After rehabbing a sports injury I finally got the all-clear to head back to the gym. To give myself some incentive I've decided to get portable MP3 players fom my Girlfriend and myself.

I like the simplicity of the MuVo but for my purposes it's a little too simple a device (no LCD, bad Headphones, No EQ, etc.) I'm also no too crazy about some of the reviews I've read.

I've narrowed it down to either the NEX IIe or the Comotron C3310-64/128.

The NEXX is a better unit I think but it's a little more pricy and comes with no memory!!!. The Comotron device is less expensive but it's power features can't compare and no ID3 tag support.

Is it worth the extra money for something that will probably only be used at the track/gym?

If you like the MuVo but can't get past the lack of LCD, look at this. I cannot speak for this product since I have never used one, but it seems like a MuVo knock-off with LCD.

My friend has the Nex II and likes it a lot. I personally think it's bulky for what it is.

Cool! Don't know how I missed this one. What is the battery-life of one of these?

I have no idea. Here is the official website:
http://www.waowa.com/

It seems to need its own storage driver, which undermines the appeal vs. Muvo which uses the generic mass storage driver from Windows. Cool looking unit though.

-Zeke

Agreed. Other than that it's perfect.

I bought my girlfriend the Nex II so she could run with it. She loves it, but I have a few complaints. The battery cover is going to break sooner than later, and that will be a serious pain. The connection that holds it on is very poorly designed. The "skins" thing is a bit tacky. This will never be used and the clip that holds the skin cover on will also break soon I'm sure. Also, the carry case that it comes with has a loop on the back of it so you can put a strap through it and strap it to your arm or whatever...the loop is now starting to rip, so now she has to get another carry case.

other than those few complaints, the player works great and is very easy to use.

Thanks for the info that helps. Are the headphones as bad as reviewed? If I have to get the player, memory, headphones, a new case and worry about the battery cover (you're not the first one to complain) it might not be worth it. I'd like to spend the extra money improving the player not just making it work.

The GrooveStick looks like just about the ultimate in this sort of product.

• 128MB of memory.
• Supports MP3 and ADPCM
• 12 hour battery life
• FM transmitter (I think this is a separate unit that comes with)
• voice recorder
• backlit LCD
• powered by a single AAA battery

Sounds pretty snazzy. And, according to PC World, it's about $179.

The GruveStick looks compleetly identical to the one that rob pointed out earlier. Nice to know there are two people selling them so there's more chance of decent drivers. I can't find a single review or first hand account of somone that has actually touched one yet though. One press-rease based story mentioned not needing software to use it, so I'm interested to hear what drivers it requires.

I'm one postive review away from ordering one. Otherwise my sister will be getting a nice Rio for christmas.

Matthew

I like this description:

storage capacity for 15 MP3s or 44 floppies worth of data

It's all about picking the right thing to compare to

I have had a NEXII for a year or more and I am very happy with it. The headphones are not bad, it can take CF or IBM Microdrive. The neoprene case is okay and the belt clip on the back is still attached on mine. I like it because of the price, $100 for mine, and its simplicity; it did not require any software installation on my computer.

I agree with the comment about the battery cover. Mine is still okay, I baby it, but it seems only a matter of time before it breaks.

Michael

In reply to:

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One press-rease based story mentioned not needing software to use it, so I'm interested to hear what drivers it requires.

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I'm sure it acts as a USB host which means that it simply appears as a drive in recent flavors (Me, 2000, XP) of Windows with built in drivers. I know USB host also works with Mac and Linux but I don't know what form it takes in those O/S's.

I have a PenDrive that I keep on my keychain. I've found it to be a tremendously useful thing to carry around. I can easily grab lots of data from just about any computer I'm likely to encounter.

-Dylan

Just an FYI;

I went with the comotron. Nice unit well built but not the greatest sounding thing I've heard. Tried it with better headphones, different EQ settings etc. In the end My girlfriend's RCA Kazoo sounds better... Doh!!!