OT: iPod alternatives?

[ATM]

I would rather drop bricks on my toes than buy a zune. Not because it's a bad player, but because it's a Microsoft product. That means that it will never support open formats (vorbis, etc) and MS will eventually do something to make the thing completely useless. And before then will likely completely abandon all support for it in favor of yet another device designed to lock you in which even further curtails your ability to do what you want with it. I generally don't support anything from companies that actively try to impede their customer's use of the product they purchase.. I feel the same about the ipod, just to a lesser degree. That's just me..

 

Rebuke, bump?

 

ATM

[DC Ross]

I would rather drop bricks on my toes than buy a zune. Not because it's a bad player, but because it's a Microsoft product. That means that it will never support open formats (vorbis, etc) and MS will eventually do something to make the thing completely useless. And before then will likely completely abandon all support for it in favor of yet another device designed to lock you in which even further curtails your ability to do what you want with it. I generally don't support anything from companies that actively try to impede their customer's use of the product they purchase.. I feel the same about the ipod, just to a lesser degree. That's just me..

 

On that note, anyone have any experience with any players that support vorbis and flac?

 

I see this attitude all over the place, and I can't for the life of me figure out where it comes from. I don't mean to stray off-topic, but blanket statements like this are a huge pet-peeve of mine. I'm assuming you boycott all major automobile manufacturers as well?

[yourlord]

look up microsoft palladium, and while you're at it look up trusted computing.

 

Last time I checked I can drive my truck anywhere I want, even off a cliff or through a mall if I choose to, and the truck will let me. I can take the engine apart and rebuild it to do anything I want. I can let my wife or brother or friend borrow it without having to jump through any hoops. My truck won't refuse to start until I get approval from GMC because I changed brands of oil filters. My truck won't arbitrarily stop working, even though there is nothing mechanically wrong with it, because GMC released a new model with "New Improved Super-Z Suspension" which they want to force me to buy.

 

 

 

 

[Tenstrum]

Not yet.....

[TimR]

I hate the way that the car manufacturers only give you a choice of three types of fuel.

[Gruuve]

After researching this a bit, it looks to me like an Ipod Nano is probably the best way to go (for me). There are tons of accessories for them, and not much for the competitors. So, a Nano is on the official wish-list now.

 

Dave

 

[yourlord]

I'm still very interested in any experiences anyone has with a player that supports ogg vorbis.

[Thomas Wilburn]

look up microsoft palladium, and while you're at it look up trusted computing.

 

Last time I checked I can drive my truck anywhere I want, even off a cliff or through a mall if I choose to, and the truck will let me. I can take the engine apart and rebuild it to do anything I want. I can let my wife or brother or friend borrow it without having to jump through any hoops. My truck won't refuse to start until I get approval from GMC because I changed brands of oil filters. My truck won't arbitrarily stop working, even though there is nothing mechanically wrong with it, because GMC released a new model with "New Improved Super-Z Suspension" which they want to force me to buy.

 

 

 

 

I'm still using Windows 2000. Nothing's broken to force me to go to Vista.

 

I remember Palladium. I remember nothing ever really came of it.

[rumpelstiltskin.]

i had an iriver player that i really liked, but it crapped out on me way earlier than it should have. then i bought a used 4G ipod and was pretty happy with it. after winning a 2G 2GB nano, i'm officially in the family. they're way more robust than other .mp3 players i've tried. before i owned an ipod, i really didn't think they could be worth the money, but the reality is they are. they're easier to use and more robust than competitive products. i like the internal battery (v. 2 AA or AAA batteries), the size, the UI, and the world of accessories (though i really only use a case -- of which there are a great many).

 

while i have ripped my entire CD collection to itunes in AAC format, all the music i buy from emusic.com is in .mp3 format and DRM-free. i have never bought anything from the itunes store. i don't like DRM. but i do like the itunes software. i have had no issues using it.

 

i think you're making the right choice, Dave.

 

robb.

[Elwood]

The iTunes store is now starting to offer music at 256K and DRM free. It's 30 cents more per song, but the album cost appears to be the same. Pretty much the entire Paul McCartney solo library is available in that format, and others are following. If you buy an actual CD, you can rip it into iTunes with lossless compression. Of course, the higher quality songs require more storage, but I guess it's a trade-off like most everything else in life. I hope you enjoy your player, Dave.

[ATM]

With iTunes purchases, you can burn these to CD format, then rip the CD back to mp3 format. DRM free. I have all my music on iTunes in mp3 format, and my 2nd gen shuffle loves 'em all. The shuffle works great when I'm on the bike, small size aluminum casing and all.

 

ATM

[Gruuve]

Hey y'all...I'm sure you've seen the Ipod-ready portable jam boxes...they have a door-type holder (similar to a cassette player) that you open, pop the Ipod in, close it, and press Play. Pretty cool.

 

I was just wondering if there's any car stereo's that are Ipod Nano-ready along these lines...something you can just plug a Nano into and it charges, plays, shuts off when you turn the ignition off, etc. I'm browsing Crutchfield.com, but haven't spotted anything like this yet...

 

Dave

 

[yourlord]

I'm still using Windows 2000. Nothing's broken to force me to go to Vista.

 

That depends on what you want/need to do. But you will find within the next couple of years that nothing new will work in windows 2000, you won't even be able to play a legitimate video you've purchased. Having to reference a 7 year old OS to make a point doesn't further your argument. Go install a legitimate copy of XP on your machine and change the motherboard 3 or 4 times and enjoy the needless hassle. The hardware verification on XP is very primitive, but it's just the tip of the iceberg.

 

I still use win2k on my machine as well, and it's the last MS OS I'm ever going to use..

 

I remember Palladium. I remember nothing ever really came of it.

 

Again, see Trusted Computing.. Palladium didn't die, it was superseded by Trusted Computing which had broader industry support. The end results are the same.

 

 

[Thomas Wilburn]

Go install a legitimate copy of XP on your machine and change the motherboard 3 or 4 times and enjoy the needless hassle.

 

No offense, but I've got better things to do than change my motherboard three or four times--and if I remember correctly, a motherboard change by itself is usually not enough to force an automatic reauthorization. The motherboard is worth what, three points out of the five required for a phone authorization?

 

Not to mention, the last time I swapped a motherboard, I had to reinstall the HID HAL layer of the OS anyway. If I had to call Microsoft, I would have had time.

 

What's come of trusted computing? Bitlocker, basically, and even Bruce Schnier admits that there are aspects of it that he finds to be positive.

 

I don't play videos on my computer. I have a nice TV for that. So while you may freak out about Vista's content management (for which I would prefer to blame the MPAA, frankly), I doubt for most people it will make any difference at all.

 

And when it comes to Zune, it's still utterly beside the point. Buy CDs, rip them to .wav or .mp3, and you bypass (legally) the entire DRM ecosystem (not to mention the files will be higher quality). That's good advice no matter who makes the player. There's no need to be irrational about it.

 

 

[...]

I would rather drop bricks on my toes than buy a zune. Not because it's a bad player, but because it's a Microsoft product. That means that it will never support open formats (vorbis, etc) and MS will eventually do something to make the thing completely useless. And before then will likely completely abandon all support for it in favor of yet another device designed to lock you in which even further curtails your ability to do what you want with it. I generally don't support anything from companies that actively try to impede their customer's use of the product they purchase.. I feel the same about the ipod, just to a lesser degree. That's just me..

 

Rebuke, bump?

 

ATM

 

Arguing with someone who's head is so firmly planted in their nether regions about stuff like this isn't worth my time. I've been down that road so many times I just don't care anymore.

 

I use a ton of Microsoft products and have had great success with nearly all of them. I currently use Sonar 5 on 64-bit XP for recording. I have never had the system crash on me. Ever. That system has never kernel dumped (blue screen of death) and has never hung. None of the applications have even crashed on me. Seem amazing? It shouldn't. It's remarkably easy to get any Microsoft OS that is NT kernel based to be extremely stable and reliable. I once moved an NT 3.5 Server that hadn't been rebooted in 2 years. We shut it down, moved it to it's new location, turned it on and it went off working like it always had.

 

My bad experiences with MS products:

 

1. The old Microsoft phone. It was a 900MHz wireless phone for home use. It came with software/hardware that allowed you to connect it to a computer and use the computer as a (in my opinion) really nice answering machine. You could create custom messages for any incoming phone number, custom mailboxes for multiple people living at the residence, etc... it was great. The phone and answering machine software worked wonderfully and I never had a problem with them. MS discontinued the phone prior to Win2000's release and sadly never wrote drivers for anything but the Windows 95/98 platform (which sucked ass). I still have the phone somewhere and have continued to use it off and on when I've actually had a land line at my home. The phone itself still works great.

 

2. The Fingerprint reader. It works great. Too bad MS has not written any 64-bit drivers for it (64-bit XP or Vista). That irritates me.

 

3. The Zune FM transmitter. This thing is so embarassingly horrible that I can't even write about it. People need to be fired over this thing.

 

Keep on Microsoft bashing. Bash away. Have a good time.

[...]

And when it comes to Zune, it's still utterly beside the point. Buy CDs, rip them to .wav or .mp3, and you bypass (legally) the entire DRM ecosystem (not to mention the files will be higher quality). That's good advice no matter who makes the player. There's no need to be irrational about it.

 

Precisely. I still use Winamp to rip all my CDs. It's cheap (or free) and it just plain works. And it whips the llama's ass.

[mcbn]

For those of you who don't like a HD based mp3 player for working out or high vibration activities (ie: dualsport m/c riding), you might consider the iPod shuffle for an inexpensive 2nd player.

 

I've had nothing but luck with my 1st gen shuffle. The 2nd gen units are smaller in physical size yet have ever larger capacity and features for an even lower price. I think $79 will score you one retail.

 

When I get sick of the music on there I just blast a new playlist to it. Too easy.

[getz out]

Stupid companies like Microsoft trying to protect their intellectual property. What's next, people locking their car doors?

 

iPods are nice players, but I have had two die on me after a year of average use. My lastest (30gb video) is probably my last; I have been using my phone (Sony w810) as my main player lately.

 

 

[kenfxj]

My daughter's ipod stopped working the other day. Just made clicking noises.

 

I remembered someone here posting that they never had an ipod problem that wasn't fixed with a three foot drop onto a carpeted floor. Well, rather that drop the thing we gave it a good open-hand smack.

 

Much like some people I know, that fixed it.

 

[mcbn]

Much like some people I know, that fixed it.

 

What do you tell an iPod with 2 black eyes?

 

Nothing, you already told it twice!

[yourlord]

I have no problem with companies protecting their rights, so long as they don't tread on mine to do so. The only people their "Intellectual Property protection measures" inconvenience is their paying customers. The real pirates won't bat an eye about any of this.

 

Too many people wear blinders to what is possible with technology.

 

Any company that continues to be fed by the hands they repeatedly bite, regardless of how often and hard they bite them, won't ever stop biting them. They will just take bigger and bigger bites with impunity..

 

 

[rumpelstiltskin.]

...you might consider the iPod shuffle for an inexpensive 2nd player.

 

i have been happy with my nano for just that reason. mine was free, so it's only a 2GB model. this means i have enough space for a weekend of listening on it. it is a manageable amount of information, but i still interact with my playlist regularlay. also, it requires me to guess my mood and my whims when choosing a playist for a couple days. i think it's really fun

 

for me, it was pretty overwhelming sometimes to have my entire music collection always available. the nano comes in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB sizes, all flash memory. they're light enough for running or other workouts (though i prefer to run undistracted), too.

 

My daughter's ipod stopped working the other day. Just made clicking noises.

 

my 4G 40GB ipod did this, too. i opened it up and moved stuff around, reconnected stuff, and it started back up. if you're feeling bold, you might try that.

 

robb.

[kenfxj]

 

my 4G 40GB ipod did this, too. i opened it up and moved stuff around, reconnected stuff, and it started back up. if you're feeling bold, you might try that.

 

robb.

 

Thanks, robb. That sounds a bit more sophisticated than my approach.

I've also heard that if you remove the back and insert a business card or two it will hold things in place a bit more securely. Urban legend or do you think there's some validity to that?

 

[Gruuve]

Hey y'all...I've sent a note to Tascam asking if their MP-GT1 player can be upgraded from 1Gb to more storage. Their material on it leads you to believe that it's a hard-drive based player, but I got a note back saying it's flash-based rather than having a hard-drive. So, I've repeated the question about the storage being upgradeable...I'll let y'all know the answer.

 

Dave

 

[Gruuve]

Hey y'all! My lovely wife gave me an 30Gb iPod Video for Fodder's Day...cool! Now I'm on the accessory hunt. It comes with only the USB cable (and I didn't realize this, but you can't play it while it's connected to the computer). So, I'm first looking for a good in-car solution. There seem to be two of the lighter-port holder/charger/FM transmitter deals that are reviewed pretty good...they're not cheap, but that's probably the simplest in-car solution (and portable from one vehicle to the next...additional bonus). Reviews vary from "it's awesome" to "it sux", so I believe I'm just going to have to try one or both of these FM transmitter deal-io's myself and form my own opinion.

 

The 2nd accessory I'll be looking for is a convenient way to attach it to my home stereo and charge it at the same time. Again, there seem to be a few docks that have built-in FM transmitters, so I might consider that option for home if it seems to work well in the vehicle. However, a cabled dock would actually be fine for home (with the one exception that it would be nice to be able to take the Ipod out on the deck/patio so I could choose songs while transmitting to the stereo inside...but I do have a pretty nice output speaker unit that I can connect it directly to, so that may not be necessary).

 

Anyway, on the automobile side, these three look pretty cool. I wonder if any of these automatically turn the iPod off/on when the power to the adapter is turned off/on by the ignition switch? (Begin's looking for online manuals... )

 

Griffin RoadTrip FM Transmitter and Charger

 

DLO Transpod 2 All-in-One FM Transmitter

 

Belkin TuneBase FM Transmitter and Charger

 

Dave

 

[DC Ross]

Nice, Dave!

I'd avoid the FM transmitter option for the car, and (if you have a cassette deck in your car), go with a cassette adapter. Especially if you live near a metropolitan area -- the interference and "cross-talk" really becomes an irritant.

[Gruuve]

Hmmm...ya know, Raleigh is fairly metropolitan. Maybe just a charger/holder would do the trick for now...my car stereo does have an 1/8" auxillary input (I'm just too lazy to hook up two cables instead of one!)

 

Dave

 

[Elwood]

Dave, I had a DLO TransPod with transmitter before I got my Pioneer stereo with iPod cable. You will get much better sound with a cassette adapter than using the transmitter. I tried both ways. I'd recommend getting the TransPod Direct, which has a cassette adapter instead of transmitter, and costs $30 less. An auxiliary input would be even better if your stereo supports it. Mine was an older model than they sell now, but the iPod did shut off when the car was turned off. Then again, I always take my iPod with me so I can be sure to have it when I return to the car. You're gonna LOVE having the iPod on long trips. The video model is also a great way to show photos, especially photos of your bass collection.

[Tom Capasso]

Dave - congrats on the gift. I received a Rio player a few Father's Day back. It died out last year, and using their software to copy music to it became painful.

 

Like Getz76, I got a Sony w810 for Christmas (again from my kids) and am enjoying it. I have a 4 gb card in it, which is enough for plenty of music (and photos). Like Robb, having the entire collection in a player is a bit much. Just the same, I continue to rip my CDs and add to the "main" collection, so it's easy to feed the player. I even got a memory card reader and bypass all of the software.

 

Tom

[Gruuve]

Hey y'all...thanks for the suggestions. Yes, my car stereo has an auxillary input on the front, so no probs with mine...the one I'd like to accomodate is my wife's vehicle (in particular, we're going on vacation next week and taking her vehicle).

 

This one might be a good choice for my vehicle, lighter-mounted dock with a 1/8" cable:

 

Griffin TuneFlex Cradle and Charger

 

Dave