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MSI has recently launched a whole range of new MEGA products. The latest product to enter the MEGA family is the MEGA Player 516BT, yet another MP3 player from MSI. Compared to the MEGA Player 515, you’ll notice that the 516BT is quite a lot larger in size.

There is however a reason, well actually several reasons, why the 516BT is larger than its predecessor. First of all the BT in the name stands for Bluetooth, although you might wonder why anyone would need Bluetooth on an MP3 player. Having seen the 516BT at CeBIT earlier this year I already knew that it could be used as a mobile phone hands-free, but it would have been cool if MSI had implemented Bluetooth file transfer as well – although this would be a laborious process.

The other main reason for its larger physical size is the SD/MMC memory card slot, which allows you to expand the memory of the 516BT - something you couldn’t do with the 515. The review sample that I was sent from MSI came with 256MB of internal memory, although the integrated memory size will vary in different markets.

The front of the 516BT features an identical 23 x 12mm OLED display to that of the 515, which sports a resolution of 128 x 64 pixels and has three green rows of text as well as one yellow row of icons. Below the tiny display are two buttons, the left enables the FM radio, while the right doubles as power switch and play/pause button.

Further down the front is the Bluetooth button complete with Bluetooth logo - this allows you to control the Bluetooth functionality. Depress the button and the first menu option enables the Bluetooth, the next one sets it to voice call mode, the third one sets pairing mode, the fifth option takes you back to the music while the sixth one disables the Bluetooth altogether. You have to hold the button depressed to select the option you want as it cycles through the options on the display, which at times can be annoying to say the least.

I would have preferred to use the jog wheel on the right hand side for navigating the Bluetooth menu - this is used to adjust the normal menu settings and is a much more intuitive way of moving through a menu system. Strangely, the jog wheel doesn’t adjust the volume of the 516BT, which seems a bit daft as it would be well suited to this function.

Above the jog wheel is a key lock button and below it is the SD/MMC memory card slot. On the left hand side you’ll find a small hoop for attaching a carry strap, an integrated microphone, the record button, the repeat button and two volume control buttons.

The top of the 516BT has two 2.5mm audio connectors, one for the supplied headphones and one for the supplied line in cable. There is also a mini USB connector hidden behind a rubber flap here. The 2.5mm headphone connector is one of the biggest flaws of the 516BT as it means that you can’t use regular headphones with it. Of course you cat get 2.5mm – 3.5mm adapters, but MSI doesn’t supply one in the box, which compounds the problem.

The build quality is otherwise very good and the aluminium inlays makes it look classy, but it is a shame that the sides are still made of plastic. To reduce the chance of scratching your newly purchased MEGA Player 516BT, MSI supplies a “leather” case in the box, although I’m not entirely sure which part of it is leather. It has a clear plastic holder for the 516BT with cut-outs where needed. There is also space for two SD or MMC cards, if you want to carry some extra music with you as well as a small pocket on the outside for general storage.

Although the 516BT can charge over USB, much like the 515, MSI supplies a charger in the box, but you still have to use the USB cable - the charger has a standard USB connector instead of a proprietary power cable. An unusual design, but it is something that’s becoming more and more popular with devices that charge over USB. The downside of this is that you can't leave your USB cable connected to your PC and then charge the player elsewhere with the charger.