Technology Sucks: Trying to Figure Out an MP3 Player

It was new, right out of the impenetrable plastic packaging a Trutech SMP-1GBL MP-3 player. All I wanted to do was load some Old Time Radio Programs for my wife. It was her birthday, a simple request, she wanted her first MP-3 player so she could listen to old mystery shows while she took her noon time walk for exercise.

My first attempt was a Colby unit from K-Mart. Brought the damn thing home and tried to get it going. The heavy plastic packaging almost had me stymied, but with a sharp Chicago Cutlery knife I finally gained access. Removing one end cap I slid the battery storage cover away and installed the battery.

All attempts to fire it up failed, the instructions referred to an LED light that was suppose to come on. No luck nothing worked. I even went to the length of installing a known new AAA battery to find my initial assessment of the situation was 100% accurate, this thing was junk. It's only use would be as a boat anchor for a tiny trawler occupied by a bunch of mice.

Returning to K-Mart to obtain a refund, "Would you like another?" the polite clerk asked. "Hardly", was my response. After claiming my $21.00 dollars I headed down the road. This time I'd try Target.

Target being a little higher up the ladder of retail establishments should have a better quality unit that might at least light up the LED. I found a likely candidate, Eureka, this one even had a readout giving some indication of what mode, or file I was actually enjoying.

Headed back home, by now I've got almost 40 miles of driving into this fiasco. That adds up to about 2.5 gallons, at $3.59, equals about almost $10 in gas to obtain a $20 piece of electronic wonder the size of a stick of lipstick.

Plug the cord into the USB port, go to "Computer" and it will read as a removable drive. So the instructions said. In reality I kept getting the warning that it couldn't find the device driver needed to make it work. Numerous time I tried, and always the same warning.

Just as I was about to box up the whole mess and give it up, it the computer screen finally announced "Driver successfully installed". Finally, we're in business.