Motorola m250 User Manual

m2

50/m500

DIGI TAL PLAAUDI O

YER

Copyright/Trademarks

Copyright © 2004 Motorola, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make

any derivative work (such as translation, transformation or adaptation) without written permission from M otorola,
Inc.

Motorola reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes in content from time to time without
obligation on the part of Motorola to provide notification of such revision or change. Motorola provides this guide
without warranty of any kind, either implied or expressed, including but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Motorola may make improvements or changes in the
product(s) described in this manual at any time.

MOTOROLA, and the stylized M logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office. Microsoft, Windows
Me, and Windows XP are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the Unit ed States and/or other countries. All
other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.

Gracenote is a registered trademark of CDDB, Inc.
Macintosh, Quicktime, and iTunes are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories Licens ing Corporation.
AT&T is a registered trademark of AT&T Corporation.
Fraunhofer is a registered trademark of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung.
Sony is a registered trademark of Sony Electronics, Inc.
Nokia is a registered trademark of Nokia Corporation.

FCC & Industry Canada Compliance

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 2

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These
limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses
and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try
to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Changes or modification not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the

equipment.

Declaration of Conformity

According to 47 CFR, Parts 2 and 15 for Class B Personal Computers and Peripherals; and/or CPU Boards and Po wer Supplies used with Class
B Personal Computers, Motorola, Inc., (Motorola, Inc., Broadband Communications Sector, 101 Tournament Drive, Horsham, PA 19044, 1-877­466-8646), declares under sole responsibility that the product identifies with 47 CFR Part 2 and 15 of the FCC Rules as a Class B digital device.
Each product marketed is identical to the representative unit tested and founded to be compliant with the standards. Records maintained
continue to reflect the equipment being produced can be expected to be within the variation accepted, due to quantity production and testing on
a statistical basis as required by 47 CFR 2.909. Operation is subject to the following condition: This device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. The above named party is responsible for ensuring that the equipment
complies with the standards of 47 CFR, Paragraphs 15.107 to 15.109.

Industry Canada

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 3

Safety

WARNING

TO REDUCE THE CHANCE OF SHOCK OR INJURY, DO NOT USE or OPERATE THIS DEVICE IN OR NEAR WATER OR WET
LOCATIONS.

CAUTION

RISK OF EXPLOSION, DAMAGE OR BATTERY LEAKAGE IS POSSIBLE IF BATTERY IS REPLACED INCORRECTLY OR BY AN
INCORRECT TYPE. NEVER ATTEMPT TO CHARGE A NON-RECHARGEABLE ALKALINE BATTERY. DISPOSE OF USED BATTERIES
ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTIONS OR LOCAL LAWS.

Use of headphones while operating a vehicle is not recommended a nd is unlawful in some states and areas. Be careful and attentive while
driving. Stop operation of the player if you find it disruptive or distracting while operating any type of equipment. Listen ing to music at full power
over extended periods of time can be damaging to the hearing of the user.

BATTERY SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Do not burn, disassemble, mutilate, or puncture the battery. The battery contains toxic materials that could be released, resulting in injury.
Caution: There is a risk of explosion if you replace the battery with an incorrect battery type. Use only the battery that came with your player or

an authorized replacement recommended by the manufacturer.
Keep batteries out of the reach of children.
Remove batteries if storing over 30 days.
Do not dispose of batteries in fire, which could result in explosion.
The rechargeable batteries that power this product must be disposed of properly and may need to be recycled. Refer to your batter y’s label for

battery type. Contact your local recycling center for proper disposal methods.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 4

Contents

Package Contents 6
Welcome 7
Tour of the m250/m500 9
LCD Overview 12
Basic Setup 15
Software Setup 18
Basic Operations 24
Play Music 30
FM Tuner 34
Advanced Features 37

Settings 39
About 52
Bookmarks 51
Frequently Asked Questions 53
Glossary 56
Appendix A – The MP3 Format 59
Appendix B – Menu Tree 61
Limited Warranty and Software License 62
Index 69

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 5

Package Contents

• m250/m500 Digital Audio Player

• Installation CD

• Earphones

• AC Adapter/Charger

• Belt Clip

• Mini USB Cable

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 6

Welcome

Congratulations on your purchase of the Motorola m250/m500 Digital Audio Player (Models DAP102/DAP105). The
m250/m500 is a portable player that provides many hours of
stopwatch, and an FM radio tuner. Small and powerful, the m250 internal memory can store about 625 songs on its

2.5-gigabyte (GB) hard drive

1

while the m500 internal memory can store about 1250 songs on its 5 GB hard drive1
(based on a 4-minute song encoded as a 128 kbps MP3). Song files are transferred from the drive into the memory
and then the drive turns off to save power, provide skip protection, and ensure uninterrupted music play. The player is
controlled by a small joystick on the front called the Thumbstick, so that most functions can be performed with one
hand.

MP3 and WMA playback, and features a lighted LCD, a

Included with the m250/m500 is the

Motorola Digital Music Center for Windows® PCs. This easy-to-use and powerful

software enables you to extract music tracks from CDs, organize them in a variety of ways, and quickly download
them to the m250/m500 using a high-speed USB 2.0 connection. (Your computer must support USB 2.0 for the fastest
transfer times; the m250/m500 and software will also work with the older USB 1.0 format.) Help files are included in
your Motorola Digital Music Center that guide you step-by-step through the functions of the software and your player.
Just click on the icon and choose the topic for which you need information.

Additionally, the m250/m500 player’s internal memory can be used as another storage device and is displayed on
Windows Explorer as a removable drive when attached through the USB port.

The m250/m500 also supports Apple

iTunes® software (a free download from www.apple.com), and the firmware in

the player accepts updates from both the PC and Macintosh® computers.

1

Actual formatted capacity is less. 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 7

The m250/m500 supports the following digital audio formats:

• MP3 with ID3 tags

•

WMA with ID3 tags

• Audible® (spoken word) files (formats 2 and 3)

• Microsoft’s DRM (Digital Rights Management) coding

The m250/m500 can play most

VBR (Variable Bit Rate) files, although not all LCD features may be available for those

tracks. The total number of songs that can be stored on the m250/m500 depends on the way in which they are
encoded and the bit rate used. See the

FAQ section of this manual for more information.

Learning More

The capabilities of the m250/m500, as well as the power of the software and the ways in which you can work with
music files in general, are considerable. You will enjoy experimenting with the software and music files as you get to
know how to get the most from your m250/m500 Digital Audio Player. Refer to the Quick Start Guide for the basics on
how to set up and start using the m250/m500.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 8

Tour of the m250/m500

Main View

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 9

Top View

Bottom View

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 10

Inside View

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 11

LCD Overview

Playback Mode

Menu Mode

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 12

Play Screens

Press the Thumbstick to cycle through Date View, Time Code View, and Track Format View screens.

Date View

Time Code View

Track Format View

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 13

FM Radio Manual

FM Radio Store Preset

FM Radio Preset

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 14

Basic Setup

Connections

Before you can start using your new m250/m500 player, you’ll have to install and connect a few things. This chapter
describes how to attach the battery charger and connect the earphones and the Mini USB cable to the player.

AC Power Adapter/Charger

The AC adapter uses a Mini USB connector and attaches to the m250/m500 through the USB port. The first time you
charge the battery, let it charge overnight.

1 Connect the AC adapter to the m250/m500 at the USB port.
2 Plug the AC adapter into an electrical outlet. The battery icon will appear in the upper right corner of the LCD and

show itself filling up while charging.

3 When the battery is fully charged, the battery icon in the upper right corner will change to an electrical plug icon.

Unplug the AC adapter and disconnect it from the player. Additionally, if the player is turned off while charging
(player turns itself on when the charger is attached) a large “battery filling” icon appears in the center of the
display, which changes to a large electrical plug when fully charged.

Battery

The m250/m500 uses a Motorola lithium-ion (Li-ion) replaceable battery that provides many hours of use. It is
designed to be recharged in the player, but can easily be replaced if it wears out. You can buy extra batteries, charge
them in the player, and then remove and keep them handy to extend the time you use the player away from an
electrical source. The
remove the cover:

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 15

battery compartment cover must be removed before a battery can be removed or installed. To

1 Press in the small latch while lifting off the back cover of the player. (See the pictures on pages 10 and 11.)
2 Note that one end of the battery fits under a small metal lip and the other end is held in by small plastic clips. Lift

the battery up from the latter end and slide it out from under the lip. The power contacts are underneath.

3 Install a new battery so that the end with the metal contacts will slide under the metal lip, and then snap the other

end into place against the plastic clips.

4 Snap the cover back on. Make sure it’s lined up properly with the slots in the player body.

Earphones

Connect the supplied earphones to the earphone jack on the top of the player (see page 10). Any quality audio
earphones with a 3.5mm stereo plug can be used with the m250/m500; however, DO NOT use an earphone from a
cell or cordless phone because the wiring is different and can damage the player.

USB Cable

The m250/m500 communicates with your computer over a Mini USB cable using USB 2.0 protocols, with a transfer
rate of up to 480 Mbps. The player must be connected using the included USB cable to the USB port on your
computer to transfer music or files to and from the player and your computer. The Mini USB connector plugs into the
port on the bottom of the player (see pages
player. Use care in opening it and do not pull too hard on the plug.

10 and 11). The port is covered by a soft plastic plug attached to the

Whenever you plug the player into the cable while the computer is on, the player turns on and establishes a link with
the computer. You can then use your music software or file manager to transfer songs and data to and from the
player.

When you are done, be sure to stop the link to the player to avoid corrupting files. In Windows, an icon is displayed on
the taskbar like the one shown below. Click on it and a dialog box will appear asking you which device you want to
stop. Click on the line for USB Mass Storage Device that has a removable drive listed below it, because that is how
the player appears to Windows. For a Mac, follow the procedures specified by your operating system to stop or eject a
USB device.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 16

USB Charging

When connected to a USB port, the computer can supply the power to run the player and charge its battery. This also
allows you to listen to music from the player while it is connected to your computer without draining the battery.

Additional Accessories

Get the most out of your m250/m500 with additional accessories that can make the player easier and more flexible to
use. Shop the Motorola web site at

http://www.motorola.com/mp3players.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 17

Software Setup

Overview

To enable your computer to work most effectively with the m250/m500 and access the full potential of the player, the
appropriate software for your computer’s operating system must be installed:

•

Motorola Digital Music Center must be installed on computers that use the Windows operating system.

Motorola Digital Music Center is the provided program you use in Windows to manage your audio files.

•

iTunes must be installed on computers that use the Macintosh operating system.

•

Gracenote® CDDB© Music Recognition Service is a free service you can register with that automatically

provides details of audio CDs such as Title, Artist, and Track names.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 18

Windows

Follow these instructions to load the installation software, which enables your PC to recognize the m250/m500. The
installation also loads the
to install drivers for the player from the CD; refer to your system documentation and Help files for details on doing this.
You can also click on the Add New Hardware icon in Control Panel and follow the prompts.

1 Place the installation CD label-side up into your computer’s CD-ROM drive. The installation software should

launch automatically.

If the installation software does not launch automatically, follow these steps to start installing manually:

a. Double-click the My Computer icon on the Windows Desktop.
b. Double-click the CD-ROM icon.
c. Double-click the Install icon.

Motorola Digital Music Center. If you are using Windows 98 Second Edition, you may have

2 Click
3 If prompted, reboot the computer when the installation is complete.

Motorola Digital Music Center Software and Drivers and follow the on-screen instructions.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 19

USB

To transfer music or files between your computer and the m250/m500, connect the player to your computer using the
supplied Mini USB cable.

USB Detection with the Windows Device Driver

USB connectivity is ready to work immediately after Motorola Digital Music Center has been installed.
If for any reason the Windows Device Driver Wizard is displayed after the USB cable has been plugged into both the

m250/m500 and the computer, please follow these steps:
1 Confirm that the installation CD is in the computer’s CD-ROM drive.

Check the CD-ROM Drives box when the Device Driver Wizard requests the location of the m250/m500 drivers.

2

Click Next and follow the Device Driver Wizard instructions.

3

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 20

Motorola Digital Music Center

Motorola Digital Music Center is an all-in-one solution that is simple to use and can save and manage entire
collections of digital audio tracks. Motorola Digital Music Center provides the capabilities listed below.

• Copy (

WMA files by default and MP3 via an optional upgrade pack.

• Automatically

• Edit

• Organize and manage digital audio tracks on your computer and the m250/m500.

• Search for tracks on your computer and the m250/m500.

• Create custom playlists.

• Transfer tracks from your computer to the m250/m500.

rip) audio CDs into compressed (encoded) digital audio formats. Motorola Digital Music Center encodes

synchronize the music collection on your computer with your m250/m500.

ID3 Tag and WMA tags on digital audio tracks.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 21

Macintosh

iTunes

The iTunes plug-in is required for the Mac Operating System, 10.3 or higher.

Your m250/m500 audio player is compatible with Apple’s iTunes, which runs under the Macintosh operating system
and is free and available at
program. iTunes offers the following features:

www.apple.com. Support for iTunes also can be found there and in the Help files of the

• Copy (

• Organize digital audio tracks on your computer.

• Search for tracks on your computer.

• Create custom CDs.

rip) your audio CDs into compressed (encoded) digital formats, including MP3s.

The m250/m500 doesn’t support the
there are many quality music file format conversion programs available online for little or no cost.

The m250/m500 does not support iTunes playlists.

AAC codec used for music files obtained from the iTunes Music Store at this time. However,

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 22

Gracenote CDDB® Music Recognition Service

The Gracenote CDDB© Music Recognition Service can be used to automatically look up details of audio CDs such as
Title, Artist, and Track names. There is no charge to register and use the service. You have the option during the
installation of Motorola Digital Music Center to register with Gracenote, but if you do not, you can register later by
following the instructions below. To register, your PC must be connected to the Internet. It must also be connected to
the Internet when ripping CDs so that Gracenote can retrieve and provide the music details of the CD being ripped.

In Digital Music Center:

1 Click Tools.
2 Click Options.
3 Click Copy CD.
4 Click Advanced.
5 Click Register to register or re-register with the Gracenote CDDB Music Recognition Service.
6 Click Next.
7 Check the box that reads “I have read and agree to these Terms of Use.”
8 Click Finish.
9 Click Done.
10 Click OK.

If you have not registered with Gracenote, a ripped CD will have ID3 tag data of “Unknown Artist” and “Track X” (where X is the
track number of the CD) both in the player’s information screen and in Motorola Digital Music Center.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 23

Basic Operations

The basic operations of the m250/m500 are divided into four areas:

• How to

• How to Copy songs from CDs and other sources to your computer

• How to

• How to

Control the player functions

Transfer songs to the m250/m500 from your computer
Play Songs on the player

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 24

Control

The following controls on the m250/m500 let you access the player’s functions:

• POWER

Press to turn the player on. To turn the player off, press and hold until the bar graph moves completely across
the screen and Saving Settings is displayed.

LOCK/UNLOCK

•

Slide into the LOCK position to disable Volume and the Thumbstick (except Play/Pause operation). This works
when the player is on and off; when the player is turned off, a padlock appears on the LCD if you try to turn it
on with LOCK engaged. See Settings for Lock options.

VOLUME + and -

•

Press either side of the button to adjust the volume level.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 25

• Thumbstick

Move, like a joystick, toward any of the four symbols discussed below, or press in like a button. In Playback
mode, press in to cycle through the Play Screens. In Menu mode, move to select categories or options, and
press in to make choices.

Play/Pause ||

o

Press to play or press again to pause playback, and to move up through menus and options.

MENU 

o

Press and release quickly to enter Menu mode without stopping music playback. Press and hold to stop
playback, and to move down through menus and options.

Forward |

o

Press and release quickly to skip to the next track. Press and hold to scan forward through a track. In
Menu mode, press to move into a submenu. When setting options, press to confirm the choice and a
checkmark will appear on the LCD.

o Reverse |

Press and release quickly to skip to the previous track. Select and hold to scan backward through a
track. In Menu mode, press to return to the Playback mode screen or to back out of a submenu. When
setting options, press to cancel the choice and an X will appear on the LCD.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 26

Copy

Copying Tracks with Motorola Digital Music Center

Copying tracks from audio CDs involves two steps commonly known as ripping and encoding. Ripping and encoding
refer to the process of ripping (copying) audio from a CD and encoding (saving) the audio content into a compressed
digital audio format like MP3 or WMA.

1 Launch the Motorola Digital Music Center.
2 Insert an audio CD into your CD-ROM drive.
3 Click the CD-ROM icon on the Motorola Digital Music Center Device List. In a short time the music tracks on

the CD will be read and listed in the Digital Music Center window.

4 Use any of the following techniques to select tracks:

Track Type Technique

Single track
Multiple tracks
All tracks
No tracks
Every track except for the currently selected tracks

Left-click the track
Press SHIFT+Click or CTRL+Click
Press CTRL+A
Press CTRL+N
Select Edit, Invert Selection

5 Click

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 27

to begin copying the selected tracks to your computer.

Transfer

Transferring Tracks with Motorola Digital Music Center

Transferring tracks from the PC to the m250/m500 with the Motorola Digital Music Center involves selecting tracks
and then transferring them onto the player.

1 Launch the Motorola Digital Music Center.
2 Click My Music in the left frame to access tracks. Motorola Digital Music Center scans the computer’s hard

drives for digital audio files that are compatible with the m250/m500 player. Files are automatically categorized
by album title and displayed in the Track List.

3 You can select tracks within a specific category: Albums, Artists, Genres, Songs, and Playlists. For example, if

you wish to copy all tracks by a favorite artist onto the player, click the Artists tab and then use any of the
techniques in Step 4 to select the desired tracks.

4 Use any of the following techniques to select tracks:

File type Technique

Single track, album, or artist
Multiple tracks, albums, and/or artists
All tracks, albums, and artists
No tracks, albums, or artists
Every track except for the currently selected tracks

Left-click the track, album, or artist
Press SHIFT+Click or CTRL+Click
Press CTRL+A
Press CTRL+N
Select Edit, Invert Selection

5 Click to begin transferring the selected tracks to your m250/m500.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 28

iTunes

This is the music management software developed by Apple Computer and is available from the Apple web site.
Check your computer documentation to find out how to load it onto your Mac operating system.

1 Launch iTunes.
2 Connect the player to a USB port on the computer. The m250/m500 will turn on.
3 Click Library in the iTunes Source frame.
4 Select the tracks to transfer.
5 Drag and drop the selected tracks onto the m250/m500 player listing in the iTunes Source frame.

iTunes will only refresh the audio contents located on the m250/m500 player after all selected tracks have been transferred.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 29

Play Music

There are two types of music playback in the m250/m500:

• Play Music plays digital audio music tracks in Playback mode.

•

FM Tuner will let the player receive FM radio stations.

These types of playback can be changed at any time through the Main Menu.

Playback

In Playback mode (the default mode), any track or preset customized playlist can be played within seconds by
selecting the appropriate category.

• Play All will play all songs on the m250/m500.

• Album will select the songs whose information identifies them as belonging to a particular

CD album.

• Artist will identify songs from a particular artist for playback, based on track information.

• Genre will play all songs that match a particular type of music, based on track information.

• Track will play a specific track.

• Year will group and play songs that were published in a certain year.

• New Music will include and play songs that were added to your music lists within a specified recent period of time.

• Playlists will use the lists you have made of selected songs to play.

• Spoken Word is used to play AUD

• FM Recordings will open a list of recorded broadcasts for playing. These can be music, speeches, talk shows,

etc.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 30

®

(audible) files such as those used for recorded books.

Play All

To play all tracks:

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Play Music.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Play All.

5 Press Thumbstick in to begin playback.

.

Album

To play a specific album:

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Play Music.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Album.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select an album to play.
7 Press Thumbstick in to begin playback.

Repeat these instructions to select any of the other
Playback options (Artist, Genre, Track, Year, New
Music).

.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 31

Playlists

To create a playlist accessible on your m250/m500:

1 Select your

Motorola Digital Music Center.

2 Select tracks to add to a playlist.
3 Right-click a highlighted track.
4 Click Add to playlist.
5 Click New Playlist.
6 Enter a playlist name.
7 Click OK.

m250/m500 from the Device List in

Spoken Word

To play spoken word tracks:

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Play Music.

.

To start a playlist:

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Play Music.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Playlists.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select a playlist.
7 Press Thumbstick in to begin playback.

.

3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Spoken Word.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select a title or file.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 32

FM Record

To play tracks recorded from the FM tuner:

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select FM Record.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Playback.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select a recording or to Play All.
7 Press Thumbstick in to begin playback.

To delete tracks recorded from the FM tuner:

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select FM Record*.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Delete.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select a recording or to Delete All.
7 Press Thumbstick in to remove the selection(s).

*FM Record appears in the menu as FM Record and in the immediate submenu as FM Recordin g.

.

.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 33

FM Tuner

The FM Tuner is a stereo FM receiver with the capability of storing up to eight preset stations and recording broad­casts into the player’s memory. When using the FM Tuner, there are three different modes of operation:

• Manual allows you to tune in a station by moving Thumbstick forward (

• Store Preset lets you set a station frequency under a memory location, like a car radio push button.

• Preset recalls the stored stations so they can be tuned in by pressing on a number.

|) or backward (|).

FM Control

When in FM Tuner mode, the following controls function differently depending on the mode:

• MENU (
Press to enter Menu mode.

• Play/Pause (
Press to mute the FM radio. Press and hold to start and stop FM Record.

• Forward (
In Manual mode, press to tune up or down the frequency range. Press and hold to search up or down the
frequency range for particularly strong signals.

• Thumbstick (Movement)
Move to duplicate the Play/Pause (
hold Play/Pause (
hold to enter Store Preset mode.

)

||)

|) and Reverse (|)

||), Forward (|), and Reverse (|) functions listed above. Press and

||) to start and stop FM Record. Press in to enter Preset mode. In Manual mode, press and

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 34

Manual

To enter the FM Tuner mode and use manual tuning:

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select FM Tuner.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Press Thumbstick quickly to

for the next strong signal when Thumbstick is pressed to Forward (

 to switch between the auto-searching option and no searching. (Autosearch looks

.

|) or Reverse (|)).

Store Preset

The m250/m500 allows programming of up to eight FM preset slots. To store a preset:

1 When in Manual mode, tune to a frequency you wish to store.
2 Press and hold Thumbstick to enter Store Preset mode.
3 Press Thumbstick toward Forward (

preset station slot.

4 Press Thumbstick to store the frequency to the selected FM preset slot. After a frequency has been stored to a slot

the player will enter Preset mode.

|) or Reverse (|) to cycle to the desired

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 35

Preset

To access an FM preset slot:

1 When in Manual mode, press Thumbstick in to enter Preset mode.
2 Press Forward (
3 Press Thumbstick in to select a preset station and return to Manual mode.

|) or Reverse (|) to cycle to the desired preset station.

Recording Broadcasts

The m250/m500 FM Tuner allows you to record FM broadcasts and play them back through the player. To record a
broadcast:

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select FM Tuner.
3 Press Thumbstick in.

4 Press Thumbstick quickly to

searching. (Autosearch looks for the next strong signal when Thumbstick is pressed to Forward (
(

|)).

5 Move Thumbstick up for about 1 second.
6 The record icon will appear at the top of the display screen after several seconds.
7 To stop the recording, press the Thumbstick up for about 1 second again.
8 The record icon will disappear after several seconds.

 to switch between the auto-searching option and no

.

|) or Reverse

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 36

Advanced Features

Your m250/m500 offers a number of useful advanced features beyond the playing of music:

•

Stopwatch Use this feature to record thousands of laps and instantly tell how much faster or slower the last

lap was when compared to the previous one.

•

Settings The Settings menu lets you adjust basic m250/m500 configurations, such as the LCD backlight,

power saving, etc.

•

Bookmarks You can use Bookmarks to keep both a place in a recorded book and to save your own personal

settings if you share the player with someone else, who can also store their own settings using bookmarks.

•

About The About menu holds information about the firmware version in the m250/m500 and the storage

space remaining on the hard drive.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 37

Stopwatch

You can use the stopwatch to keep track of time-related events while listening to music.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to

.

2 Move Thumbstick to select Stopwatch.
3 Press Thumbstick in.

Average Lap Time

Lap statistics are displayed at the bottom of the Stopwatch screen. When a new lap is set, the
difference, either faster (- for time removed) or slower (+ for time added), between the new lap time
and the current average laptime is displayed for a few moments, and then the new current average
laptime is displayed. The time for the two most recent laps is shown below the counter, and each

Lap Difference

new lap saved erases the one before the last. The m250/m500 can track thousands of laps.

When in Stopwatch mode, the controls work in the ways described below.

1. Press Thumbstick toward  to return to the Main Menu.

Returning to the Main Menu and using other player functions will not turn the stopwatch off. The timer continues to run until the
Thumbstick is pressed up (Play/Pause or
either it is reset to zero or the player is turned off.



||) while Stopwatch is shown on the LCD. The timer also holds a paused time until

2. Press Thumbstick in to set a lap time. Press and hold to return to the single lap display. Multiple laps and

lap averages will be lost.

3. Press Thumbstick up toward

| to start and stop the timer.

4. Press Thumbstick down toward

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 38

 to enter Menu mode. Press and hold to reset the stopwatch timer.

Settings

The Settings selection is used to configure certain characteristics of the m250/m500, such as the sound equalizer or
the backlight of the LCD. These settings include:

• Playback setting lets you choose from regular, shuffled, or repeating.

• Equalizer allows you to adjust the player sound using various preset and fully customizable equalizer options.

• Power settings are used to adjust the power-saving timeout length.

• Resume options are used to set the track that the m250/m500 will play whenever the unit is restarted.

• Display allows you to adjust backlight and contrast settings.

• Time allows you to set the player’s internal clock.

• FM Tuner allows you to choose whether to turn off stereo FM (for better reception) and the tuning method.

• Lock setting lets you choose which controls are affected by the LOCK switch.

• Tags gives you the option of changing the kinds of tags used for music files.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 39

Playback

Various playback settings can be set to modify the way the m250/m500 plays tracks. Tracks can be shuffled at
random and/or repeated continuously.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Settings.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Playback.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select between Shuffle and Repeat options and press Forward (

select options within Shuffle and Repeat.

7 When the options are set as you want, press Thumbstick in.
8 Press Forward (

Playback options include:

• Shuffle

Set selected tracks to play in standard or random order. Settings include Off (the default setting) and On.

• Repeat

Set to repeat playback of all tracks or the current track. Settings include Off (the default setting), All, and One.

|) to save settings and Reverse (|) to cancel them.

.

|) and Reverse (|) to

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 40

Equalizer

The sound of tracks played on the m250/m500 can be adjusted using various preset and fully customizable equalizer
options. Equalizer settings include:

Custom

Custom mode allows the player’s settings to be adjusted according to personal preferences.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Settings.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Equalizer.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select Custom.
7 Press Thumbstick in.
8 Adjust the 5-band equalizer. Press Forward (

Play/Pause (
9 When the equalizer is set, press Thumbstick in.
10 Press Forward (

||) or MENU () to boost or cut the gain of the frequency.

|) to save settings or Reverse (|) to cancel them.

.

|) and Reverse (|) to navigate between frequencies. Press

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 41

EQ Off Rock

Select the EQ Off option to apply no equalizer
adjustments to audio content on the m250/m500. This
is also known as using “flat” settings.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Settings.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Equalizer.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select EQ Off.
7 Press Thumbstick in to set the EQ Off option and

return to Playback mode.

.

Select the Rock equalizer option to change the sound
of tracks according to the Rock preset settings.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Settings.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Equalizer.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select Rock.
7 Press Thumbstick in to set the Rock option and

return to Playback mode.

Repeat these instructions to select any of the other
Equalizer presets (Jazz, Classical, Pop, Trance).

.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 42

Power

To conserve energy and extend the amount of playback time during each battery charge, set the player to shut down
after being idle for a specific number of minutes. Settings include 1m, 5m (the default setting), 10m, 30m, and Never.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Settings.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Power.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick Forward (
7 When the options are set as you want, press Thumbstick in.
8 Press Forward (

Ñ Power-saving tips:

o EQ settings — With EQ settings OFF, the battery will last longer.
o Contrast — Turn down the contrast as low as possible.
o Backlight — Don’t set the backlight for the display to be always on. Try turning it off completely, or

o Volume — Higher volumes draw more power. The rating for your player was determined using a

o Bitrate — Higher bitrates draw more power than lower ones. Try ripping at 128 kbps.
o Audio format — WMAs use more processing power than MP3s.
o Standard headphones — High-powered headphones use more power. Test the battery life with the

|) to save settings and Reverse (|) to cancel them.

setting it to two seconds.

volume of 15.

standard ear buds or headphones that are included with your player.

|) and Reverse (|) to select Power options.

.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 43

Resume

Use the options in the Resume menu to set the track that the m250/m500 will play whenever the unit is restarted.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Settings.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Resume.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select between Track and Timecode options and Forward (

options within Track and Timecode.

7 When the options are set as you want, press Thumbstick in.
8 Press Forward (

Resume options include:

• Track

Set the player to begin playback of the last track played before shutdown or the first track in the running order

when the player restarts. Settings include Current (the default setting) and First.

• Timecode

Set the m250/m500 to begin playback of the last track played either at the point in the track when shutdown

occurred or at the start of the track. Settings include Current (the default setting) and Start.

|) to save settings and Reverse (|) to cancel them.

.

|) and Reverse (|) to select

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 44

Display

Use the Display menu to adjust backlight and contrast settings.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Settings.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Display.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select between Backlight and Contrast options and Forward (

select options within Backlight and Contrast.

7 Press Forward (
8 If you want to change the screen contrast, press Thumbstick down.
9 Press Forward (
10 When the options are set as you want, press Thumbstick in.
11 Press Forward (

|) or Reverse (|) to set how long the backlight will stay lit.

|) to increase and Reverse (|) to decrease contrast.

|) to save settings and Reverse (|) to cancel them.

.

|) and Reverse (|) to

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 45

Display options include:

• Backlight

Set the backlight on the player to shut itself off after a specific number of seconds. Settings include Off, 2s, 5s (the

default setting), 10s, 20s, and On. Off disables the backlight and On sets the backlight to remain lit constantly.

To conserve battery life, the On setting should rarely be used. See other power-saving tips

• Contrast

Move the Thumbstick to control the contrast slider. The contrast slider sets how light or dark the images on the

LCD will appear. Setting the contrast too high will result in washed-out images. Setting the contrast too low will

result in images that are too dark to read.

here.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 46

Time

Use the options in the Time menu to set the player’s internal clock.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Settings.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Time.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select between Set Time, Set Date, or Time Mode options and Forward (

(

|) to select options within Set Time, Set Date, or Time Mode.

7 Press Thumbstick to apply settings and return to Playback mode.

Time settings include:

• Set Time

Options include Hour, Minute, and AM/PM.

• Set Date

Options include Month, Day, and Year.

• Time/Date Mode

Options include 12-hour (the default setting) and 24-hour time formats and USA (the default setting), Europe,

and Japan date formats.

.

|) and Reverse

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 47

FM Tuner

Use the options in the FM Tuner menu to control the player’s FM setup.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Settings.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select FM Tuner.
5 Press Thumbstick in. The Options bar will be highlighted; press Thumbstick in again.
6 The Stereo and Region options will appear with the current modes displayed and the Stereo setting blinking.
7 Press Thumbstick either Forward (

down to select the Region setting, which will start blinking.
8 Press Thumbstick either Forward (

using the m250/m500. Press Thumbstick in to set that option, which will stop blinking.

9 Press Forward (

X (canceled) will appear on the screen. If accepted, you will return to the screen shown before you started this

task; if canceled, you will see the Options bar screen again. Press Reverse (

menu.
FM Tuner options include:

• FM Stereo Mode

Options include On (the default setting) and Off. Selecting Off will place the tuner in mono mode. This may help

eliminate any hiss heard on distant stations.

|) to save settings and Reverse (|) to cancel them. Either a check mark  (accepted) or an

.

|) or Reverse (|) to change the Stereo option, then press Thumbstick

|) or Reverse (|) to change the option to the area where you will be

|) to go back to the Settings

• Region

Options include USA (tunes by .2MHz, the default setting), Japan (tunes by .05 MHz), and Europe (tunes by

.05MHz).

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 48

Lock Setup

Use the options in the Lock Setup menu to enable volume and Thumbstick control when the lock is enabled.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Settings.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Lock Setup.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick to select between Lock Volume and Thumbstick options and Forward (

(

|) to select options within Lock Volume and Thumbstick.

7 When the options are set as you want, press Thumbstick in.
8 Press Forward (

Lock Setup settings include:

• Lock Volume

Options include On (the default setting) and Off. When set to Off, the volume level can be adjusted even when the

m250/m500 has been locked.

• Thumbstick

Options include Lock and /|| (Play/Pause). When set to /||, any Thumbstick movement will be interpreted as

the /|| control.

|) to save settings and Reverse (|) to cancel them.

.

|) and Reverse

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 49

Tags

Tags are used to store the properties information about a digital audio file (size, type, rate, etc.). This information is
displayed at the bottom of the LCD during playback of each song; refer to the sample Play screens in Chapter 1.

Occasionally this information might not display properly, especially if a file was downloaded from a site outside of the
region in which you normally use the player. You may find it necessary to change the tag setting in order to see this
information. Changing a tag setting, however, may then cause other information to display improperly, so change tag
settings only if necessary.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select Settings.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Tags. A warning message will be displayed about changing tag formats.
5 Press Thumbstick in.
6 Move Thumbstick Forward (
7 When the options are set as you want, press Thumbstick in.
8 Press Forward (

The tag formats available are ASCII (the most commonly used), UTF-8, and JIS (a Japanese format). Changing the
tag will not affect the rest of the LCD display.

|) to save settings and Reverse () to cancel them.

|) and Reverse (|) to select the desired encoding options.

.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 50

Bookmarks

Bookmarks are useful for marking a place in an audio book. They are also perfect for multiple users who share the
same m250/m500. Bookmarks store specific player settings, including the current running order, the current track, the
current time position of the track, the repeat setting, and the shuffle setting. Users can save these settings in a
bookmark and restore them whenever they use the player.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to

.

2 Move Thumbstick to select Bookmarks.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select a bookmark option.
5 Press Thumbstick in.

Bookmark options include:

• Select

Use Thumbstick to select a bookmark. Press Thumbstick to restore the selected bookmark settings.

• Set

Press Thumbstick to set a bookmark.

• Delete

Use Thumbstick to select a bookmark. Press Thumbstick to delete the selected bookmark.

The m250/m500 automatically saves the current user settings when it is turned off. These settings are automatically restored
when the m250/m500 is turned back on. Settings saved automatically are not saved as bookmarks.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 51

About

The About screen displays information about the m250/m500, including the total amount of space on the disk, the
amount of free space, the number of tracks on the player, and the

firmware version.

1 Open MENU by pressing Thumbstick to
2 Move Thumbstick to select About.
3 Press Thumbstick in.
4 Move Thumbstick to select Player or Storage.
5 Press Thumbstick in.

About options include:

• Player

Displays firmware version, copyright, and Motorola web site information.

• Storage

Displays disk usage graphic bar, disk usage (MB used/MB capacity), and the total number of tracks.

.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 52

Frequently Asked Questions

The FAQs in this chapter will help you solve common issues with your player. If you do not find the answers you need
here, you can contact our Customer Service Department using any of the following methods:

Web:
Technical Support Telephone: [phone]

Question Answer

What type of files can I play with the
m250/m500?

Can I use MP3 and WMA files in the
m250/m500 at the same time?

What are the differences between MP3
and WMA files?

Will the m250/m500 play Variable Bit
Rate (VBR) files?

http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/support/default.asp?SupportSection=DAP

You can play MP3 and WMA music files, and AUD (spoken word) files
used for recorded books. Songs in other types of music source files can be
played if first converted to these formats. Converters are widely available
online.

Yes. You can mix MP3 and WMA audio content.

WMA files are generally half as large as comparable sounding MP3 files.
Because WMA uses smaller file sizes, you can store more music in less
space on CDs, hard drives, or the m250/m500. The WMA format is
exclusive to Windows-based computers.

Yes. Because there are many standards for VBR files, it cannot be
guaranteed that every encoding software package will properly function
with the m250/m500. VBR files that do not comply to standards may lack
track time, fast forward, and/or rewind capabilities.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 53

Question Answer

What kind of battery can I use with the
m250/m500?

Where is the battery indicator on my
m250/m500?

What kind of skip protection does the
m250/m500 have?

Why won’t the m250/m500 turn on? The m250/m500 will not power on if LOCK/UNLOCK is in the locked

The m250/m500 uses a Motorola lithium ion rechargeable replaceable
phone battery. It is designed to be recharged in the player, and can be
easily replaced if it wears out or if you want to keep extra charged
batteries on hand.

The battery indicator on the m250/m500 is located in the top right corner of
the display. The segments in the battery icon show the remaining battery
power. The illumination of all segments indicates a fully charged battery.
Non-illuminated segments indicate a run-down battery.

The m250/m500 reads the song data from the file stored on the hard drive
into an internal memory, and then plays the song from that memory.
Depending on the length of the music data (individual songs or a long
playlist, etc.) the player will keep reading data from the hard drive, and
when all required data have been read or the memory is full, the drive will
spin down to save battery power and play only from memory.

Since the memory uses no moving parts, there is nothing to affect the
stream of sound. The drive itself is very sturdy and will not be damaged by
small accidental bumps or knocks. However, dropping the player onto a
hard surface while the drive is running may permanently damage the unit.

position. If you press the POWER button, a padlock will appear on the
LCD to remind you that the unit is locked. Confirm that the
LOCK/UNLOCK switch is not in the locked position and press POWER to
turn it on. If nothing happens after pressing the POWER button, the battery
is probably discharged.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 54

Question Answer

How much music can I store on the
m250/m500?

Can I update the firmware on the
m250/m500?

The amount of music that can be stored on the m250/m500 depends on
the bit rate of the files stored.

Bitrate

64 kbps
96 kbps
128 kbps
164 kbps
192 kbps

Approximate amount of space required per
minute of audio content

0.5 MB

0.75 MB
1 MB

1.25 MB

1.75 MB

Yes. If available, firmware for your m250/m500 can be downloaded from
the Motorola web site:

http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/support/default.asp?SupportSection=D
AP

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 55

Glossary

Bass

Bass is the particular low-range area of the sound spectrum where low musical notes and sounds are located.
Increasing the bass value will make the low vocals and drums more prominent in your music. You can select the
amount of bass in your music by selecting various

Bitrate

Bitrate denotes the number of bits per second used by a digital music file. The size and quality of a compressed digital
audio file are determined by the bitrate used when encoding the file. Generally, the higher the bitrate used, the higher
the sound quality, and the larger the file size. For example, a bitrate of 96 kbps (96,000 bits per second) is generally
thought of as “CD quality” for WMA audio files, and takes up about 0.75 MB-per-minute of music. At a 64 kbps bitrate,
the sound quality of WMA is similar to that of an FM radio signal, but approximately two minutes of music will fit in 1
MB of space.

Codec

Depending on the context and kind of technology involved, codec can be defined as a compressed digital audio file
format (like MP3, WMA, etc.), a “coding/decoding” chip used to translate between digital and analog transmissions
(used in modems), or a compression/decompression algorithm. Codecs compress audio data into a file, often for
efficient transmission over a network, and then decode it for playback. While all the codecs perform similar
compression of digital audio, there are differences in technologies.

equalizer options.

The m250/m500 supports the following digital audio codecs: MP3 and WMA. The Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)
Codec

2

, most closely identified with MPEG-4, is not currently supported by the m250/m500.

2

AAC was developed by the MPEG group that includes Dolby®, Fraunhofer ®(FhG), AT&T®, Sony®, and Nokia®—companies that have also

been involved in the development of audio codecs such as MP3 and AC3 (also known as Dolby Digital). The AAC codec in QuickTime® 6
builds upon new, state-of-the art signal processing technology from Dolby Laboratories a nd brings true Variable Bit Rate (VBR) audio encoding
to QuickTime.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 56

Firmware

Firmware is the read-only software that is installed on the player. Like software, it can be updated, but unlike software
it can never be deleted from the player.

Gain

Gain is a measurement of the amplitude of all frequency ranges. Gain adjustments boost or reduce frequencies to
provide a more desirable audio output.

ID3 Tag

The ID3 tag is the part of the encoded MP3 or WMA file that contains information about the digital music file such as
song title, artist, album title, encoding bit rate, track time duration, and so on. ID3 tag information is displayed on the
Album/Artist/Track title line on the player’s LCD.

MP3

MP3 is short for Moving Pictures Experts Group Audio Layer 3. MP3 is the most well-known compressed digital audio
file format. This format allows for near “CD quality” sound, but at a fraction of the size of normal audio files. MP3
conversion of an audio track from CD-ROM can reduce the file size by approximately a 12:1 ratio with virtually no
perceptible loss in quality. MP3 compression removes the redundant and irrelevant parts of a sound signal that the
human ear doesn’t hear. This digital sound encoding and compression process was developed by the Fraunhofer
Institute for Integrated Circuits and Thomson Multimedia. See

Appendix A for more information.

Rip and Encode

Rip and encode refer to the process of extracting (copying, or ripping) audio from a music CD and encoding it into a
compressed digital audio format like MP3 or WMA.

Synchronize

Motorola Digital Music Center can automatically (or manually) delete old content, transfer new audio content, and
keep the content on your m250/m500 fresh and dynamic. Motorola Digital Music Center must be open for
synchronization to occur between your m250/m500 and your computer.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 57

Treble

Treble notes occupy the higher portion of the sound spectrum. Increasing the treble value will raise the levels of the
high sounds in your music files. You can select the amount of treble in your music by selecting various
options.

VBR

Variable Bit Rate (VBR) encoding converts tracks at a variable rate, using higher bit rate encoding for complex
portions and lower bitrate encoding for pauses in songs.

WMA

Windows Media Audio (WMA) is a compressed audio format created by Microsoft as an alternative to MP3. The WMA
codec offers greater file compression than the MP3 codec, enabling storage of more digital audio tracks in the same
amount of space when compared to MP3s at the same level of quality.

equalizer

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 58

Appendix A – The MP3 Format

The MP3 format has vastly expanded the capabilities of music distribution. Able to compress digital sound to a fraction
of the size of conventional WAV sound, MP3 lends itself ideally to Internet distribution, and to new listening device
technologies. Your Motorola m250/m500 is a leading edge player able to take advantage of the incredible flexibility
afforded by this format.

To understand how the MP3 format works, it is helpful to know something about how CDs store music. A CD stores a
song as digital information. Data are stored on a CD-ROM in an uncompressed, high-resolution format that splits the
sound into separate samples for the left and right speakers, thus creating stereo. Music is sampled 44,100 times per
second, with each sample being 2 bytes (16 bits) long. A CD, then, stores a huge number of bits for each second of
music:

44,100 samples/second * 16 bits/sample * 2 channels = 1,411,200 bits per second

Specifically, 1.4 million bits per second equals 176,000 bytes per second. If an average song is three minutes long,
then the average song on a CD consumes about 3.2 MB of space. That limits the number of songs that can be carried
on a small portable device and makes for burdensome download times, especially if you are not using high-speed
Internet connections.

Codec is the MP3 Fuel

The key to the compact nature of MP3 formatted music is compression. MP3 is actually a digital audio codec, which is
a method of compressing and decompressing digitized sound. A standard CD audio format uses roughly 10 MB for
just one minute of music. MP3 uses just 1 MB for that same minute of music.

The way that MP3 compresses data is essentially by removing those sounds deemed inaudible to the human ear.
There are highs and lows in any sample that are beyond, or nearly beyond, our aural comprehension, and MP3
effectively eliminates them to produce the compact files necessary to provide the ease and flexibility the format
delivers. While there is undeniably a loss of overall sound quality, it is generally “near CD” quality, and acceptable for
portable listening. It is a compromise between high fidelity and the advantages of transferability and storage ease.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 59

Ripping and Encoding

One of the great features of a portable MP3 player like the Motorola m250/m500 is that it allows you to select the best
of the music you own and download it to the player, creating your own “greatest hits” collections. Using a tool like the
Motorola Digital Music Center, you can copy (rip) a song’s file from the CD onto your hard disk. The encoder then
compresses the song into the MP3 format. Once the song is encoded, it can be played on your computer, any CD
player that supports MP3, and most importantly, downloaded to your m250/m500 audio player.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 60

Appendix B – Menu Tree

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 61

Limited Warranty and Software License

Motorola, Inc., Broadband Communications Sector (“Motorola”)
101 Tournament Drive, Horsham, PA 19044

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THIS SOFTWARE LICENSE (“LICENSE”) CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU INSTALL,
DOWNLOAD OR USE ANY APPLICATION SOFTWARE, USB DRIVER SOFTWARE, FIRMWARE AND RELATED
DOCUMENTATION (“SOFTWARE”) PR OVIDED WITH MOTOROLA’S MP3 PLAYER PRODUCT (THE “PRODUCT”). BY
USING THE MP3 PLAYER PRODUCT AND/OR INSTALLING, DOWNLOADING OR USING ANY OF THE SOFTWARE,
YOU INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF EACH OF THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE. UPON ACCEPTANCE, THIS
LICENSE WILL BE A LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND MOTOROLA. THE TERMS OF THIS
LICENSE APPLY TO YOU AND TO ANY SUBSEQUENT USER OF THE SOFTWARE.

IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ALL OF THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE (I) DO NOT INSTALL OR USE THE SOFTWARE
AND (II) RETURN THE MP3 PLAYER PRODUCT AND THE SOFTWARE, (CO LL EC TIVELY, THE PRODUCT), INCLUDING
ALL COMPONENTS, DOCUMENTATION AND ANY OTHER MATERIALS PROVIDED WITH THE PRODUCT, TO YOUR
POINT OF PURCHASE FOR A FULL REFUND.

The Software includes associated media, any printed materials, and any “on-line” or electronic documentation, as
well as any updates, revisions, bug fixes, or drivers obtained by you from Motorola. Software provided by third
parties may be subject to separate end-user license agreements from the manufacturers of such Software. To the
extent that such separate end-user license agreements are provided with such third party software, the te rms
and conditions of such third party license agreements shall supersede any conf licting terms in this License.

The Software is never sold. Motorola licenses the Software to the original customer and to any
subsequent licensee for personal use only on the terms of this License. Motorola and its 3rd party
licensors retain the ownership of the Software.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 62

You may:
USE the Software only in connection with the operation of the Product.
TRANSFER the Software (including all component parts and printed materials) permanently to another person,

but only if the person agrees to accept all of the terms of this License. If you transfer the Software, you must at
the same time transfer the Product and all copies of the Software (if applicable) to the same person or destroy
any copies not transferred.

TERMINATE this License by destroying the original and all copies of the Software (if applicable) in whatever form.
You may not:

(1) Loan, distribute, rent, lease, give, sublicense or otherwise transfer the Software, in whole or in part , to any
other person, except as permitted under the TRANSFER paragraph above or as otherwise restricted in any third
party license agreement for third party software. (2) Copy or translate the User Guide included with the
Software, other than for personal use. (3) Copy, alter, translate, decompile, disassemble or reverse engineer the
Software, including but not limited to, modifying the Software to make it operate on non-compatible hardware.
(4) Remove, alter or cause not to be displayed, any copyright notices or startup message contained in the
Software programs or documentation. (5) Export the Software or the Product components in violation of any
United States export laws.

The Product is not designed or intended for use in on-line control of aircraft, air traffic, aircraft navigation or
aircraft communications; or in design, construction, operation or maintenance of any nuclear facility. MOTOROLA
AND ITS 3RD PARTY LICENSORS DISCLAIM ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR SUCH USES.
YOU REPRESENT AND WARRANT THAT YOU SHALL NOT USE THE PRODUCT FOR SUCH PURPOSES.

Title to this Software, including the ownership of all copyrights, mask work rights, patents, trademarks and all
other intellectual property rights subsisting in the foregoin g, and all adaptations to and modifications of the
foregoing shall at all times remain with Motorola and its 3rd party licensors. Motorola retains all rights not
expressly licensed under this License. The Software, including any images, graphics, photographs, animation,
video, audio, music and text incorporated therein is owned by Motorola or its 3rd party licensors and is protected
by United States copyright laws and international treaty provisions. Except as otherwise expressly provided in
this License, the copying, reproduction, distribution or preparation of derivative works of the Software, any
portion of the Product or the documentation is strictly prohibited by such laws and treaty provisions. Nothing in
this License constitutes a waiver of Motorola’s rights under United States copyright law.

This License and your rights regarding any matter it addresses are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, without reference to conflict of laws principles. THIS LICENSE SHALL TERMINATE AUTOMATICALLY
if you fail to comply with the terms of this License.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 63

Motorola is not responsible for any third party software provided as a bundled application, or otherwise, with the
Software.

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS
The Product and documentation is provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. The use, duplication or disclosure by the

Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision (c)(1)(ii) of The Rights in Technical Data and
Computer Software clause at 52.227-7013. The contractor/ manufacturer is Motorola, Inc., Broadband
Communications Sector, 101 Tournament Drive, Horsham, PA 19044.

NOTE ON JAVA SUPPORT. The Software may contain support for programs written in Java. Java technology is not
fault tolerant and is not designed, manufactured, or intended for use or resale as online control equipment in
hazardous environments requiring fail-safe performance, such as in the operation of nuclear facilities, aircraft
navigation or communication systems, air traffic control, direct life support machines, or weapons systems, in
which the failure of Java technology could lead directly to death, personal injury, or severe physical or
environmental damage. Sun Microsystems, Inc. has contractually obligated Microsoft to make this disclaimer.

EXPORT RESTRICTIONS. You acknowledge that the Software, or any part thereof, or any process or service that
is the direct product of the Software (the foregoing collectively referred to as the "Restricted Components") are of
U.S. origin. You agree to comply with all applicable international and national laws that apply to these products,
including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, as well as end-user, end-use and destination restrictions
issued by U.S. and other governments. For additional information on exporting Microsoft products, see
http://www.Microsoft.com/exporting/.

DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT & SECURITY.You acknowledge and agree that in order to protect the integrity of
certain third party content, Motorola or its third party software suppliers may provide for Software security
related updates that will be automatically downloaded and installed on your computer. Such security related
updates may impair the Software (and any other software on your computer which specifically depends on the
Software) including disabling your ability to copy and/or play "secure" content, i.e. content protected by digital
rights management. In such an event, Motorola and/or its third party software suppliers shall use reasonable
efforts to promptly post notices on Motorola’s web site explaining the security update and providing instructions
to end- users for obtaining new versions or further updates of the Software that restore access to secure content
and related features.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 64

This software contains the BSD db library, under the following license:
Copyright (c) 1991, 1993 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the

following conditions are met:
1Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following

disclaimer.
2Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the

following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
3All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this software must display the following

acknowledgement: This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its
contributors.

4Neither the name of the University nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote
products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE REGENTS AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE REGENTS OR
CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY
THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR
OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

This software contains the FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) library, under the following license:
Copyright (C) 2000,2001,2002,2003 Josh Coalson
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the

following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following

disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 65

following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

3. Neither the name of the Xiph.org Foundation nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or

promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS “AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS

OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
FOUNDATION OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY,
OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY
THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR
OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

This software contains the Ogg Vorbis codec library, under the following license:
Copyright (c) 2002, Xiph.org Foundation
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the

following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following

disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the

following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

3. Neither the name of the Xiph.org Foundation nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or

promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS

OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
FOUNDATION OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY,
OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY
THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR
OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 66

Portions based upon Microsoft Windows Media Technologies. Copyright 1999 Microsoft Corporation.

All Rights Reserved. Microsoft, Windows Media, and the Windows Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Gracenote is CDDB, Inc. d/b/a "Gracenote." CD and music-related data from Gracenote CDDB® Music
Recognition ServiceSM © 2000, 2001, 2002 Gracenote. Gracenote CDDB Client Software © 2000, 2001, 2002
Gracenote. U.S. Patents Numbers #5,987,525; #6,061,680; #6,154,773, and other patents issued or pending.

CDDB is a registered trademark of Gracenote. The Gracenote logo and logotype, the Gracenote CDDB logo and
logotype, and the "Powered by Gracenote CDDB" logo are trademarks of Gracenote.

Music Recognition Service and MRS are service marks of Gracenote.
CD/DVD Recording powered by RecDev GmbH, http://www.recdev.de/.

Warranty Information

Motorola warrants to you, the original end user customer, that (A) the Product, excluding Software, will be f r ee
from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use, and (B) with respect to Software, the media on
which the Software is provided will be free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use. Motorola
provides no other warranties for the Product and Software. This Limited Warranty to you, the original end user
customer, continues (A) for the media upon which the Software is provided, for a period of ninety (90) days from
the date of purchase from Motorola or an authorized Motorola reseller, and (B) for the Product (excluding
Software), for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase from Motorola or from an authorized Motorola
reseller. To take advantage of this Limited Warranty or to obtain technical support, you must call the Motorola
toll- free phone number (below). Motorola’s sole and exclusive obligation under this Limited Warranty for retail
sales shall be to repair or replace any Product or Software media that does not meet this Limited Warranty. All
warranty claims must be made within the applicable Warranty Period. T he warranties described in this Section
shall not apply: (i) to any Product subjected to accident, misuse, neglect, alteration, Acts of God, improper
handling, improper transport, improper storage, improper use or application, improper installation, improper
testing or unauthorized repair; or (ii) to cosmetic problems or defects which result from normal wear and tear
under ordinary use, and do not affect the performance or use of the Product. Motorola’s warranties apply only to
a Product that is manufactured by Motorola and identified by Motorola owned trademark, trade name or product
identification logos affixed to the Product. Motorola does not warrant to you, the end user, or to anyone else that
any Software will perform to specification or operate error free an d without bugs.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITH ALL FAULTS, INCLUDING ANY SOFTWARE SUPPLIED BY 3RD

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 67

PARTIES. EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED IN THIS SECTION (“WARRANTY INFORMATION”), THERE ARE NO
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND RELATING TO THE PRODUCT, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING BUT
NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR THE
WARRANTY AGAINST INFRINGEMENT PROVIDED IN THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE. Some states do not all o w
for the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above exclusion may not apply to you.

What additional provisions should I be aware of? Because it is impossible for Motorola to know the purposes for
which you acquired this Product or the uses to which you will put this Product, you assume full responsibility for
the selection of the Product for its installation an d us e. While every reasonable effort has been made to insure
that you will receive a Product that you can use an d enjoy, Motorola does not warrant that the functions of the
Product will meet your requirements or that the operation of the Product will be uninterrupted or error-free.
MOTOROLA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PROBLEMS OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE INTERACTION OF THE PRODUCT
OR SOFTWARE WITH ANY OTHER SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE. ALL WARRANTIES ARE VOID IF THE PRODUCT IS
OPENED, ALTERED, AND/OR DAMAGED.

THESE ARE YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES for any and all claims that you may have arising out of or in
connection with this Product, whether made or suffered by you or another person and whether based in contract
or tort.

IN NO EVENT SHALL MOTOROLA OR ITS THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE LICENSORS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY
OTHER PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR
OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PRODUCT (INCLUDING, WITHOUT
LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF INFORMATION
OR ANY OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS), OR FROM ANY BREACH OF WARRANTY, EVEN IF MOTOROLA OR ITS THIRD
PARTY SOFTWARE LICENSORS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO CASE
SHALL MOTOROLA’S LIABILITY EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID FOR THE PRODUCT. EACH THIRD PARTY
SOFTWARE LICENSOR IS AN INTENDED CONTRACTUAL BENEFICIARY OF THIS LICENSE.

These matters are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, without regard to conflict of laws
principles and excluding the provisions of the United Nations Con vention on Contracts for the International Sale
of Goods.

The Motorola toll-free number is 1-877-466-8646 for technical support or warranty service.
Visit our web site at:

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 68

http://www.motorola.com/broadband/consumers

Index

AAC codec, 22
About, 52
AUD, 30, 53
Backlight, 46
Basic Operations, 24
Bass, 56
Battery, 15

indicator, 54
Bitrate, 56
Bookmarks, 37, 51
Buttons and Controls, 25
Codec, 56
Contrast, 46
Controls, 25
Copy, 28
Display, 45
Earphones, 16
Encoding, 27
Equalizer, 39, 41, 42
Firmware, 57
FM Tuner, 34
Forward, 26
Gracenote, 18, 23, 67
ID3 Tag, 21, 57
iTunes, 7, 18, 22, 29
Limited Warranty, 62
Lithium Ion, 54
Mini USB, 15
Motorola Digital Music Center, 7, 18, 19, 20, 21, 27, 28, 57

MP3, 7, 8, 21, 27, 53, 56, 57, 58, 62
Play All, 31
Play/Pause, 26
Playback, 40
Playlists, 21, 22
Preset Mode, 36
Resume, 44
Reverse, 26
Rip and Encode, 21, 22, 57
Settings, 39
Stop, 25
Stopwatch, 38
Store Preset, 35
Synchronize, 21, 57
Tags, 39, 50
Technical Support, 53
Time, 47
Timecode, 44
Track, 26, 27, 28, 30, 38, 39, 40, 44, 51, 53, 57
Transfer, 20, 28
Transferring tracks

iTunes, 29
Treble, 58
Tuner, 48
USB, 16, 17
Variable Bit Rate (VBR), 58
VBR, 8, 53, 58
Volume +/-, 25
WMA, 7, 8, 21, 27, 53, 56, 57, 58

m250/m500 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER 69

Visit our web site at:

www.motorola.com/broadband/consumers

519538-001
11/2/04

MGBI