Spotlight on Brando

Rob Williams · 03-14-2007, 01:10 AM

Brando offers a wide range of special, useful and helpful technology products. Alongside the myriads of USB products are a wide selection of LED items, which will also be illuminated in this spotlight.

You can read the huge round-up here and discuss it here!

GeekGirl · 03-15-2007, 02:26 PM

This review was an absolute pleasure to write. I know you're all jealous of all the cool items I now have, and I've already started a list of other cool items to be found on the Brando site.

I do have pics and video of the LED nametag, so I'll bug Rob to include them in the writeup

*poke poke*

If you have any questions about these items, don't hesitate to contact me.

Rob Williams · 03-15-2007, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeekGirl

I know you're all jealous of all the cool items I now have.

Haha, way to rub it in!

Will update the article very shortly... just setting up a new contest at the moment ;-)

GeekGirl · 05-02-2007, 01:14 PM

I just want to make a follow up comment on the USB MP3 Pen + FM Radio + Voice Recorder. After owning this for a while now, I'm encounter some interesting issues.
I cannot get the device to shut off. Believe me when I tell you, I've pressed every button ten ways till Sunday, even poked the recessed 'reset' button to no avail. It is not in playback mode as there are no mp3s on it at this time, and it is stuck in some strange loop where it will not allow you to upload new files or delete old ones. Until I plug it in again and voila some files that were there are gone, some new ones I tried to copy are there but with zero file sizes. Any error messages that appear are windows classically unintelligible and uninformative so no help there. I'll keep poking it and let you know.

I'm kinda bummed I really liked this Pen.

Rob Williams · 05-02-2007, 01:21 PM

I guess that kind of speaks of Brandos quality on some products. They almost seem to be more for show than function... Sorry to hear it went crazy on you.

07-11-2007, 08:05 AM

Hi, thank you for reviewing these items. I am interested in the SD/MMC Card Reader and MP3 Player, and I have noticed that you did not mentioned much about the quality of the mp3 playback. Could you give some insight on that? I have had a hard time finding good and thorough reviews on this seemingly wonderful gadget, although I have read reports from others saying there is a "fade-in" effect at the beginning of each track, as well as a slight amount of noise. Thanks in advance!

GeekGirl · 07-15-2007, 10:06 AM

I'll have to double check that and get back to you, sorry for the delay replying to the post :\

GeekGirl · 07-16-2007, 09:15 AM

Well I slapped a 4G memory card into the USB device, and played MP3s from it for most of yesterday and I found no problems whatsoever with playback or noise. Then again, I have the worlds noisiest PC so another hum would not be immediately identifiable.

As for 'fade in' issues, I noticed no difference from the same songs right off my hard drive. I loaded up 10 songs onto the device and let them play for a while, then played the same 10 songs directly from my hard drive and there was no discernable difference.

HOWEVER
I have to warn you, do NOT leave this device plugged in when you reboot. WindowsXP sees it as a damaged drive and tries to repair it.....

Hope that helps, and for $10 +S/H you can't really go wrong.
Have a look at all the other Card Readers that Brando makes as well here:
http://usb.brando.com.hk/prod_list.p...t=USB+Products

Hope that helps!
~Kiersten

shopaholic · 07-16-2007, 11:49 AM

Thank you so much! I am also wondering what packaging it came in. Does it have a brand? I found what appears to be the exact same product on a different website, but customers have said that there is that fade-in effect so maybe it's an imitation (which would be hard to believe considering the price).

To clarify on the fade-in effect, I am referring to tracks starting off at a low volume. For example, someone said their audio books would have the first word of each track at a very low, inaudible volume, then the rest is normal. But it seems there are no problems with your device

Thanks again!

GeekGirl · 07-16-2007, 01:22 PM

I'm familiar with fade-in yes, I didn't notice it.
I loaded up a bunch of songs that have a very distinct opening rift, and they were all crystal clear, no sense of a dampening of the opening sounds at all.

As for packaging, hmmm it did come in a blister pack with a cardboard insert if memory serves me today, however I would have long recycled it. The item itself has no distinguishing characteristics to differentiate it from a knock-off.
The one I have in my hand is this one:
http://usb.brando.com.hk/prod_detail...015&cat_id=031
from Brando, not the other one they have that is similar.

The headphones that came with it do not appear to have a brand on them either sorry, but they are a full sized headphone jack, not a skinny proprietary one.

It would not surprise me that you could find this item on a competitor's site, just make sure you double check the shipping fees, Brando is US$3 for any amount. Shopping online recently, I paid more shipping and handling on something than the original item's cost. :|

Hope that helps at least a little. Check both sites return policies in case you're unhappy with the item.

~K

shopaholic · 07-16-2007, 09:29 PM

Here's the other site:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1450

I hesitated too long and they went out of stock =(

Packaging look familiar?

Thanks for all your help!

Edit: A CSR said they have them in stock again

GeekGirl · 07-17-2007, 11:17 AM

The device itself is identical.
As for the original packaging, I can't swear that's exactly the same, but it probably is.

Nice find.

03-14-2007, 01:10 AM	#1
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	Spotlight on Brando Brando offers a wide range of special, useful and helpful technology products. Alongside the myriads of USB products are a wide selection of LED items, which will also be illuminated in this spotlight. You can read the huge round-up here and discuss it here! __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

05-02-2007, 01:21 PM	#5
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	I guess that kind of speaks of Brandos quality on some products. They almost seem to be more for show than function... Sorry to hear it went crazy on you. __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

07-16-2007, 09:29 PM	#11
shopaholic Obliviot Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2	Here's the other site: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1450 I hesitated too long and they went out of stock =( Packaging look familiar? Thanks for all your help! Edit: A CSR said they have them in stock again Last edited by shopaholic; 07-17-2007 at 02:49 AM.

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03-15-2007, 02:26 PM	#2
GeekGirl Coastermaker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Dereth Posts: 134	This review was an absolute pleasure to write. I know you're all jealous of all the cool items I now have, and I've already started a list of other cool items to be found on the Brando site. I do have pics and video of the LED nametag, so I'll bug Rob to include them in the writeup poke poke If you have any questions about these items, don't hesitate to contact me.

05-02-2007, 01:14 PM	#4
GeekGirl Coastermaker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Dereth Posts: 134	I just want to make a follow up comment on the USB MP3 Pen + FM Radio + Voice Recorder. After owning this for a while now, I'm encounter some interesting issues. I cannot get the device to shut off. Believe me when I tell you, I've pressed every button ten ways till Sunday, even poked the recessed 'reset' button to no avail. It is not in playback mode as there are no mp3s on it at this time, and it is stuck in some strange loop where it will not allow you to upload new files or delete old ones. Until I plug it in again and voila some files that were there are gone, some new ones I tried to copy are there but with zero file sizes. Any error messages that appear are windows classically unintelligible and uninformative so no help there. I'll keep poking it and let you know. I'm kinda bummed I really liked this Pen.

07-11-2007, 08:05 AM	#6
Unregistered Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Hi, thank you for reviewing these items. I am interested in the SD/MMC Card Reader and MP3 Player, and I have noticed that you did not mentioned much about the quality of the mp3 playback. Could you give some insight on that? I have had a hard time finding good and thorough reviews on this seemingly wonderful gadget, although I have read reports from others saying there is a "fade-in" effect at the beginning of each track, as well as a slight amount of noise. Thanks in advance!

07-15-2007, 10:06 AM	#7
GeekGirl Coastermaker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Dereth Posts: 134	I'll have to double check that and get back to you, sorry for the delay replying to the post :\

07-16-2007, 09:15 AM	#8
GeekGirl Coastermaker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Dereth Posts: 134	Well I slapped a 4G memory card into the USB device, and played MP3s from it for most of yesterday and I found no problems whatsoever with playback or noise. Then again, I have the worlds noisiest PC so another hum would not be immediately identifiable. As for 'fade in' issues, I noticed no difference from the same songs right off my hard drive. I loaded up 10 songs onto the device and let them play for a while, then played the same 10 songs directly from my hard drive and there was no discernable difference. HOWEVER I have to warn you, do NOT leave this device plugged in when you reboot. WindowsXP sees it as a damaged drive and tries to repair it..... Hope that helps, and for $10 +S/H you can't really go wrong. Have a look at all the other Card Readers that Brando makes as well here: http://usb.brando.com.hk/prod_list.p...t=USB+Products Hope that helps! ~Kiersten

07-16-2007, 11:49 AM	#9
shopaholic Obliviot Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2	Thank you so much! I am also wondering what packaging it came in. Does it have a brand? I found what appears to be the exact same product on a different website, but customers have said that there is that fade-in effect so maybe it's an imitation (which would be hard to believe considering the price). To clarify on the fade-in effect, I am referring to tracks starting off at a low volume. For example, someone said their audio books would have the first word of each track at a very low, inaudible volume, then the rest is normal. But it seems there are no problems with your device Thanks again!

07-16-2007, 01:22 PM	#10
GeekGirl Coastermaker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Dereth Posts: 134	I'm familiar with fade-in yes, I didn't notice it. I loaded up a bunch of songs that have a very distinct opening rift, and they were all crystal clear, no sense of a dampening of the opening sounds at all. As for packaging, hmmm it did come in a blister pack with a cardboard insert if memory serves me today, however I would have long recycled it. The item itself has no distinguishing characteristics to differentiate it from a knock-off. The one I have in my hand is this one: http://usb.brando.com.hk/prod_detail...015&cat_id=031 from Brando, not the other one they have that is similar. The headphones that came with it do not appear to have a brand on them either sorry, but they are a full sized headphone jack, not a skinny proprietary one. It would not surprise me that you could find this item on a competitor's site, just make sure you double check the shipping fees, Brando is US$3 for any amount. Shopping online recently, I paid more shipping and handling on something than the original item's cost. :\| Hope that helps at least a little. Check both sites return policies in case you're unhappy with the item. ~K

07-17-2007, 11:17 AM	#12
GeekGirl Coastermaker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Dereth Posts: 134	The device itself is identical. As for the original packaging, I can't swear that's exactly the same, but it probably is. Nice find.