Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
What a completely useless piece of kit, 20 Sep 2007
Well I read the reviews about the A200 and was impressed by the concept of an mp3 player combined with an fm transmitter facility, so thought it would make a nice in car unit. So, I ordered one and when it arrived I got it out of its box and tried to load some content onto it. What a user unfriendly piece of kit it is! Read the manual (badly written/translated) but could't understand the initial error messages it came up with. Eventually managed to get it connected via USB to a pc, and downloaded a few wma tunes to the device. These sounded like they were being played underwater. I then copied a few mp3's onto the unit, but after plenty of fiddling with the tiny controls on the A200 I just couldn't find where on earth the files were, assuming they ever made it that far. So I gave up and mentally put the A200 into the just too hard to be arsed pile, a bit like a 1990's vcr. I'm sure if I spent more time RFTM'ing I'd make the damn thing work, but hey life's too short!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Better than I'd expexted, 21 Jan 2009
Yes, you do have to read the manual, more than once, but a joint degree in chinese and computing - though probably useful - isn't essential.
Basically, it does a great job of FM-transmitting mp3/wma tracks to your car radio; much more powerful than any of the many stand-alone transmitters I'd previously attached to my Rio player, but you need to have the earphones connected (acts as an aerial) to get the best signal, or use the 12v adapter provided rather than the internal battery when driving.
Also the sound quality is very good, though you need to select the best Equaliser setting for your taste first. The built-in FM receiver was also very clear as regards sound, though less than clear how to operate it from the manual. Even plays jpeg photos, and videos (after converting to SMV format; not easy to locate the required software but just google video2smv.exe to find a download). Earphones supplied weren't too bad either. Not top of the range, but every bit as good as an i-pod's.
But to continue a comparison of the Netac with an i-pod would be daft. It's completely different, other than they both play music. Basic is the only way to describe the Netac's operating system; best to just think of it as a clever memory-stick. It will shuffle/repeat etc, but only within a selected folder (which you'll need to create, when it's connected to a PC/Mac).
The screen graphics were created by the Teletubbies, who also had a hand in translating the manual, but once you get used to it there's not a lot to get wrong in operating the A200. I've got the 4Gb model, which has more than enough capacity for in-car listening, unless you were planning to drive to China, where you may need to return the player if it develops a fault later in life. On that issue, there's a fascinating trouble-shooting guide (eg. 'If player doesn't connect properly to PC, make connect properly'); stunning in its simple yet effective advice.
Overall, then, if you want something fancy and expensive to wow your friends, surf the web and make you look cool, get an ipod Touch; if you want something that's inexpensive and works great in a car, you're prepared to read a brief though strangely worded manual, cope with hybrid on-screen language, and fiddle around a bit initially, get this. Will it last long before breaking? Hope so!
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