Creative Lab's Nomad Muvo TX - Best of the micro MP3 players
by Andrew Ku on May 27, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Mobile
Creative's Nomad Muvo TX - Under the Hood
Andrew's mini foreward: Before we proceed, I would like to make a note that the following shouldn't be attempted, unless you want to risk damaging your Muvo TX or NX or the automatic void of warranty.It took us an uncanny amount of time to meticulously take apart the Muvo TX, and I would compare it to our experience with taking apart some of the PDAs out there. The fact that the casing is epoxied didn't shorten the time of our experience. Last, but not least, we would like to thank Creative Labs for letting us take apart this incredible small and intricate MP3 player.
Click to enlarge.
Compared to a quarter, the circuit board of the Muvo TX is extremely small. (Actually, there are two circuit boards interconnected via a riser.) However, more visibly, the LCD screen is seen to be amazingly small and so is the microphone to the left of it.
Click to enlarge.
Chosen by Creative, the SigmaTel's STMP3550B is the real brains behind the Muvo TX. This is the chip that we were talking about way back during the Mega Stick 1. Its benefits, including USB 2.0, recharge capabilities, better signal management, etc., make it an ideal choice for a small profile player needing a bit of everything.
Creative's Nomad Muvo TX – A Different Kind of MP3 Player (continued)
Creative's Nomad Muvo TX – Under the Hood (continued)
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Phiro - Thursday, May 27, 2004 - link
The message is clear; without Ogg support, no dollars from Phiro!plewis00 - Thursday, May 27, 2004 - link
The only reason they say don't use rechargeables is because they are a different voltage (1.2V vs. 1.5V) and this can produce some strange results. In the past I've always used rechargeable batteries in my MP3 players and found the *only* problem with them is that the power management can't accurately read the remaining battery life left (e.g. my Nokia HDR-1, cuts out when it's been on 3 out of 5 bars for about 2 hours, but it still lasts about 5 hours for solid music which is in line with alkalines, Creative Jukebox goes down to 1 out of 3 bars quickly but will power up in this mode for hours). I think you will be fine with decent Ni-MH cells.GraemeWright - Thursday, May 27, 2004 - link
Agreed - but most manufacturers say that they do not support rechangeable batteries. I would agree if they do then it is a better option.Thanks
Warder45 - Thursday, May 27, 2004 - link
iRiver > Creative1 - You can buy rechargible batteries anywhere for alittle more cost then normal batteries. With built in batteries once it's drained you have to stop listening and recharge, with external rechargible batteries you can quickly pop in another one while the first is rechargeing.
GraemeWright - Thursday, May 27, 2004 - link
The only problem I have with most of these devices is that they do not use rechargeable power supplies. I am currently using a "No Name" player - an iBead 150 which has all the usual features of MP3 player, FM Radio, Voice and FM recording. However it has an in built battery which is charged of the USB port - you get about 14hrs of play out of a charge and weighs in at only 37g. Down side is that it is not USB2.Why don't other supplies add the support of at least rechargeable AAA?