M-Cody M-20 2GB
Page 5
Comparisons
| Specifications | m-cody M-20 2GB | Apple iPod nano 2GB | Creative Zen V Series 2GB | Samsung YP-Z5 2GB |
| Picture |  |
 |
 |
 |
| Dimensions (inches) (mm) |
1.3 x 3.2 x 0.30 33.5 x 80.7 x 7.5 |
1.6 x 3.5 x 0.26 40 x 90 x 6.5 |
1.7 x 2.7 x 0.63 43.5 x 67.5 x 15.9 |
1.7 x 3.5 x 0.45 42.2 x 89.8 x 11.4 |
| Weight | 31g/1.1oz | 40g/1.4oz | 43.5g/1.5oz | 56g/2.0oz |
| Capacity | 2GB | 2GB | 2GB | 2GB |
| Battery Life | 11hrs | 24hrs | 15hrs | 35hrs |
| Battery Type | Lithium Polymer | Lithium Polymer | Lithium Polymer | Lithium Polymer |
| removable? | No | No | No | No |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 20kHz | 20Hz - 20KHz | 20Hz - 20KHz | 20Hz - 20KHz |
| Signal/Noise Ratio | 65dB | No info | up to 90dB | 92dB |
| FM Tuner | Yes | No | Yes (V Plus only) | No |
| Recording | FM/Voice/Line-In | No | Voice/Line-In | No |
| Realtime Encoding | No | No | Line-In (WMA) | No |
| Connectivity | USB1.1 | USB1.1/2.0 | USB1.1/2.0 | USB2.0 |
| LCD | 1.0" 128x64 White OLED |
1.5" 176x132 65,536 colours |
1.5" 128x128 262K colours |
1.82" 128x160 |
| Specifications | m-cody M-20 2GB | Apple iPod nano 2GB | Creative Zen V Series 2GB | Samsung YP-Z5 2GB |
| OS Support | Mac OS X, Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP | Mac OS X, Windows 2000/XP | Windows XP | Windows XP |
| Formats | Audio: MP3, WMA (including DRM), OGG, WAV | Audio: AAC (including Protected), MP3, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV Picture: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD, PNG (transcoded) |
Audio:
MP3, WMA (including DRM), WAV Video: Yes, transcoded Picture: JPEG |
Audio: MP3, MP2, WMA (including DRM) Picture: JPEG |
| Upgradeable firmware | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audio effects | 4 EQ presets 2 5-band Custom EQ SRS WOW SRS TruBass |
20 EQ presets | 8 EQ presets 1 5-band Custom EQ Smart Volume Bass boost |
8 EQ presets SRS WOW Street Mode |
| Can use as external HDD? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Price (USD) correct at time of writing |
$165 | $149.99 | $124.19 $130.99 (V Plus) |
$150.70 |
Summary
| What's good | - Tiny - smaller than Apple iPod nano - Great design, although not exactly original - USB Mass Storage class device - Great sound, highly customisable to individual taste - FM tuner, and FM/Line-In/Voice recording |
| What's bad | - User Interface could be improved - USB1.1 means slow transfer speeds - USB charging issue - Limited capacity - Short battery life - Small, monochrome screen |
Conclusion
We love the M-20's minimalist red-on-black design, and we love the smallness of it. Feature-wise, the M-20 does not disappoint either, with an FM tuner as well as recording functions. Other extra features include a text viewer and synchronised lyrics display. The UI is not as intuitive as those on Apple or Creative DAPs, and can do with some improvement. The battery life is not too impressive either, and in real-world usage, we had to charge the M-20 every one or two days. The USB charging issue is rather serious, especially since the M-20 does not come with an AC adapter. Still, USB-AC adapters such as this are not too expensive now, and it would be worthwhile to purchase one with the M-20. Also, the M-20 is a little pricey, especially considering it is not a "branded" DAP. But if you do decide to buy the M-20, then PurpleMoo's Stick It! screen protectors would be a good investment to keep the player scratch-free.
If a friendly UI or battery life is more important to you, you might want to pass this player. However, if you, like us, have fallen for the M-20's design, and are willing to live with its shortcomings, then you might want to consider this.
7 out of 10
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