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09/24/2006 11:15:48 AM · #1 |
I'm really thinking about ending my longstanding battle against Apple products and getting an iPod, but I need some input from people who have them. I'm thinking about getting a 30GB version, with the idea that I can put my entire CD collection on it and not have to carry it around any more.
My Qualms/Questions:
-Is the battery life decent enough for long trips?
-Is the unit rugged enough to handle traveling without worring about it?
-iTunes: I'm really against putting more software on my computer. It's getting full as it is and I'm not upgrading until Vista is out next year. Can an iPod be used without iTunes (can you just open it as a drive with Windows Explorer and drag and drop files onto it?)
-If you do use iTunes, does it function well? Does it eat up lots of disk space (If it stores all the songs on the HD, it must either use a lot, or compress a lot, right?)
-I've heard that an iPod can be used as a memory dump for CF cards - is it worth it?
I'd love to hear what DPCers have to say!
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09/24/2006 11:20:16 AM · #2 |
| I've had an ipod for years and just recently got a 30 GB video ipod. I think they are pretty sturdy, but I recommend getting some kind of case cuz the screen scratches really easily. itunes is pretty user-friendly, I don't really know about the space issue or if ipods are usable without itunes. |
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09/24/2006 11:27:39 AM · #3 |
I've had major problems with two ipods, first I had a 20GB:
within 6months battery couldn't do more than 1hour, then 6months later it died. reset etc didn't work.
Then I bought nano: battery time is still great 1 year after, but having problems with it "dying" now and then and I need to reset it.
Not too sure I'd buy an ipod the next time..
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09/24/2006 11:39:02 AM · #4 |
I have an ipod and love it, this is my second one I own now.... its great. Apple just released iTunes 7, which is alot better and new features plus games for your iPod. I use my iPod for my music of course and as an harddrive, I backup my photos on it, plus files from work.
No problems at all so far never had to have it serviced, only two times it has froze but that is fixed with a simple reset. The new iPods are updated with a longer lasting battery. But my battery lasted enough for me never ran out of battery power while listening to music, plus I recharge everday after use anyway
but I love my ipod its awesome
Message edited by author 2006-09-24 11:39:46.
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09/24/2006 11:43:17 AM · #5 |
I had a 3rd gen one (just under three years ago now?). It was only $15 with rebate (15GB), so I figured I'd at least get it as removable storage given the price, even if I didn't like the whole portable-music thing. It was eventually stolen (about a year later) and I replaced it with an iRiver player which was cheaper (more space), easier to use, and had more features.
[[edit, not worth a new post]:
I actually had two; they replaced my first one because, after loading my music collection, if I tured the brightness level down more than 75% of maximum, the screen would just turn off. The replacement had the same problem. There were probably other software problems that I can't recall right now. The thing also gets *incredibly* hot when it freezes (oh, the irony of jargon).]
With that in mind, my answers to your questions based on my experience:
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
My Qualms/Questions:
-Is the battery life decent enough for long trips?
-Is the unit rugged enough to handle traveling without worring about it?
-iTunes: I'm really against putting more software on my computer. It's getting full as it is and I'm not upgrading until Vista is out next year. Can an iPod be used without iTunes (can you just open it as a drive with Windows Explorer and drag and drop files onto it?)
-If you do use iTunes, does it function well? Does it eat up lots of disk space (If it stores all the songs on the HD, it must either use a lot, or compress a lot, right?)
-I've heard that an iPod can be used as a memory dump for CF cards - is it worth it?
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Battery life: lasted a while from what I recall when it was new. There were a lot of complaints about the batteries not holding a charge after about 1.5 years (just after the 1 yr warranty) requiring the user to buy a new one, or perform after-market replacement which was non-trivial (there might have been a somewhat-costly send-it-back-to-apple route too). I seem to recall that after enough complaining something happened to rectify this. As I mentioned, mine was stolen before this point.
Ruggedness: Probably, for the most part, although it will get lots of scratches on the screen. Or at least the older models did, that is. There was a large outcry at one point I think about the Nano about this, with people complaining about how easily the screen was scratched and the usual alottment of "Apple's always right" zealots saying that iPod screens *should* scratch. My own iPod player's screen scratched the first time I took it anywhere, while I had it in an empty pocket of my pants. I have no idea what caused the nasty gash I had to live with as the pocket was completely empty of anything besides lint.
iTunes: One of the reasons I didn't replace the iPod with another one of its kind. No, you need iTunes*. *Well, yes, but trust me it's a pain. There are also a couple free alternatives which I don't think Apple is fond of ("Think Different, just not from what we tell you to").
I couldn't stand the iTunes interface. It's somewhat decent for its playlist functionality compared to most other players, but in general I found it just seemed overbearing (the default option being to have pulled 60GB of music over the network all at once when I first tried to play music with it was also a turn-off).
Field storage/CF dump: There's at least one card-reader add-on that will let you do that; I haven't used it. I figure its usefulness depends on how much music you carry around and how much space you leave free (I never have enough space on my player to make something similar worthwhile, I'm guessing there are more cost efficient options if this is something you need. On the other-hand, given the consistent release of new models, it might be economical to buy a large older model and the card adapter, I haven't looked into it.)
Message edited by author 2006-09-25 10:46:38. |
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09/24/2006 11:45:25 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
I'm really thinking about ending my longstanding battle against Apple products and getting an iPod, but I need some input from people who have them. I'm thinking about getting a 30GB version, with the idea that I can put my entire CD collection on it and not have to carry it around any more.
My Qualms/Questions:
-Is the battery life decent enough for long trips?
-Is the unit rugged enough to handle traveling without worring about it?
-iTunes: I'm really against putting more software on my computer. It's getting full as it is and I'm not upgrading until Vista is out next year. Can an iPod be used without iTunes (can you just open it as a drive with Windows Explorer and drag and drop files onto it?)
-If you do use iTunes, does it function well? Does it eat up lots of disk space (If it stores all the songs on the HD, it must either use a lot, or compress a lot, right?)
-I've heard that an iPod can be used as a memory dump for CF cards - is it worth it?
I'd love to hear what DPCers have to say! |
Battery life on my old 20GB is pretty good as long as you turn the backlight timer down and don't change your mind about what to listen to each time a song ends. This is where play lists 'on the fly' come in big handy.
iTunes is the only way to put music on the iPod - sorry, but it just is - but scrap all other music management software, this does the lot. Libaray, video clips, podcasts, playlists, burns cd (audio and data!)
You only need to copy your tracks to your computer once, iTunes won't make serval copies in it's libray, so even if you didn't use iTunes you're no better off becuase you've copied all your music to your HDD anyway. PS: Drag and drop WILL NOT work.
As well as a music player, it can be used as a firewire or USB2.0 portable hard drive (you have to tick the right box in iTunes first) then you can drag and drop your files etc.
I love mine, and it's getting on. The new 30GB is excellent, but if you can squeeze the extra £50, get the 60GB one.
good luck and welcome to the mac!
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09/24/2006 11:52:17 AM · #7 |
I have 2 Creative Labs mp3 players and they are great quality and long lasting...My oldest one is at least 3 yrs old...maybe 4 years old and it is still going strong. My newest one is a small one for the gym.
For the price, I cannot imagine buying an iPod when Creative Labs products are great and the prices are lower. |
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09/24/2006 11:59:26 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by slickchik:
I have 2 Creative Labs mp3 players and they are great quality and long lasting...My oldest one is at least 3 yrs old...maybe 4 years old and it is still going strong. My newest one is a small one for the gym.
For the price, I cannot imagine buying an iPod when Creative Labs products are great and the prices are lower. |
Interesting that you posted this. I was just looking on B&H and was eyeing the Creative-Labs Zen Vision 30GB. The review it had on there wasn't so hot, but the complaints seemed like they might be user specific.
To everyone else, thank you! Hearing that you HAVE to use iTunes is a huge turn off, and may be the deal breaker. But if anyone else has comments, I'd love to hear them. About either iPod or any similar machine.
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09/24/2006 12:23:01 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
Originally posted by slickchik:
I have 2 Creative Labs mp3 players and they are great quality and long lasting...My oldest one is at least 3 yrs old...maybe 4 years old and it is still going strong. My newest one is a small one for the gym.
For the price, I cannot imagine buying an iPod when Creative Labs products are great and the prices are lower. |
Interesting that you posted this. I was just looking on B&H and was eyeing the Creative-Labs Zen Vision 30GB. The review it had on there wasn't so hot, but the complaints seemed like they might be user specific.
To everyone else, thank you! Hearing that you HAVE to use iTunes is a huge turn off, and may be the deal breaker. But if anyone else has comments, I'd love to hear them. About either iPod or any similar machine. |
From what I recall, at least some of the Creative branded players require their own software to manage the player similar to how the iPod branded players work. |
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09/24/2006 12:47:52 PM · #10 |
i bought a 3rd gen ipod off of a friend two years ago, and he had used it for 2 years, heavily. i used it a ton, and i only just upgraded to one of the new nanos. the main reason for the upgrade was battery life. my 3rd gen worked fine in every way except that the battery only lasted 2.5 hours, and i could have just bought a new batter for $30 and replace it myself, but i decided to get the nano for it's size, ability to view pictures, and the fact that the battery lasts 24hours, due to using flash memory insted of a hard drive. if you think about the prices of ipods, though, directly from apple you get a 30gb for 250, or an 80gb for 350. If you divide it out, you are getting a music player that also does pictures and video... for less than $10 pre gigabyte. the 80gb comes out to around $4 per gigabyte. that is really great deal.
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09/24/2006 12:57:06 PM · #11 |
The iPods released just last week have much improved battery life.
I travel overseas a lot and would not be able to take the long trips without my iPod and my PSP!
I've had every iPod since the first 5 GB model that cost $400. IMO it is the biggest development in music since the CD. $250 for the 30 GB iPod video is an awesome price.
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09/24/2006 01:18:23 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by m:
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
Originally posted by slickchik:
I have 2 Creative Labs mp3 players and they are great quality and long lasting...My oldest one is at least 3 yrs old...maybe 4 years old and it is still going strong. My newest one is a small one for the gym.
For the price, I cannot imagine buying an iPod when Creative Labs products are great and the prices are lower. |
Interesting that you posted this. I was just looking on B&H and was eyeing the Creative-Labs Zen Vision 30GB. The review it had on there wasn't so hot, but the complaints seemed like they might be user specific.
To everyone else, thank you! Hearing that you HAVE to use iTunes is a huge turn off, and may be the deal breaker. But if anyone else has comments, I'd love to hear them. About either iPod or any similar machine. |
From what I recall, at least some of the Creative branded players require their own software to manage the player similar to how the iPod branded players work. |
I am able to use Windows XP... |
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09/24/2006 01:34:26 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by slickchik:
Originally posted by m:
From what I recall, at least some of the Creative branded players require their own software to manage the player similar to how the iPod branded players work. |
I am able to use Windows XP... |
I can use windows on my 2 year old zen from creative. Not sure about the new ones though. |
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09/24/2006 01:37:29 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by PurpleFire:
iTunes is the only way to put music on the iPod - sorry, but it just is - but scrap all other music management software, this does the lot. Libaray, video clips, podcasts, playlists, burns cd (audio and data!) |
That's actually not true. There are many third party programs that will do that for you. There are even several third party programs that will take the songs off the ipod and copy them back to the computer for you. There are many of these programs and I know that there's also a plug in for winamp to have ipod support as well. In my opinion, itunes sucks. It's a very slow and cumbersome program that eats up all your RAM. Also, with all of Apple's stuff on there to make things "secure" and to prevent you from stealing music, it also prevents you from doing many other things as well. My personal choice is winamp with an ipod plug in, works great and very nicely.
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09/24/2006 06:54:21 PM · #15 |
i was bought a 40GB version by 1 of my clients - i've used it twice i think.. it just sits on my desk in its Firewire charger looking white..
i don't use iTunes as its bloatware virus from apple imho i use Ephpod to load music onto it..
Message edited by author 2006-09-24 18:55:45. |
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09/24/2006 07:45:27 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
My Qualms/Questions:
-Is the battery life decent enough for long trips?
-Is the unit rugged enough to handle traveling without worring about it?
-iTunes: I'm really against putting more software on my computer. It's getting full as it is and I'm not upgrading until Vista is out next year. Can an iPod be used without iTunes (can you just open it as a drive with Windows Explorer and drag and drop files onto it?)
-If you do use iTunes, does it function well? Does it eat up lots of disk space (If it stores all the songs on the HD, it must either use a lot, or compress a lot, right?)
-I've heard that an iPod can be used as a memory dump for CF cards - is it worth it?
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In order:
I find battery life to be just fine for long trips. You can also get car and wall chargers for it, so travelling should not be a concern really.
I carry mine all over the place, I do have a case for it, but I just carry it in my pocket.
I don't know how an iPod works with Windows, I have OSX.
iTunes is awesome on the Mac.
I believe there was an attachment to use iPod as a data bucket, but it was supposed to be very slow. That may have changed. I know you can allocate part of the ipod memory to me for data. |
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09/24/2006 07:58:42 PM · #17 |
once I found the little "lock" button on the top of my nano the battery life has been stellar - even on long road trips (10-14 hours).
I'm on a Mac so iTunes rules -
My one complaint is the thing everybody seems to love, that little wheely control device is very small for my large fingers -
That and the earphones it comes with just flat out suck for sound quality - plan on another $70 - $250 for "real" headphones.
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09/24/2006 08:05:35 PM · #18 |
yep the earphones do suck, they never stay on your ears, so I got the Nike Vapor Sport Bud Headphones... they were 25 bucks and they are great stay in my ears and problems at all.
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09/24/2006 08:06:07 PM · #19 |
I have 2- an older 20gig that goes on trips (have the car power adapter, FM transmitter etc)... and a nano that I use for working out.
-Is the battery life decent enough for long trips?
It's great for working out, shorter car trips... for long car trips (i.e. more than 4 or so hours) I have a cigarette lighter plug adapter thing to power it.
-Is the unit rugged enough to handle traveling without worring about it?
Yes? not sure what you really mean. I have dropped them while working out before and had no problems.
-iTunes: I'm really against putting more software on my computer. It's getting full as it is and I'm not upgrading until Vista is out next year. Can an iPod be used without iTunes (can you just open it as a drive with Windows Explorer and drag and drop files onto it?)
umm... yes, however I think you need itunes to manage your music? I'm sure someone else can cover this... I just use iTunes... it's a relatively small program, free, and is very easy to use. It's the music files that take up the space.
-If you do use iTunes, does it function well? Does it eat up lots of disk space (If it stores all the songs on the HD, it must either use a lot, or compress a lot, right?)
I love iTunes... it's very easy to use. As I said above, it's the music files that take up space, not the program itself.
-I've heard that an iPod can be used as a memory dump for CF cards - is it worth it?
It is possible to use an ipod as a portable data drive, but I don't use either of mine that way... I have a separate tiny drive that fits in my wallet for that.
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09/24/2006 08:46:59 PM · #20 |
compaired to Winamp, iTunes is bloated software that uses more CPU cycles to do the same thing..
Message edited by author 2006-09-24 20:47:15. |
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09/24/2006 08:56:57 PM · #21 |
I have a 30Gig Ipod and I received the camera adapter as a birthdat gift. The camera adapter is pretty cool if you have plenty of time to transfer. It wouldn't work well for a photo shoot, like a weeding for instance. But I took mine on vacation this summer, took about 250 pictures a day and dumped them to the ipod each night. It worked flawlessy and saved me from having to buy more CF cards.
I've had no major problems with my Ipod. Although, I too am on the Apple/Itunes sucks bandwagon, the Ipod is just so much better than all the rest! |
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09/24/2006 09:20:55 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by renegade1966:
I have a 30Gig Ipod and I received the camera adapter as a birthdat gift. The camera adapter is pretty cool if you have plenty of time to transfer. It wouldn't work well for a photo shoot, like a weeding for instance. But I took mine on vacation this summer, took about 250 pictures a day and dumped them to the ipod each night. It worked flawlessy and saved me from having to buy more CF cards.
I've had no major problems with my Ipod. Although, I too am on the Apple/Itunes sucks bandwagon, the Ipod is just so much better than all the rest! |
How long does it take for a 2GB card? |
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09/24/2006 09:24:25 PM · #23 |
Back in the day I had a Nomad player from Creative Labs. It had all of 30-40 minutes of battery life, would skip (or even just shut down!) if you did so much as walk with it. But, it was 6 gigs, and that was the extent of my music collection. I did *have* to use some junky software from Creative Labs to get music onto the player. When the ipod first came out, I picked one up (I had a powerbook and a pc desktop), and even that first generation player was far superior to what Creative Labs had to offer.
That ipod still gets about 60-75 minutes of playtime on a full charge. I now have a 60Gb video ipod, which I've been very happy with. I don't use it for CF dumps directly, but I do use it to make an extra backup copy of pictures, copied from my powerbook, when I'm away from home. My latest ipod came with a little leather sleeve, which is ample protection from things that would scratch it. I take it with me on the bus and train daily to and from work, and listen to it all day at work (all w/o having to plug it in during the day). |
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09/24/2006 10:11:03 PM · #24 |
How long does it take for a 2GB card?
I only have a 1GB card but I think it takes at least 30 minutes if the card is full. Maybe longer, I haven't used it since early July.
Edited to say: If you are going to transfer pics using the camer adapter you better have external power for the ipod. One transfer will just about drain a fuuly charged ipod!!!
Message edited by author 2006-09-24 22:13:36. |
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09/24/2006 10:12:45 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by Elvis_L:
Originally posted by renegade1966:
I have a 30Gig Ipod and I received the camera adapter as a birthdat gift. The camera adapter is pretty cool if you have plenty of time to transfer. It wouldn't work well for a photo shoot, like a weeding for instance. But I took mine on vacation this summer, took about 250 pictures a day and dumped them to the ipod each night. It worked flawlessy and saved me from having to buy more CF cards.
I've had no major problems with my Ipod. Although, I too am on the Apple/Itunes sucks bandwagon, the Ipod is just so much better than all the rest! |
How long does it take for a 2GB card? |
about 45 minutes.
I did this when I went to africa last january. I had enough memory for a days worth of shooting, just not for 10 days worth... it was really useful.
Message edited by author 2006-09-24 22:13:42. |
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