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I pod alternatives
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Jake Barnes



Joined: 30 May 2005

PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 4:43 am    Post subject: I pod alternatives Reply with quote

Hello all I am thinking about picking up a new mp3 player and am not sure what to get. I have always wanted an ipod but I am sure that there are much better choices out there. So does anyone have any suggestions. I am looking for something atleast 30gigs.

Also one more question if I do go the ipod direction is there any chance that they are going to release a new model soon? I would hate to get one and then have a new one come out in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for any help in advance,
JB
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Jacobbm



Joined: 24 Nov 2003
Location: Location, Location...

PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 7:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I used to work for Apple when I was in America and I can answer both of your questions unbiased:

1) No, there is no better option than an iPod. Just buy an ipod. Buy the nano, buy the big one, whatever. Just don't buy any other brand, they mostly suck compared to an iPod. The only people that will tell you they aren't good are people who stupidly bought something else. However, iPod owners will tell you it's the only thing to buy.

2) Yes, they will release something soon that will be better than what you buy. It will always happen. It's technology. It will always get better and they will always come out with something better than what you have the day after you buy it. It's reality. Just buy it. Otherwise you'll always be waiting for the next thing.
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Hater Depot



Joined: 29 Mar 2005

PostPosted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 11:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

On the other hand, getting them serviced when the inevitable happens is far from easy, especially in Korea. Iriver has a service center right in COEX.
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Jake Barnes



Joined: 30 May 2005

PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2006 2:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jacobbm thanks for the response I was expecting to get from atleast one person. I am a long time apple computer user and would love get the ipod aand most likely will I just wanted to see what else is out there. I did find one thing. Has anyone else seen these by istation. http://www.pvp4u.com/archives/2005/05/digital_cube_pu.html
A guy standing next to me on the metro had one of these and the screen was amazing. I think I will have to them out before anything else. Also Hater Depot I also have heard that getting an ipod fixed here can be a hassel. You mention the iriver, is that a good brand? Honestly I am just plain stupid when it comes to this type of stuff. And one last plead for some people to come forward with some suggestions. What are you using? Do you like it? Would you reccommend it to others? What is your dream mp3/video player right now?
-JB
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Wrench



Joined: 07 Apr 2005

PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2006 3:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I heard the New Creative Zen is quite kick ass. Slightly bigger then Nano but it also has 8 gig storage.
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Thunndarr



Joined: 30 Sep 2003

PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cowon X5 or A2. X5 is about 90% digital audio player/10% video player and comes in a variety of flavors, such as 20,30, and from what I understand, a 60 gigabyte version. It also has an extended battery version in each size that extends battery life to around 35 hours when listening to music, but it's a bit thicker (though will still fit in your pocket.)

The A2 is more a portable video player, but also plays audio files.

The X5:



And the A2:




I own an X5 and I'm pretty happy with it. I see nothing in an Ipod that makes me wish I'd bought one instead, contrary to what some other posters would have you believe.
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the_beaver



Joined: 15 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thunndarr wrote:
I own an X5 and I'm pretty happy with it. I see nothing in an Ipod that makes me wish I'd bought one instead, contrary to what some other posters would have you believe.


Yeah. Whenever an appler speaks it's best just to sneak aware -- those guys are worse than the moonies.
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The Lemon



Joined: 11 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've had a Creative Zen for over a year. It was cheap, and so am I. I believe it's inferior to the iPod's much better user interface, but it suits my purposes. Had iPods been less expensive I'd have bought one.

... or an iRiver. I have a four year old iRiver player that's still going strong. They're built like tanks - excellent brand. Too bad they also cost too much.
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Metsuke



Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea

PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2006 7:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Damn apple ipod hippies...

Heres what I got my eye on...

http://www.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/html_goods/goods_103326582.asp?goodscode=103326582&jaehuid=200000529

Review can be had here... also... read up on this site... gives you lots of suggestions for good players. Just copy and paste the model numbers into the gmarket search function... and it should pop up somewhere.

http://reviews.cnet.com/iRiver_H340_40GB/4505-6490_7-31120695.html

Heres a guide to the best mp3 players...
http://reviews.cnet.com/4521-6532_7-5021434-3.html?tag=dir
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makemischief



Joined: 04 Nov 2005
Location: Traveling

PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2006 5:42 pm    Post subject: gmini Reply with quote

i thought about getting an ipod 30gb but ened up getting an archos gmini 402.

i prefer it to both creative and apple players (having owned one of each before)

apple has the best looking interface by far, but archos works with anything and everything (just plug it in and go) and has more of the features i need. i suppose if you just want mp3s go with the apple though. its easier.

but if you want to be able to easily do live recordings and transfer lots of files on the go (from a camera or to a computer or whatnot), i personally like the archos.

creative just pisses me off tho. great sound but the software is TERRIBLE.
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sistersarah



Joined: 03 Jan 2004
Location: hiding out

PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 3:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i got an iriver h340 and i love it.
40 gig, plays videos, photos, great sound quality.....cheaper than a 40 gig ipod i believe.
suits my purposes.
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Metsuke



Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea

PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You have had that iriver for a few months now sistersarah... nows it holding up for you? Also... did you purchase any new headphones with it or are you still going strong with the ones included?
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syclick



Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 11:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have an old 1st gen Creative Nomad Zen which has lasted me for the last three years. The battery is slowly dying, and I've wanted to replace it with something that has at least 60gb worth of space. I've been contemplating getting an iPod video for a while now, but I'm not really sold on the idea yet. Despite all its good points, there are three points that I am pretty sore on:

1) No user-replaceable battery. Considering how much bad press Apple got over this, I am pretty surprised that they haven't implemented this yet. Many would probably say if you add a user-replaceable battery, you compromise size, deisgn and form, which I don't think Apple's ready wants to do.

2) Video: Very limited video codec support. Very short battery life for video.

3) Inability to transfer music/video from iPod to PC.
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dandoeskorea



Joined: 10 Apr 2005
Location: London

PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

syclick,

A little info. on your three points: -

1) http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/service/battery/

2) True, there is limited codec support, but this isn't as bad a problem as it sounds. A google search will easily direct you to many a site offering downloads enabling various codec convertions to those supported by the iPod. Battery life drops to approximately 3.5 hours when playing continuous video.

3) Not sure if I understand what you're trying to say here, but seeing as you need to have the music/video on your computer in the first place, before transferring it onto the iPod, there's no reason why you'd need to transfer it back. Unless you want to share it amongst different computers, which is possible if you set the iPod to 'enable disk use'.
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jazblanc77



Joined: 22 Feb 2004

PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 7:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jake Barnes wrote:
Jacobbm thanks for the response I was expecting to get from atleast one person. I am a long time apple computer user and would love get the ipod aand most likely will I just wanted to see what else is out there. I did find one thing. Has anyone else seen these by istation. http://www.pvp4u.com/archives/2005/05/digital_cube_pu.html
A guy standing next to me on the metro had one of these and the screen was amazing. I think I will have to them out before anything else. Also Hater Depot I also have heard that getting an ipod fixed here can be a hassel. You mention the iriver, is that a good brand? Honestly I am just plain stupid when it comes to this type of stuff. And one last plead for some people to come forward with some suggestions. What are you using? Do you like it? Would you reccommend it to others? What is your dream mp3/video player right now?
-JB


I was going to refer you to the i2 which is the best PMP (Personal Media Player), on the market right now. Though, be aware that for just a little more money you can get digital cubes' newest player, the v43 which is really something else. You can find more information about either of these players on the forums here, the digital cube main site here. If you are interested in other players of similar nature, there is an excellent thread with lots of reviews here... check it out.

BTW, if you are looking for a straight up mp3 player, check out the iRiver H10 and the H10 Junior which have the exact same functions as the iPod and iPod Nano players (plus a few to spare).

As well, be careful with the Cowon A2 player. I say this because you are looking for a device that will be a superbe audio player, and unfortunately the A2 only uses dynamic playlists. For an audio power-user, this is no good at all since this means that it will use the exact filenames ONLY in sorting and playing music. If you want to be able to play music according to the id3 tags with PLS playlists (the same way that the iPod and H10 players do), then you should go for the i2, at least.
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