MSI MegaPlayer 516
Author: Vedran Dakic
Date: 29 Jul 2005

Bigger then the MegaStick, with Bluetooth and somewhat different phylosophy - that's the best description of MegaPlayer 516 in short. It's still a small device (credit card size, but not so thin) with a very good sound quality that won't leave you wondering whatever happened to good sound. More or less the same functions of the Mega Stick 528 are there (with some more), and the menus are very similar. The main "upgrades" are OLED screen and the Bluetooth functionality, which you can use with mobile phone or some other Bluetooth compatible device. This turned to be a very interesting thing after trying it out....
The standard bundle includes: CD-ROM, Basic Guide, headphones (ear clip, not in-ear), USB extension cable, USB converter, AC adapter, audio cable and a small leather bag to carry the MegaPlayer. The basic functions include MP3/WMA playback, Voice record, FM Radio, and you have additional SD/MMC card slot for memory upgrades. With 256MB of built-in memory, you might want to explore expansion possibilities.
The sound quality is again very good, even a bit better then on MegaStick. For sure, the big reason for this are the ear-clip headphones, that bring some more "juice" to the overall sound quality. The bass is richer, a bit less mids and highs, and still no noise. Of course, it would seem that MegaPlayer is somewhat less powerful, but that tends to be the "experience" when you have ear-clip headphones (they just aren't in your ears).
Voice recording and FM radio functions are very nice, as well. You can have instant voice recording (touch a button), and FM radio as well. The built-in OLED display is really nice and has a better picture then the LCD ones (as it should be).
The standard "joystick"-nag we seem to have is still there - it's smaller and a bit harder to use. But that comes with small devices, even though I could use it rather good with a bit of effort. The built-in rechargeable battery is very good and nice to have - you don't have to nag with additional batteries, charging, etc.
My overall impression of this device is very positive. The basic thing it should to - and that's MP3 playback - it does very good. The sound quality is very good, and the Bluetooth function will make you play with it for quite some time...