Travel Gadgets: Ipod/MP3 questions
 

Ok, so everyone gave me such great advice on the camera thing, I have another techie question. My Ipod Mini just bit the dust only after 2 years. I sent it to a 3rd party repair place and it would be about a $100 to repair.

I can get a Nano for $150. But I must say that I am disenchanted by the whole Apple thing now. If I buy another brand, say Creative Zen or Zune, etc., I assume these will not work with Itunes? Would I just have to burn the music to discs and then upload them to my new program? And, what alternatives to the Ipod do you recommend? My Mini only had about 200 songs on it. I like to think that I would put movies, etc. on it if it had the capacity, but I'm thinking that level of "techieness" is not needed. Thanks! I will also check cnet.

Sony do a great range of MP3 players and they have 50 hours battery life.

Sony NW-E505 and its series are just one example of many. Granted the memory size is not the same as ipod, which has a hard disk drive (a mechanical part destined to go wrong) it has flash memory instead.
But 1Gb with ATRAC formatting and you can get 400 tracks on it.

I have bought 3 and the battery life alone makes it well worth the purchase. Its a rechargable battery, the unit plugs into the USB port on any computer and 3 mins charge gives 3 hours.
Sound quality is as good as anything.
Muck

I am a diehard Apple/iPod fan and I would bite the bullet and upgrade to a newer version. With good care an iPod should last a few years (though not a lifetime). I haven't heard good reviews about Zune, and would prefer not to jump brands at this time. I have my entire music collection on my iPods.

Creative Zen or Zune will not work w/iTunes. Though, if you only have about 200 songs, you could start over with another brand. Did you download your iTunes songs off their website? You can burn those to a CD, but cannot transer them to another format/music player--it just doesn't work that way.

If you're into your music, iPods have several kinds that can go from 1 GB (about 1000 songs) to 80 GB, that hold songs, videos or movies.

Another alternative is using an XM or Sirrius type service. While it has a monthly fee, some of their units are portable and can "download" music from their stations. This is a good format for someone who likes to listen to a lot of different types of music, but doesn't have the CDs or money to purchase them.

Video pods are nice to have, but honestly I only watch them when I travel. If this describes you, you may opt to spend less money on the expensive iPod movie versions and stick with a nano.

"And, what alternatives to the Ipod do you recommend?"

iPAQ - the HP/Compaq brand of Pocket PC. These things pack astounding functionality in an iPOD-size form factor.

Mine has a GSM quad-band phone, GPS for built-in navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, hot-swappable battery, SD and Mini-SD memory slots for programs, data, music, and movies.

Some of the models being subsidized by cell phone carriers have a full keyboard and horizontal (&quot;landscape mode&quot;) screen. If you go this route, I recommend T-Mobile over Cingular for reasons of price and Customer Service. These two carriers supply the only US phones that work in Europe. Cingular charges $5.99 per month <u>or portion</u> and T-Mobile doesn't.

AP6380: What, in particular, has caused you to be disenchanted with the iPod? Is it the company or the product?

I've just had many little glitches with my Ipod over the brief 2 years or so that I have had it. I'm very computer literate, so I'm pretty sure it's not me. I used to have to reset it quite often.

I also had bought a friend of mine a Nano, and he would have many little issues with it as well. I guess I need to decide whether I want or need the option to store movies, pictures, etc. or if I just want sometthing simple.

What issues do your friend has with the nano? I have one since it came out, and have zero issues. My original 1st generation iPod does have battery problems, and sometimes require a reset. No such issue with the nano.

Why are you posting your questions on a travel site instead of one that actually has to do with hi-tech gadgets?

Because I've contributed on this site for years and know that the people here are generally helpful on many topics, not strictly travel.

Creative Zen is waaaaaaaaaay better than Ipod. It just isn't as &quot;sexy&quot;. Much better sound quality, higher quality screen, twice the battery life and much more durable. I should know: my kids have Ipods and I've had to replace them numerous times. My students continually complain about problems with their Ipods.

I've never had one single problem. It is very simple to transfer anything you might already have on CD or on your computer to the Zen. I've even &quot;borrowed&quot; son of my daughter's stuff through iTunes. It's bigger than the Ipod but fits nicely in a backpack or in the cupholder of a rental car.

The Zune will one day surpass them all, but right now it's suffering early development problems. Microsoft is acting a lot like Sony used to with their Betamax format - they won't share the technology with third party companies. You can only load stuff you bought through Microsoft's website. The Zune is supposed to have an excellent viewing screen and great sound quality, but I'm gonna wait until Microsoft sees the light and allows other methods of installing media.

&quot;The Zune will one day surpass them all.&quot; What do you know that we don't? Apple and Creative Zen have nothing new to bring to the world of portable music players?

&quot;[The Zune] is suffering early development problems.&quot; If it were an automobile, we'd call it a lemon.

Apple continues to lead in this area and I suspect they have some special little toys up their sleave. I wonder if the iPhone gives us a glimpse of what is going to become of the iPod video?

Zeus, I'm not trying to start a fight but I sense something other than quantified objectivity in your response.

iPod vs Creative review:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,11...1/article.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7-6280547-1.html

Go for the Zune since you have a bad taste in your mouth regarding iPods. I still love my 'Pod!

The OP should understand that the nano is not in the same category as the Zen or Zune.

The nano is much smaller, use flash memory (not hard drive), and the small screen is not for watching movies.

rkkwan
Thank you, I stand corrected, the latest ipods are indeed flash memory and not HDD. Now that's progress !!

Muck

The regular larger capacity iPods are HD-based and can play video, etc.

The smaller nano and shuffle are flash-memory based that are smaller with a tiny or no screen.

Mr. Shepherd - I base my opinion that Microsoft will eventually produce a superior product due to numerous reviews such as those at Cnet.com, Extremetech.com, computerworld.com, pcmagazine.com and some of the electronic geek forums I frequent. Add in the fact that Microsoft has some mighty deep pockets and senses a potential goldmine, I don't doubt that they will learn from their mistakes. Like they often do, they will probably steal a few ideas here and there then undersell Ipod's prices.

And no, I don't work for Microsoft nor do I even own stock. I simply see them as the dominant force in computer-based electronics and development. Toyota wasn't the first to come out with an SUV, but they borrowed from everyone else and now dominate the market.

My friend had to reset his Nano a lot, and when he would update it at another computer besides his main one, his music would disappear. The only music that would be left is, for ex., what was on the currnt computer he was using. Maybe that's normal or there is something that he didn't get about itunes.

I just want something that lasts longer than 2 years! But I do need to decide on a relatively simple one like a Nano or a more complex one like the Creative Zen M. Thanks everyone!

Please do not take this the wrong way... it's a Mini. 2 years old. means one of the first versions.

You bought a first generation luxury car without any of the luxury items...

Get the real thing, a real iPod with all the bells and whistles. I have an iPod, a friend has the mini and same thing., She has problems, hates it, borrows my iPod. That thing has more frequent flyer miles than I do!

But if hell-bent against it, for reasons you have not clarified, you can burn the songs to CD and convert them.

Than post here in a month about the problems you have with the new mp3 flavore of the month.

Wow... Didnt realize I was such an iPod zealot until I wrote this!!

<b>Whatever You Buy, It Will Be Obsolete Long Before It Wears Out.</b>

Buy the cheapest thing that does the job.

Is the above an odd form of advertising???

For travel, I'd get (ok, got) an iPod Shuffle, the tiny little one with no screen. Long battery life, weighs nothing, fits everywhere, carries enough songs for all but the really long flights, and costs about $80. Why carry something bulky when you travel?

Zues: Sorry if I sounded a little belligerant in my last post. I'm really pretty easy going. I agree that Microsoft's muscle is substantial and it may help them compete with the iPod.

I own three iPods and two Mac computers so you probably know where my loyalties lie. However, when I heard about the Zune I thought that it was bound to be good for iPod fans because, after all, competition is good for the consumer.

I think what could hurt the Zune is that it will become the MSWord of music players. Which is to say, that MS will try to make it do too much. The strenth of the iPod for the last several years is that it has done one thing very well and has done it very elegantly - it plays music.

AP6380: Sorry your mini doesn't work. (It is kind of old.) I have never had any problems with my iPods but I do tend to sell them after a year or so.

My suggestion is that you get an iPod Nano. I have an 8 gig Nano but I think you would be very happy with less storage. I have a Shuffle, a Nano and an 80 gig iPod Video. I use the Nano 90% of the time.

&quot;Why carry something bulky when you travel?&quot;

Point taken. But why carry that extra piece at all, when a PDA will do everything that an iPOD will (except store ridiculous amounts of sound and pictures)?

Robespierre: The Nano is much less bulky than my Palm. And a whole lot more user friendly for playing music. My Palm works much better than my iPod for accessing my calendar and contacts.

Frankly if you told me I could take either an iPod or a PDA with me on my travels, I'd take the iPod. (And my Nuvi 370 - which also plays music, incidentally.)

Er, that's not either this or that. It's either this or these two things (the second of which is bulkier than a PDA, incidentally).

Sounds like rampant self-delusion to me. I carry <u>one</u> piece that does my PDA tasks, keeps my books and travel guides, plays my music, stores my pictures, shows my movies, and pinpoints my location on a moving map display. Oh - and it's a quad-band GSM phone, too. And a WiFi internet terminal.

&lt;&lt;But why carry that extra piece at all, when a PDA will do everything that an iPOD will (except store ridiculous amounts of sound and pictures)?&gt;&gt;

Because we're MAC people?

Oh, what an excellent reason!

I notice that Jobs is finally catching up to 1999 technology with the iPHONE.

&lt;&lt;Oh, what an excellent reason!

I notice that Jobs is finally catching up to 1999 technology with the iPHONE.&gt;&gt;

Don't get so touchy. It wasn't meant to rile anyone. But, I am a MAC person, do NOT understand Windows at all and quite frankly have no desire to make the transition.

I am neither a MAC person nor a Windows person. They are two operating systems of about twenty in which I am fluent.

They are all marketed differently.

Impressive, Robespierre!

We should get back to talking about travel.

Question for Robespierre re the iPaQ PDA:

I have been looking for a device that does &quot;everything for me everywhere&quot; and it sounds like you have a good solution.

I have noted some of your posts elsewhere about phones that work both in the States and Europe/elsewhere..ie you have said to just get an unlocked quadphone and buy either local sim cards, or a Lux or German or UK Pan Europe sim card to get reasonable calling rates, and free incoming.

Can you play the simcard game with the iPAQ?

Also, can you store 550 Meg or 1 Gig of photos on the PDA if you take a lot of travel pictures, and want to download from your chip each day?

How much of total storage do you allocate for music, and how much do you keep for email atachs and pictures etc.?

How expensive is the monthly fee with T mobile? I spend a lot of time in both US and Europe, and don't want to pay double monthly fees?

And T mobile is a pretty good european hotspot vendor. Have you used skype instead of cell when you have wifi access?

I think communication is a big travel need, so I don't feel bad learning a little more about this on a travel forum. Sorry to those who think it may be out of place on Fodors...for me the info will be useful for my travels.

best, rouss

So, I should be able to upload the songs that I burn from itunes on cd to a new program? Whatever program that I can use with the Creative Zen?

iPAQ answers

Can you play the simcard game with the iPAQ? <b>Absolutely.</b>

Also, can you store 550 Meg or 1 Gig of photos on the PDA if you take a lot of travel pictures, and want to download from your chip each day? <b>I could, but I don't. I just download XD cards to a laptop.</b>

How much of total storage do you allocate for music, and how much do you keep for email atachs and pictures etc.? <b>I have several SD music chips, several picture chips, and several movie chips with 512mb or 1gb on each. The iPAQ only has 56mb user RAM, which I keep as free as possible for program execution.</b>

How expensive is the monthly fee with T mobile? <b>Zero. Airtime is 99&cent;/min.</b> I spend a lot of time in both US and Europe, and don't want to pay double monthly fees? <b>But if you use T-Zones ($5.99) for messaging or WAP browsing, it doesn't use airtime.</b>

And T mobile is a pretty good european hotspot vendor. Have you used skype instead of cell when you have wifi access? <b>Yes. But the WiFi link speed degrades sometimes, breaking up the phone connection. Next time, I'm going to try Yahoo to see if it's more tolerant (it's all in the buffering, methinks).</b>

&lt;&lt;So, I should be able to upload the songs that I burn from itunes on cd to a new program? Whatever program that I can use with the Creative Zen?&gt;&gt;

You cannot use music downloaded from iTunes on asnything other than an iPod. You can take music from CDs etc and bring them into iTunes.

So what do think of this toy. Total waste of money or someting worth the 99&euro;. 6GB harddisk sounds good, but I fear this is rather old. I got about 15000 songs I have (legally!!) downloaded from pay radio. So what about the H10? I does include Sennheiser earphones. Well I made a reservation...

http://www.norma-online.de/angebote/...dex_16478.html

So being that I don't want to lose my itunes library, I may have to go with an ipod. Are there any other providers that I can use to download tv show &amp; movies into the ipod besides itunes?

Another question- Zeus stated &quot;I've even &quot;borrowed&quot; son of my daughter's stuff through iTunes.&quot; So you can use your music from itunes in other mp3's?

&quot;My friend had to reset his Nano a lot, and when he would update it at another computer besides his main one, his music would disappear. The only music that would be left is, for ex., what was on the currnt computer he was using. Maybe that's normal or there is something that he didn't get about itunes.&quot;

That is the way it's designed to work. As a concession to the record companies, Apple makes it hard for people to take songs from one computer and copy them to another computer using the iPod.

So when you hook up the iPod to someone else's computer, it will delete the songs on your iPod that isn't on the second computer.

So you would have to take it back to the original computer to copy it back. Note that it would copy whatever songs on the second computer to the iPod.

But you can get around this by setting the iPod to update manually instead of automatically. That way, it won't attempt to &quot;sync&quot; with whichever computer it's connected to.

Also, if you do want to transfer songs via the iPod to a computer, you can download software which will let you do that. Check ilounge.com.

Most of the other brands of players don't have as nice software as iTunes. The Sony players use software which is widely hated.

The Creative and iRivers can use Windows Media Player. But note that when Microsoft finally decided to bring out their own branded players (although they've been competing with iPod for years by providing reference designs and software to other companies), they made their own software, which only works with the Zune players.

So before considering other players, check out their software and see if you like it.

There are other good players and typically get good reviews from places like CNet, which have been critical of iPods for years for not having things like FM Radio. But these players are thicker, bigger and heavier than iPods, if that makes a difference to you.

I put my Nano on a lanyard because it's light enough. Also worry about it slipping out of a coat pocket.

iTunes only work with iPods, and not other MP3 players.

However, you can convert all your non-encrypted music files (i.e. not those you buy at the iTunes Store) and export them to simple MP3. Save it outside your iTunes Library, and then import them into the software for the other players.