Product Description

The Creative MuVo V100 is the portable audio player for people who appreciate simplicity as well as performance. Its compact, two-piece design delivers MP3 and WMA with Lyrics support - great for joining in the music! Its player module can store up to 500 songs and a single standard AAA battery can provide up to 18 hours continuous playtime. The MuVo V100 connects to the PC via USB and supports 'drag and drop' selection of data or music. Its built-in microphone is great for voice recording.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20172 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: White
• Brand: Creative Labs
• Model: 70PF190509000
• Original language: English, French
• Dimensions: 2.30 pounds

Features

• Lightweight 2 GB flash audio player with support for MP3 and WMA formats
• Reversible, blue backlit LCD flips for viewing in either direction; holds 1,000 WMA songs
• Built-in microphone for voice recording; doubles as portable mass storage drive
• Integrated USB 2.0 connection plugs directly into PC; runs for 18 hours on AAA battery
• 5-band equalizer; measures 2.93 x 0.59 x 1.44 inches (W x H x D); 1-year parts warranty

Amazon.com Product Description
Listen to your favorite music on the go with the Creative MuVo V100 MP3 player. Sporting a handy two-piece USB flash drive design, the 2 GB player can hold up to 1,000 songs in WMA format or 500 songs in MP3 format, more than enough for a cross-country road trip or international plane flight. It's also notably compact, with a sleek white housing that measures 2.93 by 0.59 by 1.44 inches (W x H x D) and weighs only 1.16 ounces. And left-handed listeners will love the reversible, blue backlit LCD display, which flips around for easy viewing from either side.

The MuVo V100 is more than just an MP3 player, however. It also offers a drag-and- drop interface that lets you store text files, pictures, and more when connected to a PC. Simply slide the player apart, insert the USB plug into your computer, and transfer your music or data files onto the flash memory. As an alternative, listeners can record voice files via the built-in microphone. The voice recording function is the perfect way to capture seminars, meetings, song ideas, or even voice memos of your grocery list. And should you need to chase the blues away on a rainy day, you can turn to the lyric display function, which lets you sing along with your favorite artists (requires LRC files).

The MuVo V100 is outfitted with several audio extras, including a customizable five- band equalizer with four playback presets (jazz, rock, pop, and classical), a Favorites folder that shuffles all your favorite tracks while on the go, and AudibleManager support that lets you download, burn, organize, transfer, and listen to Audible audio content on your player. Other details include a volume restriction option that protects your hearing and an extra-long 18-hour runtime per AAA battery. The MuVo V100, which requires a minimum Pentium III 1 GHz or AMD Duron 1 GHz processor running Windows 2000 or XP, is backed by a one-year warranty on parts and a 90-day warranty on labor.

What's in the Box
MuVo V100 MP3 player, earphones, one AAA battery, installation CD, quick-start guide.

Customer Reviews

Here we have one of thee greatest MP3 players to date. Here's why:
About this reviewer: I listen to music a lot, but about 95% is books. I use this Creative Labs V100 MuVo mp3 player about 20 hours a week.

PRO:

1. Flash based: Meaning no HDD spinning around thousands of times a minute, movable parts=easily breakable or they wear down. Meaning you can also jog with it. I'm from the computer world, and us cats know that all HDD's fail, period. *Especially* if you're moving it all the time. We, who want something that lasts, universally stick to solid state; ie FLASH based mp3 players. 2GB is also quite nice as well. They make a 1GB version too. That's enough for most before they can get to a computer again... which brings us to:

2. Connectivity: You don't need any stupid dock, any proprietary cable; USB or Mini-USB or any cable whatsoever. :) You just pull it apart and it becomes a thumb drive, just detach and plug in any standard USB port. It really is ingenious.

3. Size: This thing is small, there are various pictures here, this one is about 1mm smaller on all sides than the CL's Zen Nanos. About the size of a 17-stick pack of gum, but thinner. This is great for jogging, it's weightless. Slip into your shirt pocket as well, without any huge bulge or weight.

4. Compatibility. You DO NOT have to use some weird 3rd party DRM CRAP software like iTunes or Windows Media crap (like you do with Ipod's or IRivers) just drag, drop & GO! If you want some of your friends songs, you don't have to load up itunes, then some hack, or your mp3 players proprietary software cluttering up your friends computer to get his or her songs. I recall a conversation I had with a friend trying to get the songs of another mp3 player "FREAK, it took me 40 minutes to find the right software that world work to get the songs off" and that's not some novice. All the software to use this mp3 player is one just about every computer on earth.

5. Storage: You plug it in you not only drop any of your mp3s/WMAs on it, you can throw some pictures, some huge files, documents, anything, and use it just like a thumb drive. And still listen to your music, it just skips the non-audio files, etc.

6. Mic. The mic is great for recording class, or conversations, just throw it on your desk or shirt pocket and there you go. Much better than the previous N200 and other Muvo's which were terrible. It's as good as the current Zen Nano's. One can easily record a class lecture by sitting it on your desk. One must crank the volume to listen to it a bit, but it's defiantly workable.

7. NON-proprietary battery: Good old AAA Normal battery, throw a few recharables in your bag, you're good to go. I don't have to "dock" it or some crap like that. They do last a VERY long time, I've gotten over 20 hours of play all the time, just listening to books with a single alkaline. With the standard Alkaline AAA batteries this runs you about $0.025 an hour. 2.5 pennies an hour to run. Use rechargeables and your cost almost disappears. I can't not emphasize enough how important this feature is! Who are you going to go to when your ipod's batteries die, and the last few months? You need to limp along not wanting to fork out a huge percentage of the current value to get it shipped to somewhere and sent back, all at your expense.

8. Yeah it has other features I don't use much, WMA playback, flip screen, customizable 5-band equalizer, playlists, Audible playback support, volume restriction option, nifty navigation scroll, blah, blah, blah.

CON:

-No Radio: The Zen Nano's have a radio, if you are so inclined, which while I have the Zen Nano as well, I never use it.

-No Bookmark feature. I listen to books for 20 hours a week. This would be nice, as I could have used it a few times. Creative! This is just a software item, make it into it!

-No Line in. If you want Line in, get a professional recorder or the Zen Nano. I just never used it, but it would be nice to have, I suppose. More is better, right?

-Doesn't come with armband like the Zen Nanos. I'm sure you can get one cheap if you want one on ebay. I use my old one, works perfect.

-Wish it came in other colors. I mean come on now CL, we get your stuff because we don't like ipods, why you gotta make the first one white! It's white against black here, give us black! I'm sure this item will be fixed soon. It's November 2006 when this was written.

I have no comment on the earbuds. They are little bit better than most, but I'm 6'6" and figure that's why no earbuds anyone has ever made, did anything but hurt my ears and/or fall out randomly. So I have my own (Sony MDR-EX81LP/B Bud-Style Stereo Earphones - Black). As most people who are serious listeners do. (have their own earbuds) I got there here, they are great; but earphones are a matter or personal physiology and audio-snob preference. :)

I don't hate ipods, they are really sessy, but they are just not for me. I could list reasons why I can't like ipods but they are just too freaking expensive for too few bells and whistles. I mean, if you look at my "pro" list, the ipod nano is somewhat small and flash based, but that's it. I don't want to use some crap software, crap dock/cable, expensive battery, short battery life span, can't store anything else, and I don't need to see stupid 200X200 pixel color screen, sucking down the battery all the time as well, I just need to know what's playing and navigate around. (The V100 screen is simple & nice with a back-lit blue screen) Why should I pay twice as much more for an ipod, when it doesn't even get close to HALF the features?

So, I will give it a 9.5/10. But in reality, nothing else touches it. The bookmark feature is the only thing I miss, but that's because I listen to books 95% of the time.

Not an Upgrade over the Nano Plus
I own the Creative 1GB Nano Plus with FM tuner, and it is one of the best flash players out there. It is small, beautifully designed, and full of features. The only problem was that I outgrew the 1GB size, so I thought what could possibly be better than having a later version of it and a 2GB size? Well, this MuVo works like an earlier generation of Creative's mp3 players, not like a newer generation.
- I was warned about the transfer speed, but I figured I only transfer music onto the player once every 3 or 4 months. It takes about 90 minutes to transfer 1.85 GB (that's the maximum capacity). My 1GB Nano Plus took about 15 minutes (so 30 minutes if a 2GB version of it existed).
- For some reason, my Nano Plus also sounds far better than this player. The sound is flat on this player. I tried adjusting the custom equalizer to match my Nano Plus's custom EQ settings, but the sound is inferior compared to the Nano Plus.
- I'm not a fan of the default folders labelled A, B, C, D on this MuVo. On my Nano Plus, I created my own folders. I can also do that with the MuVo, but anything outside of the lettered folders is considered part of the root folder, and I can only keep a combined 500 files outside of the lettered folders. In other words, you'll have to keep at least some files in the lettered folders, and you'll have to remember whether your audio book is in generically labelled Folder B or C. When you select one of the labelled folders, it automatically plays the first file of the first folder by default instead of letting you select the subfolder within the lettered folder before playing. Not as easy or intuitive to manage your folders as the Nano Plus.
- The player is lighter than the Nano Plus, but it is also slightly wider and longer. And the plastic feels very cheap. The USB drive that detaches from the battery is not easy to remove, and you have to crush the LCD screen to even get a grip on it.
- The only positive of this player over the Nano Plus is that there is a "favorites" option where you can tag any track that is playing (by holding down the scroll wheel for a few secs) as a favorite. This acts like a built-in favorites playlist which can span across folders.
- I suggest you buy the Nano Plus if it's still available and you don't need 2GB (2GB holds about 600 songs with an average VBR of 128kps in WMA format for me). And the Nano Plus also has an FM tuner which this MuVo lacks.

Slow Transfer Speed
This device is easy to use, small, and not ugly. I am largely satisfied with it, except for one drawback: its transfer speed is far slower than I expected. It transfers at the speed of a USB 1 device. I am not the only person to have this problem: check out the forums over at Creative's website for confirmation (forums dot creative dot com, search for "muvo v100 slow transfer").

The Muvo V100 is advertised as USB 2.0, but as Wikipedia points out in the "Transfer Speed" section of its article "Universal Serial Bus": "Though Hi-Speed devices are commonly referred to as "USB 2.0", not all USB 2.0 devices are Hi-Speed...All devices are tested according to the latest spec, so recently-compliant Low Speed devices are also 2.0."

THE CREATIVE MUVO V100 TRANSFERS AT USB 1 SPEEDS: 12 Mbit/s as compared with Hi-Speed USB2.0's 480 Mbit/s.