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MP3 players
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julian_w



Joined: 08 Sep 2003
Location: Somewhere beyond Middle Peak Hotel, north of Middle Earth, and well away from the Middle of the Road

PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 6:16 am    Post subject: MP3 players Reply with quote

Should I get an:

iPod nano;
a Creative Zen Micro
(both available at Youngsan)...
or something else ordered over the internet,
or bought locally?

People I know have had to replace their iPods a number of times, and apart from the click-wheel thingy they just don't appeal.

Anyone out there got/ had a Zen Micro? I've read they have real problems with the headphone socket. Anyone here confirm? Anyone here had to deal with that in Korea? They do sound awesome, look cool, and I'm interested in getting one... but am now hesitating a bit.
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Faron



Joined: 13 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 10:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I love my IPOd Very Happy
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StAxX SOuL



Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: London

PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey...

Well, lets see... I bought a Creative Zen when it first released... the 30GB before the iPod really claimed the market and it broke within about 4 or 5 months of having it due to a headphone defect which was present in the earlier models... simply put, the connections were weak, so fixing it would require opening it up and soldering 3 wires back into position

Creative Zen Micro... I bought one for an old GF... excellent... loved it, it offered a little more storage than the iPod at the time, and might of had radio on it... I think I bought it Christmas 04, and its worked fine, not one issue, and I prefer the software for loading on MP3s, much easier than creating playlists in iTunes, or getting an expansion for Winamp MP3 player...

iPod Mini... borrowed from another GF, lol... no problems, I preferred the longer and slimmer design of it over the Zen Micro... but as I said before I detest the iTunes method of loading songs on to it... pretty much the same will apply with the Nano

IMO, there's next to nothing between the iPod and Zen.... I think its a question of the loading method you prefer and also the kudos that may be attached to a certain brand... I mean, what would fit you best, the cult like iPod, or are you one who strives to differ and opts for the Zen Micro.. reliability wise, after the faults with the initial batch of the earlier Creative players, there's nothing in it!

Can't recommend where to buy it tho... but I would say to browse some electronic sites just as a comparison to see whether the price you're getting is a fair one!
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bellum99



Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: don't need to know

PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I recommend the PSP. Then you have movies, games and internet and everything, not just some mp3 player. It will evenhave a book reader soon. This is the best thing to buy.
Razz
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StAxX SOuL



Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: London

PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 3:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

PSP is only really a quality piece for mobile games playing... the browser does have the occasional use but if I've got a Wi-Fi Access point anywhere near I'll be using a laptop instead...

Its just too clumsy to work as an MP3 player and its menus have nowhere near the functionality of the iPod as far as EQing your sound, creating playlists and using features like Shuffle...

Furthermore the maximum storage on the Memory Stick is 2GB... you can get a clip-on Hard Drive & Battery pack which lets you have 4GB but then you just increase the bulk of the item... furthermore battery life is poor in comparison to the iPod

The UMD movies are ridiculously overpriced too for what they are... you're getting something of less than DVD quality for DVD price, the format is destined to fail like the Mini Disc... you're best off buying the DVD then converting them so that you can watch them on your PSP too via your Memory Stick... but seriously if you want to incorporate visuals then get one of the Video iPods...
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jazblanc77



Joined: 22 Feb 2004

PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Look into iStation players. There are two top of the line players right now, the i2 and the v43. The Cowon A2 player is comparable to the istation players. If you can afford it though, definitely go with an Archos AV700. These are all PMPs with video playback and a whole lot more; these are not for everyone. If the OP is looking strictly for a player with MP3 playback functionality then I would recommend the iRiver H10 which is almost exactly the same in functionality to the iPod photo, but cheaper and independant of or iTunes (the store and the program), for file acquisition, synching, and file protection infrastructure.

Do a simple google under the term "pmp" or "pvp" and you will see that there is a whole host of "ipod killers" out there with 20 times the power and functionality of an ipod. Don't fall prey to the uninformed Cult of Mac who have never bothered to do any research of other devices outside of the Mac line.
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Gord



Joined: 25 Feb 2003

PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 9:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

StAxX SOuL wrote:
Furthermore the maximum storage on the Memory Stick is 2GB... you can get a clip-on Hard Drive & Battery pack which lets you have 4GB but then you just increase the bulk of the item... furthermore battery life is poor in comparison to the iPod


I was using my PSP as my MP3 player when I was walking around in Japan in November for kicks, and the battery life was more than 12 hours. Only the second generation iPod mini's and the iPod Video's have a longer battery life.

Still, they all have shorter battery lives in comparison to a dedicated Sony MP3 player. My HD3 clocks in at almost 30 hours, and the newer flash units come it at over 40 with a single AAA battery and over 60 for units with a built-in battery.

Quote:
The UMD movies are ridiculously overpriced too for what they are... you're getting something of less than DVD quality for DVD price, the format is destined to fail like the Mini Disc... you're best off buying the DVD then converting them so that you can watch them on your PSP too via your Memory Stick... but seriously if you want to incorporate visuals then get one of the Video iPods...


I'll never buy a UMD movie, but they are huge sellers. People hopping on a plane or for a bus trip are buying them in mass. Not everyone wants to figure out how to copy shows onto it from DVDs or downloading off the internet. A paid download service would do well I suspect.

But to compare watching video on the iPod Video to a PSP is like comparing a go-cart to a sports car, or whatever metaphor you wish to use. Night and freaking day difference.
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SuperHero



Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout

PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 11:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jazblanc77 wrote:
Look into iStation players.

I was at Yongsan last week and saw these. I was mostly just looking 'cause they come with GPS but the video/audio intrigued me especially if I would be able to run some RCA cables out to a projector - I'm thinking classroom applications here, so DVD quality is not necessary but still good especially for the subtitles options.
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elric



Joined: 24 Aug 2005

PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gord wrote:
I was using my PSP as my MP3 player when I was walking around in Japan in November for kicks, and the battery life was more than 12 hours.


Is this the OEM battery. Because the PSP doesn't stay on for 12 hours let alone play mp3's for 12 hours.
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Bulsajo



Joined: 16 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This month's Wired has an article on the Korean-made Gamepark GP2x

"The Handheld for Hackers"

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.01/play.html?pg=7

Basically sounds like a Linux-based PSP clone.
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Gord



Joined: 25 Feb 2003

PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

elric wrote:
Is this the OEM battery. Because the PSP doesn't stay on for 12 hours let alone play mp3's for 12 hours.


Yes, the OEM battery. When playing MP3s, the screen turns off to allow for extended operation.
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Gord



Joined: 25 Feb 2003

PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bulsajo wrote:
This month's Wired has an article on the Korean-made Gamepark GP2x

"The Handheld for Hackers"

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.01/play.html?pg=7

Basically sounds like a Linux-based PSP clone.


I was suppose to originally write the preview for Wired, but I just couldn't put enough of a happy spin on it. When a friend and I went there last fall before it came out to do up a preview, it wasn't a pretty sight. They honestly believed that no one would care that it required AA batteries which lasted six hours and that software would magically fall from EA and other companies simply because the console existed.

In the end, I tried to help them along with advice on how not to get murdered in the gaming industry and didn't write the preview as my mother said if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing.

In contrast, the GP32X or whatever it's called from GamePark (the GP2X mentioned is actually from GamePark Holdings, a different company) still has the grease marks from where they were tracing the PSP case. But at least they were planning on courting software writers when their unit comes out late this year.
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I_Am_Wrong



Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: whatever

PostPosted: Sat Jan 21, 2006 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know what's the up and up in the mp3 market right now. I bought an ipod mini last spring at coex and it was always great. I had a hard drive problem and the service depot gave me a brand new one.

I used to tutor an engineer from Samsung and he recommended iaudio. I think iaudio, iriver, samsung, and apple are all companies that are putting out quality shit. Generally, people like Ipods because of the design and style.
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betchay



Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Sun Jan 22, 2006 3:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

a friend of mine was supposed to buy an ipod video last month... but i convinced her to buy the iStation v43 instead... she had never heard of it until i told her about it... she loved it!

it's got a lot of features... you can play videos with subtitles, mp3, ogg, navigation/gps, eOffice, image viewer, comic strip reader, PDF file reader, eBook reader... 30 gb hdd, 4.3" screen which is really great compared to the iPod's 2.5" screen... it can also be connected to a big TV...

she and her husband will be traveling to Ulsan this weekend and i'm sure it's gonna be useful for their 5-6 hour trip...
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Bulsajo



Joined: 16 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Sun Jan 22, 2006 5:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

How much are those iStations selling for?
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