OT: 4 & 5gb Mp3 Comparison

[Kazuya]

db, it's good to have you around to review the hottest new MP3 release every couple of months, you've probably saved us all thousands. If any of these players ever convince you to hang on to it for more than 3 months before cashing it in, I will go out and buy it immediately. It would have to be quite a device. Good lookin' out.

[Badgun]

Between all the great commercial free radio, news, and sports, I listen to Opie & Anthony every single day.

It's not commercial free in a technical sense...remember, you are paying a monthly subscription for the thing. Not to mention it's the size of a small VW Bug.

My MyFi is actually smaller than my son's Creative 30g zen xtra.

As for the fee, I get my 10 bucks a month's worth in just a few days.

[Jayhawker]

The H10 looks great, but I can't figure out why it lacks Firewire support. USB is painful. Having a tuner (is it strong enough to really count?) that allows for recording shows is very cool.

I'm not sold on the color screen or photo yet. seems like a waste, when what I really want is long battery life.

I'm still geting buy with my old 2nd gen 10 gig iPod. Haven't found a reson to spend money on a new one yet. I did get my wife a mini, since she actually works out. She thought the H10 looked good, but lack of firewire is a deal breaker, since we don't need to get another one now.

[dbdynsty25]

The H10 looks great, but I can't figure out why it lacks Firewire support. USB is painful. Having a tuner (is it strong enough to really count?) that allows for recording shows is very cool.

USB 2.0 in tests, has shown to be just as fast as Firewire. Of course, those were tests that might have taken advantage of certain 2.0 aspects, but none the less, transfers are just as nice with 2.0 as they are with Firewire...I had an Ipod and an Ipod mini...I almost always went with 2.0 just because it was easier to access (a hub on my desk). Of course, other computers (Macs especially) use firewire to it's full potential and you can see gains there, but for me in my everyday life, 2.0 is perfectly fine.

BTW, I believe Ipods are the only ones with both USB 2.0 and Firewire support...but then again you lack a TON of features. And yes, the FM radio is strong enough...plus you've got a removeable battery...can't really say that about the Ipods. Nor can you say that you can get over 10 hours of playtime on them. The Micro and H10 last well over 12 hours.

[dbdynsty25]

db, it's good to have you around to review the hottest new MP3 release every couple of months, you've probably saved us all thousands. If any of these players ever convince you to hang on to it for more than 3 months before cashing it in, I will go out and buy it immediately. It would have to be quite a device. Good lookin' out.

I got ya back...I have a feeling this one will hang around for a while.

[wco81]

Apple is winning the Mp3 war just because of the status symbol, not because they make the best devices. The sound quality is severly lacking and they are missing a few key features that make the other devices out there more appealing (FM Tuner, Voice Recorder, etc.). Now, I say appealing because I look for more features, not less. An FM tuner is a HUGE deal to me.

I saw some figures where Apple has spent way more on marketing than anyone else. Creative has said it will spend $100 million on marketing but I don't recall seeing any commercials yet.

For most people, they don't care enough about specs. For instance, most people don't know about Ogg Vorbis or lossless. In fact, there are now services which will rip your CDs for you because people are lazy.

I think the iPod just caught on because it just works and the out-of-the-box experience is seamless for most people. There is certainly a trendieness about it, especially when you see articles like this:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/g ... ipod_x.htm?

Ultimately, the biggest threat to the iPod won't be these Asian companies but rather, cell phones with beefed up music playback capabilities and cell phone companies spending millions to offer downloads via mobile networks (at $2 or $3 a song!). The reasoning is, people always have their phones with them but they won't always tote their MP3 players or cameras. So if they hear a song they like on the car stereo or at a club, they can get it right there instead of waiting to get home or going to a record store.

That and things like the PSP will make it harder for the iPod to be the "must-have" gift this Xmas.

BTW, I think the 4-5 GB players is about the most capacity people will go for. Only a small number of people need 40 or 60 GB players. Of course, if prices of those players drop under $300 or $250, then more people will have those higher-capacity players. But they still won't fill them up with just music.

[Dave]

wco, you hit the nail on the head. People want to plug in an MP3 player to a computer, have it load up and go.

My mother-in-law wants an mp3 player, for me, it is a no-brainer for her to get an iPod shuffle. She knows how to use her Apple CPU and will just have to plug it in and it will load itself and it isn't like she has tons of music. When you start adding more devices (FM tuner, etc.), it will become "too complicated" for some users.

Sales growth comes from the typically under-informed public. I had an Archos that died on me, and I got jealous at the amount of accessories available for my wife's iPod. The amount is staggering and makes it even more appealing to buy one.

[tsunami]

Forgot to ask...when you say drag and drop you mean via software right? I didn't think this player was recognized as a mass storage device.

The H10 is recognized as a mass storage device. You do not need software to transfer music to it whatsoever.

I hate to harp on this, but all of the reports I have read about this device claim that the US version is not recognized as a mass storage device (ie. meaning that it shows up as another drive in My Computer). They say you have to sync songs (and other media) to it using WMP10 or other jukebox software.

To me that is a big issue, as I want to be able to truly drap and drop files and folders from Explorer.

DB, I certainly trust your findings...I just want to make sure before I make any purchases.

Thanks

[dbdynsty25]

When you start adding more devices (FM tuner, etc.), it will become "too complicated" for some users.

Apparently Apple thought it was too difficult for users to learn how to read...why else would they leave the damn screen off of the thing? That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen.

[dbdynsty25]

DB, I certainly trust your findings...I just want to make sure before I make any purchases.

Sorry for the big ass pictures, but:



And:



As you can see, it's a device in explorer. You can then go a few levels in, My Computer > Iriver H10 > Media > Music and there you have it...drag and drop files.

[tsunami]

DB, I certainly trust your findings...I just want to make sure before I make any purchases.

Sorry for the big ass pictures, but:



And:



As you can see, it's a device in explorer. You can then go a few levels in, My Computer > Iriver H10 > Media > Music and there you have it...drag and drop files.

Excellent...thanks for the help.

[Badgun]

A couple of questions for someone who knows.

Are any of the mp3 player crippled to force you to use purchased music like Itunes only? In other words, if I had an Ipod, could I just drag and drop my mp3s onto it? I seem to have read something somewhere that indicated that you didn't have complete freedom with some of these players....I think the Dell Jukebox being one and maybe the Ipod as well. I do know my son's Creative player will let you do whatever you want so that feature would be of ultra importance to me.

Also, does anyone yet know anything about the PSP's mp3 capabilities. ie file types, storage space etc.?

I kind of want to pick up an mp3 player for myself, but if the PSP will fill those needs then it may suffice. To me size isn't all that important as I will mostly use it when walking or just sitting around chilling.

[dbdynsty25]

The only device that's crippled out of the box is the Sony Network Walkman. You have to use proprietary AAC (or ARC, not sure) files that pretty much ONLY the Sony will play. You'll have to re-encode all of your music to be able to use it. Otherwise, every other player that I've seen or had, will allow you to use Mp3s at least, and most will allow you to play WMA's (which are better than Mp3s in my opinion). Of course, Ipods won't allow to play WMAs.

You aren't forced to use subscription services to get music on the player...that would fail miserably. Most people use MP3 players to carry around all of their legally purchased CDs...I only assume this as I am definitely not one of them.

BTW...why do you care about Mp3s Badgun...not 10 posts up, you claim that your MyFi is better than an Mp3 player. Pick one side of the fence bro...those fence posts are startin' to penetrate.

[tsunami]

Also, does anyone yet know anything about the PSP's mp3 capabilities. ie file types, storage space etc.?

I kind of want to pick up an mp3 player for myself, but if the PSP will fill those needs then it may suffice. To me size isn't all that important as I will mostly use it when walking or just sitting around chilling.

From what I have read, the PSP will play native mp3 (as well as Atrac) and Sony is even working on a downloadable music service specifically for the PSP.

The format for now is strictly Memory sticks, which come in sizes as bg as 1 and 2 GB. Perhaps they will release UMD discs with music on them in the future.

[wco81]

I wouldn't mind having FM. And I would prefer to have the screen on the Shuffle as well.

But I understand that not having the screen made it possible for them to make it small and price it aggressively as they have.

I think people coming from Walkmans or Discmans will be able to adapt because they're not used to seeing the song name or artist. They will have to get used to managing their library and playlists on iTunes however, since the Shuffle is dependent on that for loading the songs, especially the Autofill thing that loads it without you having to calculate it.

For people who are used to MP3 players, the lack of a screen will probably put them off. But a lot of these people will get the Shuffle as a second player to use at the gym. I may do that as well, although I do tend to try to look at what track is playing.

The PSP will support MP3 and presumably ATRAC which you buy from the Sony online store. So you can rip your CDs and transfer it. But you will have to buy Memory Stick Pro Duo cards, which are the most expensive memory cards out there.

In fact, the 1 GB Sandisk Duo is almost the price of the 1 GB iPod Shuffle and the 1 GB Sony Duo card is well over the price. You can of course store pictures, movies, game saves and game demos (which are supposedly coming) on that Duo card for the PSP. But on the other hand, the PSP is probably too big for extensive use as a music player.

[Badgun]

The only device that's crippled out of the box is the Sony Network Walkman. You have to use proprietary AAC (or ARC, not sure) files that pretty much ONLY the Sony will play. You'll have to re-encode all of your music to be able to use it. Otherwise, every other player that I've seen or had, will allow you to use Mp3s at least, and most will allow you to play WMA's (which are better than Mp3s in my opinion). Of course, Ipods won't allow to play WMAs.

You aren't forced to use subscription services to get music on the player...that would fail miserably. Most people use MP3 players to carry around all of their legally purchased CDs...I only assume this as I am definitely not one of them.

BTW...why do you care about Mp3s Badgun...not 10 posts up, you claim that your MyFi is better than an Mp3 player. Pick one side of the fence bro...those fence posts are startin' to penetrate.

db,
I am sold on my MyFi. I just finished walking 2 miles while listening to Opie & Anthony which I recorded from 6-10 this morning. I'm not trying to push XM Radio on anyone...I was very much against it for a long time. I never thought it would affect me like it has, but it really is all I listen to anymore.

Here's an example of why I think it's cooler than an mp3 player. XM has the Decades channels. From the 30s through the 90s, each channel only plays music from that decade. So, being the old man that I am, I listen to the 70s channel a lot. Every day without fail, I will hear at least one song, maybe more that I have not heard since high school. You know songs that you just loved back then, but maybe forgot about. I've had enough memories brought back from listening to the 70s channel to pay for all my XM Radios alone. Then they have todays hits, they have classic rock, they have deep album cuts...they really have any kind of channel that you want. I probably focus on 4 or 5 core channels, but there must be 150 in all to choose from. The problem with mp3 players, and don't think for a minute I'm putting them down, is repetition. Even if you have 2000 songs on your player, you're probably going to be familiar with each and every one of them over time. The way I see it, even though you don't have control over what XM plays, there is always a surprise waiting for me on one of those channels. You just can't get that with an mp3 player.

Hope that clears that up. I am not on the fence...I truly believe that XM is far better than mp3 for all of the above reasons. With that being said, the reason I am asking about mp3 players is I wouldn't mind having one of my own for when I want to hear something in particular. Say if I'm going to walk and I want to hear the whole U2 album or maybe a collection of Rolling Stones mp3s, I'd like to have that option. There are obvious things you can't do with XM Radio that you can do with an mp3 player an vice versa. Although I have heard that the next generation MyFi will have some sort of mp3 capabilities.

So there are my reasons. There are just times I wouldn't mind having an mp3 player, though I definitely prefer my MyFi. I certainly wouldn't put over $200 in one though, because I know I just won't use it that much.

[dbdynsty25]

Fair enough man.

[wco81]

This is funny if true:

http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,66460,00.html