RCA JetStream MP3 Player

All articles on this site are by Harry Skevington unless otherwise noted with another byline

RCA JetStream MP3 Player
Using Kleer® wireless technology

The RCA JetStream MP3 player is a great product to use for listening to music or Audible.com books when walking or at the gym. I was amazed that the 1.4 inch, LCD 96 by 96 screen does a really good job of showing photos or videos in crisp color. This tiny unit attempts to be the Swiss Army Knife of players. The use of Kleer’s Wireless Technology makes for a good fit with the included wireless headset. Since it is not BlueTooth compatible you must use a headset that works with Kleer or a set of wired earbuds/headphones. The one Gig of flash memory will hold up to 340 songs. When listening to radio wired headphones must be used. I have no idea what that distinction is made while other functions can use wired or wireless headphones

I used the JetStream for the last month or so in place of my very basic (and well used) Creative Movo. When new I paid as much for the Movo as the RCA JetStream’s $149.00 list price. As with most electronics price drops or products add function to give more value that will justify moving to the higher price point. The RCA JetStream does not disappoint.

The printed Quick Start Guide made it easy to get going. While charging both the headphones and the JetStream player I installed the CD contents that included the software, full manual, and driver to the Lenovo ThinkPad without a hitch. There is software to convert your video files so they can be played on the JetStream.

You must charge the player as well as the Kleer wireless headphones using a USB port on your desktop/notebook as the battery is built-in. The positive side is that the batteries will give you 14 or 15 hours of ON time. I say that because I found it hard to tell when the wireless headphones were turned off so battery life dropped on the them until I figured out how to know when off was really off. There is no AC converter/charger option.

Although I go to the Gym I did not test the Pedometer, Calorie Counter, and Body Mass Index Calculator. I am not that into fitness I guess. I did test a free pedometer at CES (Not from RCA or Kleer) and when it read that I had walked 55,000 steps in one day of show floor activity I understood why it was FREE.

ACTUAL USE
Yahoo! Music Jukebox is compatible with this player and can be used to drag and drop tunes to the JetStream. Most other Music management software options are also workable. The music was loud and clear through the wireless Headset until I moved more than 10 feet away from the player. Recommend distance is five feet. The menu layout was easy to learn.

Audible.com books.
I am a long time member of Audible.com so was happy to find that all Audible.com player functions worked well. I was able to load all six sections of Ken Follett’s latest 1024 page epic “World Without End.” I then added 48 songs, 35 photos and a short video slide show of an Africa trip. I still had more than a half a GIGABYTE for more stuff.

Photos/Videos
Don’t let the 1 inch size of the screen fool you. This is not your 10 inch digital photo frame but the photos were easily viewed and the video, after conversion using the included software, was also colorful and fit the screen. The music included in the video played clearly.

Radio
I had no problem good getting reception using the included wired earbuds. I live at the end of the world. Even so the radio function gave me good FM signal on about 8 stations. I would expect better results in a larger city.

I also have to admit I dropped the player on a tile floor and it bounced about 3 times. The soft rubbery external surface must have protected it as this was early on in the testing phase. It continued to perform like a champ.

The RCA JetStream is a solid entry in the MP3 player field. The video and photo options make me want to load a bunch of family pictures and show them around the gym. Now that I think about it that might get me banned. When my old player dies the RCA JetStream will be near the top of my list as a replacement.

The RCA Spec sheet lays out the many options best:

-Wireless Earphones Compatibility – Designed to be compatible with wireless earphones using Kleer® technology, listen to lossless, high quality music
-1GB Flash Memory – Stores up to 340 songs*. Flash memory requires no moving parts so you are able to listen to skipless audio playback
-Audio Playback (mp3 / WMA® / WMDRM-10 / Audible®) – Plays open mp3 and WMA® audio files and is compatible with many secure music download and subscription services
-Digital FM Tuner with 20 Presets – Listen to your favorite radio stations
-FM Record – Record while listening to an FM station to mp3 format. Later you can listen to the recorded radio or download to your computer for personal use
-Display – Easy-to-read and ultra bright full-color OLED display
-Splash Proof – Built for workouts, this device is water and sweat-resistant so you can take it with you on a jog or bring it to the gym
-Stop Watch – Track your lap time or run time with this easy-to-use integrated stop watch
-Integrated Pedometer, Calorie Counter, and Body Mass Index Calculator -Built for the active, these features report your work-out progress by tracking your steps taken, number of calories burned and your personal BMI ratio
-USB 2.0 PC Interface – Hi-speed transfer
-Battery Life – The built-in lithium rechargeable battery lets you enjoy up to 14 hours of music playback
-Accessory Kit Includes – Armband, wristband, CD-ROM with Yahoo! Music® Engine, 2 sets of earphones (1 wired and 1 wireless)

For more details go to the RCA JetStream website by clicking here.