MSI Mega Stick 1 - The Mini Wonder

Mega Stick 1 — Supercharged USB flash drive (continued)

The buttons encompass the Mega Stick's side, predominately on the left, which can be a bit fickle to work with at times. The two major buttons remain to be the menu button/toggle and the play/pause/power on/power off button (hold down for several seconds to power down). The menu toggle acts as a track skip, while holding down the toggle acts in a seek function. The track skip gets to be a bit slow to work with because the skip time actually takes time, and holding down the toggle down too long acts in a seek function.

The controls are laid out fairly naturally, as the operation of the unit feels comfortable for an uncannily small unit. With the hand resting on the back of the Mega Stick 1, the user's thumb is able to access all of the buttons, minus the hold toggle. The operation of the unit feels oddly familiar to the use of an oversized car remote.

Besides the software to format and upgrade firmware for Windows XP, the Mega Stick 1 comes with a pair of earbud-style headphones in a neck strap that utilizes 18mm drivers. We suspect that these headphones produce a frequency response range similar to that of the headphones for the iPod (20 to 20,000 Hz). However, we do not currently have the specification information made available to us.

The neck strap functions also as a carrying device for Mega Stick 1, as it also can be used as a USB flash drive. Pressing a small metallic button on the lower part of the neck strap releases the unit, but the headphones need to be detached additionally to remove the Mega Stick 1. The headphone wires are hidden cleverly within the neck strap nylon cords, something we love to see, as this reduces the clutter and protects them from damage.

Click to enlarge.

Due to the use of USB 1.1 protocol, the Mega Stick 1 cannot be charged via the host computer. Instead, plugging in the unit will power on the unit automatically, whether the hold button is enabled or not. The ability to charge is something we would love to see in future Mega Stick models.