Help! trying to decide about IPod... (1 Viewer)

[Ted Lee]

okay, another ipod usage question.

do any of you guys keep your ipod docked and charging at all times?

i've noticed when i keep my ipod just docked (without the ac charger attached) it dies relatively quick. so i went ahead and attached the charger to the dock, but i'm kinda worried about it staying "plugged in" all the time.

i don't know if these batteries have that memory problem or not...or if it's a non-issue?

thx!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

There should be no memory problem with the type of battery used in the iPod. There will be a slight power drain even with the unit off, though. Maybe leaving it docked adds to this power drain? I only plug mine in to either recharge it or download additional songs to the player, though.

BTW, I ended up getting the Shure E3c headphones. The deciding factor was the numerous different sleeves in the fit kit -- I figured I would have a better chance of getting a good fit than with the Ety's, which only came with a couple of sleeve options. I'm still trying to decide which bud covers I like best -- it's between the foam and soft sleeves. The headphones are a nice improvement over the Sony EX71's I was using, though.

 

[Ted Lee]

that's what i was wondering, but since this is hooked up to my stereo in my bedroom, i prefer to utilize the dock's line-out plug.

glad you like the headphones too!

 

[Sam Posten]

Hey, if you are interested in the Ipod Photo, they are phasing out the 40 for a cheaper 30 gig version. The COOL thing tho is they are clearing out existing stock of the 40s for $30 more than the new low cost 30! Not only do you get the extra 10 gigs, but you get both usb and firewire cables, the real dock, an ipod to tv cable, and a case.

http://hotdeals.apple.com

 

[Sam Posten]

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL...re?family=Sale

 

[Peter Kim]

Looks like an excellent deal, Posten.

However, is this closeout 40 gb iPod Photo the same, technology-wise as the latest 30 & 60 gb iPod Photos? For example, has the battery been improved or is the profile any slimmer, or anything else hardware or software changed?

I've never owned an iPod but I've heard with each successive generation, newer firmwares may not be compatible with older models.

Finally, if you add both closeout 60 gb iPod Photo and current 60 gb iPod Photo to your cart, they list different part numbers.

 

[Sam Posten]

The 40 and 60 are 2 platter solutions, so they are thicker and heavier than the 30s. Just got mine cooking (needed the firewire, guess my USB ISNT 2.0! Good thing I got the full package instead of the trimmed down 30 gig!)

563 songs and its not even at 3 gigs yet =) Loving it, not sure if I will use the photo end of it or not but its comforting knowing its there if I want it.

Sam

 

[Sam Posten]

OH, and OMG what mutant troglodytes are the earbuds designed for, they are HUUUUUUUGE. First thing I am replacing, they actually HURT my ears.

Sam

 

[JamesED]

I ordered the 2nd gen 6gb Mini. It is supposed to be here Wed morning.

 

[Craig S]

That's because they are packed with different accessories. The original 60GB model came with a dock, a USB cable, a firewire cable, an AC adapter for the firewire cable, an AV cable (sends music from the iPod to your stereo, w/ video output for slide shows), and a carrying case. The new model comes with a USB cable, and an AC adapter for that cable. That's it. Most of the latest price reductions in the new models came from the drastic reduction in pack-ins.

The closeout 60 GB model is $30 more than the new one, but it's a great deal because it contains a lot more than $30 worth of accessories that the new model doesn't have (dock, AV cable, firewire cable, case). Same goes for the 40 GB, as Sam pointed out.

I've had my 60 GB for about 2 months now and I'm still lovin' it. I've got about 800 albums (9700+) songs on it, and it's just over 2/3 full.

 

[Scott L]

After going on an almost week long trip to see some friends and forgetting my Ipod charger I can safely say the battery life sucks. 12 hours my ass. Try more like 4. 40gig 4th gen here with backlight turned off and jazz EQ turned on.

I will definitely be getting a backup battery for the next trip. :

 

[todbnla]

Anyone that wants to dump their apple earbuds, email me. If their unused I may want to buy them if the price is right. BTW-Any of you ever try the ipod shuffle, I luv mine.

 

[ThomasC]

12 hours is for ripped at 128kbps AAC. The higher the encoding, the more processing power needed and less battery available (I think). Having the EQ on takes away battery power as well. What do you rip at?

 

[MatS]

http://us.creative.com/corporate/pre....asp?pid=12034

 

[Scott L]

Good point. I rip at 320 for my favorite artists. I don't won't to sacrifice anymore quality than I am by dirtying my hands with even more compression. While on the subject my old sony discman can spin an uncompressed cd for 8-10 hours on 2 AAs. Ok I'll shutup now.

In other news Alpine, Pioneer, Clarion, and Kenwood now have digital adapters to the ipod for your car. I have the Alpine adapter but it's far from flawless.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I have a 40GB 4th gen and consistently get about 8-9 hours of battery life. I have backlighting turned off and have my music ripped at anywhere from 128K AAC to 192K AAC. Whether EQ is on or off does not seem to make much difference. I know you do not want to compress your music a lot, Scott L, but have you tried dropping down to 192K or 224K? I would be surprised if you heard much difference between 224K and 320K. Personally, 192K AAC sounds great to me using Shure E3c earbuds. I use that compression rate for all my higher quality recordings.

I have a question for iPod mini owners. Is the dock connector on the unit the same as the 4G iPod? My wife's birthday is coming up and she mentioned that she wanted something more compact than her Sony portable CD player. The new iPod mini would be perfect if I could use the same cables that came with my 4th gen 40GB iPod for PC connection and charging.

 

[Ted Todorov]

I rip at 256K AAC and have noticed no adverse effect on my battery life (4th gen 40GB). About your four hour thing -- did you fully charge right before leaving? I went on a very long plane trip and got 13+ hours. I think that the battery will drain even if it has been charged and is just left sitting for a few days.

Another battery drain problem -- if you leave it connected to your computer (PowerMac via Firewire in my case) and turn the computer off a fully charged battery will be sucked dry in a few hours.


What's with the Creative advertising? Shouldn't you give equal time to some other brands as well -- Dell needs love

Ted

 

[Ted Lee]

scott, can you clarify? i'm thinking about swapping out my stock honda unit for the alpine deck and ipod adaptor...

 

[Scott L]

Check out the in-car-solutions forum in the Gear section of ipodlounge. There are numerous complaints of s-l-o-w navigation and either a 255 or 511 song/artist/playlist # barrier, meaning the Alpine won't see all of your songs. There are ways around it, like arranging your favorites into playlists but eh I just want to hit random and not be limited to a fraction of what my ipod holds.

Pioneer's and Clarion's adapters look like they have no limitation, still unsure about Kenwood.

 

[Ted Lee]

thanks scott. looks like you're issue is commonplace. check out this review from playlist mag.

http://playlistmag.com/reviews/2004/...ipod/index.php