Operation of Raremono / thanko / 1.8" (1.5") metal

[Blaze]

DETAILED information, instructions, and review of the Raremono / thanko / Chinavasion 1.8" (1.5") widescreen all-metal mp4 player watch:

I recently bought 5 of these watches as gifts for my nieces and nephews (one is for myself ). Of the 5, 3 look good, one has a slightly crooked screen, and another has a loose screen that would move around and get glitchy when the headphones were inserted or the buttons were pushed. I will probably open them up to try to secure the screens. I would rather not send them all the way back to China when there is a 40% chance that the next ones will have improperly secured screens as well.

.......

Unfortunately, it is actually a 1.5" screen that is only slightly wider than it is tall (160 x 128 pixels). The only thing that is 1.8" is the glass cover over the face of the watch, not the screen itself. Apparently, vendors feel this entitles them to claim a 1.8" screen, but even the box it comes in says it's 1.5". It makes me wonder how big the 1.5" watches really are.

As per instructions from Chinavasion, I did NOT upgrade the firmware. The firmware it came with probably wasn't even for the right watch, since the manual was actually for a completely different model. I will probably never alter the firmware, since it would void the warranty.

Anyway, the first problem I had was trying to transfer files. I was unable to transfer anything more than a single mp3 before the mp4 player would disconnect from my computer. This made it very hard to diagnose the problem using Windows-based mp4 utilities, because it would disconnect when I tried to reformat. After many hours of troubleshooting, I hooked one of the watches up to an older computer and it worked fine. My main computer is an AMD Sempron 2800, so it's not too old. I fixed the problem by rebooting my PC into the bios settings and turning the USB down from 2.0 to 1.1. After I set the USB for 1.1, the watches connected flawlessly, and had no problem transferring test files of nearly 1GB. Problem solved.

The next problem was playing the .mtv files I had made. I converted several DVDs into .mtv files before the watches got delivered. NONE of them would play on any of the watches. The problem was that I was using version V1.11.whatever of MTV Video Converter. The mini CD the watch came with had V1.12.11.3, so I tried it, and that was the solution. The slightly older version of the converter was incompatible with the new watch. Again, problem solved.

By the way, here I will note that I was surprised how good the video looks on the watch. It really is viewable, and the sound is great.

To make the videos, I did purchase Aimersoft DVD Ripper (I bought the DVD ripper and converter combo for about $40 or $50, I forget exactly how much it was). I HIGHLY recommend this software for small screens. With this program, I cut out the beginning and ending credits, crop the picture to a shape that closely matches my mp4 player without letterboxing or stretching it (which means cutting the sides of the movie off), increase brightness and contrast to around 135%, and increase volume to about 120%.

Then I rip the DVD to .wmv using the "General Pocket PC Format" with special settings all at defaults, except for the resolution, which I set to the smallest setting. This gives you a nice small .wmv file (under 1GB) which can be converted to .mtv using MTV Video Converter. The end result is a really good looking .mtv movie at about 400MB.

Unfortunately, Aimersoft does not currently support .mtv formats, so this is a 2-step process.

The final verdict:

Pros:
The watch actually looks pretty good for a geek watch. Oversized watches are fashionable right now, so it doesn't really stand out. It's not so big that it looks too goofy on an adult's wrist.

The MP3 player sounds really good. The earphones it comes with look cheap, but actually sound good. The volume goes a little higher than I need it too, so that's good, too.

The picture looks way better than I thought it would (which may in part be a result of the software I'm using). Everybody is pushing the OLED screens right now, but the LG TFT screen on this watch looks great. I was actually surprised by how easy it is to watch a whole movie on this thing.

Cons:
This is not a 1.8" widescreen. It is a 1.5" that is about the same shape as a standard television screen. Even though they are being sold by a lot of vendors as 1.8", it actually says 1.5" right on the box it shipped in. Even on Raremono's web site, you can see innaccurate photos like the basketball scene pictured above, right next to actual photos of a guy wearing it, which show that the screen is not as wide as the face of the watch. It would be nice if the watch were really 1.8" diagonal, because at this small screen size, 0.3" would actually be a significant improvement.

The manual is a total loss, but then, I think most of us have come to expect that any manual shipping from China will be unusable. Not only is it unreadable, it's not even for the right watch.

2 of the 5 watches I bought have screen issues, one of which (the one with the loose screen) could lead to a hardware failure. 40% is a really terrible percentage for shipping faulty units.

Well, that's all I have so far. If I figure out anything else, I'll post it up here, since there doesn't seem to be any really good information for these watches anywhere that I can find.

[Blaze]

I tried the voice recorder today. It only works if you talk directly into the watch from only a few inches away. Apparently, the microphone is inside the thick stainless steel case, which means it won't pick up much.

I was also looking at the ebook function, but you can fit so few words on the screen, that this function is pretty much useless, as well.

I have been putting full length movies on the watch and just letting them run through the entire movie to check battery length. It looks like you can actually watch two entire movies on one charge. I think that's pretty impressive. Add to that the fact that I can store 4 or 5 whole feature length films on 2GB of memory, and this is a pretty cool toy.

Still sucks about the screen not being as big as advertised, though.

[ike075]

Hi Blaze -

My wife just purchased me this as a birthday gift (I might have dropped a hint or two) from First to you.com . First off I was extremely disappointed on how it arrived. It only had what seemed like the bottom half of the box and was wrapped in a little bit of bubble wrap around the box. The shipping package was a UPS bubble wrap bag. I can't believe they sent it like that. :evil:

Overall it seems very cool (only had it a day). I didn't get any warning to not upgrade the firmware but I haven't tried to yet. I am a little disappointed in the simple clock that it shows and I was kinda hoping there were options as to what style of clock would be on the watch :cry: (kinda wanted that black analog looking one that I have seen on some of the other Epoc watches). Also, it is annoying to have to push a button to check the time :roll: . Another issue I am encountering is the USB charger that connects from the wall to the outlet is really lose and is making it difficult to charge . Finally I am a little puzzled because the useless manual mentions games which I can’t find anywhere in the watch. Perhaps I need to upgrade the firmware for those.

I am thinking about returning it to First to you and purchasing a new one from Chinavasion :twisted: . First it sounds like it is the same unit. Second Chinavasion seems to be selling the 4G version for $85 while my wife bought me this 2G for $199 (they might force us with a 25% restocking fee but I will fight it with the condition I got this in).

Blaze - how was your experience dealing with Chinavasion and did you have any additional customs fees or issues? Are they a real and reputable company? Anything else you can give me a heads up on before I move forward?

Thanks
Ikester

[Blaze]

As far as the purchase goes, Chinavasion pretty much lived up to their promised shipping schedule. It took two weeks before they shipped my watches via DHL, but they arrived in only three days (DHL has a hub in Hong Kong, and one in LA, and I live in Orange County, CA).

What you want to watch out for here is the possibility that a watch purchased from Chinavasion will arrive with defects. Like I mentioned before, I had problems with two of the three watches I ordered.

There are no US import taxes for this watch, so I didn't have to pay anything extra when I got it.

I haven't tried to deal with any returns, and hopefully I won't have to. It can take over a month just for the item to get through China's customs and be delivered to Chinavasion. Also, even though there aren't any US import taxes for the watch, China may require payment of import taxes when the watch gets returned. Chinavasion advises that you declare only 10% of the value of the watch to keep import taxes low.

For the loose charger, just bend the loose connection closed a little bit to tighten up the USB cable connection.

The manual can go in the trash. It's not even for the right watch. I got the same one. There are no games in this watch, and if there were, I wouldn't use them anyway. It would just wear out the buttons.

FYI, you can check your firmware by going into Setup, Sys Tools, Sys Info.

Mine says:

Chip: 07
FW: 03.10.00

The chip is a Samsung K9LAG08(MLC)

(for search engines K9LAG08MLC K9LAG08 MLC (MLC)

[ike075]

The firmware is the same on mine.

Let me know how the attempt at fixing the watches go.

I tried bending the loose connection originally but it didn't help so my guess it is a contact on the inside.

I am going to go ahead and purchase the 4G from Chinavasion. How much was shipping to the United States? As long as I am there anything else you would recommend?

[Blaze]

I can't really recommend anything else, since this is the first thing I have bought from Chinavasion.

[Blaze]

Repairing the watches:

OK, so I decided the crooked screen wasn't really too noticeable, so I am going to leave it alone. I am giving the 4 good working watches to the kids, and I want to make sure the warranty is good for them in case anything stops working.

As for the 5th watch, the one with the loose screen, I decided to open it up and void the warranty in an effort to fix it. It was easier than I thought it would be.

First, slide out one of the pins in the wristband as if you were going to shorten the band. This will get the band out of the way and make it easier to work on. Using a jeweler's screwdriver, remove the 4 screws on the back of the watch and lift off the backplate.



Inside, the entire system is held in place by only two small screws, and they were very loose. I think I know why. The watch was even more glitchy with the screws tightened down. It seems the chip was not manufactured to a good enough tolerance, and there was actually the edge of a circuit printed underneath the area that the screw contacted to hold the chip in place. With the screw tightened down, the case now becomes part of the circuit, and you get problems when you insert either the headphones or the USB adapter, because the jack goes in through the metal case and creates a short in the circuit somewhere.

I fixed this by cutting a small rectangle out of the plastic protector that was covering the face of the watch to protect it during shipping. The size of the rectangle I cut was small enough that folding it in half made it just a little bigger than the head of the screw. I used a tiny jeweler's screwdriver to poke a hole in the folded plastic, and used it as a washer to insulate it from the circuit. I did this to both screws.

While I had the screws out, I also cut some strips of the same plastic to cover the length and height of the inside part of the watch housing that contacts the top and bottom of the circuit. This insulates the circuit in case any of it was printed too close to the top of the chip, and it protects the LCD's delicate ribbon cable from rubbing on the metal (on the bottom, the strip of plastic is meant to be slid between the ribbon and the metal housing).

You have to actually lift the circuit out of the housing just a little bit to get the plastic strips where they need to be. Be very careful not to get any dust inside the watch, and if you actually remove the circuit all the way from the houseing, make sure not to get a fingerprint on the screen or the inside of the watch housing's glass window.

Once you get the plastic insulation strips in the right place (it could take a couple tries), put the two newly insulated screws back into the watch, and tighten them down to secure the screen.

After making these mods, the watch that was shipped to me with a loose and glitchy display screen works perfectly. The only problem is that I have just voided the warranty on this watch, so I guess time will tell how reliable it is.

[Blaze]

OK, now that I have one watch with a voided warranty, I'm thinking I might like to adjust the firmware a little.

Does anybody have any experience altering this firmware? This is something I haven't done before, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

The firmware that it comes with is actually really good. I don't have any major complaints concerning general operation and functionality.

There is one thing that I do really want to change, though. The fast-forward and reverse functions while watching movies are painfully slow. If you press the forward or backward button once, it goes all the way to the beginning or end of the movie. If you hold one of the buttons down, it will go forward or backward, but it does so too slowly to be useful.

I was watching a movie yesterday, and about half way through it, I accidentally hit the forward button. It went all the way to the end of the movie and started the next movie file in my folder. I went back to the movie I was watching, but I was holding down the fast-forward button for so long trying to get back to where I was, I finally just decided to forget about it.

Does anybody know how to change this? Ideally, I would like to see the movie fast forward about a minute or two for every second I hold down the forward button. Right now it only moves about 6-8 seconds for every second I hold the button.

Also, I guess I wouldn't mind changing the unusual boot screen photos of birds and the shutdown photos of fruit. :?:

[ike075]

Thanks for that amazingly detailed rundown of fixing the screen. I ordered the 4G so hopefully I will have it in the next couple of weeks.

My guess on how to change the pictures when the watch starts is if you go into the file system you will see those pictures are located there. Rename pictures with those names and it might just change the pictures on the startup.

I know I would like to see a different option for the clock. Also, is there any way that the clock can stay on without pulling too much energy?

[Blaze]

There is no option to keep the clock on all the time. I'm sure it would drain the battery in about 4 hours if you did change the firmware to allow the clock to be on all the time.

For the startup / shutdown pictures, I'm pretty sure those are in the firmware somewhere. I looked through my folders and didn't see anything. Besides, I formatted the memory a couple times before I figured out that my computer had to be set to USB 1.1 in order to connect to the watch. That would have erased the photos is they were in the standard memory.