iPod ?

Who owns an Apple iPod or a similar device?
Do you hate it or love it or put it in the garage to collect dust?

I am looking for a memory device to store and play my mp3 files and to act as a backup for the data on my (Windows) PC hard drive. I figure that the 20GB model would be sufficient so I'm looking to buy the 40GB unit. They cost $500 US, so I don't take this decision lightly.

Any thoughts?

There are several around here, some searching may turn up several older topics on them..

I own a 15g model of the current incarnation and I love it. I never get in the car without it. I also rip audio books into it (and have purchased a few from audible, but they don't have all that much available)

I also use the disk mounted to the computer for backups and carrying data around.

If you have the cash you won't be disappointed in it. The physical form factor and interface are better than anything else that I looked at when I bought mine, what about 6 months ago?

I am completely satisfied with mine, had no problems with it at all. I recommend it without reservation /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Others will post and tell you to get something cheaper, they are out there, but this is a quality piece of hardware.

I have owned the 10GB and now the 20GB iPod. The only thing I don't like about it is that I've already run out of space! I don't think I'm going to upgrade again until they come out with a 100GB model. LOL. I use mine for probably 3-10 hours a day, depending if I get to sit at my desk at work or not. I can't imagine life without it now.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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James S said:
There are several around here, some searching may turn up several older topics on them....


[/ QUOTE ]
I did run several searches prior to starting this thread. There was a huge discussion regarding the iTunes software, but not much about the iPod. But I realize that sometimes my searches do miss things.
Anyway, a couple of fresh opinions couldn't hurt (that is, it couldn't hurt anything except my bank account! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

im not a big fan of ipod do to the battery life stinks. i like the new zen now it sounds better has better battery life and is a lot cheaper.

They get like 5-8 hours per charge! That's pretty good I think. In the car or at your desk you don't have to fun off battery power.

I was going to get myself a 20 gig model, but I decited go put that $500 toawrds a new 15" Powerbook instead. With any luck I should have one my March!

Raggie33---Do you actually own the Zen? How long have you had it? My runner-up choice is the Nomad Zen NX. All of the reviewers (CNET, ZDNET) seem to give the nod to the iPod over the Zen. But, as you point out, there are some areas where the Zen seems to excel.

i went to the store and heard it plaed with it for some time and was very impreased.that being said something new is released daily.i right now own a sony cd player that plays mp3 and atrac.atrac is a great codec i get like 500 songs on one cd with it.but soon as i get the cash im geting zen i got sony cause it was 60 bucks.the ipod to me just didnt have enough punch for me.i also like the archos units but there so big

Got an Iriver....only 128mb. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Although the memory is severly lacking, it sounds great. Since it has a flash based memory vs. a hard drive, it gets about 20 hrs. off a single AA.

belive it or not some reason some flash players get worst.for instance my sony cd/mp3/atrac player gets 80 hours on 2 aa

Did someone say iPod?


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Huge thanks to Darell for helping me in purchasing it!

-YC

oh man...why did I have to run into this thread??? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif

Ipod...so...tempting... Thanks for the pics and reviews!

When it comes to walkmans, im a sony guy through and through. Their jukebox software sucks, the Digital Rights Management is a joke, and you *must* convert your MP3's to sony's own format, ATRAC3.

BUT

The actual hardware itself is soooo easy to use, they really do have the ergonomics down to a tee. The design IMHO is up there with apple, they have that "X" factor that make you really, really want to pick it up and use it. Having just killed my NW-MS11 (washing machine followed by tumble-dryer) i now find myself tempted by their latest titanium gem

Look at that pretty Apple tree /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

**EDIT**
Hmm...maybe that's not a tree...I'll just quietly back out of this thread now...

You might want to look at the iHP-120 by www.iriveramerica.com . Closest to the iPod in size and weight, has a ton more features and twice the battery life.

The catch? Its not an iPod. And for many, that's enough of a deterrent. I'm buying one in Jan, life permitting.

iHP-120 ... WAW that's sweeet. Radio, mp3+wma+ogg AND line-in/External microphone/Built-in voice recorder/Real-time MP3 encoding. And USB (usb 2, but I don't care too much for usb2/firewire for this kind of device). And the same weight as an ipod. Stil it's NOT an ipod. Hmmmm

I have a Sony MiniDisc player right now, and I like it with its 50+ hour battery life. However if the iPod had a longer runtime then I would be interested so I wouldn't have to carry around all of my MiniDiscs with me. The iPod is a great choice for mass storage in my opinion, but my advice to you is do your research, and know what to look for.

An iPod is like a Surefire or Arc or other rediculously expensive flashlihgt. You're paying for design as much as anything else, but spend 10 minutes with the powerful-yet-simple OS. Delight as it syncs with iTunes. This is what the iPod is all about. Did I menion that, other than the internal hard drive and 'hold' switch, it has no moving parts? That's right, the buttons and scroll wheel are all touch sensitive.

Choose whatever MP3 player you like, but before you dismiss the iPod go to your nearest CompUSA] or [url=http://www.apple.com/retail/]Apple Store and play with one in person. If you don't, there's a good chance you'll kick yourself later. There's a reason this is the #1 MP3 player, and it's more than just the fact that it's whats 'in'

But what do I know, I choose Apple for *all* my computing /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

dont the ipod sound a tad under powered to you ryan?i realy like my music loud whem i heard it it didnt sound to loud.kinda weak.good news is id be happy with a 10 gig player even a 5 gig one.5 gigs a mp3 is a lot.but if it aint loud enough i dont want it if i recall it only has like a 5 mw amp.but i may be wrong

The ipod (at least the current versions) is 30+30mW. That's more than enough for headphones; the rio volts are around 10 mW and they can overpower any "normal" headphones. The trick is to have enough "amplification range" - some files (mostly audiobooks) aren't very loud and with some players you can't use them because even if you have enough mWatts you don't have enough amplification. This can be fixed in firmware usually.