Introduction
Looking more like a toy frog than an MP3 player, the Ribbit (MA589) by Nextar is a portable device that will appeal to the younger music fan. With a $25 price tag, this budget MP3 player has 1Gb of memory and can handle MP3 and WMA file formats. It has a built-in li-polymer battery and has a reported playing time of up to 6 hours. The unit also has a built-in microphone that can be used as a voice recorder. Has this 'frog head' MP3 player got enough features worth leaping at, or is it just a croak of a portable? Find out in our Nextar Ribbit player review.
Before You Buy
Pros:
- Excellent value for money
- Good feature set for a low-cost product
- Ideal for the younger music fan
Cons:
- Menu system confusing at times
- Small OLED screen
- Eye controls can sometimes be difficult to use
Style & Design: The Nextar Ribbit measures 1.5" (W) x 1.27" (H) x 0.93" (D) and comes in a range of colors (green, pink, purple, blue, and grey). The case is made of plastic and is small enough to put in a pocket, or hold in the hand. Nextar has cleverly designed the frog's eyes to be the main controls and the OLED display is its mouth. A nice visual touch to the Ribbit is that while playing audio, the frogs eyes flash making a great visual hit for kids. Overall, the Nextar Ribbit is well designed.
Package Contents:
- Nextar Ribbit player
- Installation CD (for Windows 98/SE)
- USB cable
- Earbuds
- User manual
- Quick-start guide
Getting Started
Power Source / Playing Time: The Ribbit has a built-in li-polymer battery that can be recharged by your computer via the supplied USB cable. According to the specifications, the reported battery life is up to 6 hours which is mediocre when compared to other products like the Sansa slotRadio player (up to 13 hours).
Earbuds: The supplied earbuds are of average build quality and come with a standard 3.5mm jack plug. They are reasonably comfortable to wear but because they don't come with foam pads they get a bit uncomfortable with longterm use. The length of wiring provided is adequate and it also comes with a small cord that can be used to attach the Ribbit MP3 player.
Using The Nextar Ribbit player
Playing Music: Playing music on the Ribbit Player is very straightforward. To prevent accidentally turning off the device, Nextar has done away with a dedicated power button and opted to use the Play/Pause button to turn the unit on and off. Once the unit has powered up, simply by pressing the M button will start playing audio files. To skip tracks, the right frog eye is either twisted to the left or right - ouch! It's a great system that is very easy to use but greasy fingers can make controlling the Ribbit awkward as your fingers slip occasionally. If you power off the Ribbit, it will not only remember the volume setting, but also the exact position that a music track got to. Nextar have designed a nice user-friendly player that is simple to use.
Menu Features: As well as standard audio playback, the Ribbit has a set of sound effect presets. This EQ mode has 8 presets which are: normal, rock, pop, classical, bass, jazz, soft, and SRS WOW. There's also various repeat modes that can be used to repeat one track, or continuous playback of a whole playlist. Finally, the Ribbit has a simple file explorer that you can use to browse all the files stored on the player; you can also use it to delete tracks that you no longer need. The system settings can be used to set the OLED back lighting, contrast, eye LED's on/off, and to set the sleep timer. This last feature could be useful if you want to limit the amount of time your child listens to music before the unit switches off. Overall, a good set of features considering it's price.
Voice Recording: You can record any external audio source such as your voice using the built-in microphone. When tested, voice recording was acceptable although the sound tends to be on the muffled side. That said, voice is perfectly audible and is a great bonus feature that kids will no doubt find entertaining.
Device Features
Controls: The controls are simple as you would expect for a product that is targeted at children. Apart from the eyes that control volume, menu options, and music playback, the only other buttons are the play/pause button and the menu button (represented by a capital letter 'M'). The controls are fairly responsive to use, but the eyes take some twisting which could prove difficult to use for some kids.
File Formats:
Sound Quality: The Nextar Ribbit MP3 player produces average sound. Although the mid to high frequencies contain satisfactory detail, there is a distinct lack of bass - even by changing the EQ mode the bass output remains low. That said, if the music that you are going to load onto the Ribbit player isn't bass-heavy then it shouldn't pose too much of a problem as it produces a fairly clear output.
Conclusion
For most kids, the promise of an MP3 player that looks like a frog's head is an exciting prospect. For parents too, the cost of the Ribbit Player ($25) is a small price to pay for an electronic device that will keep children entertained for hours. Even though the device wins on it's super-cute looks and price point, there are as with all devices some downsides. The frog's eyes in particular are sometimes difficult to use as they are smooth and don't provide sufficent grip; your fingers can slip when twisting the eyes left or right - this could prove frustrating for smaller children. The menu system as a whole is fairly straightforward but can be confusing at times, especially when you need to change to record mode, or delete a file. The sound output is lacking in bass which could be a disappointment if playing bass-heavy tracks. However, the Nextar Ribbit still holds up well in light of these few downsides and is a serious option if your looking for a low-cost MP3 player. With it's 1Gb of storage, voice recording facility, audio effects, and playback features, the Ribbit is certainly a kid-friendly device worth considering as a low-cost gift.
