The packaging is pretty neat, it's a cubed box that is made to look like the Mobiblu. You can see the player in the front behind clear plastic, it looks tiny. When I opened the box, I was blown away by how small this thing is. I love the reflective screen and the sleek body, I have the black one. The box comes with a small CD with drivers, the manual, the earphones/necklace, two foam earpads, the USB cable, a protective case, and the actual player. The MP3 Cube is made of aluminum (I'm pretty sure) and feels very sturdy and solid. The buttons are very firm and not flimsy, they have a loud click when you press them.
I looked through the manual and it said to charge for 3 hours for a full charge, so I did just that. The USB cable plugs into the 3.5 mm heaphone jack. The manual also mentioned that the player can get 10 hours under the following conditions: playing an MP3 encoded at 128kbps, 44.1 Khz, volume set no higher than 20, and LCD off. Those actually seem to be fairly realistic conditions since 128kbps is the minimum bit rate most people have, 20 volume is loud enough for most people, and the display turns off automatically after a while (you can change the time it takes to turn off or have it never turn off). I got about 5-6 hours on my first charge, though I used the screen A LOT and turned it on and off frequently. I also listen to all 192 kbps or greater files.
While it was charging, my PC detected the Mobiblu Cube as a USB mass storage device. I was able to copy and paste mp3s immediately without installing any drivers or software. I noticed that it transfers files just as fast if not faster than my High Speed USB 2.0 flash drive (Sandisk Micro). There are 2 Mobiblu techno like mp3s included with the player. It can also understand fairly deep file folders.
When it was done charging, I gave it a test run. I turned the player on and noticed the bright OLED display; it looks incredible. The sound quality seemed just decent with the included headphones; however, after adjusting the EQ settings and using different headphones (Sennheiser PC150, the only ones I had around at the time), I noticed a huge improvement in sound quality. I would say it's very good, but not great; it's comparable to most other good quality flash based players.
I messed around with the settings and noticed that the menus/controls are fairly intuitive and easy to navigate. The manual is thorough and fairly detailed. I expected it to be useless and full of horrible engrish, but it was easy to understand and had diagrams and words to explain almost everything.
I think some people were worried about its small size. It is very easy to hold in one hand to control its functions. The buttons are big enough for fairly large hands like mine. The screen is surprisingly easy to read, the words aren't too small. I can read everything from over one ft. away. If you keep the headphones attached, it'll be hard to lose the thing.
I carried the Mobiblu Cube around with me for a few days. The included flexible case does a good job at protecting it, the case is made out of a similar material to the Ipod skins (silicone). The included earphones/necklace is very well designed, there are rings that keep the earphones from moving around when you're not listening to them. The cube is small and light enough to wear around your neck comfortably unless you're running, it bounces around too much when you run. If you want to put it in your pocket, you're going to need 3rd party headphones since the included earphones' cord isn't long enough. The mp3 player feels unobtrusive in my loose pants, I usually don't even notice it there, unlike my cell phone. However, if you wear tight pants, it might feel uncomfortable in your pocket.
The Mobiblu Cube also has other features that I should talk about. If you listen to a lot of songs that contain Asian characters, the cube will display those. There is also a one click accessible clock with date, which is pretty usefull when I don't have my cell phone with me. The radio function, however, is a disappointment. The reception is decent for a mp3 player, but if you try to wear the thing around your neck all you will probably get is static, unless you are somewhere with a very strong signal. Only when it is away from your body will it get decent reception. You can record off the radio too, if you want. The voice recording is pretty good as long as your source is decently loud and at least a few feet away. The bit rate is variable. I really liked the SRS WOW sound settings along with the user defined EQ settings. You can adjust the sound to your listening style. There is also a playlist function within the player. A lot of settings can be adjusted like how long the OLED stays on, how long it takes to sleep, if there's fade in between songs, how fast the title scrolls across the screen, etc.
Overall, I really like the Mobiblu Cube, though there are a few gripes here and there. After the initial new gadget euphoria, the player is still very good. Though the Ipod Shuffle is a bit currently available for a bit cheaper, the extra features on the Mobiblu make up for the price.
Pros:
Looks
Size
OLED Display
Has Radio, Voice Recorder, Clock/Date
USB 2.0
Simplicity, Ease of use
USB Mass Storage Device (Drag and drop)
Good sound quality
displays Asian characters
SRS WOW EQ settings
Good manual
Plays DRM (with at least Walmart's)
Easily Upgradable firmware
Cons:
Poor sound quality earphones
Earphones too short to put player in pants pocket
Tight fit in pocket with tight pants
Necklace not good if running
Lower battery life than a lot of other mp3 players
Poor radio reception when next to body
Black one (not sure of others) attracts fingerprints like crazy
Links:
Official Site
The only place so far to buy it
Picture Gallery - This version is sold in Asia, it is slightly different and the pics don't do the screen justice.
Review 1
Review 2
Review 3
I looked through the manual and it said to charge for 3 hours for a full charge, so I did just that. The USB cable plugs into the 3.5 mm heaphone jack. The manual also mentioned that the player can get 10 hours under the following conditions: playing an MP3 encoded at 128kbps, 44.1 Khz, volume set no higher than 20, and LCD off. Those actually seem to be fairly realistic conditions since 128kbps is the minimum bit rate most people have, 20 volume is loud enough for most people, and the display turns off automatically after a while (you can change the time it takes to turn off or have it never turn off). I got about 5-6 hours on my first charge, though I used the screen A LOT and turned it on and off frequently. I also listen to all 192 kbps or greater files.
While it was charging, my PC detected the Mobiblu Cube as a USB mass storage device. I was able to copy and paste mp3s immediately without installing any drivers or software. I noticed that it transfers files just as fast if not faster than my High Speed USB 2.0 flash drive (Sandisk Micro). There are 2 Mobiblu techno like mp3s included with the player. It can also understand fairly deep file folders.
When it was done charging, I gave it a test run. I turned the player on and noticed the bright OLED display; it looks incredible. The sound quality seemed just decent with the included headphones; however, after adjusting the EQ settings and using different headphones (Sennheiser PC150, the only ones I had around at the time), I noticed a huge improvement in sound quality. I would say it's very good, but not great; it's comparable to most other good quality flash based players.
I messed around with the settings and noticed that the menus/controls are fairly intuitive and easy to navigate. The manual is thorough and fairly detailed. I expected it to be useless and full of horrible engrish, but it was easy to understand and had diagrams and words to explain almost everything.
I think some people were worried about its small size. It is very easy to hold in one hand to control its functions. The buttons are big enough for fairly large hands like mine. The screen is surprisingly easy to read, the words aren't too small. I can read everything from over one ft. away. If you keep the headphones attached, it'll be hard to lose the thing.
I carried the Mobiblu Cube around with me for a few days. The included flexible case does a good job at protecting it, the case is made out of a similar material to the Ipod skins (silicone). The included earphones/necklace is very well designed, there are rings that keep the earphones from moving around when you're not listening to them. The cube is small and light enough to wear around your neck comfortably unless you're running, it bounces around too much when you run. If you want to put it in your pocket, you're going to need 3rd party headphones since the included earphones' cord isn't long enough. The mp3 player feels unobtrusive in my loose pants, I usually don't even notice it there, unlike my cell phone. However, if you wear tight pants, it might feel uncomfortable in your pocket.
The Mobiblu Cube also has other features that I should talk about. If you listen to a lot of songs that contain Asian characters, the cube will display those. There is also a one click accessible clock with date, which is pretty usefull when I don't have my cell phone with me. The radio function, however, is a disappointment. The reception is decent for a mp3 player, but if you try to wear the thing around your neck all you will probably get is static, unless you are somewhere with a very strong signal. Only when it is away from your body will it get decent reception. You can record off the radio too, if you want. The voice recording is pretty good as long as your source is decently loud and at least a few feet away. The bit rate is variable. I really liked the SRS WOW sound settings along with the user defined EQ settings. You can adjust the sound to your listening style. There is also a playlist function within the player. A lot of settings can be adjusted like how long the OLED stays on, how long it takes to sleep, if there's fade in between songs, how fast the title scrolls across the screen, etc.
Overall, I really like the Mobiblu Cube, though there are a few gripes here and there. After the initial new gadget euphoria, the player is still very good. Though the Ipod Shuffle is a bit currently available for a bit cheaper, the extra features on the Mobiblu make up for the price.
Pros:
Looks
Size
OLED Display
Has Radio, Voice Recorder, Clock/Date
USB 2.0
Simplicity, Ease of use
USB Mass Storage Device (Drag and drop)
Good sound quality
displays Asian characters
SRS WOW EQ settings
Good manual
Plays DRM (with at least Walmart's)
Easily Upgradable firmware
Cons:
Poor sound quality earphones
Earphones too short to put player in pants pocket
Tight fit in pocket with tight pants
Necklace not good if running
Lower battery life than a lot of other mp3 players
Poor radio reception when next to body
Black one (not sure of others) attracts fingerprints like crazy
Links:
Official Site
The only place so far to buy it
Picture Gallery - This version is sold in Asia, it is slightly different and the pics don't do the screen justice.
Review 1
Review 2
Review 3
I was thinking of getting one myself ...
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