Another iPod question

fifly

I've been looking into buy a iPod (possibly nano). Anyway, with regard to memory type whats the difference between the different types? Some say Flash memory only and some say hard drive only!

And is it possible to save certain music in a different file and play only that music i.e. for the gym I want to listen to dance music buy don't want ot listen to it any other time and while in the gym I obviously can't be messing around with an iPod while running!

JC 2K3

Firstly, don't get an iPod, there are better alternatives available.

Secondly, don't worry about what memory type is best, just focus on the memory size you want(FYI flash is only used in smaller memory sizes, up to 4GB AFAIK, anything over that is HD). Considering you said "possibly a nano" I'm guessing you won't want anything over 4GB.

And thirdly, yes. Arranging music into playlists is possiblt on all modern players.

Bard

iPod Nano's are available up to 8GB capacity and use Flash RAM.

JC 2K3

8GB? Didn't know that. Would they not be kinda slow?

Jip

JC 2K3 wrote:

8GB? Didn't know that. Would they not be kinda slow?

After a question like that I hope th OP doesn't take any advice you give on board !

billius

Jip wrote:

After a question like that I hope th OP doesn't take any advice you give on board !

AHAHAHAH!! Like it! Yeah my Nano is dead slow!! :rolleyes:

I'd go for a Nano with a Nike Armband...great for the gym!!

Bard

JC 2K3 wrote:

8GB? Didn't know that. Would they not be kinda slow?

Notice the "Flash RAM" part?

NO. They wouldn't be "kinda slow".

JC 2K3

Forgive me for being wrong, but I thought flash memory had a slower access time than HDs, and that that was the reason players with larger memories used HDs.

Creamy Goodness

JC 2K3 wrote:

Forgive me for being wrong, but I thought flash memory had a slower access time than HDs, and that that was the reason players with larger memories used HDs.

nope, flash is way faster than hard drives as there isn't any moving parts in flash memory whereas hard drives have a needle and platters to move about.

the only reason hard drives are used for higher capacities is because flash drives become insanely expensive > 8gigs.

flash in theory should be better at utilising battery consumption aswell.

JC 2K3

Hmm... wonder where I read that misinformation then....

In any case, back on topic.

eamon234

JC 2K3 wrote:

Firstly, don't get an iPod, there are better alternatives available.

There are a few million people who would disagree with you. The iPod works first and foremost because it's easy to use I've seen most of the alternatives (including Creative) and for a first timer it's the best what exactly do you mean by better? They don't sound any better they all do the same thing ie play music and/or video so what it boils down to is size and build quality and once again the iPod does it for me.

Creamy Goodness

eamon234 wrote:

There are a few million people who would disagree with you. The iPod works first and foremost because it's easy to use I've seen most of the alternatives (including Creative) and for a first timer it's the best what exactly do you mean by better? They don't sound any better they all do the same thing ie play music and/or video so what it boils down to is size and build quality and once again the iPod does it for me.

not to turn this into an argument but just cause a "few million" disagree with him doesn't make his point invalid.

yes the ipod works, no biggy there.
easy to use? well that's a matter of opinon to be honestly honest anytime i use a mates ipod or set one up for a clueless technophobe i pull hair out especially at itunes. why can't i just drag and drop music files to the external drive and that's that. no instead i've got to import them then import them to the ipod which then in turns sticks them on the ipod in a hidden folder and ****s up all the file names.
on the topic that other players don't sound any better, again that's totally opinon based.

an iriver/iaudio based player with non .05c headphones will sound better. also other things come into such as the person's hearing abilities - some people are just better at hearing higher frequencies than others - and also the bitrate of the said audio file will be a major factor.

so if you don't mind about being limited to certain audio file types and have average hearing and want to be a sheep, get an ipod.

fifly

I said possibly a nano because I will only use it for music not for video. The more menory the better I guess. Thanks for the advise.

Would you advise buying form eBay? The budget is tight!

Bard

How tight is your budget?

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=325803 - iPod Nano 8GB - €229

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=328531 - Creative Zen V Plus 8GB - €227

Between those two, the Zen seems the better player - it plays video (the iPod Nano doesn't), has a built-in recordable radio & microphone, and is €2 cheaper. \o/

Jip

Cremo wrote:

why can't i just drag and drop music files to the external drive and that's that. no instead i've got to import them then import them to the ipod which then in turns sticks them on the ipod in a hidden folder and ****s up all the file names.

Why don't you just drag and drop in iTunes, it's probably quicker than doing it in explorer. Sounds like you're not too sure how to use iTunes.

ZENER

Cremo wrote:

easy to use? well that's a matter of opinon to be honestly honest anytime i use a mates ipod or set one up for a clueless technophobe i pull hair out especially at itunes. why can't i just drag and drop music files to the external drive and that's that. no instead i've got to import them then import them to the ipod which then in turns sticks them on the ipod in a hidden folder and ****s up all the file names.

Clueless technophobes account for probably 99% of consumers ! iTunes is simple to use in comparison to MediaPlayer and Sonic Stage and pretty much any other similar app I've tried. Creatives offering IMO is dismal and not user friendly at all. You import your music from CDs using iTunes then you sync your ipod to copy that music over - how simple do you want ? If you have music you've acquired from other sources just drag it into the iTunes library window.

The ipod is primarily a music player not a portable hard disk (although it offers this functionality as well) this it does extremely well without confusing the user with too many options. Many drag and drop type players are portable hard disks that have a music player app thrown in for good measure.

It should also be noted that copying music from one ipod to another computer is ILLEGAL hence the reason Apple and many other players do not make it easy to do. If you insist though there are plenty of apps that will look after it for you like senuti (google it).

Discussing audio quality when talking about .mp3 files is just daft IMO. Sound quality can be improved slightly by buying better head/ear-phones, as many 'phones included with players are pretty poor, Apples are by no means the worst I've heard, if you want pain try Philips' offerings !! HiFi they are not.

As a regular gym goer myself I use the light and simple iPod Shuffle 1GB, set to shuffle. Hard disk based player are a no-no in gyms or when running - I learned this the hard way. The Flash based players win hands down in this type of environment.

Another option for the OP is a mobile phone with stereo bluetooth headphones, no wires ! Motorola, nokia and Sony Ericsson all have offerings. It's called A2DP.

ZEN

JC 2K3

ZENER wrote:

Clueless technophobes account for probably 99% of consumers ! iTunes is simple to use in comparison to MediaPlayer and Sonic Stage and pretty much any other similar app I've tried. Creatives offering IMO is dismal and not user friendly at all. You import your music from CDs using iTunes then you sync your ipod to copy that music over - how simple do you want ? If you have music you've acquired from other sources just drag it into the iTunes library window.

How is any simpler than syncing in say Media Player?

ZENER wrote:

Many drag and drop type players are portable hard disks that have a music player app thrown in for good measure.

Explain this, cos I haven't a clue what you're on about.

ZENER wrote:

It should also be noted that copying music from one ipod to another computer is ILLEGAL

How?

ZENER

I've used WMP with a creative zen player, it worked ok but the whole front end looks confusing, it was difficult at times to see what exactly was being copied over to the player. I found playlists awkward to construct, again because of the - IMO - poor front end.

Explain this, cos I haven't a clue what you're on about.

It wasn't aimed at you because you obviously know more about mp3 players than me.

Unless you've just landed here from Jupiter you would surely be aware that copying material you have no permission to use is illegal. You may recall talk of Digital Right Management which is being applied to all downloads (iTunes etc.) Also take time to read on any CD case the rules which apply to the copying and distribution of the material contained in it. Now I'm not stupid enough to believe that everyone obeys the law in this regard, but I also have enough sense to realise that Apple, Microsoft or any other distributor is not going to make it easy for me to break the law by copying music from a Zune or iPod to another computer. Surely you realise this !

ZEN

JC 2K3

ZENER wrote:

Unless you've just landed here from Jupiter you would surely be aware that copying material you have no permission to use is illegal. You may recall talk of Digital Right Management which is being applied to all downloads (iTunes etc.) Also take time to read on any CD case the rules which apply to the copying and distribution of the material contained in it. Now I'm not stupid enough to believe that everyone obeys the law in this regard, but I also have enough sense to realise that Apple, Microsoft or any other distributor is not going to make it easy for me to break the law by copying music from a Zune or iPod to another computer. Surely you realise this !

Who says I'd want to play exclusively copyrighted music on my iPod?

Apple are denying functionality(or at least making this hard to do) due to the fact that someone could break the law if it were easy to do. And it's pointless considering they let you import music from Limewire into iTunes.

ZENER

This thread is going way off topic now but to answer your question.

Apple have not denied functionality. They NEVER claimed you could use the iPod to share your music with others, in fact the terms and conditions expressly prohibit the use of the iPod in this way.

As for your second point all music is subject to some form of copyright unless previously announced. Limewire enable a form of sharing of the music folder so that iTunes can see it but it's not possible to copy the songs across in this way. The Shared folder iTunes creates can indeed be added to iTunes as a playlist and the music copied to the iPod from the folder but that doesn't mean it's legal to do so.

I think this thread has served it's purpose now and has just become a slagging match for pro and anti Apple people.

ZEN