BIOS: Technology Means Business

Apple's iPod has captured the MP3 player market by storm, which means competitors need to offer consumers more choice, improved functionality and better performance. While V-Tec's V-MMV offers most of the benefits that the iPod Photo brings to personal entertainment, it lacks three key features: build quality, battery life and overall appeal. While its features are certainly impressive, they're not compelling enough to make the V-MMV a really hot product. For instance, built-in support for over ten Flash memory cards, video playback, and dual stereo earphone sockets are really neat features, but an unappealing design (memory cards precariously hang out of the side of the unit), no built-in FM tuner, a battery life of just 6-7 hours for audio (4 hours for video), and the lack of support for DRM-encoded WMA files do little to grab the potential customer. And without Apple's marketing clout, the V-MMV is going to need all of this and more to succeed in a fast growing market. V-Tec was really close to something big with the V-MMV, but it just misses the mark.

Pros: Audio, video and photo playback; built-in memory card readers
Cons: Small screen; no built-in FM tuner; limited image file support

V-Tec's latest portable device is an alternative to Apple's market-leading iPod. However, while it is based largely on the same design as Apple's music player, the V-MMV is a lot bigger and heavier (126x70x23mm, 230g) and lacks the aesthetic appeal that has made the iPod equally popular with both men and women. Nevertheless, technophiles will get a lot more from this player if raw functionality is more important than styling.

The silver-and-black V-MMV is a USB 2.0 device that can be used for personal entertainment, relatively high-capacity data and image storage (includes a built-in 20GB hard disk), as well as for transferring and backing up hard disks and memory cards. A real benefit over most competing products are three dedicated memory card slots that can read from 13 different Flash memory cards, including CompactFlash Microdrives (adapter needed for Mini-SD, RS-MMC and Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo). Unfortunately, you can't write to the cards, but the ability to view JPEG images (TIFF and RAW images not supported) on the go should be appreciated by imaging professionals.

The player also supports the playback of digital video (MPEG-1, AVI and MOV) up to 352x240 pixels at 30fps on its relatively small 2.0in poly-silicon TFT LCD, plays audio files (MP3, WAV and non-DRM WMA), as well as image slideshows. Other neat features include dual stereo earphone sockets for simultaneous use by two persons (only one set of in-the-ear headphones supplied), an analogue A/V port for hooking the player up to larger screen (infrared remote control and A/V cables supplied), and the inclusion of a removable rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that gives you around 6-7 hours audio playback (4 hours for video). In fact, it's everything the power user expected from Apple's iPod Photo (from £305 ex. VAT).

However, V-Tec has missed out on some pretty significant features that may have helped win over some iPod customers. In particular, the V-MMV doesn't sync with iTunes, doesn't play audible books, doesn't play AAC files, and doesn't synchronise with any PIM applications. It also doesn't playback MPEG-4 video or uncompressed WMA files, there's no support for direct recording from TV or audio source, there's no voice recorder functionality, no FireWire port, and there's a complete lack of PDA functionality. The on-screen menu system is easy enough to navigate, although annoying in parts, but the plastic buttons are noisy when clicked and lack the finesse of the iPod's patent-pending Click Wheel.

Audio and video quality are reasonable, although you can't really expect great video quality on a 2.0in. screen. You can further improve audio quality by tweaking the six equaliser modes (Bass, Classic, Dance, Live, Rock and Treble), as well as by swapping the earphones supplied with the player for a more capable pair. Creating audio playlists and image slideshows was a breeze, although we would have liked the option to set the delay time between images. Navigating through the hard disk's directory structure was relatively easy too, as it provides a status bar where you can see the path to the directory you are currently viewing.