Olympus M:robe MR-100 user reviews

Pros Slick design, VERY good touch responds contrary to what 3 other ppl say, looks way cooler than mini ipod, comes with a stand unlike mini ipod, better buy than mini ipod due to the accessories

Cons surface might be too smooth, might fall out of your hand easily; Not enough accessories out yet like a leather protector, but will come out soon...the program for downloading music sucks like iTunes

Summary Very slick design, did I mention this mp3 player looks "baller" because it's all black when the leds are off. I just got this today and I've checked over other ppl's complaints. Yes, the volume at 100% is not as loud as that of the mini ipod (my girlfriend has the mini ipod so i can make credible comparisons), it's still pretty loud enough for me. I set the volume to about 80% when I feel like listening to loud music. My ears CAN'T stand 90% volume of this thing, so...other ppl who complained might have listend to loud music too much :P

Sound quality is good. Same song on the m:robe sounds the same as ipod It's DIFFERENT than ipods, so that's a plus...

About the touch screen response...seems completely fine to me, don't know what other people are talking about 0.o Very responsive actually, works like magic


This player definitely deserves a same rating, if not higher, than the mini ipods.

Pros Style, size, weight

Cons Reliability, volume, software

Summary This was my first foray into digital players. The style of the m:robe 100 really caught my eye and I bought it on the spot. Unfortunately, it wasn't a pretty experience.

1) I had trouble downloading to it. It kept hanging up. Olympus tech support suggested using the rear USB port instead of a front one. That seemed to fix the problem, but was extremely annoying to have to go through. And no documentation found that mentioned it.

2) the volume at 100% was barely adequate for some songs. I read this in another review and my experience confirmed it. I plan to use it mostly in the noisy environment of an airplane, so this was important to me.

3) After 5 days, it simply hung up and wouldn't work. Another call to tech support confirmed it needed to be returned.

I then bought an iPod Mini instead and have had it for 5 days as well. The bottom line is that I love it. I haven't had any issues. I find the iTunes software more flexible and friendly. The size is the same, the battery has longer life, and there are accessories to be bought!

The m:robe is still the coolest looking out there. Maybe the next generation will be better.

Pros great sound, very sophisticated style, 5gb micro hard drive, optional remote, no buttons, controls are tuch sensitive.

Cons the screen is hard to see in the sun light, if you like to listen to your music load enough to blow out your ear drums then you will want a different player

Summary I have had this mp3 player for about a week and I cant imagine how I lived without it. I looked at a lot of mp3 players including the ipod and ipod mini. I desided on this player because it I felt it was more sophisticated and updated then the ipod. I would recomend this player to anyone looking for something different then the ipod

Pros Small size, attractive display, awesome firmware updates, light weight, great sounds

Cons battery display, vulnerable plastic touch screen, characters from different languages not supported

Summary While most complain about the m-trip software, I would say it's great, easy to learn. I know most would prefer the freedom of syncing songs onto their mp3 but you already get more than what you pay for in this mp3 package. You get a cradle, AC adapter, mp3 USB, Earphones with extension, the mp3 itself and of course, mtrip software.

I'll tell you the great things first then the bad afterwards:

1. Its small size is convenient for travelling with it, and yet it is light as well so you don't feel like you're carrying a bulky thing in one pocket.
2. It's red/semi-orange LCD display is attractive to the eye, different from other mp3s out there. Before you complain about your eyes watering from the brightness, you can set the contrast in the device settings.
3. The sound is amazing, I previously had a Sony mp3 player but jeezus it was crap compared to this. I've tested out other mp3 players like Zen iPod and it doesn't come as close but it's almost perfect . Volume can be increased through the firmware updates Olympus has on their site, so that problem is fixed as well.
4. Sensitive touch screen, great so you don't have to tap it so hard on the screen. The reason why you have to tap twice is because you might have to stop/pause the previous song then tap again to PLAY the new song/album/whatever you selected. It's not a glitch!
5. Shock repellent... <-- does that even make sense? I dropped it about... 5 times and even chipped the corners etc with all the grey/silver off. Still works like a charm.

Okay, onto the bad news folks.
1. The battery display is the ONLY defective thing. It will always display 100% full battery no matter what...you play your mp3 player then all of the sudden your song is just cut off then you go "***?" right? Battery is out. I think it's just there to "prettify" things heh.
2. The screen is VERY scratch sensitive. I had the protective layer for a short time, about 3 weeks then it peeled away I was sad, I tried getting a screen protector but it wouldn't stay on so I had no choice but to use it without anything to protect it. Tip: Keep it in a pocket or pouch that you can buy/make yourself.
3. I transferred Final Fantasy songs onto my mp3 and of course they have Japanese characters on the title... unfortunately the mp3 player/mtrip software can't read them when the player itself SUPPORTS different languages. Bothered me when all I read for the different songs were squares questions marks and slashes. ALIEN LANGUAGE WOO... Not.

Okay that's about it. I can definitely say this is a solid mp3 player I had it for 2 years now still works perfectly and only started to have 2 freezes so far when playing a song during this last month. Go for it if you want JUST a music/lyric player.

I know they don't make this product anymore but heh, just writing a review for fun and to get the facts straight.