Choosing an ipod
 

I want to get an ipod to use on the plane when I go to Greece in Oct. I want it mainly to use for podcasts and maybe some music.

Any recommendations?

Thanks
Betty

It shouldn't have a hard drive. Being precision mechanical devices, they're too delicate for many travel scenarios. And who needs to have 10,000 songs in one's pocket anyway?

If you get one with a memory slot (usually SD), you can carry a terabytes of program content at next to zero weight penalty. Personally, I feel the lack of such a slot is a deal-breaker.

If you want to maximize your technology per dollar, it shouldn't be an iPod® brand. About half of the price of Apple™ products is for that logo. Functional equivalents include MP3 players by Sansa, Samsung, Creative, and myriad no-name brands.

Get one with the biggest screen you can afford. Sooner or later, you will want to load MP4 movies on it, and there's nothing more awkward than watching <i>Star Wars</i> on a 1.8&quot; LCD.

A built-in FM radio is a good thing to have, and doesn't add significantly to the price.

A field-replaceable generic battery is better than a proprietary one that needs special tools to swap.

Two headphone jacks are better than one.

If it can run programs, like a calendar, subway route finder, restaurant guide, or currency converter, that's a plus. If it has an integral GPS, so much the better. Now you're into the PDA/PPC category, which is my personal preference rather than carrying a pocket computer AND a cell phone AND a music player AND a GPS.

Get an iPod, they are so much nicer than the other playes out there. I would just buy a nano. I found an ipod to be life changing. I know corny, but I so like having all my music, books, etc in one place on the go.

Robespierre, which one would you recommend?

Today? T-Mobile Shadow.

(Actually, at the moment, I'd wait until T-Mo's 3G data service is rolled out this fall/winter. That will put whatever PDA they marry with the network firmly in the iPhone league. It doesn't have GPS, but a Freedom Bluetooth fob addresses that deficiency handily.)

If you take Robespierre advice make certain the podcasts you want are compatible with the device. Remember, whatever is in iTunes can ONLY be downloaded to an iPod.

Robespierre it sounds like what you are suggesting is closer to a phone or is a phone (T-mobile). I don't think the original question related to a phone which would require monthly charges and possibly roaming charges.

Lydia

If you want an iPod recommendation and its for only podcasts and some music, I would suggest the iPod 4g Nano. This would be the least expensive iPod to purchase.

My suggestion would be to go to an Apple store or on their website to compare models. You may decide you want a little more than podcasts and some music.

Good luck.

Lydia

<i>I don't think the original question related to a phone which would require monthly charges and possibly roaming charges.</i>

Why do you think telling me this is something I care about? The original question asked for recommendations. I gave mine. If one needs a cell phone anyway (with or without roaming charges, of which T-Mobile has none), having one that's integrated with other functions is a good way to go.

Lighten UP!

&lt;&lt; don't think the original question related to a phone which would require monthly charges and possibly roaming charges.

Why do you think telling me this is something I care about? The original question asked for recommendations. I gave mine. If one needs a cell phone anyway (with or without roaming charges, of which T-Mobile has none), having one that's integrated with other functions is a good way to go.

Lighten UP!&gt;&gt;

And the original question was for an iPod NOT a phone or your fabulous PDA. By the way T-Mobile charges $1.49 per roaming minute in Greece (the OP destination).

I think you need to lighten up. You get upset whenever someone even remotely refers to an Apple product.

Apple makes under-engineered, overpriced junk that I would never buy.

OP asked for recommendations. I gave mine: look at multi-function devices. The music and &quot;podcast&quot; functions of any MP3 player, including those with integral phones, work fine anywhere in the world.

In short: it is not necessary to pay monthly fees or roaming charges to play music, even if it's done on a flexible, forward-looking device. I stand by my recommendation.

I am on my third iPod. I had an iPod video, but lost it on a plane. It was fine, but the screen is very small, if you want to watch a movie or TV show on it.

I now have an iPod Touch and I love it. The only shortcoming is that you can't set it for use as a drive, as you can the older versions of the iPod.

If you ONLY want music and podcasts, I would go with the Nano. Though the capacity is smaller than the iPod Video.

Nano is basically a memory key, so it doesn't have the hard drive issues that can plague the iPod classic or iPod Video.

I hope this helps.

I would also recommend an iPod. They are so easy even if you don't have an Apple computer but a PC. iTunes is so easy that my Mom (68 y.o. and not into tech gadgets) can use it. A Nano is a good first iPod and then when you are hooked you can upgrade.

Thanks to all who responded to my request for ipod recommendations. You all have given me a lot of info to consider.

If you want simplicity and seamless integration between software and hardware, then the iPod is definitely the way to go. The iPod + iTunes combination is simply a better combination for the casual user than just about anything else out there. If you don't have a huge collection of music and don't care about video or extras, then the iPod nano is a good choice. If you want video or some of the games or internet capabilities, then the touch is a good choice. I would go for the classic only if you have a very large music collection. I think the shuffle is just too paired down to be worthwhile.

If you want to look further afield, then take a look at the Sony players. They have stellar battery life, a great user interface, and better sound quality (and better headphones) than the iPods. You don't save a ton of money over the iPod, but I think it is a quality player at a fair price. I have a Sony NWZ-A818 and use it as my music player, despite also owning an iPhone. The Creative players are also good. The Samsung players have gotten better, but I woud still recommend the iPod, a Sony, or Creative over them. Ditto for the Sandisk players. I would avoid some of the bargain players (as well as Phillips and Toshiba players), due to quality and useability issues.

And, while I understand Robespierre's thoughts, I would beware of feature bloat. Determine what you are actually going to use the player for, and get something that meets those needs. Don't buy something for a feature you will not use. For example, my iPhone is the 4th video-capable player I have owned over the past 4-5 years. On all of them, I have watched a total of zero videos on them. I have also never once used them to store or view photos. I have never used the FM radio, either, as the whole reason I have so many mp3 players is that I don't like listening to the radio.

Good point about feature bloat. But if one is planning to acquire multiple devices within the foreseeable future, getting them together in one integrated package cuts down on the number of pieces to keep track of, pack for travel, and recharge.

Today, woot.com has a clock radio that integrates with a Sansa player selling for $30 at sellout.woot.com. The player has 2gb of internal memory, but is infinitely expandable via the SD slot on the bottom.

I use a Creative Zen to listen to music and books when travelling. It is small, has good battery life and plugs in via USB to my computer when I want to load more stuff on it.

I have an ipod nano 4gb. It is small, weighs almost nothing, and worked fine for listening to mp3's and podcasts on a plane. I usually bring it with me every day to work to listen to on the train. I bought an armband bracket so that I can wear it while I'm exercising. I forget offhand how much I paid for it, but I want to say $159+tax back in October 2007.

I've ripped some Portguese-for-dummies CD's onto the ipod. While I'm sitting on a plane (trips CLT-BOS and CLT-LAX in preparation for a trip CLT-MAD/LIS/OPO) I may as well be practicing my Portuguese at the same time. It works well for that purpose, but backing up a few seconds to replay a word or two can be clunky and imprecise.

I don't use it for any serious video capabilities.