Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
Nextar claims the T30 to be "sleek and stylish". While the "stylish" aspect is quite up to you, the unit measures 10.5cm (Width) 7.25cm (Length) and 1cm (Height/Thickness). The T30 4GB has a distinct shiny finish to it, black in color. An orange strip runs the perimeter of the Nextar T30; making a unique color contrast and design to the rounded edges and corners. Occupying most of the front surface of the Nextar T30 is a 3.5" LCD screen with a display resolution of 320x240 measuring 7cm wide and 5.25cm tall to establish a standard aspect 4:3 ratio. The screen is not a touch screen; you will have to navigate through the menus using the tactile buttons on the sides of the Nextar T30. 320x240 is also a tad bit low of a screen of this size, 640x480 would be much nicer -- but display quality is still decent. Near the bottom right corner of the LCD screen is a small external speaker, and a small LED is placed on the left towards the top.
The included black suede drawstring bag for holding the T30 while traveling appears to be made of fairly decent quality.
Flipping the Nextar T30 around reveals a simple back design. The back of the unit continues the shiny black finish; which can be fairly fingerprint-prone. Two stickers are at the back; with one indicating serial number and the other indicating built in storage capacity. Some text are printed below the configuration of stickers that shows the Nextar brand, model number, and that it's made in China.
The Lithium-Ion battery is built in, so it will only last the life of the player. Under proper management of the battery, it should last the life of the player though (Around three years).
At the top (Which corresponds to the left side of the digital media player) are several labels that correspond to the jacks and buttons on the side. From the left are labels indicating USB, audio output, reset, and DC 5V input from the included AC adapter.
As previously mentioned, the left side of the Nextar T30 includes a USB connector, audio output, reset, and DC 5V input. The DC 5V input uses a fairly small but standard jack for power input with the included AC adapter, although you can also charge the player via USB. The USB Mini-A connector -- which is standard and commonly seen on digital cameras and digital audio players -- is definitely nice to have instead of going the proprietary route as many manufacturers have. However, there's one really major complaint I have: the non-standard 2.5mm audio jack. I don't know what the designers were thinking when making this digital media player, but at this time and age this is simply unacceptable -- and the included 2.5mm to 3.5mm converter cable is terribly inconvenient to have on you all the time. I would be more than glad to make a trade for a non-standard USB connector for a standard audio output jack.
The top and right side of the Nextar T30. At the top is a Power and Record button next to each other; a little gap and there are three more -- including a Rewind, Fast Forward, and Return button. On the right side of the T30 are three more; from the bottom is a Volume down, Play/Pause, and Volume Up. All buttons are tactile buttons, unfortunately they are pretty small -- measuring 0.75cm wide and 0.25cm tall and most are spaced fairly close together. Users with larger fingers may find it hard to use.
At the top is also an SD card slot to expand upon the 4GB built in storage. The SD card slot is not SDHC compatible; it would be nice if it is because you will be limited to 2GB maximum additional storage.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Usage and User Interface
4. Testing and Conclusion
