The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 3 (of 5)

Fav mp3 players

Just wondering what people have, what they like about what they have, etc. I just received (and accepted) a job offer where I'll be making a good salary (especially considering I don't have much in the way of expenses) and am looking for ways to dispose of my income :P Anyways, let the iPod wars begin :)

Tim the newly employed
Monday, December 15, 2003

As Flash-based players go, I like my iRiver iFP-180T, which plays and records FM and voice in addition to the usual MP3 duty. It's 128MB, but I believe larger versions are available, and it's so light I forget it's there. USB 1.1 transfers are slow, though.

http://www.iriveramerica.com/products/ifp-180t.asp

Sam Livingston-Gray
Monday, December 15, 2003

I've been using an Archos jukebox player for 2.5 years and I would be crushed if anything happened to it. A nice benefit of the Archos player is that you can replace the OS with RockBox http://rockbox.haxx.se/ - an unfortunate problem with the Archos player is that you SHOULD replace the OS with RockBox. :-)

K
Monday, December 15, 2003

I have and Love my 30G ipod.

Wouldn't trade it for anything, at all. Well, maybe I'd trade it for a 40G ipod :).

Michael Koziarski
Monday, December 15, 2003

iPod is very expensive, but its users are generally so enamored with the device that they name them. [1] Seriously. Like, if one breaks and you have to buy a new one, of course it needs a new name! [2][3]

Creative Labs has hard drive-based jukeboxes. In fact, I just saw the one I wanted today at CompUSA for $299 with a 30GB drive. But now I'm torn... portable DVD players are sub-$200 now. I think maybe that's a better idea. :)

[1]
http://www.adimiron.com/archives/000588.php
[2]
http://www.tombridge.com/rta/2003/11/requiem_aeterna.html
[3]
http://www.tombridge.com/rta/2003/11/post_turkey_com.html

Brad Wilson (dotnetguy.techieswithcats.com)
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

I love my Creative MuVo. It's about the size of a cigarette lighter and sounds unbelievably good. Its 128MB which is fine for commuting and gym use but not enough for long flights. Barebones simplicity at its finest - no LED display or flashing lights, just great sound.

Matt Foley
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

I got a RioVolt MP3 CD player and it's pretty good.

I'd definitely go with an ipod but for the price I'd rather have a CD-MP3 player than a flash based player -- just doesn't hold enough songs for the price.

Almost Anonymous
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

I like my Archos Jukebox because it fills three roles: MP3 player, 20GB hard disk for transferring files from home to office, offloading digital camera while traveling.

sgf
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

i hear quite a few of these Ipods have some kind of battery problem, and apple recomends a third party solution that *you* have to pay...

Prakash S
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

iPod. iPod. iPod. Nothing comes close to it.

John Rosenberg
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

I use a TGE MP-317 reviewed at http://www.dansdata.com/quickshot003.htm

It has some BAD bugs regarding volume:

- Listen to LO.MP3 which has low volume in general. Set volume to maximum.

- Now listen to HI.MP3, which has high volume.

Now, the loudest parts of HI.MP3 simply play as silence - you don't hear anything.

I tried countless software updates for the player, etc - they don't solve this bug.

Then, I tried a software called MP3 Surgeon Pro which can normalize MP3s without re-encoding them. It's much better than MP3 Doctor which seems to be popular for some reason.

With this, the problems have reduced a lot.

I'd like to buy a new memory-based player with the following characteristics:

- bug-free (unlike my current player)

- good FM radio (unlike my current player)

- can connect directly to USB without cable (like my current player can)

- can be used as a drive to store anything (like my current player can)

- can record voice (like my current player can)

X
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

I like memory-based players very much.

Why?

Because I can take one in my jacket's pocket, forget that it's there (because it's small), and a week after that, when I need it, I can use it!

Also, I can run with it without worrying about breaking it.

X
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Don't forget the new Rio Karma hard disk players.

http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/shop/_templates/item_main_Rio.asp?model=220&cat=56

The software was developed by the same team that developed the empeg and Rio Car.

Andy Norman
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Love my iPod. One of the best purchases I've ever made. Use it every day.

I do wish they could find a way to make the battery last longer, however. I understand it's the price to be paid since the drive is always spinning, but...

anon
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

I should also say that, before my iPod, I absolutely loved the Sony mini-disc.

Recordable disks, small size, long battery life, no skipping. The only downside was the real time recording.

With all these options, I can't understand why I still see so many people carrying portable CD players.

anon
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Good point, anon. I should also have mentioned that I bought a USB MiniDisc player (I think Sony calls it the Net MD) before my iRiver player. It was PURE CRAP. First off, the software interface is written in Flash, which looks really cool for about three seconds, and then will frustrate you until the day you die. Second, it tries to use some DRM technology that only lets you "check out" a copy of an MP3 up to three times... which, considering that >90% of my MP3s were ripped from my own CD collection, was just stupid. And third, it kept failing to connect. I returned it within 24 hours.

Sam Livingston-Gray
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Another option is a CD-based MP3 player. I have an older (2000 or 2001) RioVolt player.

The downside is that, like a regular portable CD player, it tends to skip when walking. (It buffers the music in RAM, but can run out of buffer if you have an excessively bouncy step. <g>) Hopefully newer models have fixed this. Also, it's larger than a typical hard-drive player, since it has to accomodate a CD.

The upsides are that it has a large capacity (20 hours per CD using WMA encoding), good battery life (about 15 hours on two AA batteries) and is cheaper than a hard-drive based player. (Current ones retail for less than $100.)

Robert Jacobson
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Oops, missed Almost Anonymous's post to the same above. Oh well, +1 for RioVolt.

Robert Jacobson
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

> i hear quite a few of these Ipods have some
> kind of battery problem, and apple recomends
> a third party solution that *you* have to pay...

Like many Apple rumors this is based on half-truth. The source of the rumor is: http://ipodsdirtysecret.com/

A curmudgeonly response is here: http://daringfireball.net/2003/12/alternative_stencils

Apparently these guys got a bad customer service agent who told them to buy a new iPod. Of course most iPod batteries don't wear out that soon and Apple offers free (if in warranty) and reasonably-priced out-of-warranty replacements.

Nate Silva
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Anyone use and like a CF or SD based MP3 player?

Keith Wright
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Since no one else has mentioned it, another recent arrival is the Dell Digital Jukebox:

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/dj_15?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

It got a good review on CNet. Heavier than an iPod but with a longer battery life (and WMA support.)

As a side note, I find it curious that Dell is trying to sell consumer electronics like it sells computers, with a cheap basic price but extensive configuration options. (Want a carrying case with that Digital Jukebox? You have six choices ranging from $20 to $39. Want an extened warranty...? Want a docking cradle...? Want extra fancy headphones...?)

Robert Jacobson
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Is it just me or does that Dell look like it should be named iPad?

www.MarkTAW.com
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

That name was already taken. <g>

http://www.ftxs.fujitsu.com/fujitsutemp.asp?navid=608

Robert Jacobson
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

That must be it. It kind of reminds me of the guys I see on the subway with the Coby radios. It'll be fun to see how Apple plays out in a market where there's no Microsoft to compete with. Clearly they're the brand leader here with no "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" factor.

www.MarkTAW.com
Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Has anyone else with an iPod tried this thing?

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=T8355LL/A

Interaction Architect
Wednesday, December 17, 2003

"Has anyone else with an iPod tried this thing?"

I have not used the inMotion , but I hear people rave about it... Sounds like a good product if you have the need for it.

pete
Thursday, December 18, 2003

Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra.

You get 60GB (vs iPod's 40), for less money than an iPod 40GB ($399 vs $499), has longer battery life (14 hours vs 11 hours), has superb sound quality, is easy to use, and supports WMA as well as MP3, which every online music store that ISN'T Apple supports. It's USB2.0 (instead of FireWire), so it's a little slower to load up the songs.

It doesn't play solitaire, though, so if that's what you're looking for, maybe an iPod would be better. :-) Or, if you use iTunes, you'll need an iPod, since it only provides AAC format, which no one else (to my knowledge) can play.

Tim Sullivan
Friday, December 19, 2003

Love my Nomad II MG with notmad software.

I've had my Nomad II MG for over 2 years and love it. I can record tunes and ideas for songs with the voice recorder while playing MP3 with the smart media card up to 128meg.

Now that I got the notmad software I can toss the creative playcenter. Now windows explorer recognizes my Nomad as device to which I can drag and drop files. Wonderful.

Grateful Nomad II MG User
Monday, March 8, 2004