The world's first wind-up MP3 player is big on features, but short on memory. Its price tag is prohibitively high, but then again, can you put a price on an MP3 player that could survive the apocalypse?
Sure, you can charge the Eco Media Player using a USB cable, but what fun would that be? A solid minute of cranking can provide as much as 40 minutes of music playback.
I'll bet your iPod doesn't have this! The Eco Media Player includes a handy LED-based flashlight that is recessed into the top edge of the device. This photo also gives you an idea of the Eco Media Player's unmatched girth.
With its brick-like body, the Eco Media Player is tough to misplace. The front panel features a 1.8-inch screen, a smattering of buttons, and a built-in speaker right smack in the middle.
The screen resolution on the Eco Media Player was surprisingly clear and crisp. Unfortunately, the screen's brightness is too dim to be visible under direct sunlight, so expect to watch your videos indoors or after dark.
We expect solid-state MP3 players to be more responsive than their hard drive cousins, yet the Eco Media Player takes its sweet time scrolling between songs and loading videos. We found the controls to be intuitive, overall, but the lag time between pressing a button and seeing the result is noticeable.
No one can claim that the Eco Media Player is light on accessories. On the left, you can see all of the cell phone power adapter plugs that allow a mobile phone to be charged using the hand crank and the Eco Media Player's USB connection. On the right, you have the lanyard, earbuds, retractable USB cable, line-input cable, shirt clip, and a spare set of earbud sleeves.
The left side of the Eco Media Player features a SD card slot protected by a retractable door, as well as a USB connection and a line-input jack. Oddly, the line-input uses a 2.5mm stereo connection, instead of the more common 3.5mm type. The included cable works as a 3.5mm-to-2.5mm adapter.
The Eco Media Player looks more at home in a fishing tackle box than a woman's purse. Still, if you spot a girl with one of these, compliment her on her preparedness for the impending energy crisis.
