Ongoing Concerns, Desired Features

Using a Dell DJ MP3 player for field playback of bird songs.

Rev A2, November, 2005

Ongoing Concerns

The Dell DJ is a sealed unit without any visible screws and it’s even unclear to me how the unit is assembled! Unfortunately, this means that the battery is not field replaceable. The specifications state that the unit will play for 12 hours continuously and, so far, I haven’t even come close to discharging the battery during a day in the field (according to the battery level display). The supplied charger recharges the battery from a complete discharge in 2.5 hours and I travel with the optional car charger for additional protection. However, I’m more worried about how long the battery will last and what happens when it finally needs to be replaced.

I also have concerns about the headphone connecter used to connect the unit to the speaker-amp (not that it’s given me any problems). I try to leave the cord connected to the unit as much as possible so that I minimize the wear and tear due to repeated insertions. As with the battery, if the connecter dies I can’t replace it myself.

The modified speaker-amp is far from an ideal solution. On the plus side, it’s small, inexpensive and it does function well with plenty of volume if required. However, long term reliability is obviously an issue with such a low end unit and I’m still on the lookout for something better. I carry a backup unit just in case. Let me know if you find a better portable speaker-amp.

Desired Features

One touch access to the “Now Playing” list (from anywhere in the menu system) is a highly desirable feature. Obviously, a separate button is not going to happen but a settings option to make the “back” button” perform this function under certain conditions is feasible.

A swap feature, much like the channel recall on a TV, to allow the two most recently used tracks to be interchanged would be very useful.

Some of the sub menu displays have timeouts of 5 seconds which is too short. I’d like to see the timeout value made adjustable via the settings options.

www.aztrogon.com

Page 24 of 25