930 Forums
=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: MaLo on July 02, 2003, 09:11:00 pm
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Anyone here have a portable MP3 player? portable minidisc player? pros and cons of each? any certain brands to look for?
The boyfriend's birthday is coming up and i was thinking of getting him one as a gift. He'd probably use it at the gym and at work, so preferably something that could hold enough music to last through the day.
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Well I cant recommend an ipod highly enough. I load 1000 songs on mine and press shuffle..... Its like having the worlds best radio staion.
Or the worst if you hate 80's europop.
I use it much more than I ever thought I would.
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Originally posted by poorlulu:
Well I cant recommend an ipod highly enough. I load 1000 songs on mine and press shuffle..... Its like having the worlds best radio staion.
Or the worst if you hate 80's europop.
I use it much more than I ever thought I would.
Yeah, i've heard the Ipod is cool...but don't you have to have a Mac for that??
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Originally posted by MaLo:
Originally posted by poorlulu:
Well I cant recommend an ipod highly enough. I load 1000 songs on mine and press shuffle..... Its like having the worlds best radio staion.
Or the worst if you hate 80's europop.
I use it much more than I ever thought I would.
Yeah, i've heard the Ipod is cool...but don't you have to have a Mac for that?? [/b]
It works for the pc now too
www.apple.com/ipod (http://www.apple.com/ipod)
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There are windows models too, and the itunes store is currently being made for the microsoft world.
You just need firewire.....
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Originally posted by poorlulu:
There are windows models too, and the itunes store is currently being made for the microsoft world.
You just need firewire.....
or usb 2
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Originally posted by Bob Pollard:
It works for the pc now too
www.apple.com/ipod (http://www.apple.com/ipod) [/QB]
sweeeeeeeeeee
i'll have to check it out..
i want to change my forum name to "Yer Mom"
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wow..the iPod is expensive, i mean it looks like its totally worth it, i'm just too poor for that...i was shooting for under $200
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my recommendation is to stay away from the minidisc... in order to transfer songs on to the disc you need to convert the files to sony's secure format, resulting in two copies of the files on your hd. this is to prevent the copying of files from the minidisc player from one pc to another.
i use the iriver cd/mp3 player and think it's a great device. it requires burning mp3s onto a cdr but the player is much cheaper than a hard disk mp3 device such as the ipod or creative nomad. you can get heaps of mp3s onto a cd. the iriver remote while a bit tricky at first to use, is great once you get use to. plus you can listen to regular music cds.
stay away from flash memory mp3 players they don't hold much in the music.
as kosmette can vouch for it, i did a lot of research into mp3 players and decided to get the iriver. just get the extended warrenty on it, as with most consumer electronics these days quality is not always what it should be.
i ended up not getting a hard drive mp3 player only because one can get a nice used laptop for the cost of one of those with much more functionality.
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I have one of those Philips/Nike Sport Audio mp3 players. It cost about $150 and holds 128MB or roughly 100 minutes of mp3s. The attraction was that it's really small and I can use it when I run. The downside is that I have to recharge the battery after every three hours or so. Besides that, no complaints. It also takes other file formats and is incredibly easy to use.
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Yeah, the ipod is expensive, but they have sold over a million of them so they must be doing something right.
The base model is $300, but if you sniff around you can still get the old 5gb model for $200, well you could a couple of weeks ago anyhow.
With the drawbacks other people have mentioned it really does seem like the ipod is a very well thought out machine. He must be worth it?
Otherwise just buy him an xbox and a copy of halo, but then he wont talk to you for about a month....
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be super cool and get him something that supports ogg vorbis (http://www.neurosaudio.com/).
but if he's not a supernerd or anything, try the nomad, or another cd/mp3 player. the 5gb ipod is okay, but the price is outlandish for a music player that'll be outdated in a couple years. don't count on mp3 being around forever...
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Originally posted by poorlulu:
Well I cant recommend an ipod highly enough. I load 1000 songs on mine and press shuffle..... Its like having the worlds best radio staion.
Or the worst if you hate 80's europop.
I use it much more than I ever thought I would.
Hey Lulu, I've been obsessed with pop music, lately. Gimme some europop recommendations.
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Ikarus,
I dont think the ipod will become outdated in a hurry. It has an updateable and upgradeable OS. With the introduction of the apple store, they used a different format for music, AAC. To accomodate this they released a software update for the ipod.
Simple effective an upgradeable.
Sure its a lot of money, but its so small and handy, I find I use it all the time.
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Originally posted by mjnova:
Gimme some europop recommendations.
Hjello Mjnova.....
Well the best current europop is the postal service.....
Oh wait they are not euro....
So I am not sure what you are looking for?
Baesement Jaxx, rooty
Air 10,000 Khz legend
Prodigy, cant remember album names.....
or older stuff
like:
Pop will eat itself
Carter the unstoppable sex machine
pet shop boys
is that what you meant by europop or did you want me to namedrop atomic kitten, s club 7, westlife and Kylie?
By the way this isnt poorlulu, right now. Normally I have completely different music tasted from you.
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I own both an Ipod and a Minidisc player. I have not used the minidisc player that I own for several years now. I purchased my Minidisc player when they first came out. The minidisc is a dated technology at this point. You would be better off getting something with a lot more space available to store music and is better integrated with the computer. I have an Ipod now and I love it, the best computer accessory I have ever purchased.
I am now trying to figure out what to do with my Minidisc player. I have a player and a recorder (a stereo component version). They just take up to much space and collect dust now.
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Anybody out there have a turntable? That's where it's truly at.
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your portable player, can it record as well? It woukd be handy for making crappy recordings of great shows......That is the only thing MD is good for.
There was talk of upgrading the ipod to record at one point too, which would be cool. There is a hidden mode right now where you can record 10 seconds of audio, so I am informed....
Otherwise perhaps you can start a museum of obsolete equipement..... You have a betamax too, right?
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Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
Anybody out there have a turntable? That's where it's truly at.
three as a matter of fact!
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He has got:
Three turntables and two microphones......
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Oh boy - technology!
The Ipod is probably the best, however, like you said its expensive and a one dimmensional device. If you're going to spend that kind of money, buy a fancy handlheld with an expansion card so you can do more with it. I have a handhled that plays Mp3's and it's expandable to what ever size memory card I use (currently 2 GB). I use it because it cuts down on the number of devices I carry with me and I feel I'm getting more for my money. I can surf the web with it in wireless hotspots, check email, work on documents, keep my contacts and a calendar AND listen to MP3's for the same price these folks paid for thier Ipod.
I tried the cell phone MP3 player but the battery life is shit so don't bother.
Smackette has the same Nike MP3 player the GGW was talking about, but it freezes on her all the time. Maybe GGW is experinecing the same or a similar problem (but I think it's because she's a woman). The other problem is that it doesn't shuffle so you have the same set list every time which can get very annoying.
Kosmo is absolutely right about the inexpensive flash players - not a lot of songs. Which reminds me - rip your songs at 64KBPS for MP3 players because your headphones aren't going to be clear enough to notice the differecne between 128K and 64K, but you'll be able to store more songs.
A good mid-range price idea for lots of songs is the new MP3 playing CD players. Look for an easy to use display (trust me) and one that works with CD-RW's. Basically its a discman that plays MP3's, and if it reads RW's then your set with over 15 albums on one CD, but not locked into those albums. They're under $100 these days.
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actually if the current minidisc players could be used as a portable hard drive it would be an attractive product for carrying music. it's small and sturdy. but because of the sw limitations it's just not the thing to buy. i'm still annoyed that the ipod can only be used on either a mac or a pc not both at the same time.
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Before I got the ipod I just had an ordinary run of the mill CD player.... But it was big bulky didnt fit in my pocket and even with skip protection it got cross with me when I ran down the metro steps......
Nothing gains admiring glances from the ladies like a shiny white ipod.
SO Vansmack what handheld are you using??
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Originally posted by poorlulu:
SO Vansmack what handheld are you using??
HP Jornada (which has been replaced by the Compaq Ipaq since the merger) because it uses Compact Flash Memory cards like the rest of my devices. And it's smaller than your Ipod, so ha.
And the CD playing MP3's don't skip like old discmans because the MP3 is loaded into the RAM.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
Smackette has the same Nike MP3 player the GGW was talking about, but it freezes on her all the time. Maybe GGW is experinecing the same or a similar problem (but I think it's because she's a woman). The other problem is that it doesn't shuffle so you have the same set list every time which can get very annoying.
I have had no problems, although a guy I work with also has one and mentioned that he had some problem (but Philips sent him a new one - no questions asked). It's not a high tech device, but it's simple and fits my needs, and looks deck strapped to my rippling bicep.
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the ipaq does look pretty handy. But its even more expensive, right? Plus it has a relatively small amount of memory, and if my memory serves me well it displaces a similar volume to the new ipod....
Horses for courses, then?
My old player had skip protection, so it loaded stuff into ram. Mine got really mad if I banged it about despite that though, I amagine the newer generation ones are better. Still I dont know if I would want to try running with one.
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Originally posted by ggw:
I have had no problems, although a guy I work with also has one and mentioned that he had some problem (but Philips sent him a new one - no questions asked). It's not a high tech device, but it's simple and fits my needs, and looks deck strapped to my rippling bicep.
Thanks. I used it for 5 days and couldn't freeze it either. She manages to freeze in just under an hour every time...amazing.
And she too picked it out because it looks deck in the gym.
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Originally posted by poorlulu:
the ipaq does look pretty handy. But its even more expensive, right? Plus it has a relatively small amount of memory, and if my memory serves me well it displaces a similar volume to the new ipod....
Horses for courses, then?
My old player had skip protection, so it loaded stuff into ram. Mine got really mad if I banged it about despite that though, I amagine the newer generation ones are better. Still I dont know if I would want to try running with one.
I bought the Jornada when they brought the new line out. I think I got it for around $200 then added 2 512 MB Compact Flash Cards for $79. It came with 64 MB on board which I use for synching with my desktop and the exapndible memory cards are for music and videos only. Each memory card holds about 300 songs each.
With Pocket PC 2003 coming out, you should be able to buy a Pocket PC 2002 handhled for about $200 relatively soon.
One other thing I would recommend for portable MP3 users is headphones with a volume knob/switch on the cord from the plug to the headphones. Mp3's vary so much in their volume - especially live and bootleg stuff that it's a must to save your ears. It's so much easier and allows you to put you player out of sight.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
One other thing I would recommend for portable MP3 users is headphones with a volume knob/switch on the cord from the plug to the headphones. Mp3's vary so much in their volume - especially live and bootleg stuff that it's a must to save your ears. It's so much easier and allows you to put you player out of sight.
The ipod comes with a volume control just like your talking about, but I dont have that problem with mp3s since I rip them all from the cd and dont steal them. ;)
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Originally posted by Bob Pollard:
The ipod comes with a volume control just like your talking about, but I dont have that problem with mp3s since I rip them all from the cd and dont steal them. ;)
So did the Nike Player, but my original Rio did not, so I thought it best to share.
Ever downloaded a live track from a bands web site? (well not with your one dimensional Ipod, I mean with your personal computer then trasferred to your Ipod?)
Ever heard an original analog recording converted to CD before remastering?
And just to use an example, ever heard the first Counting Crows album? It's the loudest album I've ever heard in terms of pure volume of the recording. It never plays well with others when shuffling. Not even against my hardcore stuff.
But yes, my bootleg "stolen" stuff is the worst of them all. It all depends on how close that bastard got to the stage. Can't they all just use the soundboard?
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Once, ten years ago. And then thankfully never again. :)
Originally posted by vansmack:
And just to use an example, ever heard the first Counting Crows album?
[/b]
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Originally posted by poorlulu:
Originally posted by mjnova:
Gimme some europop recommendations.
Hjello Mjnova.....
Well the best current europop is the postal service.....
Oh wait they are not euro....
So I am not sure what you are looking for?
Baesement Jaxx, rooty
Air 10,000 Khz legend
Prodigy, cant remember album names.....
or older stuff
like:
Pop will eat itself
Carter the unstoppable sex machine
pet shop boys
is that what you meant by europop or did you want me to namedrop atomic kitten, s club 7, westlife and Kylie?
By the way this isnt poorlulu, right now. Normally I have completely different music tasted from you. [/b]
I was thinkin more the stuff at the bottom. I just got a Pet Shop Boys - Acutally. Which is great stuff, and I ordered the Kylie reissues off Amazon, which should be good driving albums. I doubt I could tolerate much westlife, although Atomic Kittens, Sugarbabes etc would probably be right up my alley.
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Flogging a dead horse here i know....but my wife got me an ipod for my b-day a few weeks ago.
Damn I love that thing......taking 200 cd's with me wherever I go in something the size of deck of cards.
When i'm at home I hook it up to my stereo. I haven't fumbled with a cd for weeks. I hook it up to my car stereo too.
For windows (don't know if this has been mentioned or not) he'll need a firewire card (yeah you can use usb2 but then you have to go buy the cable and I don't even know if it's available yet) and don't bother with the included Music Match software for PC...it's a piece of shit. Go download Ephpod for free. Easier and works better.
Buy the boy an IPOD and he'll be yours forever!
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10 gig ipod (old style) with remote...my favorite thing I've ever bought. Its interface is much better than any other mp3 player I've used. GET ONE!!! The old ones are still available for cheaper than the new ones (try macmall or the like). I think you can find an old 20gb for around $250.
I agree...use ephpod. I use mine on a PC and it works great. I use it in the car, at home on the stereo, and on my metro commute.
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Originally posted by mjnova:
I was thinkin more the stuff at the bottom. I just got a Pet Shop Boys - Acutally. Which is great stuff, and I ordered the Kylie reissues off Amazon, which should be good driving albums. I doubt I could tolerate much westlife, although Atomic Kittens, Sugarbabes etc would probably be right up my alley.
Well going for the stuff at the bottom......
Carter the Unstopable sex machine is great...... 101 damnations is better than 30 something, I wouldnt bother with the rest.
Pet shop boys, I have been enjoying introspective again just recently. Its sooo gay though. If you like the pet shop boys you will love postal service. Its my favourite of the year (thanks Jadetree)
I just got a best of Pop will eat itself which can even make me smile on the way to work in the morning.
The other thing I think you might like if you dont have already is Depeche Mode Violater.
Also Erasure had some good albums in the 80s, Pop, the 20 singles is a good place to start.
from there you can go back to yazz(oo) and soft cell....
As for the cheesy girl band stuff, well the only ones that I thought were any good were all saints their first album or greatest hits are both fantastic. Pop at its best.
If you are really interested I could always burn some for you.
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i'm actually thinking i might get him the MP3 discman...he just got an MP3 player in his car last and has been driving around in stereo dork ectasy for the past week
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Originally posted by MaLo:
i'm actually thinking i might get him the MP3 discman...he just got an MP3 player in his car last and has been driving around in stereo dork ectasy for the past week
take a look at the iriver then... i'm completely happy with mine. it's got upgradable firmwire and a nice remote.
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Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
take a look at the iriver then... i'm completely happy with mine. it's got upgradable firmwire and a nice remote.
thats what i got him..the SlimX...i think he'll enjoy it..its pretty cool
thanks for all your help...
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Okay, I want you all who are recommending the iPod to tell us if you're talking about the PC model.
I have the 20 GB iPod and love it to death (I also use it on my stereo and in my car, which absolutely kicks because it's 2400 songs at my fingertips). And I have about 5 friends who love their iPods as much as I.
That being said, I have a few friends who got the PC versions and have had loads and loads of troubles. I just think that Mac is king at that kind of multimedia capabilities, and they haven't made it fully compatible with PCs. Which I have no problem with, since just about everything else is made with f*&^in' PCs in mind.
Just something to get some more specific feedback on. Of the PC MP3 players, I've heard good things about Nomads and Rios. Just be sure to get at *least* 5 GB.
Originally posted by chaz:
Flogging a dead horse here i know....but my wife got me an ipod for my b-day a few weeks ago.
Damn I love that thing......taking 200 cd's with me wherever I go in something the size of deck of cards.
When i'm at home I hook it up to my stereo. I haven't fumbled with a cd for weeks. I hook it up to my car stereo too.
For windows (don't know if this has been mentioned or not) he'll need a firewire card (yeah you can use usb2 but then you have to go buy the cable and I don't even know if it's available yet) and don't bother with the included Music Match software for PC...it's a piece of shit. Go download Ephpod for free. Easier and works better.
Buy the boy an IPOD and he'll be yours forever!
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Originally posted by poorlulu:
Well going for the stuff at the bottom......
Carter the Unstopable sex machine is great...... 101 damnations is better than 30 something, I wouldnt bother with the rest.
Pet shop boys, I have been enjoying introspective again just recently. Its sooo gay though. If you like the pet shop boys you will love postal service. Its my favourite of the year (thanks Jadetree)
I just got a best of Pop will eat itself which can even make me smile on the way to work in the morning.
The other thing I think you might like if you dont have already is Depeche Mode Violater.
Also Erasure had some good albums in the 80s, Pop, the 20 singles is a good place to start.
from there you can go back to yazz(oo) and soft cell....
As for the cheesy girl band stuff, well the only ones that I thought were any good were all saints their first album or greatest hits are both fantastic. Pop at its best.
If you are really interested I could always burn some for you.
The funny thing is that from years of reading Q, I know both Pop Will Eat Itself and Carter the Unstopable Sex Machine from the "Where are they now" feature. I'll keep an eye out for both of those.
Violator is one of my favorite albums. I think I have just about everything Depeche Mode has done including the two solo albums. I listened to some of the recent Erasure covers album and it was painful almost to the point of my ears bleeding.
And I've actually been keeping an eye out for the first All Saints albums. I remember liking the singles quite a bit at the time.
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I'm really kind of shocked that all of you iPod lovers aren't talking about it's one dimensionality, especially for the price you're paying.
With just a 10 GB model, the ability to run everything a handheld runs (word processor, email internet, etc.) would take up less than .01% of you available disk space, at a software licensing cost of less than $100. And for you Windows haters, it could use the Palm OS and be even less.
I could never justify spending that much and getting so little in terms of functionality, when it could very easily have been made into an unbelievably useful tool instead of a portable hard drive with music playing capabilities. More industry short sightedness as far as I'm concerned.
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this is exactly why i decided to go with the iriver slimx 350... i rather buy a used laptop then an ipod or nomad.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
I'm really kind of shocked that all of you iPod lovers aren't talking about it's one dimensionality, especially for the price you're paying.
But I want a ferrari of portable music devices.
Light, lean, free of extraneous features dedicated soley to doing one job exquistely well.
I dont want an SUV of a portable player that is heavy cumbersome and whose other abilities (going off road, or pulling a boat, word procesing) I would never use.
Everyone has their own choice and preference, god bless capitalism.
Oh btw they have sold 1 million ipods making it in terms of revenue at least the most popular portable music MP3 device.....
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Originally posted by mjnova:
I listened to some of the recent Erasure covers album and it was painful almost to the point of my ears bleeding.
And I've actually been keeping an eye out for the first All Saints albums. I remember liking the singles quite a bit at the time. [/QB]
Yeah, Erasure sucked completely after their covers of Abba EP abbaesque. That EP is sublime though.
The POP compilation of 20 singles is as good as the human leagues greatest hits....
Yea, you would like allsaints the album is surprisingly not just two singles and a load of filler.
I bet you will like the new Dandy warhols album, welcome to the monkey house.
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Originally posted by the scientist:
Oh btw they have sold 1 million ipods making it in terms of revenue at least the most popular portable music MP3 device.....
At $300-600 per, they didn't have to sell that many to get the revenue award.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
Originally posted by the scientist:
[qb]
At $300-600 per, they didn't have to sell that many to get the revenue award. [/b]
Cool, huh?
A lot of other devices are between $100 and $200 though, so that can still be counted as quite a success for a premium product released well after the first generation of players.
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Originally posted by the scientist:
But I want a ferrari of portable music devices.
a bit early for the midlife crisis isn't it? :D
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Originally posted by bags:
Okay, I want you all who are recommending the iPod to tell us if you're talking about the PC model.
I have the 20 GB iPod and love it to death (I also use it on my stereo and in my car, which absolutely kicks because it's 2400 songs at my fingertips). And I have about 5 friends who love their iPods as much as I.
That being said, I have a few friends who got the PC versions and have had loads and loads of troubles. I just think that Mac is king at that kind of multimedia capabilities, and they haven't made it fully compatible with PCs. Which I have no problem with, since just about everything else is made with f*&^in' PCs in mind.
Just something to get some more specific feedback on. Of the PC MP3 players, I've heard good things about Nomads and Rios. Just be sure to get at *least* 5 GB.
I use my 15 gb ipod on a machine running Win 2000. Lots of folks have big time problems using them on PC's but I've had none. I'm pretty handy with computers and gadgets in general. I can't really comment on all the folks who've had problems with theirs.
Just get a good firewire card and make sure it's working before you proceed with ipod installation. Then i just followed the instructions. Once it was up and running I downloaded Ephpod for free and ditched the included MusicMatch Jukebox......I really think most folks who have problems could blame then on that piece of shit MMJB software. I use Ephpod to add music and never ever had a problem.
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Originally posted by the scientist:
Cool, huh?
A lot of other devices are between $100 and $200 though, so that can still be counted as quite a success for a premium product released well after the first generation of players.
I would say selling 1 Million is impressive.
I would say being the revenue leader is not impressive at all.
If they sold 60% of the cheapest ones ($300), 30% of the mid-range ones ($400) and 10% of their high-end model ($500), their 1 Million ipods would generate $350M of revenue. The MP3 player at $150 would have to sell 2.3 Million in a market saturated with MP3 Players at the same price range or cheaper these days, just to have the same revenue. Excuse me while I yawn at the most expensive player generating the most revenue when their cheapest model is still more than the average price of a player - duh!
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Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
Originally posted by the scientist:
But I want a ferrari of portable music devices.
a bit early for the midlife crisis isn't it? :D [/b]
My whole life has been a midlife crisis.
I love those big red cars.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
I would say being the revenue leader is not impressive at all.
But by your reckoning they have sold at least 40% of the total units of a cheper player.
My point was that was very impressive considering the premium price point.
When the ipod was first announced I really thought that it was too expensive and would be a failure. I only got my ipod second hand, but if it broke I would go out and buy a new one instantly. It really has changed the way I listen to music.
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Screw the iPod -- You need one of these:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/07/02/popsci.stereo.kill/index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/07/02/popsci.stereo.kill/index.html)
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Originally posted by the scientist:
But by your reckoning they have sold at least 40% of the total units of a cheper player.
Don't ever change your screen name to "the economist".
40% of any one other player with the same name - your numbers aren't eaxctly right beacuse different units have different names - for example Nike-Phillips PSA has a different name between the 64 MB version and the 128 version. The highest revenue earning company on all their players is SONICBlue, who bought Rio who was first to hit the market with the Diamond but they now have many models with different names, yet the Ipod counts all of the models as the same to brag about revenue. Excuse while I yawn again.
Anyhow, there are over 37 different players in the market at $100-$150, so there is too much competition for one player to meet the revenue of the IPod, yet many companies have met the revenue with their assortment of players.
But don't get me wrong. As I said before, the Ipod is the best MP3 player on the market at this moment. All I was saying was that it's not worth the high end price for it's limited capability and functionality. It's only a matter of time (late 2003/early 2004) before HP, Dell, Sony or Handspring/Palm catches on and your Ipod goes the way of the 8 track.
And I will come back to this board and laugh at you. And say that I was right. Again. And then you will turn to personal attacks because you will know that I am right. And then I will turn to personal attacks too, because they are fun. And I'm babbling now, so I will stop.
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Originally posted by ggw:
Screw the iPod -- You need one of these:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/07/02/popsci.stereo.kill/index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/07/02/popsci.stereo.kill/index.html)
What a waste of good audio equipment.
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Originally posted by the scientist:
Yeah, Erasure sucked completely after their covers of Abba EP abbaesque. That EP is sublime though.
The POP compilation of 20 singles is as good as the human leagues greatest hits....
Yea, you would like allsaints the album is surprisingly not just two singles and a load of filler.
I bet you will like the new Dandy warhols album, welcome to the monkey house.
Continuing the coincidences, I was listening to the Dandy Warhols EP that they gave to college stations last week (on which they cover Blondie's Call Me and Relax), and when we get in a copy of the album proper at our station I'm definately going to snatch it up.
The only thing I have against All Saints is that Stuart Zender left Jamiroquai after marrying one of them. I wonder if he's doing much session work.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
But don't get me wrong. As I said before, the Ipod is the best MP3 player on the market at this moment. All I was saying was that it's not worth the high end price for it's limited capability and functionality. It's only a matter of time (late 2003/early 2004) before HP, Dell, Sony or Handspring/Palm catches on and your Ipod goes the way of the 8 track.
laugh at me? I already said I bought my ipod second hand for $100. I was going to pay more for that for a nice portable CD player as my old one had become unreliable.
Actually Samsung already previewed a machine that looked like the ipod, infact so much so that apple talked to them and they have had to redesign it.
Sony seem to be suspiciously asleep. But because they have their own music publishing they seem reluctant to embrace MP3.... I wonder how much longer it will be before they catch on?
Dell, well I just dont see them doing it..... If they were why sell ipods from their store?
Handspring/Palm.... when they have a device that has a hard drive maybe. I think that they wil focus on the mobile phone OS from now on though, dont you?
Apple seems to have a nice niche right now.
One point, if a new player comes out with more features I dont see the ipod becoming obsolete. I dont see small portable music files changing dramatically in the next few years and the ipod os is upgradeable.
The only thing that will make it look outdated is the introduction of smaller decent capacity hard drives. How much can you get on one of those ibm microdrives?
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Imagine playing Lionel Richie's Dancin' on the Ceiling on that.
Originally posted by ggw:
Screw the iPod -- You need one of these:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/07/02/popsci.stereo.kill/index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/07/02/popsci.stereo.kill/index.html)
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Originally posted by vansmack:
I'm really kind of shocked that all of you iPod lovers aren't talking about it's one dimensionality, especially for the price you're paying.
With just a 10 GB model, the ability to run everything a handheld runs (word processor, email internet, etc.) would take up less than .01% of you available disk space, at a software licensing cost of less than $100. And for you Windows haters, it could use the Palm OS and be even less.
I could never justify spending that much and getting so little in terms of functionality, when it could very easily have been made into an unbelievably useful tool instead of a portable hard drive with music playing capabilities. More industry short sightedness as far as I'm concerned.
I fully admit my love for the iPod is in part my desire to carry around a large music selection. Of the 20 GB, I have only about 300 MB of room left on that baby. And in the car, I have over 200 CDs at the ready.
Plus, the interface is just great, and it is easy as pie to work with from my iMac.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
Originally posted by the scientist:
[qb] But don't get me wrong. As I said before, the Ipod is the best MP3 player on the market at this moment. All I was saying was that it's not worth the high end price for it's limited capability and functionality. It's only a matter of time (late 2003/early 2004) before HP, Dell, Sony or Handspring/Palm catches on and your Ipod goes the way of the 8 track.
And I will come back to this board and laugh at you. And say that I was right. Again.[/b]
I think you're wrong. Yes, other companies will come up with more similar MP3 player products, but I think this is the one niche that Apple will hold on to -- they will stay out in front on this one. Just look at their iMusic Store. I bet it catches on as the model for downloading over the next few years. They have set this market in their sights, and they are closing in (if they haven't already!).
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Originally posted by the scientist:
Originally posted by vansmack:
[qb]
Dell, well I just dont see them doing it..... If they were why sell ipods from their store?
[/b]
Dell used to sell Palm and Handspring Handhelds too - but now all you can buy are Dell Handhelds. Now that there's $350 Million in revenue to be shared - that's next.
Mark my words. The future is in one device doing it all. Samsung and Palm working on Cell phones? So is Microsoft and Sony. And now that a handheld is already a cell phone too and cell phones already have storage for MP3s and software to play them, how long before a hard drive is on there to be a handheld / Cell Phone / Ipod type Mp3 player?
Not long kids. Even better, I'm wating for wireless broadband on my handheld so I don't even have to have it stored - I can stream it! Woohoo! And the phone companies are going to compete like mad and drive down the prices and you'll get 10 times more functionality for the same price.
And Apple will miss it for the same reasons they always miss it - they don't think far enough ahead. They focus on the one great product they have and are too arrogant to keep their marketing advantage. Do you know why the Ipod doesn't have the extra goodies? They've never developed a Handheld OS. Their not capable of doing it. Sony, Dell, Hp, Kyocera, and Samsung are all capable of doing it. Apple better get in bed with Palm now, or be left behind like the Apple IIe and the original Mac. Far superior at the time, no more than 3% market share.
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When are we going to get those cool jet packs like The Jetsons had?
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Apple are not capable of a handheld OS?
funny, I seem to remember the newton and emac...I am sure those OS's would be sufficiently small to now run on a handheld.
Apple are apparently reluctant to return to a market they did so badly in, newton. Which was when they were looking too far ahead. Hence tablet Pcs appearing this year.
Actually I have seen shots of an ipaq emulating an ancient mac os, looked kind of funky.
As for Sony, well they license the palm OS, bright boy. All the others you mentioned use microsoft, dont they? Perhaps symbian which was psion. None make their own, although some own stakes in symbian.
Do palm even run at a profit? This could well be another reason apple has stayed away from handhelds?
An all in one all singing all dancing mobile phone/palm top/mp3 player/playstation 4 will be great when it appears, book me up to buy the first one if it is the size of an ipod.
Till then, I will stick to the ipod.
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Originally posted by ggw:
When are we going to get those cool jet packs like The Jetsons had?
wasnt Dupek obsessed with the jetsons too?
If there was only one jet pack in the world, GGW, I would do everything within my powers (nothing) to ensure you would be the first to try it out.
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Originally posted by the scientist:
An all in one all singing all dancing mobile phone/palm top/mp3 player/playstation 4 will be great when it appears, book me up to buy the first one if it is the size of an ipod.
Sure thing, me too. As long as the battery runs for more than 2 hours without needing to be re-charged (not an Apple issue, a new technology issue -- I now have to travel with THREE recharging plugs).
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Originally posted by the scientist:
Apple are not capable of a handheld OS?
funny, I seem to remember the newton and emac...I am sure those OS's would be sufficiently small to now run on a handheld.
Apple are apparently reluctant to return to a market they did so badly in, newton. Which was when they were looking too far ahead. Hence tablet Pcs appearing this year.
Actually I have seen shots of an ipaq emulating an ancient mac os, looked kind of funky.
As for Sony, well they license the palm OS, bright boy. All the others you mentioned use microsoft, dont they? Perhaps symbian which was psion. None make their own, although some own stakes in symbian.
Do palm even run at a profit? This could well be another reason apple has stayed away from handhelds?
An all in one all singing all dancing mobile phone/palm top/mp3 player/playstation 4 will be great when it appears, book me up to buy the first one if it is the size of an ipod.
Till then, I will stick to the ipod.
I was unclear on that point - I meant the Ipod is not capable of running an OS, not that Mac couldn't make one. Though at this late stage in the game, they should be talking to Palm or symbian as you suggested.
Palm just bought handspring last month so they can't be doing too badly. And they spun off the OS division again - everybody licenses OS's now, smart guy.
Sony makes both Palm and MS devices. sony-ericcson is currently working to produce an MS based smartphone, less than bright boy.
And since bags made a good point (take note markie), my handheld battery lasts up to ten hours - same as the palm. But it does not last as long when using the wireless interent card - something that will need to be worked on (supposedly, built in cards last longer). Playing music is about 7 hours.
When I travel I only bring two plugs for recharging - one for handheld and one for the cell phone (but that will soon change when I combine devices, now won't it?). If I have to bring the laptop, then I still only bring two because my Sony-Ericcson phone daisy chains with my Sony laptop and recharges via a USB card. Oh my, what a concept.
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I think something that's not being mentioned is the music file type. As the hard drives of these things gets bigger there's no need to compress files as much. SHNs are big in certain music trading scenes, and there will no doubt be more file types that are more compressed but still lossless. mp3 and other lossy types won't be around for many more years.
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If they can create a cellphone that doubles as a DVD player, I will be impressed.
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well there are already quite small portable DVD players.... But the problem with making them small is that they have to be reasonably big to accomodate the media alone....
Isnt there a handheld playstation in the works that will play DVDs and mp3s? I dont think it will have a phone.
Vansmack I agree apple would do well to make a combo device. I would love an apple palm top. But I am sure if they ever do it they will make their own os.
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Originally posted by mjnova:
I think something that's not being mentioned is the music file type. As the hard drives of these things gets bigger there's no need to compress files as much. ........ .......... mp3 and other lossy types won't be around for many more years.
I wouldnt be so sure..... My ipod sounds better than my old portable CD player ever did.
I have a half decent stereo and at moderate (normal) listening levels I cannot tell the ipod mp3s from the CD they were ripped from.
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Originally posted by the scientist:
I wouldnt be so sure..... My ipod sounds better than my old portable CD player ever did.
I have a half decent stereo and at moderate (normal) listening levels I cannot tell the ipod mp3s from the CD they were ripped from.
Using headphones, you shouldn't be able to, but when I play my MP3's through my stereo, it becomes painfully clear. It's not even close - especially in surround sound.
And if it's portable gaming that you want, even I will admit that this bad boy atari 2600 takes the cake:
<img src="http://www.classicgaming.com/vcsp/VCSp%20Rev%206%20main%20pic.jpg" alt=" - " />
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Originally posted by vansmack:
[QB]Using headphones, you shouldn't be able to, but when I play my MP3's through my stereo, it becomes painfully clear. It's not even close - especially in surround sound.
And if it's portable gaming that you want, even I will admit that this bad boy atari 2600 takes the cake:
surround sound? are you listening to the new DVDs....? Otherwise all my MP3s and Cds are two channel left, and right.
So is your surround sound emmulated?
Personally I cant tell the difference, my hifi is better than yours as well..........Want to come round for a blind listening test (A good hard kicking)? Perhaps its just my mp3 player has a better DAC than yours?
An electronic device with would effect....
I suppose this is your dream ride, honky?
<img src="http://media9.motorcities.com/01AF9520508619A.jpeg" alt=" - " />
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Originally posted by the scientist:
surround sound? are you listening to the new DVDs....? Otherwise all my MP3s and Cds are two channel left, and right.
So is your surround sound emmulated?
Personally I cant tell the difference, my hifi is better than yours as well..........Want to come round for a blind listening test (A good hard kicking)? Perhaps its just my mp3 player has a better DAC than yours?
An electronic device with would effect....
I suppose this is your dream ride, honky?
Frequencies brother - they can be split and when you offer more frequnecies (a wave file) there's more sound to be thrown around than a compressed file (MP3). Now even the Ipod/Mac heads aren't going to back you up on this one! Nobody has ever argued that an Mp3 sounds as good as a wave file. The advantage of an MP3 is compression. And no, your Hi-fi can't shake a tale to mine. I've seen yours, and mines bigger. :eek:
And you of all people should know that I'm much more So Cal classic than that:
<img src="http://images.fotki.com/v8/photos/9/9586/141800/feab7440jpgorig-vi.jpg" alt=" - " />
Though I have looked at the PT cruiser, this would be the car for me.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
Frequencies brother - they can be split and when you offer more frequnecies (a wave file) there's more sound to be thrown around than a compressed file (MP3). Now even the Ipod/Mac heads aren't going to back you up on this one! [/b][/QUOTE]
Sure, I understand the technology and the principle of compression. I just dont think on my hifi that I can tell the difference.
This could be for many reasons, including being deaf or having a better digital to analogue converter in the ipod than the CD player.
Sure, your hifi is bigger and has more buttons....
Mine is just 'nad(s).