Play-Yan Micro myths debunked...
Sorry if this is boring to all non-geeks out there, but some things just have to be said.
Myth #1: You have to know Japanese to use the Play-Yan Micro.
Wrong. I don't know any Japanese (sure, I can ask if you understand English, but that's about it) and I haven't had any trouble figuring out how to use the PYM. It's pretty easy. You get an SD card (I have a 1GB SD card from Sandisk). You get an SD card reader (I have a $9.99 USB card reader from Fry's). You plug it into your computer, it mounts like an external drive, and you drag and drop whatever mp3 files you want to copy onto the SD card onto the icon on your desktop. Drag and drop. It's so easy. The only screen on the actual PYM that is in Japanese is some intro screen that you push A to get past. Don't be scared.
Myth #2: You can't use the PYM with a Macintosh computer, because the software it comes with (MediaStage Ver.4.2, on a CD) only works with Windows.
Wrong. It is true that the software they give you isn't compatible with Mac OS, but guess what? You don't need MediaStage to transfer mp3s onto an SD card. Just drag and drop the files onto your SD card. The PYM will read your mp3s just fine on its own. If you drag a folder containing all the songs on the album Use Your Illusion II onto the SD card, you'll see the same folder on your PYM mp3 menu.
Videos are a bit more complicated. I use a piece of commercial software called Kinoma Producer 3, which was made for the PSP, but works just fine for converting and resizing mp4 files for the PYM as well.
Hope that makes sense...feel free to ask questions or leave comments...
Myth #1: You have to know Japanese to use the Play-Yan Micro.
Wrong. I don't know any Japanese (sure, I can ask if you understand English, but that's about it) and I haven't had any trouble figuring out how to use the PYM. It's pretty easy. You get an SD card (I have a 1GB SD card from Sandisk). You get an SD card reader (I have a $9.99 USB card reader from Fry's). You plug it into your computer, it mounts like an external drive, and you drag and drop whatever mp3 files you want to copy onto the SD card onto the icon on your desktop. Drag and drop. It's so easy. The only screen on the actual PYM that is in Japanese is some intro screen that you push A to get past. Don't be scared.
Myth #2: You can't use the PYM with a Macintosh computer, because the software it comes with (MediaStage Ver.4.2, on a CD) only works with Windows.
Wrong. It is true that the software they give you isn't compatible with Mac OS, but guess what? You don't need MediaStage to transfer mp3s onto an SD card. Just drag and drop the files onto your SD card. The PYM will read your mp3s just fine on its own. If you drag a folder containing all the songs on the album Use Your Illusion II onto the SD card, you'll see the same folder on your PYM mp3 menu.
Videos are a bit more complicated. I use a piece of commercial software called Kinoma Producer 3, which was made for the PSP, but works just fine for converting and resizing mp4 files for the PYM as well.
Hope that makes sense...feel free to ask questions or leave comments...