I still use an old-school Sony Walkman CD player for my listening pleasure. I download mp3 files to my hard drive and copy them to a rewritable CD. I can’t help but think how archaic that sounds.
So I might take the plunge and buy one of those extremely cute gadgets on the left. I hesitate, though, because the head-geek-in-charge has issued a warning:
“I don’t think the success of the iPod can continue in the long term, however good Apple may be. I think you can draw parallels here with the computer — here, too, Apple was once extremely strong with its Macintosh and graphic user interface, like with the iPod today, and then lost its position.” (Source)
I once had a crush on the PowerBook, but the price cooled my ardor. Perhaps I shouldn’t become involved with the iPod, which is still relatively expensive. Should I buy a different brand of mp3 player or go with the iPod?
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Lashawn,
I have a minipod and I LOVE it. It’s a bit pricey but worth it.
Go for it!
How’s the sound on that thing? Are those earbuds powerful enough for the bass?
I’ve got an iPod Shuffle, and at $99 it’s hard to beat the price. And given my listening habits — I just turn it on and let it go for a few hours — the lack of a display doesn’t bother me at all. It’s like having a radio station that only plays the music I like. If I don’t like the next song in the shuffle, I just hit NEXT. It’s light, unobtrusive, and dead-simple to operate.
Highly recommended if you use iTunes to manage your music. If you don’t use iTunes, it’s a different story.
..and as far as the power goes: BE CAREFUL. Even the dinky little Shuffle can just about break your eardrums. It has good treble, bass, and only fails a bit on the very high and very low notes.
You definitely want to replace the ear buds. If not for sound quality, as a security measure. The white ear buds are targets these days.
If you use Itunes then Ipod is the way to go. If not there are tons of options. I have a 512mb IRiver flash player and love it.
When Gates talks computer tech, I listen!
I have a Creative Labs Nomad (Zen Xtra). It is a tank, and has serverd me well over the last year, both as a music player and as a portable datastore (40GB).
It is a bit bigger than the Ipod (but smaller than my old AM/FM Cassette walkman). But it is less expensive, supports wma, audible and mp3 and best of all, has a user-servicable battery.
If the battery dies on your Ipod, you either replace the whole unit, or if under warranty, send it back to the factory. And hope that you get your data back. And all they while, have no player in the interim.
As for Gates predictions… he’s a good business man. But some of his tech predictions have been very, very short sighted.
Who can forget “Nobody will ever need more than 640k or memory”? That may not be the exact quote, but it is close.
I just wish Gates would fix Windows before he worries too much about this field. Windows has been on the market for 15 years and still gives me heartburn on a daily basis with all the bugs.
When I finish with a Windows task and can switch over to our bulletproof and flawless UNIX accounting environment, my relief is palpable.
Gates is just jealous. SCSIwuzzy is right.
I, personally, want an iPod. BUT, because of the battery issue, I’ve perused other MP3 players, too. I’ve just not made a decision. Walkmans are too big, bulky, and inconvenient for me.
Bill Gates is a tool. (Pardon the inference.) Go with the iPod. (I still use the old-fashioned cd’s too.) Of course I shun Microsoft and prefer Linux & Mac’s for home computing, and Sun’s for work.
(Yes, I am a geek, and possibly a bigger one than Billy)
I’ve never understood the battery thing. Think of it this way: lots of the flash-type players take at least one AA battery, and the battery will generally only last 16-20 hours or so of continuous use. If you’re a heavy music listener, you’ll easily go through 50-80 batteries a year. If you work from a $1 per AA battery estimate, you’ll be spending 80 bucks *per year* over and above what you spent on the player itself. Whereas with the iPod, you just recharge it. (And if the Shuffle’s battery wears out in a year or two, I’ll throw it out.)
You can double (or even triple) the battery cost on some of the larger flash-type players with displays. The jukebox types with recharageable batteries have the same limitations as the bigger iPods in this respect; you generally throw them out when the battery goes bad, or you send them back to the factory.
Also, remember that the only people who thought that getting a Mac Classic was a bad idea was people who never actually got a Mac Classic. Even if the iPod goes away (which, since I have a Walkman radio sitting on my desk now, I doubt) when the iPod killer comes along, it will be time to replace it anyways.
See, I am no Apple fan. Over priced yuppie pretensious tech candy, IMO.
As for Windows… I’ve never had the compatibility problems and stability issues people complain about. Most problems I see are very quickly traced back to users, or a computer that doesn’t have the muscle for the task it has been set to. Linux and Unix are not for Joe Sixpack, and the Mac between price and software catalogue, isn’t for many users either.
Well, my Nomad has a rechargible Li-I cell, that gets 12-18 hours a charge. But unlike an Ipod and many other jukebox players(including the Dell, which is the same unit in a different chasis), I can pop-open the cover and remove the battery. When and if it dies, I just have to order a new cell, and pop it in myself.
LaShawn, I’ve been blogging on the exact same question for the last several weeks at brightMystery. We have a larger-than-expected tax refund coming and I’m wanting to get a music player of some sort, enfatuated with the iPod, but wondering what’s the best player for the money out there.
I’ve gotten a lot of very informative and knowledgeable comments on the blog as a result that would be worthwhile to check out. I’m still going through the trying-things-out phase — I’ll be linking to a review of the Rio Carbon on a friend’s blog once he writes it, and I’m testing out a Nomad over the next few days. I also borrowed a 20 Gb iPod from one of my students for a weekend and blogged about the experience. I’ll continue to blog on the subject as I try more stuff out.
So you and anybody else interested are welcome to stop on by and read what I’ve got on the subject. The easiest way to get to the posts is to visit the main page of my blog (www.brightmystery.net), and then scroll about halfway down the page and look in the “technology” category, and you’ll get them all.
I have more than a thousand CD’s, so none of the iPods have yet tickled my fancy, as they don’t have enough space for such a collection. Of course, people tell me I’m crazy for wanting to take the time to upload all those CD’s.
I imagine a model with enough space will eventually come down the pipe. Until then, I’m fine with the CD drive in my computer and the player in my car.
I love Apple – their user interface is much better than Windows, and it is nice to be “off the radar” of most virus writers. There WILL be a Mac virus, but I’m just glad to not have the target painted over my head. I am also not against Windows – it has its uses, and areas where it does better than the Mac (you can install Windows on any machine that will take it, for example).
That said, I would recommend the iPod, espicially if there is an Apple store anywhere near you. The service there is extraordinary. I enjoy my iPod, and am sad that I need to take it into the shop.
But having the shop being so nice is worth it.
Lashawn, on the subject of ‘tronic toys I would say go buy your toy and enjoy it for as long as it lasts. Eventually a cellphone/wireless pc/video and audio player combination will be hanging on your belt (or in your pocket) sending to the wireless earbuds and the LCD screens in your glasses and you’ll be able to listen or watch anything and it will all be voice activated. Give it 5 years or less. Enjoy your ‘pod while you can before the future renders it obsolete!
I have 4 iPods.
1 is my wife’s mini, which she is loving right now.
2 are the 40GB models
1 is the Shuffle.
IMHO: I use the Shuffle the most. It’s the cheapest, lightest, etc. In practice, while it was nice to have my entire CD collection available, I was always selecting everything and shuffling anyways. So having 10+ hours of music in one tiny lightweight thing works out better then having to lug around even as something as small as the iPod. Every few hours of listening, I recharge it and swap out whatever was on there for a new 10 hours.
So for weight and simplicity, I like the Shuffle the best.
On the other hand, the mini works better for my wife, because she likes to listen to books on tape, and she’s more selective then I am about music. So with the mini, she can have one book on tape, and several hours of music, and she’s good to go.
I have a portable CD player that will play regular CDs, rewritable CDs, and MP3 CDs. It also has an AM-FM radio. I call it my “one-stop shop” machine. I tried ear-buds but they kept falling out, and I had to have the volume turned all the way up to even hear them, so I use regular headphones. I carry the player in a fanny pack if I’m out taking a walk. I have a couple hundred MP3s on one CD, and that’s what I mostly listen to. If the batteries die while I’m using it and I don’t have fresh ones with me, I just switch it to radio, because that takes less battery power than playing a CD.
Yeah, ipods are cute, but why spend the extra money just for something cute?
LaShawn,
Check out this link from cnet.com regarding mp3 players. Like you, for years I used a Sony Walkman cd player. I finally converted to a Cowon 1 gig flash mp3/Fm player. I can put it on my hip,or on a arm band,and off I go.
http://direct-cnet.com.com/Music/4520-7964_7-5134106-1.html?tag=dir.bg
Apple’s made its share of stumbles, iPod ain’t one of them. I’ve owned probably 10 different mp3 players. I stopped looking for the near perfect player after I got my mini last year. Both the UI and the tight, symbiotic relationship with the iTunes desktop app is far, far superior to anything I’ve encountered.
Is there room for improvement? Sure. I’d love longer battery life both between charges – which I’ve heard Apple’s improved in the past year – and in total hours until replacement is necessary. Although I’ve had mine over a year now and with moderate use I notice no degredation in time between charges. I surely wound have pissed through $50 worth of batteries if they were disposable.
I’d like the mini to display a little more information on it’s screen about the title your listening to. If you like live music, as I do, you tend to end up with multiple versions of the same title by the same band. The mini’s display doesn’t distiguish between them based on “album” while the tune is playing. Of course all that detail is available from the iTunes app.
Another thing I don’t see mentioned above in the previous comments is the iPod’s ability to “think” while in shuffle mode. “Random” is anything but. There was an article in Newsweek a while back which touched on this. On countless occasions it has served up a almost perfect series of songs for what ever activity I happened to be engaged in; on the treadmill at the gym; painting the family room, etc., it more often than not can guess what i’m in the mood to listen to. I don’t know wether it evaluates the time signature of the song and the time of day or what but it’s spooky. And every once in a while it will get a bug up its tail and get hooked on a particular band. Mine just emerged from a Ramones phase and seems to be drifting into a Steely Dan funk.
I love mine and when it dies I’m getting another. The only question will be do I want something bigger than a mini? Tough call, as it is the perfect size to wear on your arm while working out or running, it fits nicely into my breast pocket during commute times or cliped to the small of my back if i’m working around the house or in the yard.
Hey LaShawn,
I bought a 2nd generation Del DJ and LOVE IT! It’s so much easier to use than the CD players, I’ve loaded it up with almost all my music, tons of sermons, conferences etc, and there’s still a lot of space left.
Like everyone else says, get good earphones and enjoy!
I too still use a sony walkman AM/FM radio and CD player. I would love to have an I Pod, however, I presently can’t afford one. Although, even if I could, there is just no way you’d get me to spend several hundred dollars on a portable music player. I’m too cheap, and the CD player suits me just fine. I will not buy an I Pod uless they come under $50, which is what I think they are actually worth.
Don’t listen to Bill.
While he may be mostly responsible for the explosion of the PC, he is now responsible for the retarding of PC technology.
The man is lost and the only reason he is currently listened too at all is because his compnay has a death grip on the PC world.
Watch the trend though, he is losing that grip slowly but surely.
The Ipod has been adapting to every change and becoming more and more advance. Ipod is here as long as MP3’s are here.
There is a reason the newest rage is called ‘podcasting’.
I have an iPod – 20 Gigs, 5,000 songs … will sell it for $229
.
I’m with Keith. Remember MSN didn’t get to the blog feast until just recently. And that was a major miscalculation on their part. Nonetheless, iPod will eventually have some major competition from cell-phone companies. And there are tons more cell-phones in the world than iPods. I envisage downloading RSS-audio to my cell overnight. Might even subscribe to LaShawnRadio.
I have had my iPod for a week now. LOVE IT! It doesn’t take a lot of time to copy your cd’s to iTunes and over to the iPod. I will never again have to wish I brought a different set of CDs to work, I will have all of them with me and can listen to anything if my mood changes. The iTunes store has a lot of Christian artists too!
Oh, and whatever you get, check out RedChair software. Their replacement interface software is great. Plus it turns your mp3 player into a streaming web station. I plug in my Nomad on the desk top, and can access it from my laptop in the garage or kitchen, the spare PC in the living room, my Pocket PC, etc, anything that is on my home network.
Lashawn, I hope you are downloading those MP3s legally!
re:Bill Gates, remember Apple & Microsoft are competitors, so I am not shocked he said this.
Downloaded legally and paid for, DoubleU.
He’s right, only because nothing lasts for ever.
LaShawn, go for it! For the record, I am typing this on my 12″ PowerBook.
Here’s the thing with the iPod, there is genius in simplicity. No moving parts, a very easy to use interface, and more space than most any other player. I can’t think of any reason not to go with the iPod. For the cost conscious out there, I’ll leave it at this. You get what you pay for.
I think Bill is engaging in a little subterfuge. Get the iPod.
Get the iPod. If my memory serves me correctly Bill Gates wasn’t to hot on that internet thingy back in the early 90’s either.
Question on the iPod (a dumb question, I warn you). I don’t have an apple and I don’t use iTunes. Can you use an iPod with a PC, and can you not rely on iTunes for your MP3’s? I have converted my entire CD collection to MP3’s…just wondering.
Get it. I’m next.
I love Apple products. I’m on an iBook now. I use a PC at work, but would much rather use a MAC. Always been better. If they’d shared the patents back in the day, Gates would be begging us to use his PC crud because the standard would be Apple. Just like Sony blew it with Betamax and we’ve been stuck with the inferior VHS all these years. Get yer POD!
Laurie
Keep your CD player.
Don’t buy any new stuff you don’t need.
As a technophile, I have been patient – and waiting for new stuff – and waiting – and waiting – and I am getting along just fine.
The battery is extremely replacable on an IPod, I have personally done it on several IPods myself. For friends, family…..It’s simple.
The latest update to the IPod’s firmware has improved the sound. Frankly I wouldn’t get the mini. For not much more you can get the 20 Gig Normal (or the 30 Gig IPod Photo! I have a 60 Gig Photo…love it!)…
I think the Ipod is the ergonomic winner. Sound it probably comparable to SCSI’s Nomad…..Can’t go wrong either way, but I like the IPod better.
Dan
First, Apples are not that expensive. I own both a PC with Windows and Macs, and the number of hours I spend “coaxing” the PC to work makes the PC far more expensive. (Time is money, esp when you own a business.)
Plus, my PC had some cheap junk inside the box, which was why the price tag was lower… (I’ve had to replace parts in my PC, not my Macs.)
Add to that the fact the Windows PC’s have far more viruses to deal with etc ….
Once I started working on a Mac (in 1997), I just couldn’t go back to Windows as a primary computer. Too painful.
Like others, I love my iPod as well. (Yes, it works with Windows) And I also got a Shuffle, which is awesome. Use the Shuffle both for tunes and to move work files to my PC from/to Macs (since my PC refuses to always “play nice” on my local network).
If you want good ear buds, get the Bang & Olufsen. They are quite impressive.
Have a good one!
First let’s address the battery issue. Never buy anything that uses either a special battery or a battery that cannot be replaced. Never buy disposable batteries for portable devices; digital cameras, mp3/cd/radios, etc.
Do by NiMH(NIckel Metal Hydride) rechargeables with a Smart charger, not a cheap dumb one that can’t detect when charging is completed, so under or overcharges(not good) your battery investment.
Combination packages of 2 or 4 AA NiMH batteries and a Smart Charger worth having are about $25 and available in the Camera dept of any retail outlet.
Rely on name brands like Everready, Panasonic, etc and look for battery capacity of 1800 MAh(milliamp hours) minimum for each battery. Buy double the amount of batteries your device needs to run to allow for a freshly charged set. Chargers charge in twos, so if your device uses one battery, you will need 3 for a fresh backup.
Note flashlights, smoke detectors, and other devices that need term use still need Alkaline disposables because rechargeables have a limited shelf life(self discharge) and must be recharged periodiclly(3 months or so) even if not being used.
Hope this helps those suffering from battery fatigue.
Jim,
NiMH is not the way to go…Lithium Ion. No memory.
As for ’special battery’ arguments….All the DECENT mp3 players have them. The iRiver (and other flash types) that use AA and AAA batteries are too expensive for what you get. For not much more than some people pay for flash players I get a LOT more space. Frankly, I’d rather be able to choose what album I play, not just which song out of 50.
The battery on the apple is replaceable with a 25 dollar battery that lasts about 3x as long as the apple. So sorry, I disagree with you on all counts.
Dan
Julie, you can use an iPod with your PC. I suggest that you use iTunes. The iTunes application is free and you can import your existing mp3s into it.
Apple makes their money selling songs through their music service. However you don’t have to purchase any songs through them. I just use iTunes to get the songs off my CDs and load them into my iPod.
I also use iTunes to mix up some good Christian music to play for the youth at our church. My laptop feeds the audio into the church amplifier. We call it “We Rock and God Rules!”.
FYI, if you decide to go with the iPod (I haven’t yet, becasue I’m trying to decide if my revulsion at Apple’s DRM is strong enough to overcome my appreciation for their superior user interface), you might be interested in the deal that Ligonier Ministries (http://www.ligonier.org) has on them: They offer the standard and Mini iPods at the usual price, but loaded up with a 25-30 hours(!) of R.C. Sproul’s lessons. Basically, it’s a bunch of good, high quality content for free, and there’s still plenty of room to load on the music. I think I’m starting to lean way toward the iPod, myself…
If you do decide to get one, you might whack a little bit off the price by getting it at ebay. I know not everyone trusts products from ebay, but you can look at the seller rating, and if he has a good rating, it’s usually a safe bet.
Even last year 50% of all cell phones had MP3 player software. This year it will be more. My daughter’s phone does and it can accept memory cards to allow easy insertion of transferred songs.
But the real change will be when services that allow unlimited downloads of MP3s for a fixed monthly fee are added to the cell phone for a fixed monthly so that you can listen to any song you want at any time on your cell phone. That is less than a year away and spells the death of all major standalone players, at least in mho.
There are plenty of other players that are cheaper and play just as well. Ipods suffer from Apple’s typical marketing scheme: overprice and try to make your product trendy, hoping people will buy it because it’s cool.
I agree with Mr. Taylor here. I have a friend with a Dell knock-off, and she loves it. She mentioned one or two features it has that the ipod doesn’t have, but I can’t remember what they were. She’s had it for a while now, so I know it’s not a cheap piece of junk that will break immediately. And if you could get one of those on ebay for cheap, then you’d be even better off.
“#
Keep your CD player.
Don’t buy any new stuff you don’t need.
As a technophile, I have been patient – and waiting for new stuff – and waiting – and waiting – and I am getting along just fine.
Comment by Frank Zavisca — 05.13.05 @ 8:17 am”
~Excellent advice!
I have a Nomad Jukebox Zen extra I bought for under $200 at walmart.com. It has 30 GB, and I’ve really enjoyed it a lot. The software is fairly easy to use (I’m not a techie). I like the fact that I don’t have to go to iTunes, and the sound is excellent. I can actually hear background notes that I’ve never been able to hear before on a regular player or computer.
Also like the WMA files. Sounds the same, smaller than MP3.
Scanning through the commments, I didn’t see if anyone has the iRiver player. I’ve had my 20GB model for about a year now (bought it on Amazon), and it has served me well. It will play any audio format, enough EQ features for most audiophiles, long battery life and firmware that you can upgrade from their website if you want to add features. The sound from the earphones included is fantastic. I haven’t used an iPod myself, but others who have seem to think the features and menu navigation of my iRiver is more intuitive
OT – I’m watching the funerary procession for the murdered Denver cop from my office window right now…so sad.
La Shawn, I’m amazed to see that a politically independent spirit such as yourself is taking close notice of the words of Bill Gates, a man who has but one goal in life: extract as much money from you as possible. You seem to excercise a great deal of critical thought in other areas, so why should you take his word for it.
btw: I have an iPod. The real amazement of the iPod that most pundits fail to recognize isn’t the gadget itself, its the combination of the iPod, iTunes, and the iTunes Music Store. But don’t take my word for it… investigate it for yourself.
Grumpy, the post is tongue-in-cheek. I don’t give a rat’s whiskers what Bill Gates has to say about anything.
La Shawn, sorry. I should have read the post more closely… or less closely, depending how you look at it.
Wayne, my sentiments within 5 years exactly. That prospect would make the ipod look like a 45.
gates vs. apple: we are macheads at our house. my husband is a music teacher and musician. can’t beat the software there. he’s also the tech person at his school. he is barraged with pc problems. our apple problems are occasional and usually because of something we did. my nephew’s work study on campus is as the apple consultant and trouble shooter for students with apples. he’s like the maytag repair man. the pc guys (they need more of them) are always busy. (i love the “geek squad” commercials, a whole company based on pc/windows bailout problems.) apple has been wireless for a few years now and gates has been behind that. we get little spam. gates has managed to minimize it, but there are still problems. gates had to borrow the apple concept and develop windows to make his pcs user friendly. my husband got some little dohickey this week and his titanium now ‘googles’ without some of the steps of getting to sites. and it all comes up as soon as you push a key. did i hear gates just announce that they are going to have technology soon to do the same.
jonathan LOVES his ipod and the attachments he gets for it.
I bought a Creative Zen Micro a couple of months ago and love it. I considered the iPod mini and at the time it was a bit pricier than the Zen; now they’re about the same price. cNet gave them similar ratings but said the Zen’s features and sound was a little better – who knows. I also decided to go against the grain and NOT buy an iPod since the Zen was getting good reviews.
Bottom line is, you probably couldn’t go wrong buying either an iPod or a comparable Creative product; they both seem to be highly rated. The thing Gates is missing is that very few other mp3 players can actually compete with the iPod in terms of features and quality right now; they’re all playing catch up. Someday they might, but until they do the iPod is certainly a good bet.
I bought my wife an iPod last Christmas (the 40 Gb HP-cobranded version). She loves it, and has made extensive use of it and iTunes Music Store. She’s a music junkie, and introducing her to iTMS was basically like pouring gasoline on a flame…
Gates is basically blowing smoke. While MS may be able to produce MP3-playing phones running Windows Mobile, I can’t see any of the wireless carriers wanting to actually sell such a thing. They don’t want you putting MP3 files on your own phone, they want to open up Verizon/Cingluar/T-Mobile Music Store and sell you all those tunes, DRM-locked to your phone. And, given that they charge $3 a pop for lousy ringtones, the songs would probably be $5 each or more…
I say, get the iPod. And get the full-size model, in as big a capacity as you can afford; you’ll thank me later.
The comments about “In 5 years”, unfortunately, really have no bearing on the issue. In 5 years, the iPod series will all have the form factor of the current iPod Shuffle, but have the same capacity as the current high-end versions, probably have Wireless G connectivity to home networks, and may possibly be available with Cellphone antenna adapters, or even just come with Cell compatibility standard. With some phones already using voice technology for dialing, it may not even have a standard keypad even for making calls.
Am I the only person on the planet who has no interest in carrying music around with me? Does that make me a sour old curmudgeon?
I love to sit comfortably and listen to music on a good sound system in the house. But when I’m out and about, the music of my Harley exhaust pipes is all I need.
My advice is to trust Bill Gates word at your own peril. His track record of predictions is spotty (the 640 K memory mentioned earleir and not to mention being a Johny-come-lately to everything about the internet). Looking at this thru the PRSM of Microsofts behavior past and their willingness to employ FUD (Fear, uncertainty and doubt) marketing strategies, I would wonder if Bill and Microsft are about ready to spring the own version of the Ipod (Billpod, MicroPod, PocketPod, insert your own witty euphemism here) on the market.
La Shawn –
I’ve got a Rio Cali that’s treated me very well for a year. It’s a 256MB Flash Player, no internal moving parts. (Right now it has a 1GB SD Card in the expansion slot.) Built like a tank. I’ve dropped it quite a few times and it keeps on playing. Sound quality is great, with wonderful fidelity at very low volume and no distortion going up.
In fact, my only complaint about the player is the software, and now that I have Red Chair’s replacement software, I’ve quite happy with it.
Forgot to mention that I get 20+ hours of listening off a AAA battery. (I once got 35 or so hours off an Energizer E2 Lithium.)
hesitate, though, because the head geek-in-charge has issued a warning
When I read that, I thought it was sarcasm. Does it really matter what Gates thinks??
I sold iPods & accessories for about two months at the mall. One thing I can tell you is that the iPod must have one of the very highest customer satisfaction records of any product in history.
Honestly, I don’t think I’m exaggerating; people love those things like crazy. I was barraged with owners saying things like, “Why did I wait so long? I love it; how did I survive before?” etc.
But maybe they haven’t heard what Gates said.
Several years ago, I bought an Archos Jukebox 20 gig MP3 player. It’s STILL a great player, which I’ve handed on to my husband. The only reason I went to the Ipod photo was the wonderful screen, which I can read without having to find my glasses. If I’d had the opportunity to compare screens on other mp3 players besides the Ipod, I might have purchased differently. The Ipod is nice, but soundwise, no better than my 4 yr old Archos.
I have to admit the Ipod is kinda cute, though.
La Shawn and others deciding on an MP3 player choice, here is an excellent site to help you know what those choices are:
google4-cnet.com.com/4002-10889_9-6212687.html?part=google4-cnet&subj=297577&tag=297577
A flash memory player using standard off the shelf batteries(AA or AAA) is a good way to enter. They are available up to 2 Gig now, and that is alot of music for the average user. Some also double as a flash drive off your USB port for file backups, xfers, transport.
i no longer use my ipod, which i loved, and use a Treo600 for everything – phone, pda, email, web browsing, camera, and mp3 player. i’m testing a universal remote utility…may be trading some esoteric functionality for integration but i haven’t noticed. good luck.
I’m sorry for getting into the debate late, but…the whole ipod battery topic is…buying an ipod is ok since the battery is replacable, and relatively painless? Am I correct?
Maggie, Check out Amazon Customer Reviews on iPod here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B0006HTPQ2/ref=cm_rev_all_1/104-8295201-1309566?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=electronics
And battery issues with Customer Reviews on a backup battery product here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009KAPW/ref=e_de_acc_4_8/104-8295201-1309566?v=glance&s=electronics&n=172282
Hope this helps. Some here say the battery can be replaced at home if you are some what technically inclined. Normally it is sent back to the factory
when it fails to take a charge. Read the Amazon customers reviews above for more info.
Thanks Jim R! I’m reading the amazon reviews now, plus I’ll be interested in what my brother says about his ipod (he got one this past Christmas).
Buy an iPod and you won’t be disappointed. I had a less expensive mp3 player for a while before I took the plunge and now wonder why I waited. When you consider the cost of a USB memory stick to the iPod I think you will change your mind about it being overpriced. I got a blue mini and also bought a shuffle for my brother-in-law who is a jogger. I would say this is the best 3-digit purchase I have made in a long time.
I am/was a PC user, I still use a desktop PC for school work, because i was able to get Microsoft Office at a discount, but I am also the owner of an ipod mini (silver) which i adore and would recommend to ANYONE, and i recently got an powerbook for my 21st birthday, which i’m really in love with. I got it mostly for the graphics and video editing i will be doing, and for Adobe InDesign, which i use at school for working on the school newspaper (i’m the news editor) so i am becoming a Mac user, and i’ve adjusted to this change, and it has been a good one.
Get the iPod Mini. I just bought the 4 gig/1000 songs one for $200 and it was the best $200 I’ve spent on a toy to date.
HEADS UP FOR PEOPLE WITH iPODS. CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT INFORMATION!
From SiliconValley.Com:
“The folks at iPodsDirtySecret.com are no doubt all charged up, now that a court has conditionally approved a settlement in a class action lawsuit brought against Apple by irate iPod owners. Filed in the fall of 2003, the suit alleged Apple misrepresented the playtime and lifespan of the iPod’s battery.
Though Apple claimed the battery would power eight to 10 hours of play, many iPod owners found the it held its charge for only four or five hours and wore out completely not long after the device’s one-year warranty expired (my third-generation iPod currently holds a charge for about 2.5 hours).
Today Apple effectively admitted it had misrepresented the durability of the iPod’s battery, agreeing to give qualifying iPod owners up to $50 in cash or credit on Apple purchases and in some cases even a new iPod. A judge in San Mateo County, Calif., is expected to grant final approval of the settlement at a hearing on Aug. 25, so if you own a first-, second- or third-generation iPod with lousy battery life, head over to http://www.appleipodsettlement.com and fill out a claim form.”
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