Myvu Universal Personal Video Viewer
I covered the Myvu a while ago, and felt a need to cover the next step up. For those of you who do not know, the myvu is a personal video viewer designed to put a small image right in front of your eyes so your mind translates as a bigger one. I believe that the myvu was originally designed for iPod videos, since the tiny video image just doesn’t compare with a regular TV.
The myvu Universal was designed to as it name implies. It comes with several cables that fits in many video and PMPs (Portable Media Players). For example, on cable fits the Archos PMP, and others fit Portable Video, DVD players, and video cameras from popular brands such as Sony, LG, Zenith, Audiovox, Philips, Insignia, Dynex, and Toshiba.
It also comes with a cable for the Microsoft Zune or the most famous model, the Apple iPod. I found that the iPod needed an iPod dock in order to work. This wasn’t the case with the earlier myvu models. This is because the original myvu came with a cable that attached to the iPod dock at the bottom of the iPod. In this myvu, the cable connects directly to the earphone, but it might not work on certain iPods, such as the new 80GB model. There, I highly recommend the myvu connection cable for the iPod that allows perfect viewing.
The myvu Universal also requires charging before use, which was something the older myvu models did not have. I believe it had something to do with the attachment cable that went directly into the iPod. I can only imagine that it sucked power from the iPod in order to make it work, but this model can charge independently and hold for four hours.
The myvu is designed for portability, and resembles an odd pair of sunglasses. The universal comes with two additional pairs of nose pads and earbud pads, so the user can adjust the fitting to their own personal comfort level. It also comes with a protective cloth for transport.
As far as the screen size, the original myvu advertised “a big screen TV from six feet away”. I do not think it could compare that well, and one of thing that sells the myvu is the fact the screen isn’t too protruding. That is, a user can walk and watch TV at the same time, and not bump into any obstacles on their journey.
The myvu Universal can be purchased on the myvu site for about $199.95, which is the same price as the “made for iPod” model, so you would not have to pay more for a myvu with more capability than just the iPod.
