Creative Labs MuVo V100 : In-Depth Review

The MuVo V100 is Creative Labs’ latest update to the successful MuVo line of ultra-light flash players. With its thin rectangular frame and familiar LCD screen, the V100 could easily pass for Creative’s older MuVo TX or Zen Nano players in a lineup, but why mess with a good thing? At a street price of $79 for the 2GB version, the V100 provides more features at a better value than competitors like the iPod Shuffle or the Sandisk Sansa m240.

The MuVo V100 plays standard MP3 files and unprotected WMAs. It also supports Microsoft’s PlaysForSure initiative, which means that it can play DRM protected files you purchase from a wide variety of online stores, including Wal-Mart Music Downloads, AOL Music Now, Napster, Yahoo Music and at least a dozen others.

Since the V100 is not made by Apple, it cannot play songs purchased through the iTunes music store. Since it is not a Zune, it cannot play songs purchased from Microsoft’s proprietary Zune store.

Contents of the MuVo V100 Box

The V100 comes bundled with Creative’s MediaSource software, a pair of ear buds, and a disposable AAA battery. Unfortunately, Creative does not include a belt clip or armband Since Creative does not sell armbands or clips for the V100, users will have to either keep the V100 in a pocket or shop for a third-party case.

At a size of 2.93" x 1.44" and a thickness of only 0.59", the V100 fits easily in even the smallest shirt pocket. Sure, the V100 is a lot larger than iPod’s microscopic shuffle and it’s even a tad longer than Creative’s own Zen Nano, but how small does an MP3 player really need to be? The LCD screen and built-in USB connector, both key components, have to take up some space.

MuVo V100 Battery Life

Its standard battery slot gives the V100 an advantage over competitors such as the iPod shuffle which use built-in rechargeable units, because travelers can easily carry replacement batteries or buy replacements. V100 owners who want a rechargeable player, can simply purchase rechargeable AAA batteries.

In real-world use with a standard Duracell battery, the player matched Creative’s 18-hour battery life claim.

If you like to talk to yourself and record it, you’ll appreciate the V100’s built-in microphone. If you’re planning to record distant sounds, like the voice of a teacher lecturing in front of a college classroom, buy a dedicated voice recorder. In my tests, a speaking voice captured more than 10 feet from the microphone was muffled. Low-volume sounds, such as a cat’s purr, were indistinguishable from background noise, even when captured at point blank.

The MuVo V100’s best feature is its built-in USB 2.0 interface. Slide off the unit’s battery pack and you’re looking at a USB key drive with an LCD screen.

Many of the V100’s competitors – including the second-generation iPod Shuffle and Creative’s own Zen Nano – eschew the built-in USB connector and require you to connect with proprietary cables. The problems with these other players’ use of a proprietary cable are two-fold. First, you are forced to carry the wire around with you if you plan to connect to more than one computer. Second, the cables are very easy to lose and replacements may be hard to come by.

As with any USB drive, you can pop the V100 into an available port and Windows or Mac OS will recognize it as an external drive. While you will need to use Windows Media Player or Creative’s bundled MediaSource software to transfer DRM-protected songs, you can copy unprotected music files to the V100 simply by dragging and dropping them to the drive. If you have extra room after transferring all your Flock of Seagulls albums to the V100, you can pile on non-music data like the collection of high-res photos you took at last week’s Star Trek convention.

Sound Quality of the MuVo V100

With its default settings, the V100 sports a clean, even sound, free of hisses, pops, or obvious distortion. Listeners with pickier ears will appreciate the player’s graphic equalizer and bass boost settings. There are even preconfigured equalizer settings for different music genres such as rock, pop, classical, and jazz.