View Full Version : iPod or alternatives
Right, I am in the market for a new MP3 player after my current iPod had an iPod to toilet interface last night. Dried it and stuck it in the airing cupboard, but it's fried.
What do you guys reckon.....another iPod or an alternative.
Jelster
07-09-07, 07:36 AM
Personally I don't think you can go wrong with an Ipod, especially with all the accessories etc that are available.
I now have an Ipod interface in the car, I haven't used a CD in it 8 months...
*Waits for the DRM massive to come along and shout about pods and thie evil plans to take over the world...or something like that*
I like my nano. It works. Ok so it does whatever it does to the music but its cool.
However, saying that Verna has an Iriver and thats pretty cool. I think the sound quality is a little better on the Iriver and i now believe they are drag and drop for music files.
So the pod or river would be my choice.
if you click onto micro direct theres some nice mp3 players ive just got a 2GB one with fm radio for £22 i find them the cheapest for any pc stuff or consumer electronics all the mp3 players are drag on drop
the_lone_wolf
07-09-07, 08:00 AM
*Waits for the DRM massive to come along and shout about pods and thie evil plans to take over the world...or something like that*
my ipod has ~15k tracks on it...
what's DRM?;)
you will get those who blindly love the ipod, and those who blindly hate it, my 60GB fifth generation hasn't put a foot wrong, it did everything i wanted an mp3 player to do when i bought it and now it lets me take it with me in the car as i have an ipod connectible ICE system, happy days:-D
ipod's are overpriced. Everyone wants one so Apple can pretty much charge what they want!
It boils down to how many gigs you after, do you want to play movies etc.
The shuffle is the smallest thing out there but at 50 notes it's a bit steep.
I bought one of those "ipod shuffle" clones from t'inter-Bay & it was u/s. So don't be tempted by that!
Archos is a good brand if you're after movies/mp3/photo albums etc.
If you're after an mp3 player for listening to tunes on your bike probably better to stick with something with a memory card as opposed to hard disk, imho.
Looking for something solid state (flash memory) rather than HD. I had a nano which did pretty much everything I needed. It wouldn't bother me going for the same again, but I thought I'd ask if there was anything else that was recommended.
How about going really retro -
http://www.audiogold.co.uk/catalogue/images/BIG_Sony%20Walkman%20WM-4%20Red.JPG
What you do is you take your mp3 and tape it! Its amazing, eats batteries, eat tapes...
Looking for something solid state (flash memory) rather than HD. I had a nano which did pretty much everything I needed. It wouldn't bother me going for the same again, but I thought I'd ask if there was anything else that was recommended.
'Course - you could see about getting a new phone with mp3 capabilities?
Your contract about to expire or anything?
How about going really retro -
http://www.audiogold.co.uk/catalogue/images/BIG_Sony%20Walkman%20WM-4%20Red.JPG
What you do is you take your mp3 and tape it! Its amazing, eats batteries, eat tapes...
That's the same model I had as a kid! I got it free at an Anthrax concert at the Glasgow Barrowlands in '89...!
wow that takes me back, back to the future and starwars figures
gettin2dizzy
07-09-07, 08:28 AM
'Course - you could see about getting a new phone with mp3 capabilities?
Your contract about to expire or anything?
I did that :)
nails your batteries though!
ipod's are overpriced. Everyone wants one so Apple can pretty much charge what they want!
My thoughts exactly.
SoulKiss
07-09-07, 08:33 AM
my ipod has ~15k tracks on it...
what's DRM?;)
you will get those who blindly love the ipod, and those who blindly hate it, my 60GB fifth generation hasn't put a foot wrong, it did everything i wanted an mp3 player to do when i bought it and now it lets me take it with me in the car as i have an ipod connectible ICE system, happy days:-D
Digital Rights Management
Basically it means that if you ever decide to NOT have an iPod you can kiss goodbye to the music you bought off of iTunes, well ok if you are willing to jump through hoops you can convert it, but its a pain.
i got a 30gig ipod video thingumy
never used the video thingumy so its surplus to reqs. it was a gift so i aint complaining you understand
i think its great, i get on great with itunes, cant see why so many people bang on about how if cox up their machines...maybe they're trying to outfox the software and be all brilliant and that rather than using it for what it was designed
im not techy as im sure you've worked out by now.
in summary - conclusion.
SoulKiss
07-09-07, 09:04 AM
i got a 30gig ipod video thingumy
never used the video thingumy so its surplus to reqs. it was a gift so i aint complaining you understand
i think its great, i get on great with itunes, cant see why so many people bang on about how if cox up their machines...maybe they're trying to outfox the software and be all brilliant and that rather than using it for what it was designed
im not techy as im sure you've worked out by now.
in summary - conclusion.
And if you are happy to take what they give you and work within their rules with something that you own then its fine.
But lets say your iPod breaks, or you decide you want to change to another manufacturers device in a year or two.
You may find you have to either re-rip all your CD's again OR backup all music from the iPod to CD's THEN re-convert from there.
Rather than me with my USB drag and droppable machine that will play any MP3 file which dont have vendor lock in.
er....if my ipod breaks i'll get another ipod. i've no problem using the same manufacturer a second time. i figure they sell millions of the things so they must be doing something right....
Jelster
07-09-07, 09:35 AM
And if you are happy to take what they give you and work within their rules with something that you own then its fine.
But lets say your iPod breaks, or you decide you want to change to another manufacturers device in a year or two.
You may find you have to either re-rip all your CD's again OR backup all music from the iPod to CD's THEN re-convert from there.
Rather than me with my USB drag and droppable machine that will play any MP3 file which dont have vendor lock in.
I'm confused....
All my MP3's that I've ripped from my CD's are stored in MP3 format. Itunes uses the same folder as the software for my phone, so I can drag & drop files from my library to the phone if I want to.
I must admit that I have never purchased an MP3 online though, I buy the CD and then rip it to my PC. That way my wife has the CD for her car, and I use the Ipod.
.
Ceri JC
07-09-07, 09:35 AM
er....if my ipod breaks i'll get another ipod. i've no problem using the same manufacturer a second time. i figure they sell millions of the things so they must be doing something right....
They sell millions of C90s (scooters, not casettes, as it could be taken to mean in the context of Walkmens, etc), does that mean they are better than the SV? ;)
I've got friends who had the same POV a couple of MP3 players ago, who finally got fed up of their ipods breaking, batteries dying and being horrifically expensive to replace and when it finally came to switching, found that they were effectively locked into iPod and essentially had to discard their existing music collection and start again.
There are many reasons why I wouldn't get an iPod. The DRM issue alone is enough to prevent me from getting one, though.
They sell millions of C90s (scooters, not casettes, as it could be taken to mean in the context of Walkmens, etc), does that mean they are better than the SV? ;)
In some respects - yes. Reliable, cheap (buy/insure/run/maintain), gets you (and a family of 6 ;)) from A to B and who'd want to nick it?!
Like everything it's horses for courses isn't it.
My iPod Nano has been a godsend. No problems using it, or iTunes, does the job = happy me.
But like Keithd, I'm a techno numpty so don't do/try anything over the norm with it... which is probably why I'm perfectly happy and would get one again.
blimey
i must be the luckiest man in the world, i've the only ipod that works and am happy with it
phew.
SoulKiss
07-09-07, 09:51 AM
In some respects - yes. Reliable, cheap (buy/insure/run/maintain), gets you (and a family of 6 ;)) from A to B and who'd want to nick it?!
Like everything it's horses for courses isn't it.
My iPod Nano has been a godsend. No problems using it, or iTunes, does the job = happy me.
But like Keithd, I'm a techno numpty so don't do/try anything over the norm with it... which is probably why I'm perfectly happy and would get one again.
Bet you have a really cool leather carry case/sleeve for it :)
blimey
i must be the luckiest man in the world, i've the only ipod that works and am happy with it
phew.
Not true. I was happy until last night when it fell in the toilet.
Not true. I was happy until last night when it fell in the toilet.
ipso facto it no longer works and i therefore am the only man in the world with a working ipod
carry on (at your convenience)
carry on (at your convenience)
Trés drol
ipso facto it no longer works and i therefore am the only man in the world with a working ipod
carry on (at your convenience)
have you checked it today, your pushing your luck
have you checked it today, your pushing your luck
aye, rode me bike in today and had the smiths on all the way.
Pedro68
07-09-07, 10:19 AM
Scoobs, apparently Apple have just announced (or released?! not sure which) details of iPods with touch-screens now!
Sounds well cool ... everything Apple does WRT user-interface usually comes up trumps.
Personally, I don't have an MP3 player, but my other half does and she's quite happy with it (and it works keithd ;-) ). Despite being a bit of a technophile, I still listen to CD's in the car, and on the bike I just listen to sound of my exhaust :P
When it comes time to get an MP3 player, I wouldn't know which to get. As much as I loathe Apple for their DRM and locking customers in, they are the most popular MP3 player on the planet, and therefore the range of accessories for them is massive!
I've seen the Archos media players and they are pretty cool.
My 2 cents ;-)
Pete
aye, rode me bike in today and had the smiths on all the way.
the smiths, anyone got a razor blade lol
Ceri JC
07-09-07, 10:38 AM
I'm a techno numpty so don't do/try anything over the norm with it... which is probably why I'm perfectly happy and would get one again.
This is a very fair point. I'm really into music equipment anyway, so the level of complexity of an MP3 player is never going to be taxing for me. I also want all sorts of features (which are available on other mp3 players, which I admit may not be of any interest to "normal" user) that the ipod lacks, like a "line in" to record a set to when I'm DJing or to use for field recording, I also want to be able to take my mp3 player to a friend's house and give them copies of tracks me and other friends have done. I think it's probably because a lot of my friends who also have these sort of requirements also resent ipods, that I probably percieve them as less popular than they really are and generally speaking, for "the masses" (I don't mean that in a condescending way) they do the job well.
My girlfriend has an iPod mini and for her (when the damned thing works), it's ideal. Of course, she comes to me when she wants the battery changed without paying Apple £60 for the privilige, but that got me a free set of circlip pliars so I was happy. :)
the smiths, anyone got a razor blade lol
i find it quite uplifting! i think "jeez morrissey you got some major issues sunshine, maybe my problems aint so bad after all!" :D
I have a working a Ipod as well.
Like Jelly says, all my music, all 15000 tracks on my pc are MP3, and ready to roll. All backed up onto DVD as well (That was a mission) Any music that i bought from I-tunes was ripped to CD, then re-imported soley for the DRM issue. So David, i put it to you, whats the problem again?
I still say that the Iriver stuff is pretty cool as well.
Anway scoobs, see what you started?
ipso facto it no longer works and i therefore am the only man in the world with a working ipod
carry on (at your convenience)
Mine works.
Hang on - just checking - yup - it works and it's mine.
Just so long as it's not a single iPod that is leading a double life and cheating on me... with Keithd!:p
And no - it doesn't have a neat little leather case - it has a steel one with a silicone inner sleeve... mainly as it takes a lot of abuse and bashing about.:oops:
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