[huy_ha]

So, I got a Vibez 12gb two weeks ago. It's been a joy so far, but I had some issues with the ergonomics, namely the scroll wheel. For those who haven't gotten to play with one of these DAPs yet, the scroll wheel always controls the volume, unless the player is locked, in which case no input is possible from the wheel or the hard buttons.

This presented a problem that I didn't have with my Muvo squared, which basically mimics the controls of an MD player: every time I inserted or removed the Vibez from my pocket, the volume would drastically change. Also annoying was the fact that when I reached into my pocket to change the volume back, I sometimes accidentally pushed left or right on the wheel, which then engages different menus to change either the brightness of the display or what Trekstor calls "pitchblend" (which changes the speed of the track). This, then, required actually taking the player out so I would know what was going on and fix anything that was changed. Of course, this also meant that the volume was way down or worse, deafening. These are not easy feats to accomplish when you're in a crowded subway, especially if you're holding on to a magazine.

I emailed Trekstor support to see if there was any way to disengage the scroll wheel volume control and only use the hard buttons. They wrote back and told me no and that I should lock the player if I don't want the wheel to control volume. This is problematic because it takes two hands (or one deft kung fu hand) to lock the player, as you have to push the center of the scroll wheel and then the power button at the same time to engage or disengage the lock. Again, not something that's easy to do during your commute.

So I started looking into cases that would allow me to reach into my pocket to change tracks or volume with the scroll wheel, but would also keep the wheel stationary while it's in my pocket, or when I'm putting the player into or removing it from my pocket. This case had to have an opening in the center bottom, where the headphone input is stationed on the Vibez, but it also had to allow me to see the display and engage the wheel when I needed it.

Enter the Timbuk2 iPod flip case. I don't think this case is even on the Timbuk2 site any more, but it seemed readily available at EMS in New York City, which is where I purchased. The case is hardy, with a strap on the bottom and lets you see the display while freeing up the wheel. I tried EMS's own iPod case, which offers a clear plastic layer to protect the display, but the case was too tight and did not allow the wheel to spin easily. It actually pressed down enough on the wheel to activate the left/right buttons on the wheel. Too bad, as the Timbuk2 case is 25 dollars and the EMS case is 5.

Anyway, long story short, the Timbuk2 case works well, though obviously increases the bulk a bit. I've carried it in the pocket of my jackets and my jeans with no problems. The opening is large enough for most headphone plugs and is also big enough to accomodate the USB plug (also on the bottom, if not apparent from the photos.

Hope this was helpful to you Vibez owners.

 

[Jon L]

That case is huge compared to the actual player.

We need a skin-tight Vibez case with detachable belt-clip! (for working out) As soon as there is one, I'll buy the Vibez.

 

[huy_ha]

What I forgot to mention is that this purchase would be for the impatient (i.e. me). Trekstor has two cases, a "skin" case and a "stretch" case that are supposed to come out. I got tired of waiting, since they've also been sitting on the docking station, video card, and the remote for a while. You can see a drawing of the case on the Vibez mini-site, but everything is listed as "coming soon".

 

[Csidinim]

i don't know if this would work but you could also just strap a thick rubber band around the wheel area to increase the friction. and then just be more gentle when reaching into your pocket.

 

[huy_ha]

Hmmm...perhaps not many Vibez owners yet?

I tried the rubber band thing. Unfortunately, the cardinal points are also sensitive, so just the regular commute in the pocket of my jeans resulted in fast forwarded and rewound tracks the whole time, especially while walking. That worked a little better in my jacket pocket, but it's really hard to get the right ration of force and friction with a rubber band.

That said, the Tibuk2 case is working fine, but I see that the "wrap case" is available as a special order from a few vendors. I haven't been able to find a single picture of it, though. Any Vibez owners seen/tried the wrap case yet? If so, can you report or post a photo?

Neither of the current cases - skin or stretch - appear to give you access to the wheel. I'm not one to set and forget...

 

[warrior05]

Love my Vibez as well and I certainly feel your pain about the scroll wheel/volume issue. I'm sure if used it in a commuting situation it would drive me nutty. There is a guy on the Riovolution boards that replaced his scroll wheel with a flat plexiglass disk. It's real sharp looking and helps with the volume issue.

 

[RubenNYC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by huy_ha /img/forum/go_quote.gif I emailed Trekstor support to see if there was any way to disengage the scroll wheel volume control and only use the hard buttons. They wrote back and told me no and that I should lock the player if I don't want the wheel to control volume. This is problematic because it takes two hands (or one deft kung fu hand) to lock the player, as you have to push the center of the scroll wheel and then the power button at the same time to engage or disengage the lock. Again, not something that's easy to do during your commute.

Have you tried customizing the lock options? I didn't actually try this until just last week, but in the Lock Button settings, if you set "Adjust Volume" to Allow and "Play/Pause" to lock, you should find that the hard volume buttons work but all wheel functions are disabled. I don't have the same commute you do, but I find this makes it a lot easier to keep in a pocket while I'm listening and still have easy access to changing the volume.

 

[huy_ha]

Thanks, Ruben. That works swell in shuffle mode...