Looking at a ipod? (1 Viewer)

[Keith_R]

Hey all, I'm considering upgrading my 2 year old Nomad Jukebox,possibly with an Ipod. I see now that the normal 15 GB models are down to $249 at Bestbuy and also that the 4 GB mini's are down to $249 , is that a good deal?

One of my major concerns with the Ipod is that I've heard that the battery is located inside the player, making it tough to change. When changing the battery time comes around, is it something that you can do by yourself or is it something that you must take to your Ipod to a Apple service center to do? also, what kind of batteries does this thing take?

Will the Ipod make a good upgrade to my Nomad Jukebox? thanks!

 

[Angelo.M]

Don't know. There are several other great players around--iRiver, Karma and others--worth looking into as alternatives to the iPod. My preference is for the iPod, but these other players have advantages.

[Post edited to reflect correct pricing.]

 

[Sean Moon]

Actually the 20gb model will be 299, not 199. The 40gb model is now 399.
The mini is nice and all, and can hold 4gb, but for 50 more you can get a 20gb model. That is a no brainer to me. The battery life on the new models is also doubled as well.

http://www.apple.com/ipod/
http://www.apple.com/ipod/specs.html

 

[KyleC]

I have the IRiver 20GB and love it. The main thing I love about it is that it's a portable HD. I can put anything on it and take it with me. I don't think IPods do this. Also the IRiver supports more formats then the IPods. If I'm wrong about this correct me. Lastly, the IRiver has an FM radio in it as well.

 

[Angelo.M]

iPods can store non-music data, such as address books. I haven't done it, myself.

 

[KyleC]

The IR, I can put anything that a HD can store. Such as pics, zip files, movies, etc. (ie just like a HD).

 

[Keith_R]

What's the biggest difference between the G3 15 GB model and the newer ones coming out? Also, how does this thing cooperate with Windows, am I doomed if I use a Mac product with my Windows XP?

FWIW, I got some coupons in the mail today from CC which would give me 15% off of any portable MP3 player which makes the price of this G3 15 GB model even more cheaper.

 

[Brian L]

iTunes and iPod work flawlessly with Windows, at least on my Win2000 machime. Just be sure to have a Firewire or USB 2.0 port.

BGL

 

[Adam Barratt]

I've been looking at MP3 HDD portables lately (to replace my 13-year-old Sony WMFX77 Walkman; yes, pathetic I know), and naturally first looked at the ipod (after briefly, very briefly, looking at MD), but have been slowly shifting toward iRiver.

The iRivers really seem to trump the iPod in terms of features: four-line backlit LCD remote control, FM radio, internal MP3 encoder (no PC needed), song loading via windows explorer, ogg and WMA compatible, built in mic, Lithium Polymer battery w/16 hour life, optical in and outs and line in on the unit. All in a package the same size and weight as the iPod. On top of that I think they look great and almost every review has suggested the iRiver sounds better than the iPods.

The iPod still seems to have the edge as far as usability goes, but I don't have any issues controlling even the most stubborn devices.

Adam

 

[Angelo.M]

Differences include capacity (no 15GB model in G4), click wheel (as opposed to the G3's touch wheel), battery life and some new features in firmware.

You're not doomed. I sync my iPod to an XP machine with a FireWire connection and it works flawlessly. iPod also supports USB 1.0 and 2.0, albeit at reduced speed c/w FireWire.

 

[KyleC]

Adam, you're right. Those are the reasons I got my IRiver over the IPod. I've had mine for a week and I love it. Also for those that don't know (I just found out), IRiver is coming out with a new version of their 20 and 40GB MP3 players. It has some new interesting features. It's already out in Asia and parts of Europe. Not sure when it comes to the US but here it is:



All New Features listed here

 

[Keith_R]

The IRiver looks nice. How is the battery life on that thing?

I've kinda narrowed my choices between 3 players;

1.the Ipod 20 GB which is going for $299 at BB and includes a long list of accessories including the docking station.

2.The 40 GB Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra which costs less than the Ipod and has more space but doesn't come with as much nifty extras as the above.

3.and now, the Iriver 20 GB which costs more than both of the above but has a nice list of built in features.

Personally, I'm still sort of leaning towards the iPod because the model I'm looking at has a good list of included accessories and the price is right. My biggest gripe with the iPod is the fact the battery is built in and not easy replaceable for one to change by their self, plus I've heard that Apple tech support can be awfully rude (though, I doubt I'll need to use them).

What should I do? should I forgo my qualms with an user unreplaceable battery and snag myself the iPod or should I go for one of the other two models? supposing I get the Ipod, how hard is it for me to change the battery out myself? thanks.

 

[Ben LG]

Not the case for me. I was looking into buying one and my sister had the mini so I was able to check it out before I spent my money. I wont go into detail but lets just say one out of every five times I connect the ipod to my XP Pro PC to sync up and update the playlists, something would go wrong. The player has a very nice feel and look to it but the software still seems a little buggy so I decided to save my money and wait for the next ipod clone or something similar that is capable of drag n drop instead.

 

[Jeremy Little]

I love the ipod and I would not recommend using any of the bundled software. I rip my MP3's in CDEX, upload them and create playlists using Ephpod. The only complaint is the battery and of course you can change even the 3G Ipods. Check out www.ipodlounge.com for everything that you could possibly need to know about the Ipod.

 

[KyleC]

Keith I took a flyer in from J&R World to Best Buy. They had the Iriver listed for $299 and Best Buy matched it. So basically you have to decide for yourself. Set aside brand names and just decide which player best suits your needs. If you feel the IRiver has the features you want then go for it, or the same with the IPod. I read many reviews and did some research before I bought anything. Good luck.

 

[Keith_R]

Time for an update, I ordered an iPod last night from Apple.com. I'll be getting one of the new 20 GB 4G units with the clickwheel, I could have gotten free engraving on it but I decided against that. The Iriver was nice but I just didn't like the looks of it and it would have costed me more. The iPod looks really stylish and has a good reputation so I'm confident my experience will be good. I'll still be keeping my 6GB Nomad Jukebox as a backup player.

 

[Chris Baucom]

So do any of you have a flash player? My dilemma is I want a unit that I can take with me when I workout but I love the idea of having the majority of my music library on one unit when I travel. I'm torn on this one.........

 

[Angelo.M]

I've had no problems exercising (running, primarily) with an iPod Mini or an iPod G3 15GB.

 

[Kevin O]

I had a Rio S10 flash player for about a year and a half. It served its purpose, but the player itself was really buggy. I picked up an iPod mini because of size and capacity. I wanted more space than the flash players, but didn't need all the space of the non-mini iPods or its clones. Apple's student discount was an added bonus allowing me to walk out of the Apple store with an iPod mini for $250 after tax.

As for the software, I use iTunes for Windows and have had no problems yet.