Playing it cool

Life

With MP3 players hitting 60Gbyte in storage, it’s rare that a low capacity player will register as more than a blip on our radar. Not that we’re blatantly size-ist, but as self-confessed techies with a music collection that stretches into hundreds of MP3 files, a
64Mbyte player just won’t cut it.

However, Creative’s new Muvo Slim caught our attention. The credit-card-sized player has 256Mbyte of space, which can store more files than you might think. The player is compatible with MP3 and Windows Media Audio files and we managed to squeeze around 70 music tracks in a mixture of the two formats on to the player.
The Muvo Slim can multi-task with the best of them. It has a built-in FM tuner, something those of us who grew up with tape walkmans will welcome.

You can also directly record from the FM radio to your MP3 player, creating your own MP3 files. A small built-in microphone turns the device into a voice recorder. The mic may not be powerful enough to pick up long distance conversations (so scratch spy tool off your list of uses for the Muvo Slim), but it’s handy for making voice notes on the move.

For a player of this size, we were impressed with the sound quality it produced. There are four pre-programmed sound settings on the device, including rock, jazz, classical and pop, and custom option with five bands for you to play around with. 

To get music files on to the device, you can either create playlists using the Creative MediaSource software or simply drag and drop the tracks through Windows Explorer. The files are transferred through fast USB 2.0 — less time hanging around waiting for
your music to move and more time actually listening to it. Another bonus is that the battery charges from your computer’s USB port, so there is no plug-in charger to worry about, only a USB cable.

Despite the list of functions, the player weighs a very light 34g, and the controls aren’t too difficult either. The play/pause button doubles as the power switch, while there are separate buttons for volume and a scroll wheel for choosing tracks and functions.

Creative Muvo Slim – EUR*219.21
Features: MP3 player; FM radio with recording feature and 32 presets; voice recorder with built-in mic; USB 2.0 file transfer
Dimensions:
Weight: 34g
Compatibility: MP3 and WMA files
Contact: Compustore 01 450 6255

Live! Verdict
Rating: four stars
An impressive bundle given its small size. We liked the radio recording feature and the sound quality from the Muvo Slim. 

23/08/04

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