NEXTAR MP4 8GB 16 9 WIDESCREEN PLAYER

• PLAYER NIC

For the price and what it does this is a great bargain. Bear in mind I've only been using this for about 2 1/2 months now. If Amazon let me rate 4.5 stars I may have rated this at that score.

If you are looking for something with speakers please use common sense and look at the size of this item. This item must be used with headphones and anyone who expects great speaker sound really needs a wake up call. This thing is only like 1/4 inch thick! See the 2 tiny holes on the left? Those are the external speakers. Use this with headphones or earbuds. The sound quality and volume are EXCELLENT with my Sennheiser CX 400 earbuds!

I walked into a local store and was going to get a Coby mp4 player on a whim. I was talked into trying this by the salesman showing me the bigger screen and a slot for a micro SD card for more memory. Since this unit was under $60.00 I figured I'd give it a try and return it if it was junk. I still have it and am glad I didn't read the specs first.

The first thing I did after filling the internal 8 gigs of storage was to stick a 4 Gig micro SD card in and fill that up too. I later learned the specs say this takes only up to a 2 gig micro SD card. BIG TIME WRONG! I now have an 8 Gig (class 1) micro SD card in this unit working perfectly for a total capacity of 16 Gigs!! When prices of 16 Gig class 1 micro SD cards get cheaper I'll try one of those to see if this unit will hold up to 24 Gigs. No, this unit does not max out at 10 Gigs maximum as the specs state. So far I've gotten it to max out at 16 Gigs and hopefully more later.

The device is as small (maybe smaller) as a box of Chiclets and even thinner. It plays mp3s, mp4s, records audio, has an FM receiver that actually picks up stations better than my clock radios at home, displays pictures and has a slideshow function, and can be used as an e-reader with text files. We live up against a mountain and am surprised at the FM reception which is great. I don't use the included headphones. I've been using Skull Candy and the Sennheiser CX 400 in ear earbuds both of which are comfortable and the sound quality is excellent with this unit.

It has a ton of features to sort your music by artist, genre, favorites and more. It also comes with a fairly extensive EQ system suitable for all tastes.

It plays MP4s well although the included software is absolute crud. You can get around that by going to CNet and downloading Quick Media Converter which is free and converts all manner of media and you can set the output to fit this or any other MP4 player's screen size. Playback is flawless. With the Quick Media Software I can load tons of movies, videos, or whatever and since this unit can take up to, at least, a class 1 8 Gig micro SD card you can cram a lot of stuff in this puppy. You just plug this into your PC or laptop and drag files over.

If you want to read on this unit simply convert whatever you have to a .txt (text) file and you will be off and reading. Font size is adjustable and text color can be changed from white to green or red. White over blue background is a tad hard to read. This thing even comes with bookmark functions for bookmarking up to 5 different things you are reading.

Man this thing does nearly everything! For the price I am truly surprised at all of the things that this tiny device does. I can't justify spending $250.00 for an 8 Gig iWhatever or Zune when this does the same and more for a significantly cheaper price.

The unit is a fingerprint magnet but that doesn't bother me because I just wipe the screen. It doesn't have a carrying case so you may want to get one later for the cord, unit, and headphones.

I cannot vouch on battery time as I haven't had time to run this for hours on end yet.

It takes a little time to learn to use the buttons properly as a quick push engages a function while a longer depress backs out of the menu but you'll catch on quickly.

It comes with the USB charger and media transfer cord, headphones (cruddy), and good instructions. Heck, it can even be used as an external storage device for your computer.

I was really very leery when I got this and was ready to return at the drop of a hat but am extremely happy and truly surprised with everything this unit can do. Other than the included MP4 conversion software (you can get a better conversion program free) and lack of carrying case I think this little gadget is darned good for the inexpensive price, all the things it was created to do, and the fact you can actually increase storage to at least 16 Gig (by my experience) so far.

This is an amazing multipurpose MP4 player that more than lives up to my expectations. The only reason I rated it a 4 is due to the crummy (included) MP4 conversion software (that you can replace with the free program that is even more versatile from CNet its called Quick Media Converter) and the uncomfortable earphones. You will be surprised at what this can do for such a reasonable price. It is much much cheaper than an ithingie or a zune or even a Sansa especially due to the fact you can expand storage to at least double than what this device originally comes with.

Why waste hundreds of bucks on something when a unit like this is so inexpensive, small, and versatile? I like it and sure hope you do too!

Buy NEXTAR MP4 8GB 16 9 WIDESCREEN PLAYER Now

PROS: Good sound, FM reception, is cheap for 8 gigs and what it can do

CONS: Cumbersome menu structure, tiny type, painful buttons, video converter is hard to use and limited in types it can handle. Paint on buttons is wearing off.

In short: I like it and will buy a replacement copy if it lasts a year.

Tip: The player goes into "MediaLib update" after charging, taking 90 seconds before music can play. To save time, after doing any PC-to-player updates, "Safely remove hardware" to the player. When the battery animation shows on the player, press the Play/Pause (on/off) button. "MediaLib update" will start. When it finishes, you can listen to the player while it continues charging. Then when you pull the USB plug, you don't have to wait for the "MediaLib update".

The small battery indicator in the display's upper left hand corner shows animation when charging, is still when done charging. None of this is in the user manual.

Oddities:

1. Time of day is shown in 24hr format with no option for 12 hr am/pm

2. Vol control buttons are reversed from normal + is on left is on the right.

3. Menu button has two functions depending on how long you hold it. The Directions say press briefly to select or play, press and hold to go up the menu tree. On the press-and-hold the menu-up does not occur until you release the button. So really it is a dit-dah method like Morse code. Tap the menu button for select; linger to go up dit / dah. It takes some learning to linger long enough yet not waste time.

4. The background picture has a pattern that hinders readability has sharp break horizontally across the middle. It can't be changed. Website has no firmware update at this time 2009-09-10.

5. The highlighting scheme usually is to change the type to black on blue, making it less readable and prominent. Sometimes the change is white to yellow, still subtle. Sometimes a box highlights.

6. While the display screen has lots of space, the amount of data shown is small and the typeface is very small for most, about 0.06 inches high, about 5 pt type size.

7. The file name crawls in a narrow window when it could show all at once.

Read Best Reviews of NEXTAR MP4 8GB 16 9 WIDESCREEN PLAYER Here

This player when learning on how to use, it was very complicated, but I had to read the instructions on how to use it. Also charging it was no problem, but they should of included a A/C adapter with it. I will have to find one. The sound quality is excellent, it sounds better than my other player that takes 1 AAA battery. Sadly, the one I received it did not come with the FM radio feature, bummer. The picture quality is not bad at all for small screen more like HD quality. I was able to convert my own videos using another software with these settings, any video conversion software will do.

For Video Conversion : If you are new to this like I was. Here is the solution. You must have it set to 320 x 240, 15 frames per second, MP3 Audio (AVI Format only) 560 to 576 kbps to convert your home videos for the the video player to play back the videos. Make videos you made yourself.

For E-Books : You must only use Windows formatted text files, such as your school notes, a long story, or grocery lists you can add to your player.

For Photos : You can view JPEG, or BMP files, JPEG is recommended.

One day they should come out with one with FM radio and internet capabilities, such as web browsing. I wish this was a phone, it looks like my cell phone. They could make this a walkie talkie or phone using WiFi technology.

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I bought this product because it was thin. It is very cheaply constructed but it works.. The controls for selecting and canceling menu items are awkward and the sound can get distorted with the built in EQ.

I wouldn't recommend this product for anyone expecting quality sounds. I bought this to have when I commute to Washington, so I don't care if it accidently gets crushed by a train, or subway car. (lol)

What do you expect for ? -

The speaker volume is too low! The seller doesn't even take it back! Don't buy it!!