iPod Mini

[jensked]

I want to buy an MP3 player for a while...

Does anybody have an iPod Mini? 4gigabyte for about 200 euros.

Or should I go for the Shuffle? Or another brand?

[jasonchiu]

shuffle is a POS stay away at all costs like a proton car.

best deal is the 60G photo. go for that if u want a good deal

[swek]

The headphones you get with them are so crappy, it's beyond bad. So if you're going to buy one include the costs for a decent pair in your calculation.

[jensked]

I do have some high quality Sennheiser/philips/Sony headphones anyways

[jasonchiu]

u can always get new ones with the warrenty. o btw if u want, u can buy a second hand one and go to the warrenty place, say the battery last 2 hrs and they'll giveu a new one.

it works coz i;ve had 6 and 4 pairs of head phones and andrew hui has had 4 and 4 pairs of headphones lol.

[jensked]

thanks, but headphones is not really the issue...i wanna know if the player's any good...usable, good battery

[swek]

Originally Posted by jasonchiu

u can always get new ones with the warrenty. o btw if u want, u can buy a second hand one and go to the warrenty place, say the battery last 2 hrs and they'll giveu a new one.

Oh, that would be nice. My headphones are long gone. Dou you get the via the website or do you have to ask at the place where you bought them ?

edit: Here's what I think about the iPod mini (I own one). It's very convienient to use and well designed. The case is very solid no cheap plastics used. The battery lasts +8 hours which makes it usable for about five days till I have to recharge. iTunes is simple to use but binds your player to one database. So you can't get mp3's from other people's library without a hassle.

Over the time my iPod developed some gremlins, but nothing major.

[evoWALO]

jen just buy the largest capacity ipod you want to spend on or the smallest one you want. either way ipods are good products that're too popular for its own good.

[andyhui01]

swek... just call up Apple and ask for the Address of the Local Apple care or warranty centre... then just go up to the place and say you have problems with your iPod... they'll replace yours with a new one

[Overheat]

I wouldn't bother with the iPod mini tbh. The Rio Carbon is a lot better imo:


http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/71601/rio-carbon-5gb.html


If you want something bigger, go for a Creative Zen Touch:


http://www.creative.com/products/pro...4&nav=artwork#


or if you want something smaller, go for a Monolith Slide:


http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/...a&filter_id=54

[sandor_]

if you can find a first or second generation ipod on evilbay, i think these were the 5 10 and 15 GB versions, there are now 3rd party batteries you can install that will give you about 20-22 hours of battery life. pretty decent and they only run about $30-35.

i installed a new battery into my 5 GB ipod and gave it to my wife's grandmother, so now she listens to the infamous Rat Pack every other day when she is at dialysis. she loves it, and the battery lasts about 18 hours or so. Cost: $20 on sale, took 10 minute to install.

i have to say, the beating that 5 GB ipod has taken says a lot about the overall quality-it is now over 3 years old, has probably played five thousand hours of music, has been dropped, eaten by a dog (but not swallowed), cooked (@ 115 F to dry water from --->), left outside in a downpour, and for the past 8 months been used almost daily by a 90 year old clumsy old techno phobe, who has actually had no problem using it with her arthritis.



not trying to sway you anyway, but i have been happy with the iPods i have owned. Currently i have a 15 GB 3rd generation that i got for $79 when my wife got a Powerbook through some deal Apple had going...

YMMV

[justin syder]

I have a Creative Zen Touch and it is great. 40gig HD and Im only at 31 free space left. Currently downloading more music as I have room for songs that are even remotely interesting. It is great at finding a song, by genre or artist or album or track title. You can listen to a genre of music or an album like you would on a cd player or songs by artist. Great organization. Great battery life, up to 24hrs straight, I havent tested that but the battery life is long, I recharge every 3-5 days depending on useage. I like the fact that I can make a playlist on the go or save it and listen to it later. Sound is great and Its MUCH cheaper than a dumb Ipod and supports all formats minus the Itunes bullshit. WMA, WAV, MP3 etc etc.



I bought mine in Feb at $275 for 40 gig, Ipods are like twice that for the same HD space. Go with a Zen Touch or another one I would recommend would be Rios mp3 players, they are also good.

[hokiethang]

Originally Posted by justin syder

I have a Creative Zen Touch and it is great. 40gig HD and Im only at 31 free space left. Currently downloading more music as I have room for songs that are even remotely interesting. It is great at finding a song, by genre or artist or album or track title. You can listen to a genre of music or an album like you would on a cd player or songs by artist. Great organization. Great battery life, up to 24hrs straight, I havent tested that but the battery life is long, I recharge every 3-5 days depending on useage. I like the fact that I can make a playlist on the go or save it and listen to it later. Sound is great and Its MUCH cheaper than a dumb Ipod and supports all formats minus the Itunes bullshit. WMA, WAV, MP3 etc etc.

I bought mine in Feb at $275 for 40 gig, Ipods are like twice that for the same HD space. Go with a Zen Touch or another one I would recommend would be Rios mp3 players, they are also good.

My problem is that its a creative device. Windows based MP3 devices are all the same neutered devices, and more specifically, creative has been going downhill since they made the Soundblaster 16. There is a reason that people who work for Microsoft, in the portable media division nonetheless, own iPods as opposed to WMA capable devices.

I firmly believe you get what you pay for. I personally own a 3rd Generation 15GB iPod and love it, and I don't mind not being able to use WMA, because nothing I use requires me to use WMA. My iPod has been abused quite a lot as well, and minus a few scratches, still works the same as the day I pulled it out of the package. I doubt any creative, rio, or other WMA based device, would have stood the punishment that my iPod has received.

[///M]

You can not beat the iPod's interface. The ease of use is what makes it so great. If you don't need to listen to the radio and you don't care about WMA support, go for an iPod. Creative is another good choice, I was about to go for one but decided to get the mini instead. Haven't regretted that decision.

The headphones you get with an iPod are garbage, though. The battery will eventually die out, but it's easy to by one and install it yourself. Another thing that makes iPods great are the amount of accessories out there. No handheld on the market has such a wide selection of add-ons.

[jensked]

OK

I'll see what I can do this week and next week: I'm trying to save some money by eating cheap stuff for two weeks...my girlfriend will be gone next week, so that should save me some money

[Viggen]

I have both a 512MB shuffle and a 3G 15GB iPod. Say whatever you want, but when it comes to sound quality, the shuffle owns my bigger iPod. I can't remember, but it's something to do with a newer chip technology that is more efficient (less battery power) and at the same time improve the sound quality. I hope this makes it to the forthcoming 5G iPods this summer/fall. Ignoring the trendiness aspect of it (even I get annoyed with the media hoopla over the iPod), they are still solid-built players.

LCD is arguable. I thought it was pretty stupid at first not to have one, but now I don't mind it at all. I'm familiar with my music collection and it is one less thing to break. It depends on your priorities.

Creative Zen Touch and Micro. Personally I think the sound quality is better than the iPod and the menus are about as easy to navigate, if not better. However, I can never get use to the vertical touch pad, way too sensitive even on the lowest setting, and the Zen Touch is a little bulky and heavy. I think the iPod got the Zens beat when it comes to navigation.

I'd rank the iRiver H10 ahead of the Creative Zens if you're looking for an iPod alternative. About the same features as the Zens, plus color screen and much nicer looking.

And get some high-quality headphones. Sennheiser, Grado, AKG, Beyerdynamic, and maybe a couple of Sony's high-end models are the ones you want to look at.

[hokiethang]

Originally Posted by Viggen

And get some high-quality headphones. Sennheiser, Grado, AKG, Beyerdynamic, and maybe a couple of Sony's high-end models are the ones you want to look at.

Good point actually, if you want headphones. If you want earbuds, I have heard good things about the Shure E2Cs and the Etymotic ER6(i)s. The only downside is that they are pretty expensive earbuds ($50USD - $150USD), but they are very good earbuds, much better than comes with most devices.

[Viggen]

The Sony MDR-EX-71SL earbuds (USD $49.99) are pretty decent at its pricepoint if you don't want to shell-out $100+. Personally, I don't really like earbuds.

And whatever you do, do not buy the Bose TriPorts. Overpriced, overrated, and fragile peices of crap.

[Overheat]

Originally Posted by Viggen

I'd rank the iRiver H10 ahead of the Creative Zens if you're looking for an iPod alternative. About the same features as the Zens, plus color screen and much nicer looking.

agreed - the H10 is an excellent bit of kit and I'm currently struggling myself whether or not to buy this or the Creative Zen Touch. Currently the Touch is just winning simply because I don't want to fork out extra for things like photo mode and a colour screen that I'll never really make any use of. The direct MP3 encoding on the other hand, along with the FM radio are very tempting features.

[jasonchiu]

there is a new sony one where the monitor spins when u rotate it. its also got like 20g storage and hold mroe than a ipod when u use the sony compression file thingy.

btw, if u want to save the most moeny, my idea is to buy a ipod on ebay or some auction site, a 2nd hand one, and then go to the service center and say the battery is faulty and act like u know nothing bout electronics. thats what i do