An iPod (www.apple.com/ipod/) is Apple's version of an MP3 player. It is the most popular brand, but not the only one out there (I have a Dell DJ.) It's basically a high capacity hard drive that will store large amounts of music or data files.

So you can basically put your entire music collection on one portable device.

Rufus, the IPod is for when you're In Transit--like on the airplane, or driving (passenger of course), or on the train, not for when you're sightseeing!

Yes, what is an ipod? Is it like an MP3?

cmt - You seem to be sort of apologizing for not knowing what an iPod is. Don't worry, you're not alone!

I bought my fiance an iPod for Christmas. When he was telling his family/friends what Santa brought him this year, we were AMAZED how many people didn't know what it was! We figured that these folks weren't likely to have use for one as they commute to work by car (so they use car radios) whereas we commute by public transport in NYC.

I think I've got it: bring an Ipod so you don't have to relate to those around you and a cell phone so you can relate to those who aren't. Ah, the very nature of experiencing travel.

No, bring an iPod so that you can listen to the music of your choice instead of the yakkers, whiners, cryers, and cell phone abusers in the airport and on the airplane.

I like having some computing capability. So much of the information I have found is web based and all I have in my computer is bookmarks (favorites to you ms users). I don't like to spend a lot of time with it when I am travelling, but at the same time, if I need metro directions in Paris, I can get them from a web site.

Also, if I can't sleep some night, I can always dig up this thread...and.....doze.......

Nobody's answers have to "satisfy" me. I just wanted to find out why people carry iPods instead of PPCs. I found out.

Evidently, most people simply don't <i>know</i> that there are full-function computers capable of playing recorded music that you can carry in your pocket.

But Apple has marketed the iPod in the consumer electronics space, thereby avoiding a direct comparison. If I were HP/Compaq, I'd be marketing the hell out of PPCs in that space. But I'm not in charge there (nor, it would appear, is anyone else).

I love my iPod-it's a first generation-I bought one early on when 20 gigs was the largest storage capacity. I bought it for music/audio use. I do not bring a computer or PPC on vacation, since all I want is audio. I prefer to bring any information I need on paper-I scan what I need, including copies of passports and other docs into my computer and print it double sided in reduced format to carry with me. Using paper means I ruthlessly edit to just what I need to bring, not what I'd like or might use. I don't need the full function of a computer and I download my digital photos when I get home-- I have thousands of hours of MP3 on the iPod, including audio books and radio shows that I have downloaded, besides the usual music. I use it on the plane, in the hotel and on public transit. I have a small external speaker that is the size of the iPod and use it for music in the hotel room or self-catering facilities; many places do not furnish radios or the reception is bad.

The iPod is easy to use, the only true &quot;plug and play&quot; equipment I have ever bought. Most gadgets, including my PDA-yes, I do have one-involved a lot of time on the learning curve. Even the first gen pod is small enough to carry in a purse, BUT never leave anything in a hotel room you do not want to lose. Put it in the safe or carry it with you.

I like to have music with me to fit the setting-Vivaldi in Venice, Mozart in Vienna, Smetna in Prague and catch up on my &quot;reading&quot; with the audio books. It was the only way I was able to &quot;read&quot; the DaVinci Code..on my flight to and from London in December. The darn thing is 13 audio discs! Hardly a dent in the iPod capacity-

Did I say I LOVE my iPod?

Judy and the Bear

<i>Evidently, most people simply don't know that there are full-function computers capable of playing recorded music that you can carry in your pocket.</i>

I'm sorry, but every one of your posts reveals an immature desire to condescend and attribute legitimate differences of opinion to blind ignorance on the part of others. And your contention that Clifton is &quot;in the wrong field&quot; is nothing short of rude, and you owe him an apology.

PPCs (in general) are bulkier, more cumbersome to use, offer less intuitive interfaces, and provide far less storage.

Do I want 20 Gigs of songs in my pocket? Yes. Yes I do. What's it to ya?

Oh yeah, and iPod's a fraction of the price. That's always a factor as well.

Well.

That's pretty confrontational, don't you think?

First of all, I do not denigrate anyone's choice, because it is based on taste, which cannot be argued. <i>Chaqu'un son go&ucirc;t</i>, as they say. I just wanted to understand what explains the wild popularity of the iPod in the face of its inherent inflexibility. Just as I understand and appreciate the desires that drive people towards Wintel <i>vs</i>. Mac computers (which I don't make any value judgments about, incidentally), I now have a feel for what is driving the market in portable music devices.

My opinion, based on observation over the past 50 years or so, is that people who are <i>passionate</i> about what they do have richer, more fulfilling life experiences than those who go to a job 2000 hours a year for the money. In my experience, money doesn't mean anything if you live for the weekend; bouncing out of bed every morning because you get <i>paid</i> to do what you would do if you <i>weren't</i> paid to do is the definition of happiness.

Yes, PPCs (in general) are bulkier. I carry mine in a front pants pocket without the slightest discomfort. More cumbersome to use? Yes, but not beyond the ken of a ninth-grader. Less intuitive interface? Again, yes, but not to the extent that they're unusable. Provide far less storage? Yes, but since a two-week trip to Europe only contains 336 hours, what's the point of having thousands of hours of music/radio/books in your pocket?

Oh, yeah. iPods generally cost more than PPCs. There are plenty of them under $400, and several very capable ones under $300.

mr_go, thanks for the kind words. I'm actually kind of amused that this is the source from which I'm going to finally learn about living a happy life.

I'm a big fan of irony. ;)

When I go on vacation, the LAST thing I want to do is carry around the laptop that I am CONSTANTLY carrying around for business travel!! Ugh! All I need when I go on vacation is my Blackberry and my Ipod (oh, and my luggage, fiance, money....) :))

I agree totally. I wouldn't want to carry around my laptop, either.

(I rest my case.)

I don't own an Ipod, although I think they're nifty gadgets and wouldn't mind getting one as a gift. But for Robespierre, who thinks they're only good for lugging music, read the following (printed WITH permission):


Portable music device plays radiology tune

A new use for the iPod MP3 player is offering a solution to the chronic shortage of computer storage many radiologists experience in the digital era.

Some radiologists have begun using iPod devices to store digital diagnostic images alongside songs from the Dixie Chicks, using the music tool as a giant memory stick. iPods with up to 40 GB sell for about $399.

&quot;Technology coming from the consumer market is changing the way we do things in the radiology department,&quot; said Dr. Osman Ratib, vice chair of radiologic services at the University of California, Los Angeles.

These new technologies can facilitate the communication and transport of images beyond the usual limits and restrictions of a traditional PACS, Ratib said.

Ratib and Dr. Antoine Rosset, a radiologist in Geneva, Switzerland, recently developed OsiriX, Macintosh-based software for display and manipulation of complex medical image data.

OsiriX combines three new Apple technologies:

iPod was adapted to quickly and easily move large numbers of DICOM images.
iChat, a videoconference and instant messanging system that is compatible with AOL instant messaging, is used to transmit DICOM images in real-time to remote computers for teleradiology purposes.
iDisk, a file-sharing service based on WebDAV technology, is used to send and share DICOM files securely between remote computers.
&quot;I use my software to download images from the PACS or from any imaging source,&quot; Ratib said. &quot;OsiriX follows the most universal way of accessing any image, and it covers virtually every DICOM format possible. It's very flexible.&quot;

Once the images are on the iPod, they can be carried from one machine to another as long as the computer is a Macintosh.

&quot;You can see the images and display them as you would do with any other file that's on your hard disk,&quot; he said.

iPod storage may prove attractive to clinicians and referring physicians. Most have only limited access to digital images, usually through slow-access Web-based systems with limited image manipulation capabilities, Ratib said.

By using general consumer products, radiologists can benefit not only from low cost, but also from widely available technical support.

&quot;The adoption of these innovative technologies is likely to change the architecture of traditional PACS, which is often limited and centralized around a unique radiology department,&quot; Ratib said. &quot;They clearly provide more flexible and efficient means of image communication.&quot;

OsiriX software is available free under open source licensing at OsiriX

I wonder if these genius radiologists know that you can buy a 160gb USB drive for under $100. Just as portable, and as it has no batteries, you don't have to disassemble it to replace one.

I am as incredulous on this as you are, R.

Furthermore, this is a regression to &quot;sneaker net&quot;! Any place that has million dollar digital imaging systems doesn't need to rely on someone's coat pocket (and a timeframe of hours) to move electronic images from point A to point B (done on a wire, or through the air, in seconds!)

why I have an ipod
1. it makes me happy to walk along with it playing
2. it makes me feel cool
3. i can listen to whatever i feel like at the time. ie. if i am angry i can put some slow ballads on. if I'm in the car i can put singing music on.
4. i don't want a PPC. they are for boys. - seriously how many chicks do you know that have one other than a cell with some other functionality. Where I am sitting at my desk at work right now I can see 3 boys that own one and no girls!! my main use for a ppc is solitaire. (strangely addictive !!)
5. it is easy to use.
6. it makes me feel happy

<b>wilees</b>

It's people like you who give people like Lawrence H. Summers ammunition.