Review on the Creative Labs MuVo Micro N200 MP3 Player

Hence the name - Micro N200 - this MP3 player is perfectly sized to slip into your pocket measuring just 33x66x13mm. However, we thought it looked like a dictaphone more than an MP3, with its square, unfashionable design. The design is sleek overall, with just one menu control at the bottom surrounded by two small volume keys and a button that controls play, pause and power. There is no hold-button but the menu offers this service without much messing. There is a USB port, headphone jack and a smaller than average (for this size MP3) LCD screen, we didn’t like how small it was at first, but luckily it is high resolution, making it easier to interpret. The body itself comes in black, white, orange, red, dark blue, light blue, pink, and lime green, giving you lots of choice, we had the light blue one, its vibrant colour made it hard to lose in my bag. Talking of storage, the Micro N200 put up a good scratch defence, even when it was in a bag with a hairbrush and nail files, the LCD remained almost scratch-free.

Not only is the Micro N200 ultra-compact, it is also feature-full. It can be used for digital music playback, as a storage device (with its 1024 MB memory) and you can also listen to FM radio. If you need to, you can record the radio and your voice too. It takes AAA batteries, making it hassle free without having to remember to charge it up. Creative give you MediaSource Music Management Software, but we prefer to use the good old (or new) Windows Media Player 10.0. The Micro N200 is ultimately easy to set up and get going, we were listening to downloaded music about 30 minutes after getting it out of the box. We liked the amount of sound settings options, making the audio a real pleasure to listen to. Unfortunately you can’t sort your songs into genre or artist, etc, the only option is alphabetically. Left-handers will be pleased to learn that the LCD screen can change orientation especially for their use. The belt clip and arm band make it a perfect MP3 player for the gym, not only that though, the flash-base means it has no moving parts so you can really move that booty without annoying interferences.

After using the Micro N200 for a month, I wouldn’t be without it. It really is my new best friend. It does everything I needed it to do, and it does it quick without any hassle. I run quite a lot, and normally the ear-bud earphones fall out, but this time they stayed securely in place which was great. The sound and recording performance was impressive with clear and intense audio. The FM radio was good, it tuned into all the local radio stations and national ones without any problems. The feature that impressed us the most was the 19 hours battery-life - what more could you ask for?

The Micro N200 is perfect if you want a no-fuss MP3 player and don’t want to spend over the odds. It puts on a superb show, it has nicely orientated menus and looks and feels good. The only place for this ultra compact MP3 is in the bag!