Au-player

Evgenie Rudometov

authors@rudometov.com

Developing a direction of arrangements of consumer electronics, company Apacer has developed and has released the next model of inexpensive, compact audioplayer AudioSteno AU524

Among released electronic products a considerable share arrangements of consumer electronics (Consumer Electronics), in particular, make compact audioplayers. These extremely popular products are widely presented in the computer market and use the deserved popularity. Their production which is carried out by the big number of the companies, is commensurable with release of computers and makes ten millions pieces a year. It brings to their implementators, manufacturers and sellers very big incomes that stimulates growth of appropriate sector of the market and increase in number of the companies occupied in given business.

Among them the visible place is occupied with company Apacer. To domestic users well-known the various production released by the given company. Among them various units operative and the flash-memory, maps-readers, USB-disk drives. Expanding the business, the last years the company has added the products with wide gamma of audioplayers.

Here it is necessary to remind, that these arrangements are known as MP3-players. However, strictly speaking, formats supported by them are not limited only to standard MP3. Moreover, the majority of models carry out not only audioinformation playback, but also its writing. Thus writing is made, for example, from the audioplayers of a microphone built in a construction or FM a radio receiver, and also by means of the built in resources of linear and-or digital input terminals.

The width of functionality of such products, their small dimensions and weight provide to owners of these arrangements convenience of using, and to manufacturers – high metrics of adaptability to manufacture and profitableness. It also explains that attention which is given by large manufacturers of the computer equipment to the given market.

As an example of the compact, desksize digital audioplayers characterised by wide functionality, compactness, small weight and concerning the small price, it is possible to result model Apacer Audio Steno AU524.

This player conveniently is located in a hand, is controlled by means of miniature keys and the built in graphics display. It provides both playback, and writing. Apacer Audio Steno AU524 realises functions of a dictophone and operation with FM radio. This player possesses considerable size of the built in memory and supports interface USB. Concerning big, the two-coloured liquid crystal screen (LCD) provides evident and fast access to all realised functions.

Appearance of model Apacer Audio Steno AU524 is resulted in a Fig. 1, and their main parametres are resulted in Table 1.

Fig. 1. Digital audioplayer Apacer Audio Steno AU524

Table 1. Key parametres Apacer Audio Steno AU524

Handle of an audioplayer is carried out by means of several miniature keys.

The information capacity depends both on a mode of a compression of audiofiles, and from size of the built in flash-memory. By the way, for the given sample of an audioplayer the given size makes 1 Gbyte. But, despite considerable size of the built in memory, it is possible to assert, that sooner or later the user of the similar arrangement will be afflicted by insufficient size of an internal storage.

Really, all the audioplayers created on the basis of the flash-memory are good. But the finite size of the flash-memory built in a MP3-player considerably limits possibilities of the arrangement, especially when there is a problem of fast changeover of the audioinformation. Solution of the given problem is appearance of the players equipped with expansion slots, calculated under removable maps of the flash-memory. It allows to forget about limitations of the fixed memory of these products. The described model is just one of such arrangements.

The extension of an information field of the given audioplayer is carried out by a card of the flash-memory of the standard microSD. Its hooking up is made by means of the appropriate plug which has been built in the architecture of the given arrangement. It allows fast and without problems to change an audiocontent that is the extremely convenient in the conditions of inaccessibility of the desktop or transportable computer.

So, questions of informational feed of an audioplayer are closed by means of flash-memory cards. As to energopitanija the given arrangement this problem is solved by means of the secondary generator built in lithium-polymeric. Its charge is enlarged by means of USB-port of the desktop either transportable computer, or an optional power supply unit. Certainly, in durable separation from the computer working capacity maintenance can become a problem. Will not rescue also power supply unit presence in absence of access lasting many days to the electrical female connector, for example, in a campaign. Certainly, it can become an insoluble problem. However the built in miniature lithium-polymeric the secondary generator has allowed to lower essentially weight and arrangement dimensions, that certainly is positive.

Occupancy by the audioinformation of the built in and external flash-memory is carried out through traditional interface USB. In case of the widespread operating system (OS) of Windows XP, according to the implementators, any additional driver is not required. And it is real so. Really, at audioplayer hooking up to the computer it is correctly identified. It shows a window fragment «the Manager of arrangements», resulted on a Fig. 2. Appearance of two new disk arrangements marked on the given fragment, is linked to an audioplayer. Thus the first – a subsystem of the built in flash-memory, the second – microSD.

Fig. 2. A window fragment «the Manager of arrangements»

By the way, the audioplayer can successfully use and for storage of computer files, that is as widespread USB-disk drives. For this purpose it is possible to use the built in flash-memory as its size allows to write a lot of information (a Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Parametres of the built in flash-memory

But, despite the specified possibility, quite often it is more convenient for writing of programs and given to use additional cards microSD which size can reach 1 Gbyte.

Certainly, presence of the replaceable carrier is very convenient for storage of the computer information. However thus it is impossible to forget, that the basic purpose of the described arrangement is all the same playback of the sound information.

It is necessary to remind, that the audioplayer has also integrated FM a radio receiver. Besides, the arrangement gives also possibility of writing from the built in microphone, that is it is also a dictophone.

As to quality of playback of the audioinformation it rather high, what, however, also followed expect from a product created by the known manufacturer.

It is necessary to add, that resulted audioplayer Apacer Audio Steno AU524 possesses two outputs for hooking up of headphones. It allows to hook up at once two packages of phones providing listening of an audiocontent at once by two users.

In summary it is necessary to mark, that the specified model, of course, does not settle company Apacer audioplayers. Their number, especially taking into account different variants of delivered packages, is great enough and step-by-step increases.

It is necessary to add, that many other things the companies, well-known in the computer market, are not gathered to stand aside of a perspective direction. As a result on the given segment of the market competitive struggle is expected hard and irreconcilable. New, more and more perfect models of audioplayers under the attractive price will be a consequence of this struggle.

Digital audioplayer Apacer Audio Steno AU524 has been given by the European representation of company Apacer