I’m the first to admit, I’m a SuperFreak-geek, gadget-addict. So its no surprise my geek-o-meter just went crazy last October when myvu did a press release about the myvu personal media viewer – Universal Edition. Adding to that excitement is the inclusion of support for my beloved Creative Zen that I have reviewed here. (note: I found out later that the Creative Zen is actually not supported on this released). So when the opportunity to review the device comes knocking on my virtual door, well, you know how it goes…

If you’ve been an avid JAMM follower, you might have remembered that last March, my friend and fellow gadget-addict/Editor Doug did a fantastic review of the myvu media viewer-personal edition. While my heart bleeds in envy while I’m reading the review, I couldn’t help but felt relieved that device actually lives up to its hype.

So what’s new with the Universal Edition? Will the device live up to its promises? Why don’t you hit that blue link down there, and let’s find out.

While the myvu Universal Edition supports variety of media player, it doesn’t come with the extra accessories that myvu personal viewer-fully loaded edition includes. What the Universal Edition do have is the plethora of video adaptor for various popular Portable Media Player (PMP). Those players includes the Microsoft Zune, Apple iPod, Archos, portable DVD players and video cameras.

What’s in the box:

• myvu personal media viewer (viewer includes earbuds and pendant with battery and controls)
• Microfiber protective sleeve and lens cloth
• 2 additional pairs of earbuds pads
• 2 additional nose pads
• USB Cable
• Connectivity kit for most portable media players
• myvu quick start guide

Like I have mentioned before, one thing that also got me quite excited is the support for the Creative Zen. Unfortunately, I was told that it will not be supported on this release.

Here we have the cables for the usual suspect of portable devices that myvu supports. There are also support for portable DVD players and other media player that has a video-out.

The device comes with a protective pouch made of soft cloth for storage. The device is surprisingly small, and weighs about a tad heavier than a typical safety goggle. On the left side of the goggle runs a single wire with the pendant control at the end.

The pendant control is where you attach the cable for the various media player. This is also where you will find the buttons to fine tune your video settings, including the brightness and contrast. If you messed up pretty bad on the settings, you can reset it to its factory default by holding the brightness and power button simultaneously. The USB port for charging is also located on this pendant control.

The first time you unpack the device out of the box, you will see all the various adaptor in a plastic bag that comes standard with the myvu. All of the video cables are color coded, and nicely labeled. A word of caution for you guys out there. Since the labels are actually on the plastic bag, and not on the cable itself, it’ll get quite confusing real quick if you don’t plan ahead (Like yours truly). I made the mistake of ripping every single cables out of the bag without tagging or remembering which cable is for which device. Yes, it wasn’t fun trying to find out which cable goes to which device. Of course, ripping the cables out of the plastic bag is part of the fun when getting a new gadget. So, I will just leave it up to you to choose which route is best for you.

Thank goodness for color coding. The black end of the cable goes to the control pod, and the color side (in this case, it’ll be white for iPod or Zune) goes to my iPod/Zune. I’ll talk more about the control pod later, but for now I’ll go straight to the main unit.

The Hardware

The device is made with SolidOptex technology for durability. To be honest, I’m not sure what it is, but heck they got me at solid. While I’m tempted to try it’s durability by doing some testing, I think I’ll just take their word for it.

I guess it’s true that the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. As demonstrated by these two mini-geeks.

The myvu, with it’s all-black matte/glossy finish combination is quite appealing to look at. It’s definitely will raise up your geek-o-meter a couple of notch while wearing one. The goggle fits my dinky little head perfectly out of the box. While the whole family laugh with my cyborg look, I personally think I look "cool". Okay, maybe that’s the geek in me talking there.

While the size is very small, it is also very unusual looking. So, I’m quite positive that heads will still turn when people see you walking around with the goggle wrapped around your face. Being a glass wearer for some time now, I am already used to having something sitting on my nose. While it’s not quite as light as my glasses, I didn’t take me long to get use to it.

There are three (3) sets of wires protruding from the device. Two for the earplug (one for each ear), and one for the main cable that goes to the control pod. The earplugs itself are attached to a cable and not the frame of the goggles. The earplug dangles out of the frame about 3-inches in length. By designing it this way, myvu achieved two things. Firstly, by making the cord just the right length it pretty much eliminated the chances of the cords getting tangled. Secondly, even if you have a freakishly lop-sided ears or whatever, the earbuds will pretty much self-adjust to accommodate your abnormality. Which is a very nice to have, and I believe a lot of folks will appreciate.

The unit also comes with two extra nose-piece that you can use if the original nose-piece is not quite your size. While I do wear contact lenses, I prefer to wear my glasses whenever I can. The fact that I’m not as blind as a bat without my glasses, I wasn’t too concern about the clip-on that myvu is offering. I can see just fine without my contacts or glasses while viewing the myvu. Plus, the fact that it’s not included on the review unit, so there’s really no way I could test it. So, if you do wear glasses you won’t be able to view/use the goggle without the additional accessories. The clip is available directly from myvu for additional purchase. I have to give kudos to myvu on this one as they didn’t leave us glass wearer in the dark.

Getting Started:

Most gadgets with a rechargeable batteries usually comes pre-charged, and the myvu is no difference. While I don’t recommend not doing a full-charge to the device, you should be able to play with it right out of the box. Using the USB cable, it took about 2.5 hours to fully charged the device. You can also use the device while it’s charging if you are using one of those USB Wall charger. I have personally use the USB wall charger for my iPhone for this, and it works beautifully.

Connecting a media player to the myvu device is very simple. The cable that comes with the myvu are all color coded for easy connection. There are also an icon on each end of the cable, but somehow they both look the same. It gets quite confusing at first, but you should be able to differentiate the two real quick.

The black cable with a white end works with the Apple iPod and the Microsoft Zune. While the two media player works a little different as far as turning on the TV-Out option, plugging it on the myvu personal media player is the same. Once you set up the TV-Out option on your media player, you will now have to turn on the device. You will have to do this since the device wont turn on unless there’s a signal coming in.

Once you have the Zune’s TV-Out turned on, you will have to navigate the player thru the device. These could be a plus or a minus depends on how you will look at it. From here on it’s just a matter of going to the menu, video, and picking out the video that you want to watch. It’s a bit simpler with the Apple iPod, as you can still navigate the player without having the device on your face. On the other hand, some might take this as a nuisance as you have to take off the glasses to navigate thru the menus. On that note, some might consider the Zune as the simpler player to use, but I digress.

Theater to go:

While I don’t consider myself a videophile or anything close to it, I do have a nice little home theater setup at home. Coming from a 65-inch 1080p HDTV down to a mini theater about half an inch away from my eyes is no easy way to adjust. Having said that, I’m really not expecting much from the device.

Video: I’m a believer! Sure it’s not quite the same as firing up the HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player and watching the action on the big screen, but for a device that fits around your face, the image is quite remarkable. Simply put, the video is fed thru a series of mirror, and with some brilliant engineering, the device make you think you are watching it on a much larger screen. While I personally didn’t quite get the feeling of watching it at any size bigger that what it is, I’m still impress.

The quality of the video is very good. I didn’t see any degradation of the quality of the video whatsoever on either player. I also have the chance to try it on my video recorder, and it the result was quite impressive as well.

Audio: Since I’m dealing with a media "viewer" here, I’m not really expecting to be blown away by the device when it comes to the sound quality. Again, I was dead wrong, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I’m pretty much in awe by the sound quality that this device can produce. I really can’t complain. The silicone earbuds was able to successfully isolate, and filters out any outside noise that might have prevented me from fully enjoying the full theater experience. While it’s not 7.1 surround, it’s enough to surround me with quality sound that is quite amazing.

Battery: The beauty about this particular model is that it doesn’t leech off it’s power from the media player like the other model. It has it’s own battery pack located on the pendant control. With a full charge, the battery last about 3.5~ hours of continuous use. Which is plenty enough for a one movie, or two depending on the length of the movie. It’s pretty close to what the claim was of 4 hours of battery life. If you are planning to use the device on a long trip or flight, it’ll be a good idea to plan your strategy on how to re-charge the battery.

Final thoughts:

With it’s sleek styling, and innovative use of engineering genius, taking your personal movie theater with you is just a matter of wrapping your face with a goggle. It is really a great device, and if you are always on the go, and have been thinking of other ways to view your movies besides staring at a tiny screen on you iPod or Zune, the myvu personal media viewer is perfect gadget for you. Besides the labeling "issue" that I’ve briefly talked about, I really didn’t see anything not to like about the myvu.

While it’s not going to replace your home theater setup anytime soon, the convenience and ease of having your entertainment addiction fulfilled and on the go nonetheless, is reason enough to own this sleek device.

FYI

• Device: myvu personal media viewer
• Price: $199.95
• Availability: available now
• Manufacturer: myvu corporation

Related posts:

1. Preview: myvu – Personal Media Viewer
2. Review: MyVu Personal Media Viewer — A Private Media Room In The Palm Of Your Hand.
3. MyVu Personal Media Viewer. Chapter One: The Arrival
4. Press Release: Myvu Crystal Ready for the iPhone
5. Myvu Unveils the Universal Edition