recommendation for a good portable mp3 player? (1 Viewer)

[Joseph S]

One problem I could see with using an iPod on a PC would be: how would you recharge it? The firewire connection on the Mac transfers the music as well as recharges the batteries.

As mentioned, it will charge with a plug. However, it will also charge on any PC firewire connection as well.

 

[Michael*K]

I have yet to see the new Rio player at any retailers, but the technical specifications for it show that it's a bit larger and heavier than the iPod. I think it only handles music files so it can't be used for data storage. Obviously I can't comment on the interface because I've never used it. It looks like the Rio comes with the clunky behind the head earphones instead of the earbuds that come with the iPod. Most importantly, the Rio unit is USB only.

 

[Mike St.Louis]

I didn't know you could charge the iPod independently like that. Those Apple engineers think of everything!

Stacie, I believe the Riot does use USB version 1. I don't know why they neglected to include a firewire interface or even a USB 2 interface. A glaring omission to be sure.

Adil, here are more specs from the respective web sites:

Rio Riot

Dimensions: 5 3/8" x 3 5/8" x 1 /3/8"

Weight: 10 oz. (including battery)

Apple iPod

Dimensions: 2.43 by 4.02 by 0.78 inches

Weight: 6.5 ounces

Seems it is roughly twice the size of an iPod

 

[Greg_R]

I have the Intel Pocket concert (128MB) which I use while working out. It takes ~3 minutes to transfer 128MB onto the player (USB). Sonically, the player is excellent (great amp stage) and is very small (a good bit smaller than a deck of cards). Battery usage is good and lasts longer than the bigger players I've seen. Certainly the Ipod and other pricier solutions will have more storge and faster data transfer rates. However, for my usage the Intel offering fits my needs and budget...

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Okay, a related question, now that I have a 10-gig iPod that I want to keep spiffy.

What are the case options for the iPod? They had a neoprene case at the Apple Store, but it did not seem very functional. Any suggestions from the iPod users here?

Thanks - Steve

 

[Joseph S]

Okay, a related question, now that I have a 10-gig iPod that I want to keep spiffy.
What are the case options for the iPod? They had a neoprene case at the Apple Store, but it did not seem very functional. Any suggestions from the iPod users here?
Thanks - Steve

Good luck keeping it "spiffy." The back is a NASA designed fingerprint magnet.
When I got mine there weren't any out yet. I picked up a black Case Logic mp3 player case for about $15. It is slightly bigger than the iPod. The case is designed like a book. Unzip and find on the left a zippered pocket for the earbuds and a mesh half pocket on the right for the iPod. There are a bunch of neoprene cases out now that allow you to access the jog wheel and see the display. One available from macsales.com (OWC). Some one of the major fashion designers came out with a pretty expensive iPod case as well recently.
Here's a link for a bunch of them.
http://www.ipodlounge.com/reviews_cases.asp

 

[Michael*K]

Steve, I thought about a case, but then I figured why bother. The iPod is just the latest in a long line of Apple products that friends and co-workers have endeavored to touch. If I can live with fingerprints on the other stuff, I can deal with the iPod as well. Have to carry on tradition.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

I don't want to scratch this one...the original one I got back in November has already lost its sheen.
Through the site Joseph mentioned, I tracked down this:
http://www.XtremeMac.com/
Bingo. It's ordered!
- Steve

 

[DonRoeber]

I got an iPod Deluxe case from www.sfbags.com Works great. Coworker just got on yesterday made by Marware. Also nice.

 

[Todd Christ]

ok - so i see lots like the iPOD
i don't have a MAC so i'll have to spring an additional $50-$100 for a FireWire card (probably get a SoundBlaster Audigy) - so my investment would be around $500!!!
a bit steep?
this is my first purchase, and i know you should buy what you expect but that's pretty expensive considering i could get an MP3 compatible CD player for $99, or used MP3 player on ebay for $150...
convince me!

 

[Craig S]

I don't want to rain on the iPod parade, because as a total package that unit is the cream of the crop right now, but there is a reasonable (and cheaper) alternative for PC users.
I have had an Archos 20 GB jukebox/recorder for a couple of months now. I know a previous poster gave this unit the , but I just want to report my experience has been very positive. This particular unit is USB 2.0 compatible, so transfer speeds are comparable with the iPod (USB 2.0 cards can be had for $30-$40). When you plug it in it shows up in Explorer as another hard drive, so you just drag & drop your files to it. It has worked flawlessly with my Windows 2000 system. You can put anything on it - i.e., it doubles as a portable hard drive. It sounds great, and you can record directly into it via a line in jack (I do theatrical sound design and this puppy may replace my portable DAT for field recordings).
It comes with behind-the-ear headphones, which I kinda like (I hate earbuds). But you shouldn't make a decision on any portable music player based on the cheap headphones thrown in the boxes with these units - you can always buy better ones to suit your personal needs & preferences.
It's bundled with MusicMatch Jukebox software, but because the thing appears as a hard drive you can use any ripping/jukebox software of your choice (I use Sonic Foundry's Siren because I prefer the output from SF's .MP3 encoders over any other I've used).
Downside?? It's portable, but chunkier and uglier than the iPod - the iPod definitely has the cool factor going in spades. But when I looked at $400 for the 5GB iPod ($500 for the 10 GB) vs. $320 for this 20 GB unit (Buy.com), well, I decided I could live with the looks.