The top side has the headphone socket.  This is also where the USB data cable/charger plugs in.  The data cable/charger looks like a multi channel speaker jack.  I guess they used those extra contacts for the USB part of the cable for file transfer.  With the USB cable plugged in, it charges the unit.  So even though you charge the device off a powered USB port, losing the cable means no more charging for you.  The mobiBLU site just recently released DAH-1500 accessories, in case you lose your data cable.  They do have an AC charger sold separately, but, from the looks of it, it’s just an AC-powered USB port.  You still have to use the included cable.

Beside the headphone socket is the necklace link pin.  The necklace earphones come with a detachable link that loops through that pin, just like those straps on your digital camera.  This gives the necklace an additional grasp on the unit, in case the headphone jack gets pulled out.

The bottom side has the reset button, recessed under a small hole to keep it from accidental presses.  A paperclip can be used to press it.  So far, the reset button is what usually fixes the unit when the functions get wonky.  More on this later.

SRS display, random display:

Playback features include sequential and random modes, with repeat functions on both.  You can also opt for fade-in/outs between songs.  SRS for 3D effects can be set to low, medium or high, depending on your preference, and maybe if your song supports it.  SP-Size on the menu is the Speaker size setup.  You can play with 5 speaker sizes which I believe would help determine the output the unit is gonna make depending on the speaker size you have on.  Other settings such as SRS volume and TruBass can be set here as well.

Time settings include date and time settings, Backlight time, Sleep time and Auto Power.  Auto Power is different from Sleep time.  Auto Power shuts the unit down when it is on Pause mode for a certain amount of time.  This would help lengthen battery life. 

Other settings include Recording settings for bitrate and gain.  The About menu shows you the status of the unit, particularly the storage status and the firmware version.

The unit appears as a removable storage device when plugged in your PC’s USB port, which was one of the main things I liked about the DAH-1500i.  Not only can you just drag and drop your audio files into it without using special software (unless you’re using Win98), but you could also use it to store files just like your regular USB flash drive.  And since it has support for folders, you could group your music files into folders if you want to manage your files that way.

The included necklace earphones are a nice touch.  I like the idea of having it double as a strap.  The necklace part looks like those straps you see on round lanyards or shoelaces.  This made the cable sturdy to support the weight of the unit.  I’m wondering why it came in a cliché white headphone color though.  Maybe it’s to match the white buttons.  The buds are quite protruded a bit.  Making them move around with the weight of the cable.  I had to constantly make sure the buds are sitting right on my ears.  Sound quality on the included earphones is not too shabby.  Trebles sounded crisp, bass sounded deep but defined.  I even heard some sounds on certain tracks that I haven’t really noticed, even on my regular (Sennheiser PC150) headset.  The quality could be better using a higher quality set, but the necklace part of the cable and the link clip would be hard to replace, unless you buy a the same set.