IPOD Virgin

Musha

My son has just told me that he wants and Ipod Touch from Santa.

Questions:
What makes the Ipod different from other MP3/4 Players?

Are there restrictions on downloading from ITunes?

Can he upload his current music selection from the PC?

There is a lot about reliablity/Broken/Batteries what is the expected lifespan?

Are there ongoing costs to d/l from Itunes etc

What format movies can he upload? (mp4, avi etc)

Thanks to anyone that can help

J-blk

Musha wrote: »

What makes the Ipod different from other MP3/4 Players?

Not that much at the end of the day. It has excellent integration with iTunes which helped set it apart and it is quite user friendly. The Touch in particular has the best mobile web browser of any device I've ever used and overall has a great and fluid interface.

Musha wrote: »

Are there restrictions on downloading from ITunes?

What do you mean exactly? There are certain things that are not available in the Irish store, most notably Movies and TV Shows.

Musha wrote: »

Can he upload his current music selection from the PC?

Yes. However, if his music is in WMA, essentially a Microsoft format, then it needs to be converted. The iPod will play AAC and MP3 tracks. Converting his own CDs to MP3 is the best option compatibility-wise, though AAC has smaller file sizes at the same quality.

Musha wrote: »

There is a lot about reliablity/Broken/Batteries what is the expected lifespan?

The warranty only lasts a year, so after that you're on your own, unless if you have some kind of insurance. For what it's worth, I have had an iPod Nano 2G, a 5.5G iPod Video, an iPhone and an iPhone 3G and none of them have had any issues so far, with the Nano now being well over two years old. Your mileage may vary though and as with all electronic devices, people get duds from time to time.

Musha wrote: »

Are there ongoing costs to d/l from Itunes etc

Well yes, not much content is available for free on iTunes. Most tracks cost 99c per track, €9.99 per album. TV and Movies are more expensive but as I said above, not available on the Irish store.

Musha wrote: »

What format movies can he upload? (mp4, avi etc)p

MPEG-4 (.mp4). There are plenty of freely available programs for Windows and Mac OS X to convert from most other formats and/or DVDs.

Musha

Thanks J-blk,

I think we will start of with the cheapest model, he can upgrade in a few years himself, when Santa no longer visits him (he's 10)
We have a few MP3 players lying around the house that he uses small ones 1 gb but none of them true ipods. (although the one I use as a flash drive would probaly be branded as a Ipad, Iped :P Very close in looks to the old shuffel in was a chinese import)

Anyway I will be broke this christmas again

Energizeer

All I ever got from Santa was a NES and an orange. It wasn't even a SNES, I wanted a playstation... Although duck hunt was some game

Musha

I still give my 2 boys an orange and apple in their stocking with some sweets, The look on their face when they get the orange you would think they had never seen one before but then again it is from Santa

Same two guys would nearly wet themselves if they where given a can of coke. Just keeping the fizzys of limits makes it a big treat



Apologies for going of topic

J-blk

Musha wrote: »

he's 10

Well, I'm not a father myself but I wouldn't get an iPod Touch for a 10 year-old. It is pretty expensive and essentially all screen - easier to break than most other iPods if dropped (you can still use a Nano and others if the case is slightly cracked, but if the screen on the Touch breaks, that's it...). Maybe a Nano would be a better fit, as it is far more likely to last but even those are pricey enough (they start at €139).

Another thing with the Touch for a younger child is the browser - a kid could access just about anything on it and filtering out unsuitable content is more difficult for a parent to impose than it is on a full-blown PC/Mac.

Musha

He is pretty good with stuff, He has a DS, Wii and PC all with internet so the content is not much of an issue as we have had "the talk" and he is only intrested in Pokémon Battles.
I will just have to tell him to be extra special with the iTouch.
BTW Baby brother (5) wants a red shuffle

€270 approx for both on the Apple site


At least the iTouch comes with earphones, It was a set of drums last year:(

pleasant Co.

Just want to hammer home J-blk's point, the touch has a glass screen, so if your son does drop it it's very likely it will break. The touch is a great device otherwise though.