Review: VX747+ mp3, mp4, mp5 Onda Touchscreen Player

The markets have been flooded with gadgets, especially over the last couple of years. Even people who have no idea what an iPod is, have heard of them and for those who do know what they do, are aware of just how expensive they are.

I recently looked at buying an iPod touch which would set me back $300-400 dollars. Quite an outlay for a very well known brand name. I wanted a unit that would play mp3’s, videos, and as a writer, a voice recorder for all the ideas I have as a writer. I also wanted an expansion card slot, preferably SDHC or Micro SDHC.

The Onda VX747+ has the following features:

Voice Recorder, Video Playback, FM Stereo Tuner, Camera, Radio Recorder, Integrated Speakers, Image Viewer, Folder Support, Card Reader, Games, 3"inch Extra-large High-Sensitive 16:10 Wide Touch Screen, Built-in 4GB, Supports up to 32GB microSD Memory Card.

The unit is much more than its specifications. The screen is a perfect size to watch movies, and the unit fits nicely in a business shirt pocket. It comes with a silicon cover, nothing to brag about, but keeps the back of the unit from scratching. The earphones aren’t that comfortable, but they’re better than nothing. It ships with a poor quality screen protector with no spares. The package also comes with a USB lead and travel charger. Being a touchscreen, it also comes with a stylus, although it can’t be attached to the unit. For small fingered people like me, you don’t really need it.

There are two aspects of this unit that really impressed me. The first is the camera which doubles up as a camcorder. I didn’t know this until I bought it and found the function. It records to a .avi file which is easily distributable, and using Windows software such as my favourite KMPlayer, plays seamlessly although it does struggle with fast movements.

The second aspect is video. I backup my DVD collection using the XviD codec through a freeware program called AutoGordianKnot (AGK) with AAC encoding. The quality is outstanding. The VX747+ can play these movies flawlessly. There is no need to convert the movies. My entire DVD collection is playable on the VX747+. It is stunning.

The unit takes a MicroSD card up to 32GB. It is also compatible with MicroSDHC. I bought a 4GB card and it words perfectly.

The interface is clean with four choices of themes. The icons are well spaced so that fingers can be used, although the manufacturer made a spelling mistake on the ‘Broswer’ to browse files!

The manufacturer, Onda, advertises this unit as being able to play any time of file. I don’t need to challenge that. I’m confident of its capacity as a multimedia hand-held device. It’s three-inch screen is perfect for travelling, train, bus, even waiting in a queue. When stopped, the unit automatically bookmarks where you are up to and asks if you want to resume. The mp3 player has seven equalisers, and the battery life is great. The unit also allows a user to read e-books in .txt format, easily convertible through many programs. There are also some pre-installed games.

One of the down-sides to this unit is the flash capability, although I cannot blame the unit itself. There are thousands of Flash games out there, but unfortunately, after downloading over 200, none of them worked. If you find Flash games that work for this unit, please leave a comment or head to my website at www.damienkane.com and contact me with links. There are many handheld devices that have Flash game capacities, so I’m hoping the VX747+ will take advantage of them in the near future.

The camera is a 1.3MP which is adequate, but a very steady hand is required. It works the same way as a mobile phone with camera attachment and takes a few seconds to process after a picture is taken. Regardless, it is an extra bonus.

Instead of paying the $300-400 for this unit, I paid $150.

The good:
Multimedia player including converted movies
Camera and camcorder
32GB MicroSD(HC) expansion
Good quality video
Touchscreen
Slim and light
Easy to use
Excellent sound quality
Only three buttons
Good battery life
Firmware upgradeable
Heaps of features

The bad:
No in-car charger
Nowhere to put the stylus
Poor screen protector, no spares
Camera and camcorder take a bit of getting used to
Obtaining Flash games a problem