iPods

SoulSkorpionSoulSkorpion Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 423Members
edited January 2007 in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">and iPod-like devices</div>I've had an iPod mini for about a year and a half now, and ever since a few months after I got it it's been steadily declining. At the moment, the batter barely lasts two hours, it takes ages to charge (when it charges at all), and the playback even has gaps in it at times.

I've heard a lot of similar stories about the quality of iPod batteries, and my thinking is that even if I send mine in to get fixed there's no guaruntee that it won't start acting up in another year or two (especially because, as far as I know, Apple's "battery replacement program" actually just replaces the entire iPod). I don't like the idea of a "disposable" mp3 player.

So what mp3 players do you guys have? Are you happy with them? What would you recommend? Because if this crap goes on for much longer, I'm soon going to be in the market.

Comments

  • Femme_FataleFemme_Fatale Join Date: 2005-06-21 Member: 54310Members, Constellation
    I got an Ipod.but a shuffle.
    It does its work.it was cheap,it came with ITunes (which is a nice program)
    and it doesnt run on standard batteries like most other mp3 players of the same size do.
    batteries last a long time and im quite chuffed about it.
  • QuaunautQuaunaut The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    I have a fullsize iPod video. Has about 6 hours of playback time battery life, more if the volume is lower. I've had no qualms with it really, other than a few scary moments software wise("WTH?! The wall charger isn't working? Is my battery dead?! NOOOOOOOOO!"- the battery wasn't dead, but the charger was- I highly don't reccomend Griffin products)

    <3
  • douchebagatrondouchebagatron Custom member title Join Date: 2003-12-20 Member: 24581Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    creative zen microphoto. just got it at christmas, and ive been quite impressed with it.
    really easy to use, 15 hour battery.

    it works just like an external harddrive. you plug it in and drag files on or off of it, and it plays them.
  • MedHeadMedHead Join Date: 2002-12-19 Member: 11115Members, Constellation
    If you purchased content from the iTunes Store, buy a new iPod nano. Don't bother getting the mini fixed: it uses a mini hard drive that is prone to failure, which is part of the reason it was discontinued so quickly. The nano uses flash memory to store the music, which is faster and not prone to the same failures associated with hard drives.

    If you haven't purchased any content from the iTunes Store, then I'd also consider some of the alternative players. My first choice for an alternative would be Creative's players. They offer a lot of features the iPod lacks, some of which I'd like to see Apple start offering in their player. The downside is that Windows XP is required.

    Another brand to check out is SanDisk. The Sansa players are pretty small and cheap, but still offer some nice features. I haven't used one of these before, but have heard good reviews about them.

    iriver players are often very stylish, offer features beyond what the iPod offers, but are also rather expensive. I've heard good reviews of this brand, but I'd certainly choose them last, unless the style of the players appeals to you.

    Finally, there's always the Zune. While the software is pretty bad, the hardware (the player) has been reported to not be all that bad, actually. Now, it's a large player, and noticeably larger than even the largest iPod available. However, the screen is much larger and the interface is much more colorful. There is the added WiFi capability that is relatively useless, but could be opened up more in the future. It also unfortunately doesn't offer podcast support.

    Personally, I chose the iPod line. I liked the readily available accessories, the iTunes Store, iTunes itself, and the user-friendly interface.
  • BlackMageBlackMage [citation needed] Join Date: 2003-06-18 Member: 17474Members, Constellation
    i have a creative zen vision:m of awesome. i love how you can use the entire thing as a plug 'n play harddrive without having to worry about that silly drm thing everyone's trying to talk you into.
  • SoulSkorpionSoulSkorpion Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 423Members
    I guess what I'm mostly after is reliability, and some equivalent of the iPod\iTunes's smart playlist. I use that a hell of a lot, based on star ratings and markers I've put in the "notes" ID3 tag. I guess an added plus would be something that's hard for water to easily get into (I've got very, <i>very</i> sweaty hands). I've already got XP and I haven't bought anything from any onlne stores.

    It'd be nice to be able to see the album as well as the artist and song title (the mini doesn't do that), but mostly what I'm after is something that's going to last a good five or six years without ****ing up. And I'm curious about what different mp3 players people have, just out of interest.
  • Sub_zer0Sub_zer0 Join Date: 2004-05-09 Member: 28569Members
    I believe microsoft have some uber mp3 player in the making that will kick apples ######.
  • TyrainTyrain Join Date: 2003-01-03 Member: 11746Members
    I was thinking about getting one for my new car (17 year old suzuki, but it works just fine). The preowner built in a USB radio <3.

    I was thinking along the lines of IPodish - no batteries, quite a lot of gig and USB in/output and... well not too expensive.
  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    I got a zune a month or two ago, I'm liking it still. has lots of room for improvement though, they better make with the firmware updates and stuff.

    they have an all-you-can-download music program for $15 a month... for those to honorable or lazy to pirate <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
  • ThaldarinThaldarin Alonzi&#33; Join Date: 2003-07-15 Member: 18173Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1595014:date=Jan 5 2007, 09:46 AM:name=Sub_zer0)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sub_zer0 @ Jan 5 2007, 09:46 AM) [snapback]1595014[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    I believe microsoft have some uber mp3 player in the making that will kick apples ######.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Is it this big bulky old-style nokia brick like MP3/4 player? Currently known as <a href="http://www.zune.net" target="_blank">Zune</a>
    <img src="http://images.usatoday.com/tech/_photos/2006/11/30/zune.jpg" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
  • SteveRSteveR Join Date: 2006-12-25 Member: 59239Members, Constellation
    I used to use a cowon mp3 player. No one knows about them but if you google cowon m3 you'll find it. I'd quite like there new x5. Cowon mp3 players are basically a hard drive and you put music on. But you can chuck your files on for whatever reason and its plug and play with all OS's. Plus it played ogg vorbis files! Better sound quality.

    But it only lasted 2 years due to the remote breaking and I'd prefer buy a CD player than a new remote. I still use it as an external HD.

    I think the iPod did a good thing and a bad thing for the mp3 player world at the same time. They made EVERYONE want one. always good to have the market push for newer better smaller faster technology. But it also made every new mp3 design form obsessed. Every mp3 player must have touch screen panels and a scrolly bit and buttons that light up and ice cool screen displays. Leaving function far behind.

    Also as an extra tid-bit, apple outsourced the interface design of the ipod to a different, smaller company. (See ipod on wikipedia and search the page for 'pixo').
  • Cereal_KillRCereal_KillR Join Date: 2002-10-31 Member: 1837Members
    Well to be honest, design is more important to some than functionality to some people. I already have my whole collection in mp3's and AAC's, and there's no way I'm re-encoding everything into ogg. The iPod is great to use, and for me that's much more important than having a mic recorder in your pocket or having the ability to play an FM radio when you have many many gigabytes of music in your pocket.

    I use my iPod to have good music on the move, and for that I'm very satisfied. For my audiophile moments, I stay at home and pop out my (uncompressed) CDs on my HiFi equipment, far away from all the noise and disturbance that subways and buses have. It's sad to see that people believe that because they encode in FLAC or something, they enjoy their music much much more... Like if your audio-p33n is proportionally sized with your encoding format and bit rate.
  • RustySpoonRustySpoon Join Date: 2003-07-10 Member: 18069Members
    edited January 2007
    <!--quoteo(post=1595006:date=Jan 5 2007, 03:26 AM:name=Black_Mage)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Black_Mage @ Jan 5 2007, 03:26 AM) [snapback]1595006[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->i have a creative zen vision:m of awesome. i love how you can use the entire thing as a plug 'n play harddrive without having to worry about that silly drm thing everyone's trying to talk you into.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Thread over.

    Just... No competition, seriously. It beats an ipod video in literally every category except physical size, and that's only because it's a centimetre thicker.

    Most video formats? Check.
    2x longer video play time? Check. (2h of video on an ipod vs the 4h on a vision:m)
    DRM? Ahahahaha... (DRM is supported tho. If you're into that sort of thing. I in turn, like to spend my Fridays with large black men called Bubba.)
    Not an I-Pod? Hell yesh.
  • UnderwhelmedUnderwhelmed DemoDetective #?&#33; Join Date: 2006-09-19 Member: 58026Members, Constellation
    I currently have 4 year old Sony MiniDisc player, which I hope to get rid of for a Cowon iAudio X5, or something similar. I guess I could live with an iPod if I loaded it with Rockbox firmware... but I'd prefer the higher audio quality of the X5.
  • TyrainTyrain Join Date: 2003-01-03 Member: 11746Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1595108:date=Jan 5 2007, 06:58 PM:name=RustySpoon)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RustySpoon @ Jan 5 2007, 06:58 PM) [snapback]1595108[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Thread over.

    Not an I-Pod? Hell yesh.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Why the extra? All you really need.
  • Cereal_KillRCereal_KillR Join Date: 2002-10-31 Member: 1837Members
    Because some of us care at what the player is actually capable of doing and how good it feels rather than jumping into a pro/anti bandwagon.
  • RustySpoonRustySpoon Join Date: 2003-07-10 Member: 18069Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1595138:date=Jan 5 2007, 03:25 PM:name=Cereal_KillR)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cereal_KillR @ Jan 5 2007, 03:25 PM) [snapback]1595138[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Because some of us care at what the player is actually capable of doing and how good it feels rather than jumping into a pro/anti bandwagon.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Thus, other reasons were stated. Thou faileth.
  • HybridclawHybridclaw Join Date: 2003-11-03 Member: 22271Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1595108:date=Jan 5 2007, 12:58 PM:name=RustySpoon)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RustySpoon @ Jan 5 2007, 12:58 PM) [snapback]1595108[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Thread over.

    Just... No competition, seriously. It beats an ipod video in literally every category except physical size, and that's only because it's a centimetre thicker.

    Most video formats? Check.
    2x longer video play time? Check. (2h of video on an ipod vs the 4h on a vision:m)
    DRM? Ahahahaha... (DRM is supported tho. If you're into that sort of thing. I in turn, like to spend my Fridays with large black men called Bubba.)
    Not an I-Pod? Hell yesh.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Can you replace the battery on the zen yourself or do you have to send it in?
  • MedHeadMedHead Join Date: 2002-12-19 Member: 11115Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1595108:date=Jan 5 2007, 12:58 PM:name=RustySpoon)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RustySpoon @ Jan 5 2007, 12:58 PM) [snapback]1595108[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    2x longer video play time? Check. (2h of video on an ipod vs the 4h on a vision:m)
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipod.html" target="_blank">http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipod.html</a>

    <i>Or, if you’d rather watch, you can feast your eyes on movies and TV shows for up to six-and-a-half hours</i>

    <a href="http://playlistmag.com/weblogs/ipodblog/2006/10/5gbattery/index.php" target="_blank">http://playlistmag.com/weblogs/ipodblog/20...ttery/index.php</a>

    <i>The pre-update iPod played... nearly four hours and fifteen minutes before giving up the ghost.

    But get a load of what happened once I updated the iPod software to the latest version:... nine hours and ten minutes of video playback.</i>
  • Cereal_KillRCereal_KillR Join Date: 2002-10-31 Member: 1837Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1595202:date=Jan 6 2007, 12:53 AM:name=RustySpoon)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RustySpoon @ Jan 6 2007, 12:53 AM) [snapback]1595202[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
    Thus, other reasons were stated. Thou faileth.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I wasn't answering to you, but to the previous post. Sure, I can totally understand that people don't like iPods because they don't have many formats accepted, but not everyone's the same.


    Most video formats? I don't watch movies on my portable player. Though that now that you can adjust brightness, I'm sure it's much more than 2 hours
    2x longer video play time? Ditto.
    DRM? I don't use them either, I still prefer having CDs and ripping them, but I think that being iTunes store compatible is much better than any other DRM compatibility at the moment.


    Basically, it all comes down to what each prefer. I myself have had an Archos which was a pain to use, I've hesitated with a Creative Zen, and I've even borrowed a friend's Cowon M3 to see which one felt the best to use, and I've ended up with an iPod. However, someone who already ripped his collection into ogg or wants to watch movies comfortably obviously won't take the iPod
  • SoulSkorpionSoulSkorpion Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 423Members
    Oh well. Looks like the consensus is "get an iPod that doesn't break" :/.
  • SvenpaSvenpa Wait, what? Join Date: 2004-01-03 Member: 25012Members, Constellation
    iRiver E10 6gb

    Video support
    Custom backgrounds
    Flash games
    32 hours of audio playback
    Dimensions 45 x 96 x 14
    Incredibly crisp and quality sound
    FM Recording
    1,5" display 128x128 pixels
    Formats: MP3, WMA, ASF, OGG, AVI, SWF, TXT, JPEG, MPEG4
    Equalizer
    Can double as remote control
    Very durable shell, I've dropped it a couple of times but not even a scratch on it!

    Cost: 200€ aprox

    Havnt seen a site yet to give lower then 8/10 in score. The ONLY drawback: you have to use a custom cable and iRiver plus program to sync files.

    My E10 is b0rked, it sometimes freezes but that's because I dropped it 1,5m on a brick floor <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
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