Creative Nomad MuVo² 4GB

Conclusion

As a compact MP3 player with bags of storage capacity, you're on to a winner with the MuVo². 4GB of storage space in such a small device can't be bad, Hitachi's MicroDrive 1" format the genius behind the implementation. Battery life is good, comparable to its chief rivals and the software is simple to use.

The unit is also has a dual use, as a portable mass storage device. Plug the MuVo² into its USB2.0 cable and Windows will assign it a drive letter and you can make use of any spare storage you find on it. You can create folders, put anything you like in them and do whatever you want with them, as you'd use a hard disk. Effectively that makes it a high capacity memory key, provided you carry around the cable. It requires no drivers in Linux (2.4 kernel up) or Windows Me upwards to function, all you need is a USB2.0 port. You get two cables in the box with the MuVo², one long, one short. Leave the long one at home with your PC and use the short one for portable data storage.

It does have downsides though. If you're using it in the carry pouch, you have no access to volume or a hold function, or power, never mind back or forward track navigation. I'd love to see little buttons on the top edge, or a side edge and put a gap in the pouch, for some of those those functions. Removing it from the carry pouch every time you want to turn it on or off is annoying at times. Of course, you could always carry it bare, but the pouch is there for a reason. You can get control functions on different earbuds, but that's more cost. They could do with being on the main unit.

And the earbuds aren't brilliant either, they're a little big for my liking and their roundness means they weren't too comfortable a fit. I think everyone would agree that a more ergonomic design will sit better in their precious lugs.

Price is its saviour however. At £143.22 including dreaded VAT from Scan, it's just about the cheapest multi-GB MP3 player on the market, the MicroDrive in the Muvo² worth more than that on its own.

Everyone I show the MuVo² to wants one, and at less than £150 they're snapping them up straight away. You get good capacity and small size for little money.

If you have the cash, consider it immediately. Do you really need 30GB of tunes on the move, especially with a 10 hour battery life? I didn't think so. This Microdrive-powered wonder impressed me and I think it'll definitely impress you too.