC
- USB Removable Drive when connected
to PC or Mac
- Driver-free for Windows 2000/Me/XP
Bundles Accessories
- USB cable
- earbuds necklace
- 3.5mm/RCA line-in cable
- Necklace for Player
- AC Adaptor
- CD
- Manual
Specifications
MP3:
Decoder engine: Audio DSP
Music decoders: MPEG1/2/2.5 Layer 3
Bitrates supported: 8-320 kbps, VBR
Sample rates supported: 8 - 48 kHz
Security: Easy Upgradeable to support SDMI
Play Modes:
Repeat off, All, One, Playlist
Audio Controls: Bass / Treble Control: 4-level-boost
Equalizer: 5 fixed presets: ( Rock, Pop, Latin, Jazz, Flat ),
One 5-band custom
Volume control: 55 levels, Analog, Digital
Display type: Backlit Graphic LCD
FM radio:
Frequence range: 87.5 - 108 MHz
Presets: 20
Tuning: auto/manual
Encoding: MP3 44.1kHz/128kbps or 22.05kHz/64kbps
General:
Storage: Internal memory: up to 256MB flash memory
External Media: SD/MMC
Data exchange: USB 1.1 compatible
Connectivity: USB 1.1; (USB 2.0 compatible)
USB Drivers:
Win 98; Driver free for Win Me / 2000 / XP / Linux 2.4.19 / Mac OS 9.1 and above
Power: 450 mAh Li-Ion battery, embedded charger
Battery life: More than 20 hrs per charging
Dimensions: 86 x 32 x 20 mm
Weight: 25 g without battery
Info from Daisy MM Specifications
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