Technology Review - Digitalway MPIO FY200

Review Model supplied by www.mp3-plus.net

Let's assume for a minute that you're one of the many people who have been swayed by recent claims that in order to enjoy music these days you must buy one of the of the ever-developing, ever-shrinking MP3 players to carry all your favourite tunes on-the-go.

Well, all you ex walkman-carrying roller skaters could do worse than trying Digitalway's sleek and lightweight MPIO FY200. You'll be amazed by how they've managed to cram in all its features and user options into a unit the size of a disposable lighter, efficiently powered by only one AAA battery.

However, sometimes this is to its detriment especially when executing your basic operations on-the-fly. This can become somewhat annoying and not always successful at first attempt due to the fiddly, hair trigger, digital watch-style controls (particularly the main joystick) and the menu system, which both require a bit of getting used to.

The 'de rigueur' white casing and neck strap allow it to be worn like a stylishly designed accessory or you can strap it on your arm when working out or jogging to the Rocky soundtrack. Unfortunately the ubiquitous in-ear style headphones can sometimes pop out when vigorously flying up those last few steps.

In fact, as with all these portable devices, and even when, like in the case of the FY200, you are provided with a variety of EQ options, I always suggest you use your own high quality headphones, especially if you require more bass and depth of sound.

As well as the fab FM Radio reception and recording feature (nope, digital hasn't killed the radio star yet) you'll find you can also externally record voice via the in-built mic or even record music straight from your CD player by using the cable provided. These are directly encoded and stored on the FY200 for playback later. This comes in very handy for instance when you want to convert your CD collection or if, say, you want to show-up your mate with the hard evidence of the drunken promise he made last week to "take everyone to Las Vegas for a laugh".