The package includes the player, simple in-ear headphones (without model designation), included a 20 cm unfortunately very short USB cable and a Quick Start Guide. In addition to a detailed manual of the Philips support website yet diverse software can be downloaded:
- "Philips Device Manager" to upgrade the firmware,
- "Philips Media Converter" to convert videos in the player-compatible format and AMV
- "Songbird" to manage and synchronize the library.
The device works on a keypad below the screen, a volume control on the side as well as the on / off switch at the top. There is a microphone and the uncovered USB Micro-connector on the bottom.
It has a 350 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery permanently installed - an exchange is not possible. Depending on the selected sound quality ("Full Sound") and transmission mode (headphones / Bluetooth) is sufficient battery power for playback of MP3 files between 10 and 35 hours a day - with video playback and radio to 6 or 12 hours. Overall, these values have confirmed in my practice test and can be quite impressive, with the personal usage of the battery endurance is crucial.
The player has a USB 2.0 interface and is installed under Windows as mass storage, so you can access through the Explorer directly to the data.
I have the Azure now worth mentioning for some time in use and find the following pros and cons:
+ Small, lightweight and handy player.
+ Good and powerful sound, but the "Full Sound" option should be switched on for this.
+ Playback via Bluetooth on my Logitech Boombox worked easily and flawlessly.
+ The menu navigation is intuitive - the manual I have not needed.
+ Built-in flash memory of 8 GB lush (which can be but does not expand).
+ The player supports many audio formats, including Audible books, which suits my needs particularly.
+ Voice recordings: The player can be used as a voice recorder (recording in mono, recording as a WAV file), but you should not expect any sound miracles.
+ FM radio with RDS display and 20 presets (and not 30 as stated in the Amazon product description). For good reception the way the headset must be connected - it serves as an antenna. It is nice that the radio program recorded in stereo and can be stored as a WAV file.
+ The player also allows you to delete files. This is very handy if you want to remove, for example, belonged to podcasts to keep track.
+ JPG and BMP images and text files can be displayed.
But there are also significant drawbacks:
- The player does not have a touchscreen, but is operated via a keypad. The keystroke is accurate, but crunches with my device. Also, the control panel is not illuminated - impractical in the dark.
- The video player with 320 x 240 pixels could not totally convince me because the screen with a 5.6 cm diagonal screen is just too small to be satisfactory to watch videos. By the way: In principle, according to the manual, all videos before the "Philips Media Converter" will be converted to AMV format ("Anime Music Video"). In my test but also MP4 files are played without any problems. Unplayable Videos acknowledged the device with "format is wrong!".
- The plastic housing does not like it so much because it is very smooth and you run the risk that one of the players from slipping out of your hands. A bottom of rubberized plastic or brushed aluminum would have been safer here.
Overall, the Philips Azure is a great MP3 and MP4 player which is but have a hard time competing with mobile phones and smartphones. These are more powerful and cover the functionality of conventional players often completely.
I prefer separate devices to conserve even to the battery of the mobile phone, and because of the handy and very easy Azure is undoubtedly a good choice.
