In APC’s review of MP3 players last year (see APC May 2000, page 70), the Rome MP3 player was a standout, not so much for functions, build quality or features, but for its incredible versatility. APC was so impressed that later in the year it took out our annual Just Plain Cool award (APC January, page 66).
Now there is the new Rome MP3 II UP-322 player. This new unit is based on the previous model, but it has been redesigned with many improvements and new features. The main unit still looks like a cassette, but the control buttons are now arrayed across the side of the player.
One of the most notable additions is a remote control with an LCD on the headphone cord. The remote is an extension of the player, and you can use it to change equaliser settings, skip tracks and change volume. Selections are made with a handy jog button.
The readout only displays the current track and track time, not the track titles or ID3 information. This can be confusing when you forget your track selections. The screen is backlit and easy to read. The
quality of the ear-bud headphones is better than most supplied with portable players. They were clear < |
and crisp sounding, and could ’* [ easily handle maximum level volume from the player.
The player’s capacity has doubled to 64M, plus there is an MMC (multimedia card) slot for adding an extra 64M. The included software has a Windows Explorer-like interface for selecting tracks. Uploading to the player via USB is done by dragging and dropping the MP3s to the player section of the software. If you have an MMC you can toggle between it and the onboard capacity with a button. Space taken and memory remaining are displayed, and you can also change the order of uploaded MP3s.
The Rome MP3 player not only looks like a cassette, but it can function as one as well. Similar to the early discman car-adaptor kits, the magnetic head on the player allows it to function in any tape player, whether it’s in a stereo at home or in a car. You turn the Rome MP3 on, pop it in the player and
use the skip forward and backward buttons on the cassette player to select tracks. The unit comes with a rechargeable NiMH battery that is charged within the player — the earlier version has a separate charger. As a bonus for car listeners, the package comes with a cigarette lighter adaptor so you can recharge while driving.

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