# Thinking about an iPod...



## arnisador (Sep 11, 2005)

I just want to listen to music, plus some CDs that aren't music (lectures and foreign language learning audio CDs). I'd use it mostly when walking so I'd want to still be able to hear traffic etc. (Can I listen to one of these with one ear and still get good sound?) I've held off for this long because of concerns about sound quality of those devices but I'm told that's not a problem.

 Is there a reason to get an iPod vs. a knock-off? The device at www.zvue.com is pretty cheap, though its basic card only holds 128MB. I've seen lots of these knock-offs, but everyone talks about an iPod. Are they using the term generically, or is an iPod really better? I don't need it to play games, show photos or movies, track appointments, etc. My PocketPC does much of what I need in those regards. (I use it more for reading books and keeping appointments than anything else.) Similarly, while an iPod shuffle seems to have a poor interface, an iPod Mini seems like plenty for my needs. Am I overlooking anything?

 I'm soon to upgrade my PocketPC. Should I try to get a PocketPC that makes listening to music convenient too? My current iPAQ plays music, but the sound quality is iffy.

 Thanks for any advice, iPod users!


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## michaeledward (Sep 11, 2005)

The IPOD is an incredible thing ... I would suggest that you get the real thing. The market is still pretty new, and their are a lot of decent knock-offs. But, I think you will find it indispensible once you have it.

The Apple product is of excellent quality. I think you will not be disappointed with it.

I got my wife a 20Gig I-Pod about two years ago, it is still used daily by her.

The girls each have an I-Pod shuffle .... I don't like the random thing .... but it seems to work for them.

Bottom line ... don't skimp on this item ... you will get your money's worth from it.


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## evenflow1121 (Sep 11, 2005)

I have an I-Pod mini and I love it.   I believe it ran me about $250 last year.  I use it to run and connect it to my car stereo when I am driving.  It is one of the best investments I have made.  I-tunes is also pretty decent though we do not have a Beatles Catalog yet and that annoys me.  If you are going to use this thing to put music from your CD's in there, you are going to find that these little monsters have a lot of space for all that stuff.  IN short, like the post above me said, its a well worth investment dont get a cheaper brand.


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## Lisa (Sep 11, 2005)

Thanks for starting this thread Arni...

My youngest wants one for xmas really really badly.  So I have a few questions.

How many songs does it hold?

What is the difference between and IPod and a mini?


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## Bob Hubbard (Sep 11, 2005)

I bought a Creative Labs Zen player rather than an IPod.  My GF has an Ipod Mini.  It was nice, but for $100 less, I got a 20GB player rather than a 4GB.

Interface is USB, drag n drop right in explorer, and you can sort things, edit artist/album/catagory and build play lists no problem.

I've currently got 1,524 tracks, 231 albums and 7 playlists on here, and am only using 10GB.  I still have another 10 Gigs to fill up.

Average size of an MP3 is about 3-5 MB.  An entire album is about 40-70MB
So, if you're only interested in a dozen or so tracks, or a CD or 2, the cheepie 128MB ones are ok. But if you're looking for something to use on a trip, or that you don't have to keep emptying and loading, go for more storage space.  IPod is great as it has a ton of addons, etc and is the standard. But, you're also paying a bit for the name.


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## Ping898 (Sep 12, 2005)

Nalia said:
			
		

> What is the difference between and IPod and a mini?


The difference between the two is cost, weight, and storage space.  Mini has 4 or 6 gb and regular ipod has 20, 40, 60 gb.  Obviously more GB's, = more $$$ and more storage space for music.  As far as I know the mini's are also a bit smaller and lighter than the regular ipod and come in a choice of 4 colors, not just white.


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## arnisador (Sep 12, 2005)

I only want a CD or two on it right now, but I know from experience that storage needs always grow grow grow, so perhaps I should follow the advice not to skimp on this item. I know I'll surely find more uses for it--it just happens that way with computers.

Kaith, do you have a link for the one you got? I'd like to compare. I can get a mimi at Wal-Mart for about $200.


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## ed-swckf (Sep 12, 2005)

arnisador said:
			
		

> I only want a CD or two on it right now, but I know from experience that storage needs always grow grow grow, so perhaps I should follow the advice not to skimp on this item. I know I'll surely find more uses for it--it just happens that way with computers.
> 
> Kaith, do you have a link for the one you got? I'd like to compare. I can get a mimi at Wal-Mart for about $200.


http://www.creative.com/products/welcome.asp?category=213&subcategory=214

There you go dude, i would suggest getting one of these over the ipods, i mean theres nothing wrong with the ipods but due to there huge popularity and even their attached fashion status apple can afford to charge extra.  Now i'm just echoing what was already said.


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## michaeledward (Sep 12, 2005)

Nalia said:
			
		

> Thanks for starting this thread Arni...
> 
> My youngest wants one for xmas really really badly. So I have a few questions.
> 
> ...


There is a new small I-Pod that was introduced just a few days ago ... and the new I-Pod cell phone (yuck!). Prices start from 99 bucks for the I-Pod Shuffle to, I think 500 bucks for the full banana.

My wife's I-Pod currently has 359 CD's loaded onto it; more than 4,000 songs. If she hit 'Random Play', the I-Pod would not repeat a song for 12 days. Again, she has the 20 gig machine.

Nalia, there is a JK Rowling I-Pod with the complete Harry Potter books (read by Jim Dale) available. That's 6 unabridged Novels .... 

One way to get an idea as to how these hard drive players work, is to download the interface, and load up your music. The I-Tunes software loads onto your PC (WinXP required) or MAC. It's free. Once you have the I-Tunes software loaded on your PC, just put your favorite music CD in the disc drive. All of the contents of the CD can then be copied into the I-Tunes software (or similar interface). You can load your entire music catalog into the hard drive of your computer. You can then create play lists and burn custom CD's if you have a CD-RW.

You don't use an I-Pod or a clone without the downloadable software for the computer. Once you have your music stored on the PC, you can copy it to the I-Pod via a USB cable. Once your entire music catalog is on the I-Pod, navigating to the album or playlist you want to listen to is done with the wheel controls on the front of the device (provide you are not using the Shuffle). It can be a little bit kludgy, I think but ... you can relatively quickly navigate through 4,000 songs. 

The I-Pod Shuffle can store about 12 hours of music, which can be played either a) in order or b) random order. You can't go find a specific song - that's why it's called the Shuffle.


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## Lisa (Sep 12, 2005)

$500  :xtrmshock  :erg: 

Santa said she wasn't THAT good this year! LOL!

Thanks for the information, I really appreciate it.  A friend of hers has the IPod Shuffle and says it is a pain trying to find a song, so I think that one is out of the question.

The only thing she is asking for at Christmas from family is money.  This way she can go shopping for what she wants and get the right color, etc.  I think I will let her buy her IPod on her own.  

We have been watching Ebay and there seems to be a lot of them on sale there, perhaps we can catch a good deal.


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## michaeledward (Sep 12, 2005)

The colors are gone now.

The I-Pod mini was available in 5 different colors. Mr. Jobs announced last week the new 'I-Pod Nano' ... which is only available in White and Black .... a 500 song version is 200 bucks, I think.

It is very thin ... ;-)


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## MisterMike (Sep 12, 2005)

Those nano's look pretty nice. Lot of space for a good price.

A friend of mine has an I-River and only says good things about it.

The rest that i've seen at places like Best Buy look pretty cheap compared to the iPod and I-River.


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## TonyM. (Sep 12, 2005)

My wife and I have the 20 gig ipod and really love it. Glad we didn't get a smaller one or it would already be full.


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## DavidCC (Sep 12, 2005)

My company just bought all of the technology department i-pod nanos for hitting some re-engineering goals.  Should have it in my hands by October 1!!!


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## arnisador (Sep 28, 2005)

I think I'll do the new iPod Nano...if I can find one. Wal-Mart has space for it marked out but says their shipment is late. Other stores I checked have nothing. Do I need to order it online?


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## Eternal Beginner (Sep 28, 2005)

Has anyone else had the problem of the cord that you need for charging, etc. breaking?  Both my daughter and her best friend have had problems with their iPOD's because of this.  Is this common?  I'm debating getting my son one for his birthday but am concerned about spending that much money if we are going to have the same issues.


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## arnisador (Sep 28, 2005)

Not quite related, but:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050928/ap_on_hi_te/apple_ipod

The iPod Nanos have defects in the screen, at least in some cases.


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## arnisador (Sep 29, 2005)

I can't find anyplace in town that has any for sale...I may have to order one on-line.


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## Datu Tim Hartman (Sep 29, 2005)

Jeff-

I got the 40gb one and it rocks! There are several different way to play them through home and car stereos. If you get the chance give me a buzz so we can talk about it and catch up on some other stuff.

 :asian:


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## arnisador (Sep 29, 2005)

Sounds good! I owe you a call anyway.


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## Cryozombie (Sep 29, 2005)

My only real issue with the Ipod is the "ease" of transferring files... the process for making an Ipod file burnable to a Cd or transferrable to a different mp3 player... Ive never done it, but I have heard that its much more complicated than drag and drop. 

I bought a 20 Gig RCA Lyra A/V Jukebox.  Its a little large (just a bit smaller than an old sony walkman) but it plays video on a built in LCD screen AND is a pocket sized DVR for recording video. Also has expandable storage via a media card slot and functions as a 20gig (plus with the media card in it) removable harddrive via a USB 2.0 interface.  I think it has an Ebook reader on it as well, but I have never used it.

More player than you need, Arni, but a cool one, nonetheless.


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## arnisador (Sep 29, 2005)

I just want something small and simple that'll play music and other audio! But, I appreciate all suggestions. If I see an iPod Nano soon, though, I'll take it.

Has anyone here gotten one of those yet?


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## arnisador (Sep 30, 2005)

I found an iPod Nano today and picked it up. I'll try it when I get home!

I passed on the $60 warranty.


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## Navarre (Dec 28, 2005)

My father-in-law bought me an i-Pod for Christmas. It's the black 30GB video i-Pod.

This is my first Apple product. I'm trying to get some recommendations (links are good) on which accessories I would like.

I've visited the Apple web site but there are several choices. I was hoping someone had used some of the accessories.

I can tell immediately that I need a set of earphones besides the ones that came with it. I can never get those round kind to stay in my ears. I want something I could wear while at the gym or even jogging.

I would think a car adaptor would be good. I travel a lot for work.

I know the Nano had problems with screen damage. I don't think mine does. Still, a carrying case would be a necessity. This is especially true when going back to my workout issue.

Beyond that I'm not sure.  Anything really cool as far as remotes, connection devices for tvs and cameras, etc. would be fine.

If anyone has any personal experiences (good or bad) or recommendations, I'd be glad to hear them. Thanx!


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## arnisador (Dec 28, 2005)

I have the car adaptor but don't use it much. The speakers are helpful.

We got my daughter the ZVue for Xmas, which has a video screen.


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## Navarre (Dec 28, 2005)

arnisador said:
			
		

> I have the car adaptor but don't use it much. The speakers are helpful.
> 
> We got my daughter the ZVue for Xmas, which has a video screen.


 
That's cool, Arni. My i-Pod has a video screen too, which makes it much more versatile.

Did your Nano work out well for you?

So you don't recommend the car adaptor or is it just that you don't travel with it that much?

Any experience or recommendation with any of the other peripherals?


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## michaeledward (Dec 28, 2005)

I got a 30 Gig Ipod for Christmas with the Bose Triport Headphones. It is awfully nice having your entire ear covered with the headphones. And they do sound great. 

As I was told when younger, never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear, I never quite warmed up to the little earplug speakers. 

I got my wife the Bose Sounddock for her IPod ... and it is awesome too. 

I may have to get the Bose Wave Radio as an alarm clock. 

I don't listen to music much anymore, but it is nice to hear the music.


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## TigerWoman (Dec 30, 2005)

My son took over the one I gave my husband last year.  Really took it over, installed it in his new car but he can take it back and forth to the house.  I should have thought of that first! I have a Bose system in my car already so with the ipod it would have been great!  tW


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## Michael Billings (Dec 30, 2005)

The Nano rocks if music is your thing.  I love it.  My niece loves it ... and me, for giving her one.  

-Michael


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## Navarre (Dec 30, 2005)

I think I've figured out how to get video on my iPod. When I got it and saw that it could handle video I was, like, "Cool!". 

I quickly realized that my PC videos (the wmv files that Windows Media Player uses) wouldn't import into iTunes.  QuickTime can't open them either.

I upgraded to QuickTime Pro. This gave me exporting options.

I can open a wmv file in Windows Movie Maker and convert it to an avi file. This will open in QuickTime Pro. I can then export the avi file to an ipod file that my iPod recognizes.

I don't know if there is a better way or not. I'm glad it works but it takes a bit of time to do the conversion.

Any gurus have a better suggestion?


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## arnisador (Jan 1, 2006)

Navarre said:
			
		

> Did your Nano work out well for you?



Yup, just what I needed!



> So you don't recommend the car adaptor or is it just that you don't travel with it that much?
> 
> Any experience or recommendation with any of the other peripherals?



For me, I make such short trips that setting up the adaptor is hardly worth the effort. If I make long trips, my kids are usually choosing the music anyways (on CDs).

But the speakers for at home are useful. I like those!


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