Blu:sens KEIA review
You might not have heard of Blu:sens yet, but the chances are that you soon will. Blu:sens is the top-selling MP3 player manufacturer in Spain, and it now has its eye on the large UK portable player market.
First up to be released in the UK is the Blu:sens KEIA, a dinky sporty player for people after music on a shoestring. Comparisions to the Apple Shuffle are obvious.
Similarly to the Shuffle, the KEIA features a clip so you can attach the player to whatever funky clothing you happen to be wearing. Also included is a standard mini-USB port, a microphone, and a tiny 3-tone LCD display. Hidden somewhere inside is a radio tuner. The casing is a some what tacky-looking plastic, available in a range of colours. Storage capacity on this model is 2GB.
Transfering music to the KEIA is simple enough, a case of dragging and dropping MP3s into the external drive that appears when you plug the KEIA into your computer’s USB port. Mac users should note that M4A files aren’t supported.
When first turned on, the KEIA presents you with music symbol. Pressing left or right presents symbols for the radio, microphone, the folder system, and settings. Pressing the middle button selects the option you’ve highlighted. Working out how to use the KEIA wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, and I’m still not quite sure how to pause it! However, I didn’t have access to a manual for this review, which may well have helped. Once I’d learned how to use it the interface was reasonably efficient.
One big advantage the KEIA has over the Shuffle is the presence of a screen. The KEIA’s OLED screen certainly isn’t going to set the world alight, with a display reminicent of a 90s arcade game, but there’s no denying that it does help a lot with navigating your way around your playlist.
Music quality seemed reasonable, although I wasn’t able to test the headphones that will be supplied with the KEIA. The radio tuner seemed to lack power indoors, with static interupting the signal if I moved across the room.
In summary, the KEIA appeals to the trade-off that dominates most of the MP3 player market today: do you go with Apple, who offer style and useability, or with the competitiors, who offer more features (here radio, a mic and primative screen) and flexibilty (without tying you into iTunes) at a cheaper price?
Apart from the Shuffle, the KEIA is competing with models from Philips and Creative. At £30 from Amazon, the KEIA will face some stiff compeition as it lands on British shores.
Blog posted on Monday, November 24th, 2008 at 6:43 pm under MP3 Players, reviews. Leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.
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Sam Says:
November 25th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Here’s a quick update with a link to the Blusens information on the KEIA:
http://www.blusens.com/en/noticias/the-new-blusens-keia-pushes-forward/