Gear Eye: iAudio M3 20GB digital audio player
This last spring no-name Korean manufacturer iAudio made major waves by doing something no one had done before: release a digital audio player with the same capacity as Apple's iPod, but that was thinner and lighter. The M3 had a slick design and affordable price, but the icing on the cake was the all of the features it had that even the iPod could't beat, like line-in encoding, FM radio, and a voice recorder. But there's a catch: the screen. There isn't one on the player itself, instead there's just an LCD screen on the remote.
Since then Apple has released the 4th generation iPod, and the M3 still does all those things the iPod doesn't, and so on. But in all reality, the choice of an M3 is still very much the same; more than anything else, you're choosing whether or not you like the remote.
So yeah, we know it's not a new device. But with the holidays just around the corner and iAudio's forthcoming (and seemingly-illegitimate) successor, the M5, on the horizon, we think giving the M3 another look is a good idea. While the technology is changing rapidly for portable digital audio, the fact of the matter is right now there are only a handful of contenders to consider when it comes to 1.8-inch drive based digital audio players: the iPod, the Rio Karma, the Gmini400, the iRiver iHP-120, and the iAudio M3.
What you get
M3 player
In-line remote
Cresyn AXE2 cans
USB cable
1/8th-inch audio cable
Screen protectors
Documentation, software
Dock (optional)
Sub-pack
Adapter
Dock plug protectors
Carrying case
Note: the unit is sold in packages both with or without the cradle/dock.
The unit
Make no mistake about it. You're signing up for a sturdy, robust MP3 player with simple (though not necessarily Jobs/Ive-minimalist), attractive design. Though not as much as with the Gmini400, per se, I was immediately surprised at the size of the M3 even knowing full well that it was going to be only slightly smaller than the iPod.
Before using the M3 my impression was that offloading the screen onto the remote was a bit of a cop out, something along the lines of: the iPod could fit in a screen at that size, so why couldn't the M3? But it's actually rather brilliant; after growing used to the way the M3 works, you'll soon come to think of the remote as just a rather tiny MP3 player. One that happens to have a nice looking 20GB external hard drive attached via cable.
Features
Let's face it, the M3 did not skimp on the features. Unlike many of the competitors in its class (I'm not going to mention any names...), the design of the M3 did not forego an FM tuner, line-in encoding, a wide variety of audio tuning settings, and a voice recorder—features that are only now becoming standard in digital audio players. We're not going to open the video-playback can of worms, but for a straight audio player it's got about everything you're going to need. The M3 also comes in a thicker 40GB version (again, comparable to the iPod's 40GB model), and the M3L variant of the 20GB unit, which has a 35-hour lithium-ion battery and is the same size as the 40GB model.
Use and usability
This MP3 player is made in the remote, no doubt about it, so using the M3 can be a mixed bag. The controls are unusual for a digital audio player, and may take a bit of getting used to. For instance, scrolling down requires a counterclockwise turn of the wheel, instead of the expected clockwise direction. Once you learn the ropes of the device, it's not exactly going to perplex. But with the interface all jammed into a tiny 1.25-inch, 128 X 96 display, you'd better be pretty content peering into a really dense screen. Yeah, we're talking to you Mr/s. I've-got-a-laptop-with-a-14.1-inch-screen-running-at-1600x1200-resolution.
The hugest interface drawback with the M3, however, is the complete lack of track sorting. Believe it or not, no, you can't sort by artist, album, song, or otherwise. You're left to navigate your thousands-large collection of audio files entirely by filename (yeah right), folder, or user-created playlist (m3u or dynamically created). This is a huge problem for any player with as much storage capacity as the M3, and is perhaps its greatest issue. It's only partly made up for by its USB mass storage device compatibility. No file indexing, no software, just drag and drop your files—if only every manufacturer one was so kind as to do this, but unfortunately few do.
Otherwise, if you're fine with setting the thing on random and letting it rip, the battery performance is very decent, easily getting about 10-12 hours of playback on a full charge. The unit can even recharge (albeit slowly) via USB, a sly feature that is very well appreciated (although music can't be played while it's connected via USB, even while in the dock).
So it's too bad they managed to sort of snatch those little bonuses away by pushing the unit's USB port onto a "subpack" device as they call it, a small port replicator of sorts for power, USB 2.0, line-in and line-out (think along the lines of the SendStation PocketDocks). That means if you want to use your M3 as a drive, take it to a friend's house and swap, er, legal copies of music, or charge it via USB or adapter, better make sure you brought your sub-pack. This part is rather crap.
And so...
The M3 is still a very strong contender. It's still cheaper than an iPod, and despite being on the market as long as it has, it's still very sleek, compact, easily carried player. The near-microscopic screen, lack of ports without the subpack, and total absence of song sorting features notwithstanding, it's a real pleasure to use. However, be warned: it is certainly due to be eclipsed by a new round of players very soon. While it currently stands up very well against the iPod (in my opinion even winning out against it) and is just shy of the Rio Karma (which ultimately stays my pick with its sorting and jukebox features), the M3 will have a hard time fending itself off against the likes of the Gmini400, and other such overachieving next-generation digital audio players that are due out in droves tomorrow or the day after. So let's put it this way. Right now it's still a great player, but I can't say that we're not expecting (read: greatly anticipating) iAudio's proper follow-up to the M3.
P.S. We all know how much you love pictures, so continue below for more:
It's got lots of indicator LEDs, never a bad thing.
Stacks up well against the iPod and the brickish Rio Karma, eh?
The M3 in its carrying case.
No clip, but a discreet belt loop. How nice.
The Cresyn AXE2 cans it comes bundled with.
We're not terribly fond of the M3 while wearing a subpack.
Though the cradle is rather nice.
Naked!
