The Mobiblu, in fact, contains a score of useful features that the Shuffle, Nano, Mini, regular iPod - or even the new video iPod introduced yesterday - lack. Competing non-Apple players offer some of the features found on the Mobiblu, but nothing as of yet offers an all-in-one solution in such a visually compelling pint-sized package as this little wonder.
You can't really begin a review of the Mobiblu, in fact, without first marveling at the size. About twice the size of a playing dice, you can't grasp the full impression of the Mobiblu until you hold it in your hand. This thing is really, really tiny. Looking like some sort of device of the future, the Mobiblu garners reaction just about every time I pull it out. In fact, during a recent FilmForce interview with George Clooney I used the Mobi to record the interview. Clooney himself was highly impressed, picking it up and staring into it as he was being simultaneously recorded by it. Listen to the actual clip recorded on the Mobi by clicking below:
Clooney clip.
The Mobiblu comes packaged in a small cube-sized box. Housed within is the device, a small rubber case that fits onto the Mobi to protect the edges, a set of headphones, the USB adapter and a necklace that allows you to wear the cube and headphones as techno-chic jewelry. The included headphones are decent, but as with most mp3 players, I quickly opted for higher end choices.
The layout of the Mobiblu is fairly simple. The front of the cube features a diminutive LCD screen with green text on a black background. It's tiny but still easy to read. During music playback, the screen displays scrolling track info, battery life, track number, bit rate time and more. The left side of the device has two buttons - menu and hold. The menu button is used to access a wide variety of features within the menu system. The flip side - on the right of the device - houses the play, forward, reverse, volume and enter buttons. The layout of this section is nearly identical to the shuffle. On the top is the headphone jack, which also serves dual purpose as the USB connection port via an included conversion cable.
Like the shuffle, the Mobi comes in two sizes (512 mb, which holds about 120 songs, and the 1 gb, which holds roughly 240). The Mobi is also available in six different colors. From there, the shuffle adds a score of feature and options the Shuffle lacks. First off, there is of course the aforementioned screen. It's nothing fancy, but it gives you the basic info and makes it easy to find the track you are looking for via playlists or clicking through the tracks one by one. Shuffle users are likely familiar with the trial and error system of desperately scrolling through the openings of song after song to get to the one you're after. Mobi gives you all the info you need to quickly find that Kelly Clarkson song you were looking for.
Next is a feature iPod users have been demanding for years to the deaf ears of Steve Jobs: An FM tuner. Yep, that's right, you can now tune in radio as an alternate to music, and the reception is actually pretty good. You can scan through seeking available stations or set your favorites. Your headphones (either the included buds or after market) serve as the antenna.
My favorite feature is the included voice recorder. There is no add-on required to record. Just go to the record setting in the menu, press enter and Mobiblu is recording. Depending on the bit rate you choose to record at, the Mobi can hold a ton of voice records with surprisingly high audio reproduction. It can be used for quick memos or even full interviews (I've had it recording for up to a half hour at a time). You could likely even hide this thing somewhere to record a concert, but you didn't hear that from me. I've been using it to record all my FilmForce interviews since I got it, and it hasn't failed me once. I can't say the same for the full size iPod, which requires an additional third-party add-on that is highly unreliable. Using two different iPods as well as the Belkin and Griffin voice recording attachments, I've lost so many interviews that I now only use the iPod as a backup. The Mobi recording capabilities are trustworthy enough to go it alone.
Available options and settings are the areas where the Mobi really shines. Besides the preset graphic equalizer settings like Rock, Jazz, etc. the Mobi also lets you customize your own equalizer settings and save them. There are settings for Trubass (extra bass when needed) and even for speaker size to adjust the output as needed. The Mobi gives the discriminating and picky (guilty and guilty) plenty to pick from and customize to personal tastes.
On the flip side of the customizable options is the Mobi's biggest drawback. In terms of audio fidelity, it doesn't quit live up to the Shuffle, which offers surprising audio accuracy despite its extreme lack of options. Using the included Mobiblu headphones or the iPod buds that come with the Shuffle, you won't likely notice much of a difference. On higher end headphones, such as my Shure EC-3's used for this review, the difference is pretty clear. The Shuffle offers up a more balanced array of highs and lows and sounds cleaner and generally more pleasing to the ear. The Mobi doesn't sound bad on the better headphones, but it isn't the full-fledged audio experience of the Shuffle.
Another minor additional downside is the included USB cable, which is the only way to hook it up to a computer for charging or music uploading. The plug is bigger than the cube itself, so as small as this sucker is, you generally need to have the cord with you if you think you might run out of juice.
Battery life is decent, but a bit shy of the Shuffle. Playing music only without a lot of button mashing, the Mobi plays for about ten hours. Voice recording diminishes the life much quicker.
The buttons are tiny, but generally easy to use. With some practice, most won't find them too tricky. If you have especially thick fingers, you may have a different reaction.
The other issue with the Mobi is the lack of a proprietary music organization and transfer tool such as iTunes. The included disc only installs a program allowing you to update the firmware, but nothing is included to make transfer cleaner. Plugging the Mobi into your computer brings it up as a flash drive on your hard drive. Like most players, the unit also serves as a storage device for any file you'd like it to hold. To get music onto the player, you simply need to drag music into the window. You can also create separate folders for playlists. This isn't brain surgery, but it isn't that clean either. It took me a bit to get used to the layout and get my songs on there in the order I wanted. The windows interface, both on the device and within the folder that pops up upon plug in, is just ugly. There's no two ways about it. iTunes may not be a necessity, but it sure does look pretty and make music organization simpler.
Packing so much into such a tiny housing is a feat in itself. You are guaranteed to get looks when you pull out this thing and listen to your tunes or record someone. There are also some sleuth-like possibilities, as only the most technologically informed (geeks like me) would have any idea this thing could actually record something. One of the best aspects of the Mobi is that it doesn't tie you down to a certain computer or a specific file type. It plays just about everything (outside of Apple's AAC or Lossless) and can be plugged right into any computer.
Choosing an mp3 player these days takes time and research. Just about every player has its various strengths and weaknesses. There is the never-ending argument of form versus function, particularly when discussing the Apple devices. The iPod line is by far the easiest to use, but subsequent updates lack obvious features such as built in voice recording, an FM tuner (both easily fit into the Mobi) or my biggest hope: Bluetooth.
All in all, the Mobiblu DAH-1500i is a highly impressive device. There is nothing comparable in this price range for the size and array of features. The design is attractive and the large choice of colors is a nice touch. Those looking for an all in one device in as small of a package as possible will likely find everything they need here.