LG JM52 (4GB)

By Edvarcl Heng
Jul 15, 2005

If we had to nitpick on MP3 players, we would want a color LCD screen for our Sony NW-HD5 or at least a video-capable iPod. Now surprisingly, LG, which has been rather quiet on the local MP3 player scene, is poised to storm in with a micro harddrive MP3 player that tries to do just a bit of everything.

Editors' note: Our LG JM52 test unit is a pre-production sample. It should be noted that this is not a review of the final product and that there may be some differences between this unit and the commercial model that will be launched later this year. We will update with a full review once we get hold of the actual retail unit from the manufacturer. LG has confirmed that the retail version of the JM52 will be released in 4GB and 6GB capacities. For selected markets like Singapore, only the 4GB version will be available.

It's About Video

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The 1.7-inch screen on the JM52 is large enough without making video viewing an eye-strain on short trips. We loaded video clips of varying formats (AVI, WMV, DivX, MPEG-4). However, it seems our test unit supports only the MPEG-4 format for which we are fairly sure the retail unit will ship with some form of video converter software.

Moving Around

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The JM52 supports two types of content navigation. The first is ID3 tag context sensitive with categories like song, artist and album. The second is a Windows Explorer structure that allows for folder navigation. However, user access to it could be improved. In our test unit, the only way in is by pressing Enter while in media content (video and audio) playback mode.

Though our test unit did not come with any music management software, the JM52 is compatible with Windows Media Player 10 for syncing purposes. For users who prefer using folders, the JM52 also supports music files transferred via drag-and-drop.

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Much like the Olympus MR-100, the JM-52 uses a touch-sensitive array of buttons as the physical user interface. The button layout is placed in an intelligent manner which makes for a gentle learning curve.

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What's cool is that the buttons are backlit with an eerie red glow which looks rather impressive at night. But the downside to the buttons is that without tactile feedback, it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a key has been activated. The JM52 compensates for this with an audible beep, through the player and the earphones. New users should also take note that as the buttons are not recessed, the Hold switch needs to be maintained to avoid accidental activation.

Full Featured?

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With a varied feature set that also includes a JPEG picture viewer, ebook reader, FM radio (20 presets) and FM/line-in/voice recording, the JM52 goes the full hog in offering a bit of everything to cover most user needs. The playlist function in our opinion, however, is lacking since it can support only one playlist.

There is also a range of 16 preset equalizers, two five-band manual presets as well as SRS WOW to boost the JM52's audio muscle. Sonic performance on a whole is good with decent range on both the highs and lows.

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Yet, performance-wise, the JM52 still needs some polishing with a battery life that average all of 11 hours and 19 minutes. A thing of note is that once the battery hits zero percent capacity, it is not possible to charge the battery though USB. At the time of this review, we cannot confirm whether this is a glitch or if an alternative mains adapter will be shipped with the player.

Transfer times are very decent, with the JM52 moving a 2GB file at 5.79MB per second and hitting 3.69MB per second with 240MB worth of assorted MP3 files.

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We also noticed some bugs with the JM52 such as the occasional rewinding of tracks midway through playback and the inability of the player to switch from media playback (video or audio) to picture viewer without hanging.

That said, we are quietly confident that once the glitches are ironed out in the final retail version, the JM52 will no doubt prove a force to be reckoned with when it launches later this year.

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