Thanks to Bluetree Electronics, I am able to get hold of TheKube2 MP3 player. It was launched in Singapore in November. TheKube2 is the succession of TheKube launched 2 years ago. TheKube2 (or Kube2.0) sports the same super small form factor and touted to be the smallest touch MP3 Player in the world. Yes, it has touch or gesture interface.

Packaging

The packaging is very simple. The device is so small that some might miss it.

What’s inside:

• TheKube2 MP3 Player
• USB Charging cable
• Earphone
• MicroSD card reader
• 4GB MicroSD Card
• Player Skin

More about TheKube2 later. Lets look at the accessories.

USB Charging Cable

As you can see, the other side of the cable is a 3.5mm jack. Based on the design of TheKube2, there is only one port. That is the 3.5mm port. So, that means it acts as a charging port and also a 3.5mm jack port.

My gross is that you will need to keep the cable properly. Once you lose it, you will not be able to charge the device. I would rather that they provide a Mini or Micro USB port for charging purposely so that finding a charging cable will be easier and I can charge and listen at the same time.

Earpiece

I like the earpiece. It came in white and has those flat cable that is not easy to tangle up.

Close up of the earpiece.

MicroSD Card Reader and MicroSD card

The way to play songs is to put it into a MicroSD card. Bluetree has provided a 4GB MicroSD with a reader for easy transfer of songs.

Player Skin

TheKube2 is skinable. However, I still prefer the original metallic silver look.

TheKube2 MP3 Player

This is the side view of TheKube2.

When it was delivered, it came with a sticker on the front panel.

The information is actually the keys to operate the player. For example 1 and 3 are Volume control, 4 and 2 are on and off. That is not all. As mentioned earlier, it has gestures or swipe control. A diagonal swipe from top left to bottom right is actually a pause. And from top right to bottom left is actually shuffle mode.

There is a blue indicator at the front.

And a red indicator on the back.

Usage

In my opinion, you will need some “getting use to” for this player. As it doesn’t have any physical button or labels on the player, you might find yourself trying to figure out where is the start/stop button.

The swipe function is not perfect. It failed a dozen times. It might be due to me but if it is so difficult, I think Bluetree should improve the overall experience of the user.

I am not an audiophile. This is the information from their website on audio performance.

Audio Performance

DAC Resolution – 18 bits
THD+N – 0.02%
Dynamic Range – 100dB
SNR – 94dB
Inter Channel Isolation – 80dB
Inter Channel Gain – 0.1dB
Freq Response – 18Hz – 22kHz

For me, the sound quality seems decent.

Here is a video that I made.

Summary

For the price of less than S$50, you get a touch based MP3 player, a pair of earpiece, a MicroSD card reader and a 4GB SDHC card. You do the math. I think it is a steal.

It is small enough to keep it in any pocket and the battery life is decent at 6 hours of play time. A full charge is about an hour. My only worry is that I might lose it as it is so small.

TheKube2 is available at 7-Eleven stores in Singapore.