Two things I hate about exercising with my current mp3 player is how the cable from the player to my earbuds is constantly bouncing around and how sweaty my mp3 player gets when I hold it with my hands. With this in mind, OTTO developed its Wireless MP3 Player Headset.
The unique concept behind the OTTO Wireless MP3 Player Headset is that it combines an mp3 player and headphones into one compact device, eliminating the wire from earpiece to mp3 player. For most people, carrying around your entire music collection in your mp3 player is overkill. 10,000 songs in the palm of your hand is great for long vacations or business trips, but not necessary for your commute or trip to the gym. Otto embraces this fact and has developed an mp3 player that has a useful form factor with the following specs:
- Supports MP3 or WMA files
- Windows XP or Vista (No Macs)
- USB 2.0 for fast downloading
- Rechargeable battery with 8 hours of play
- 512 MB memory (about 100 songs)
- Multiple equalization modes
Interface and Controls
The controls, shown below, are very simple, with no LCD screen. Available buttons include play, pause, forward, reverse and volume. Red and green LED lights display the player’s status. The tracks play in the order you loaded them. There is no shuffle, which seems like a glaring oversight. It took me some time to trust that I was pushing the right button, but once I got the hang of it, I had no problems.
Charging and Downloading
The unit connects via USB, which serves as the battery charging cable and transfer cable. It took me just under 5 hours to charge a dead unit. Plan on charging your unit overnight. Not a big deal but it would be nice to have a quicker charge. An optional AC adapter is available for purchase but is not included with the headset.
The headset also requires you to use at least Windows Media Player 10 (no iTunes) to manage and sync your music. To me this is frustrating, especially since I had never used WMP 10 before. The instruction manual with the headset assumes you are familiar with Windows Media Player 10. At least it does not have its own proprietary software.
I wish the unit functioned more as a flash drive and allowed you just to drag and drop files. Overall, this is not that big of a deal and is certainly not worth worrying about. With the relative size of the player’s storage, you won’t be managing your entire library of digital music anyway.
Who Should Buy It
The OTTO Wireless mp3 Player Headset is really targeted at people who want to listen to music for a short duration, like while commuting or exercising. If you are interested in carrying around your entire music collection, the OTTO player is probably not for you. It certainly is not a replacement for a 30gb iPod. I personally would use it during work-outs or while running.
So, should you buy it? This product is all about being wireless. If that appeals to you, than by all means, go ahead and get one. There certainly is a coolness factor to the player. The design was a hit in my office with my co-workers marveling at its simplicity.
If you are looking for a general mp3 player that is lightweight, I think there are better options. The OTTO player executes the wireless part well but there are drawbacks, like having to use WMP 10 and limited file support. Also, at a cost of $79.95, an iPod shuffle is almost the same price with double the memory.
This article originally appeared at www.zatznotfunny.com.
Sat, Nov 3, 2007
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