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08/08/2004 |
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Kiiro CA-64S 64MB MP3 Player Jewellery or miniature HiFi? Kai Chandler looks at the Kiiro CA-64S 64MB MP3 Player
One of the top uses for the internet is downloading music onto the PC. The most popular sound format is probably MP3 which stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3. It allows sound files to be compressed into much smaller files with very little loss of sound quality. There’s a wealth of music in MP3 format on the web although the quality can be quite variable. You can even convert your own tracks into MP3 format. Music on the move For music on the move, you really need a portable MP3 player. Although modern CD players also play MP3 files, you would need a CD-writer to create the media. They also suffer from being bulky and prone to skipping tracks if you want to go jogging. Digital music really comes into its own with an all-electronic device such as the Kiiro CA-64S 64MB MP3 Player.
The basic Kiiro comes with a respectable 64MB of memory – that’s sufficient for well over an hour of music although the exact amount depends on how compressed the files are. There’s also a 128MB version. A disadvantage of either model is that the memory is fixed and can not be upgraded or swapped for other memory cards. Also, the display is limited to one line and is rather small. Track names are not displayed. Easy to install Installation is very straightforward – when you connect the USB cable, Windows reports “new hardware found” and asks you to provide the installation CD. Once installed, Windows Explorer lists the Kiiro as a new Removable Disk – in my case it’s the F drive. Downloading files to or from the Kiiro is just a matter of dragging and dropping from one folder to another. You can be up and running in a couple of minutes without even reading the manual. Transferring files is quick as well – it takes around five minutes to transfer the full 64MB of data. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t use the Kiiro as a portable disk drive – it’s not difficult to back up 64MB of data files from one PC and restore it to another – as long as they both support USB. Sound quality is fairly good although the supplied headphones are not brilliant. Music can lack top and sound slightly muffled – that may be in part due to deficiencies with the lossy MP3 format. The equalizer setting permits different tone controls ie. Normal, Rock, Pop, Classic or Jazz. They had limited effect but as a purist I stuck with Normal. The Kiiro’s microphone also lets you record in voice mode. Used as a dictation machine you can record up to 4 hours with 64MB. So to sum up, the Kiiro is cracking good value at under £90 delivered. It’s stylish and functional but if you want a machine with expandable, swappable memory you should look elsewhere.
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At
first sight you might mistake it for modern jewellery – it certainly
looks the part in smart brushed aluminium. It weighs only 27g
without its single AAA battery and measures a meagre 67 x 45 x 13mm.
It even comes with a carry cord so you can wear it as a pendant
around your neck. It features a six small buttons, built in
microphone, LCD strip, USB port, headphone socket, hold switch. 