The WMP-1V in the Box

No one can deny that unique and bizarre gadgets will always draw the attention, scrutiny, praise, and criticism of others, and in coming up with the MP3 Audio Wrist Watch, Casio must have had that single thought in mind. Indeed this "MP3 portable" player looks, feels, and functions just like any wrist watch, but I wouldn't really term it either a watch or an MP3 player, being that it sort of straddles the middle line between being a proper portable player and a regular watch.

Don't make any mistake; Casio went to great lengths when designing this gadget. It's chock full of features that are baffling considering the packing and the weight of the final product. The player weighs around 70g(less than 2 ounces), and once strapped on feels no heavier than a standard watch. If it weren't for its sheer size, I would wager that you wouldn't even notice the added bulk of the electronics, memory, and battery that must be housed in this gadget.

All the components in the kit

The WMP-1V isn't exactly a high-end timepiece, though it does have all the basic functions you would expect from a sporty stopwatch. That's not the point of the whole product though, since the minute anyone notices the thing, they are bound to start staring  and notice they will. This thing is easily 3-4 times the size of a regular watch and I could not help but wonder how stupid one would look when spotted with such a beast stuck to one's wrist. So I coerced a co-worker to play the guinea pig and walk around while showing his new toy off to any who would see. To our surprise, the watch didn't draw as much attention as we would have thought.

The buttons on the player take a little getting used to. They're small, rubbery, and not the most responsive buttons on the planet. I had little enough problem getting them to do what I want, and found them to be reliable and fit for their job, but everyone I asked thought the buttons were not very user friendly. I had no problems with them though, and was happy to find that the fast-forward and rewind buttons also allow you to scan through songs. I was less impressed with the mode button, which you will have to play with A LOT to do certain things. The player allows you to switch between play modes  a total of 4 including the standard shuffle and repeat modes, along with an A-B repeat mode that Casio calls "Part Repeat". The problem is that to get to the EQ settings of the player, you're stuck with having to press through all the play modes before finally reaching the EQ settings. That's not the most convenient setup, but I guess the limited number of buttons restricts the possibilities.