iPod and its alternatives

[AT100]

Hello, I've been reading up on the new G4 iPods and with the new prices I'm considering the iPod over the iRiver. I'm going to be living in a dorm soon and since space will be severly restricted (3 people live in a space meant for 2) I'm going to have to drop my entire CD collection. I'm considering the iPod, iRiver, and the other available alternatives. 20GB should be good enough for me. Here's the factors I'm considering:

Sound Quality (I listen to a lot of indie/british stuff: Radiohead, Ted Leo, Morrissey, Cure, Clash)

The FM tuner is essentially useless to me, I visited the campus recently and did not find any radio stations I like

The sound recorder is alluring if it is above the quality of the 20 dollar tape recorders.

Also I noticed the 20GB iPod does not come with the dock, can one still play music through speakers without it? I'd like to use it as an alarm too.

The remote and carrying case don't really matter that much to me since I probably won't be walking with it as that I'm clumsy enough as it is without stuff in my ears.

Also, the anandtech review suggested the in ear headphones, are they that drastic of an improvement? On student discount I can get the 20GB for 270 and 35 for the headphones.

Thanks for any help.



I did post this in the other forum but I think it was the wrong one so I'm reposting it here if you don't mind.

 

[PhoenixOrion]

30GB Nomad Zen. $100 less than iPod equivalent.

 

[addragyn]

And it should be! It's almot 50% MORE, volumetrically and in weight.

 

[Zebo]

Nothing is built with the quality of IPOD. Go handle one..you'll see it just bleeds quality and usuability compared to it's cheap imitations.

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

Originally posted by: AT100
Sound Quality (I listen to a lot of indie/british stuff: Radiohead, Ted Leo, Morrissey, Cure, Clash)

...
The sound recorder is alluring if it is above the quality of the 20 dollar tape recorders.

Also I noticed the 20GB iPod does not come with the dock, can one still play music through speakers without it? I'd like to use it as an alarm too.
...
Also, the anandtech review suggested the in ear headphones, are they that drastic of an improvement? On student discount I can get the 20GB for 270 and 35 for the headphones.

- Sound Q: Lotsa rock music in that list; I'd say you'll have no probs with the iPod.
- Recorder: You'll need to buy an add-on accessory for that. Can't testify as to its sound quality.
- Dock: Without the dock, you can still plug the speakers into the earphone jack.
- In-ears: If you mean a regular earbud type, I cannot say it'll necessarily beat a quality pair of headphones; for me the winning edge is that it's easier to stash away.

 

[Czar]

Check out the dell digital jukebox as well, I'm thinking about getting one of those, comes with a recorder as well

 

[Illissius]

I'll copy a post I made in a previous thread:

Candidates:

- Apple iPod 20/40GB
- iRiver iHP-120/140
- Rio Karma 20GB

Pros/cons of each:

iPod:
+ Best UI
+ Most popular
+ Arguably looks the best
+ Supports AAC including DRM
- mediocre battery life (~6hrs)
- $100 more expensive than the other two

iHP-120:
+ Analog/digital in/out
+ FM tuner
+ voice recording
+ Looks better than the iPod if you prefer black to white, though not as good as a black iPod
+ works as USB mass storage (this is the biggest reason I'm getting one myself)
+ Comes with a fully functional remote, complete with LCD - everything you can do with the main unit, you can with the remote (and this is second)
+ Supports Ogg Vorbis and WMA sans DRM
+ Good battery life (~16hrs)
+ Better sound than the iPod (according to IGN Gear, anyways)
- No on the fly playlisting, though they're promising it in a firmware upgrade (this is the *sole* reason I would get a different player, otherwise it's nigh-perfect)

Karma:
+ Powerful on-the-fly playlisting
+ Ethernet connection
+ Supports Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, and WMA including DRM
+ Good battery life (~15hrs)
-+ Less flashy, but possibly more practical - it's thick rather than tall
- Reliability issues - the hard drive tends to die

I'll let you make your own evaluation. Useful resources while researching are misticriver.net for iRiver stuff, riovolution.com for Rio stuff, and the rest of the intarweb for iPod stuff.

That was with the 3G iPod. Now that it's cheaper and has longer battery life, the two minuses are just about nil - though I would wait for some reviews to see if the battery life claim is actually true, because afaik, they didn't change the battery just the firmware. Also, the new firmware for the iRiver (adding OTF playlists, gapless, DRM support (I think), and other stuff) is supposed to be out sometime July-August, but judging by iRiver's reputation with firmware releases, I'll believe it when I see it.
If you don't care about the remote, FM, and various other things the iRiver has, then I don't think you can go wrong with an iPod.

 

[spherrod]

I'd have to go for the iPod having used one daily for the last two years, not had a single issue (although I'm aware of the battery issues that have affected lots of users) - I find it, and iTunes very intuitive and flexible

 

[WackyDan]

iRiver. I love mine. I use it as a voice recorder and to record meetings/presentations,... the voice recorder quality is first class.

I'll put it neck and neck with an iPod in every way, and it's a bit more feature rich. Built solid, long battery life and CHEAPER then the iPOd.

 

[dsparks]

iPod. I have had my 2G 20GB for 18 mos. now and I have had NO issues with battery life or usability.

It just works, not to mention alarms, calendars, etc... I play it at work with headphones, in my car, mowing grass and biking. In short it sees a lot of use!

If this one is stolen, smashed or worse I will gladly buy a replacement!

I have used a creative Zen and it doesn't even compare on quality or usability!

my .02

 

[LethalWolfe]

Don't forget about iTunes and the iTunes Music Store. iPod only.

Illissius,
I also think the elimnation of the touch sensitive buttons helped boost batt life as well.


Lethal

 

[AT100]

Thanks for the help guys. Ming: I was thinking about the apple in ear headphones since my ears tend to be sensitive and I wear glasses. The ones that fit over the top of my head are alluring but I usually spike it which could mean a greasy top band.
When should the G4s be instores? I set up an order from apple and they say it ships in 2-3 days.
I'll look up the IGN review and can I try out an iRiver, iPod and Rio side by side in a compUSA? The nearest one is 30 minutes out and apple stores are a solid 45.
Oh and yeah I'm currently on iTunes, I love it, reminds me of the Real Jukebox days.

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: Illissius
I'll copy a post I made in a previous thread:

Candidates:

- Apple iPod 20/40GB
- iRiver iHP-120/140
- Rio Karma 20GB

Pros/cons of each:

iPod:
+ Best UI
+ Most popular
+ Arguably looks the best
+ Supports AAC including DRM
- mediocre battery life (~6hrs)
- $100 more expensive than the other two

iHP-120:
+ Analog/digital in/out
+ FM tuner
+ voice recording
+ Looks better than the iPod if you prefer black to white, though not as good as a black iPod
+ works as USB mass storage (this is the biggest reason I'm getting one myself)
+ Comes with a fully functional remote, complete with LCD - everything you can do with the main unit, you can with the remote (and this is second)
+ Supports Ogg Vorbis and WMA sans DRM
+ Good battery life (~16hrs)
+ Better sound than the iPod (according to IGN Gear, anyways)
- No on the fly playlisting, though they're promising it in a firmware upgrade (this is the *sole* reason I would get a different player, otherwise it's nigh-perfect)

Karma:
+ Powerful on-the-fly playlisting
+ Ethernet connection
+ Supports Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, and WMA including DRM
+ Good battery life (~15hrs)
-+ Less flashy, but possibly more practical - it's thick rather than tall
- Reliability issues - the hard drive tends to die

I'll let you make your own evaluation. Useful resources while researching are misticriver.net for iRiver stuff, riovolution.com for Rio stuff, and the rest of the intarweb for iPod stuff.

That was with the 3G iPod. Now that it's cheaper and has longer battery life, the two minuses are just about nil - though I would wait for some reviews to see if the battery life claim is actually true, because afaik, they didn't change the battery just the firmware. Also, the new firmware for the iRiver (adding OTF playlists, gapless, DRM support (I think), and other stuff) is supposed to be out sometime July-August, but judging by iRiver's reputation with firmware releases, I'll believe it when I see it.
If you don't care about the remote, FM, and various other things the iRiver has, then I don't think you can go wrong with an iPod.

Nothing personal but you really should fix that quote before you start posting it everywhere. Here are the errors in my opinion:

-you point out that the iHP-120 can play FLAC, but you neglect to say that the iPod can play Apple Lossless (essentially the same as FLAC)

-you list the iPod's battery life at 6 hours when in reality it is 8 hours

-you neglect to mention that the iPod can act as a mass storage device just like the iHP-120 can

-you say that the price delta is $100, when in reality any student will get a discount through Apple and will only pay $50 more for an iPod, if that

-you neglect to mention that the iPod is thinner and (possibly) lighter than any of the other players you have mentionned

I would suggest promptly altering your list to reflect this, and take it a step further to incorporate the features of the 4G iPod.

 

[AT100]

edit: sorry I think I misread the post. I think I'll be trying out the iPod this weekend, does anyone know how long it should take for it to get here?

 

[mchammer187]

size and storage size are the most important things to me and that makes the ipod win hands down

i have a 2nd gen and just ordered a 4th gen

 

[EvanAdams]

FM tuner is a good thing when it comes time to get off the freshman 15. I still have some of my frosh 25 you use it at the gym for tv.

 

[Illissius]

Originally posted by: SickBeast

Originally posted by: Illissius
I'll copy a post I made in a previous thread:

--snip--
mile long quotes suck

That was with the 3G iPod. Now that it's cheaper and has longer battery life, the two minuses are just about nil - though I would wait for some reviews to see if the battery life claim is actually true, because afaik, they didn't change the battery just the firmware. Also, the new firmware for the iRiver (adding OTF playlists, gapless, DRM support (I think), and other stuff) is supposed to be out sometime July-August, but judging by iRiver's reputation with firmware releases, I'll believe it when I see it.
If you don't care about the remote, FM, and various other things the iRiver has, then I don't think you can go wrong with an iPod.

Nothing personal but you really should fix that quote before you start posting it everywhere. Here are the errors in my opinion:

-you point out that the iHP-120 can play FLAC, but you neglect to say that the iPod can play Apple Lossless (essentially the same as FLAC)

-you list the iPod's battery life at 6 hours when in reality it is 8 hours

-you neglect to mention that the iPod can act as a mass storage device just like the iHP-120 can

-you say that the price delta is $100, when in reality any student will get a discount through Apple and will only pay $50 more for an iPod, if that

-you neglect to mention that the iPod is thinner and (possibly) lighter than any of the other players you have mentionned

I would suggest promptly altering your list to reflect this, and take it a step further to incorporate the features of the 4G iPod.

This is the only place where I have quoted it, so I don't see where you're getting the idea that I'm posting it "everywhere".

- It's the Karma that can play FLAC, not the iHP-120, and Apple Lossless afaik is a part of AAC, which I mentioned. But I'll mention it here, just for you: The iPod can play Apple Lossless, which is essentially the same as FLAC.

- Everywhere I've read, the real world battery life was 6 hours.

- This I did forget to mention. Sorry about that. So just to be clear: with the iPod, you need special software to transfer music, but can transfer other files via USB mass storage; with the iRiver, you transfer everything with UMS; while with the Karma, you need software for everything, unless you use the Ethernet connection (dunno exactly how that works). (Though I've heard of a UMS firmware for the Karma being in the works, but haven't really looked into it.)

- I did not know of this, as I do not live in the US. Either way, it's irrelevant now that they've dropped the price to $300.

- I did not see this as a very large issue, seeing as they're very comparable in size with a millimeter or two of difference; but the iPod is likely the thinnest, if it matters to you.

I recommended the iPod myself, in case you hadn't noticed, so I really don't see where you're getting the impression that I'm some sort of uber-iPod-hating evil spirit of the night. (other than that I have a raven as my avatar, which may or may not be cause for concern)