Product Review: Blusens' P43

While all eyes are on Blu:sens' new GPS navigation system, an upcoming gadget that allows consumers to access traffic information through satellite imagery (similar to Google Earth), the Spanish producer of high quality electronics has now released a new PMP: the P43. The P43 is one of the first to be released in the company's new PMP line.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX

Blu:sens P43
Manual
USB cable
Adapter
Stereo earphones
Software CD

FEATURES

FM Radio
Built-in microphone
Built-in speakers
WiFi Receiver for the streaming of online radios
Photo camera
E-Book
Games
Supports audio and video

DESIGN

The plastic/metal P43 is a little bigger than the size of a credit card and has a LCD screen of 320x240, which is a decent resolution to view short movie clips and photos. There are three buttons right underneath the screen, which enable the user to easily browse through the menu. On top of the player there is a hold switch. The main color of the player is silver, while the screen and its border are black.

THE GOOD

A unique addition to the Blu:sens P43 is a photo camera. Taking photos, editing them through contrast and saturation tools, viewing a slide show, zooming in on photos and instantly deleting files are some of the extra options that come along with the camera. The quality of the photos is similar to those of an average mobile phone. It is also possible to save text documents on this multimedia player through the so-called E-Book function, which allows the user to save files in .text extensions and to change the color and font of the text. Other notable functions include radio streaming, voice recording through a built-in microphone, games, video playback and a photo viewer. Explorer can be used to browse through the internal and external memory (MicroSD card) and to open, edit or delete files. A built-in speaker makes it is possible to listen to your favorite songs or view movies, which is ideal to share certain videos and songs with your entourage.

THE BAD

The reasonable 2GB internal memory of the P43 can be expanded with a MicroSD card. Although the player has 11 hours battery life, viewing movie clips will force the user to charge the battery after only 3.5 hours. This is a shortcoming for multimedia players in general. Even the more expensive players like the new iPod Touch can not keep up any longer. Hopefully a short-term solution will come along to reduce the energy consumption of video files.

The supplier is located in Spain and therefore chose to include a manual (hard copy and mini disc) in Spanish only. However, the user is also able to change the main language of the player to English and Chinese languages among others. Although the player and its functions kind of speak for themselves, it would have been easier to discover certain elements through an English manual. Next to the manual, the mini disc includes firmware and an mp4 converting tool.

THE VERDICT

Blu:sens has delivered a player with endless possibilities without negatively affecting the core option of the player: music playback. Although the photo camera is low quality, it is a welcome and unique option that allows the user to take photos everywhere and anytime. The quality of the screen, which should have been sharper, is a little disappointing. While the languages available on this player are endless, Blu:sens should have thrown a simple English translation of the manual on the mini disc. Apart from these shortages, the P43 is a nice player for a music fan who is looking for more than a simplistic playback apparatus.

More information: Blusens.com

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