Home > Consumer Reviews > Coby MP300-4G MP3 Player with 4 GB Flash Memory, USB Drive and LCD - Black

Nothing was mentioned on the outside packaging but after hours of trial and error I have to conclude that this unit does not support DRM (Digital Rights Management). Even the manual lists all the features but when it comes to DRM is states "--". This means if you purchase music online you can "store" the mp3 in the unit but you cannot play it. Other manufacturers clearly state on the package that the unit will not play DRM protected mp3s. This would have been nice before I purchased it and wasted a few hours on the computer.

Oh yeah, as I was gathering up the packaging I noticed the card that said, "Call this toll free number before returning product to retail outlet". Well I call the number and was 8th in the que, then 7th, then 4th then finally after 10 minutes I was next. Then the automated service said, "Sorry, all of our operators are busy, please try your call again, goodbye." Click, they hung up on me!

Because this device is not able to play the files in order, it is only a usb flash drive to me. And so it is now too large, delicate, and expensive too compete with comparable devices. I bought it to replace my LYRA 2317, which after 2 1/2 years, is beginning to show it's age. I would buy another just like it, but they are nearly impossible to find now. I have just tossed the piece of junk coby into a drawer to use as a backup/spare storage device and ordered a sandisk mp3 player. Coby forgot one of the most basic functions of a portable playback device.
It is unlikely that I will trust that name again.

After one month of light usage, the play button stopped working. The player has its pros, it's simple to use, it's light and the battery life is good. However, it looks and feels cheap so I wasn't surprised with an early failure.
I even took the player apart to see if something got stuck between the play button and circuit board, but I have found that the electronics on the player failed. So I threw it away.

I've had my first one (now own 3) for 3 months. It continues to do well. Great sound and easy to navigate (once you play with it for a while). I use it in my car by sticking a few Velcro `dots' on it and attach it conveniently to the dashboard. Battery lasts about 8 hours.

Very practical approach:

- Replaceable battery: no recharging hassle or expensive replacement when non-replaceable batteries wear out.

- Easy loading of songs: just like a flash drive. You CAN organize your songs. Put a number in front of the file name of each song and sort them before loading (I organize everything on the computer and then just transfer them over). The songs will play in numerical order. However, if you have songs organized into folders and want the folders to play in order, transfer each folder, one at a time, in the order you want the folder to play or number them. The same thing for individual songs, unless you number them as I mention above.

- Cheap: you can buy 5 of these and still be a lot cheaper than a standard big-name brand Mp3 player. Load different types of songs on each one and then just plug in the one you want. Then, if/when one breaks, you don't lose everything and they are cheap to replace. Remember the last time your $200 Mp3 player broke?

At $35 (no higher), you can think of it as a disposable Mp3 player, but with great sound.

UPDATE August 2009: Now at nearly one year and all five that I own are still going strong.

Bought this for my 16 year old son, who'd already gone through an ipod and a Zoom. This has proven more durable and less complicated to load songs. I for one prefer it requiring a single AAA battery versus recharging via usb on the computer- makes for less problems.