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- Mar 26, 2004
- Messages
- 24,617
I found a 4gig iPod Nano (3rd gen) last week, and even though I've only had it a few days, the little bugger is really starting to grow on me. However, it's only 4 gigs and I quickly filled it up with about 430 songs. Of course, I'm not complaining, but it has me pondering getting something better. I already have a 160gig iPod Classic, but it's size/weight makes it more something I'd carry somewhere in my backpack rather than slip into a pocket for quick ride/walk. Mostly I listen to music while on the go on my cell phone, but it's a pain to have to pull it out of my pocket (especially while riding my bike) to change songs or whatever. Plus I'm in the market for a new phone that's even bigger than my current one, which would make doing that even more annoying.
I think that's why this little Nano is growing on me. It's thin, and small enough to fit in the coin pocket of my pants.
But I need more capacity. I have A LOT of music.
Obviously I'm aware of newer and higher capacity iPod Nanos. I think I would have preferred the 5th gen over the 6th gen with the touch screen, but NOS 5th gen ones are stupefyingly expensive (probably because, like me, people prefer them). I've also been looking at the Sandisk Sansa Clip line. These look pretty cool, since they also have a MicroSD slot (which are available up to 32gb), which means you can get 40 gigs of music space for less than $100. However reviews seem spotty - it appears it's relatively possible to get a lemon and/or have durability issues. They're also apparently slow to use when the music is on the SD card.
Beyond that, I simply don't know what's out there, and would like some education and opinions.
Here's what I'd like in such an mp3 player:
Small size. The smaller, thinner, and lighter, the better. I'd also prefer it to be more square rather than long and narrow.
Screen size/resolution doesn't matter as long as it's enough to display what's necessary and navigate around. Obviously I need a screen though (no iPod Shuffles). I'd prefer not to have a touch screen.
FM radio would be nice, but not a deal breaker if it doesn't.
At least 8gb. 16+ preferred. MicroSD expandable would be great, but I don't know if anybody other than Sandisk has this.
A clip would be nice, especially if it's removable/replaceable.
Obviously the iPod is the gold standard, but it has some disadvantages (at least how I see it):
Expensive.
I $@#&ing HATE iTunes. Yes I use it with my Classic and my Nano, but I'd still prefer drag-and-drop, especially for an on-the-go player that I can load/delete quickly.
Non-standard charger/connector. Why Apple insists on using their big, crappy plug-in instead of the now-universal micro USB, I cannot fathom. It's not like Macs don't have USB ports...
Not expandable. Why Apple refuses to make their iPods/iPhones expandable with MicroSD slots, I cannot fathom. Actually, I can. So they can get more money from their rabid fans every time they come out with a new one with higher capacity.
iTunes sucks. Yes, I mentioned this already, but it sucks so much I have to mention it twice.
Touch screens make me wary, especially this small.
However, there are some definite boons as well:
Build quality. iPods feel more solid and well built than other players.
FM radio. Hell, you can even rewind up to 15 minutes of what was playing.
Loooooooong battery life. Up to 24 hours advertized. I doubt anybody actually gets what's advertized, but everybody advertizes less, so the Nano should outlast any on a charge.
Very small. Just as long as I don't forget where it is and give it a washing machine ride.
Mono playback. That'd be great for clean-up time at work, where I could listen in one ear and keep the other ear free to hear the phone ring or converse.
Being an iPod, it works with all the doohickies made for them, like remotes and docks. Heck, they even make bands for them so you can wear it like a watch (you can set the display as a clock).
As for the Clip series, there's positives and negatives too:
Pros:
Cheap. Half the price for an 8gb Clip compared to an 8gb Nano
Expandable. For less than $100 you can get the Clip and a 32gb MicroSD card for 40 total gigs.
Drag-and-Drop music transfer. Not only easy to load, but easy to unload on somebody else's computer.
Micro USB charged/connected. There's always a couple charger cords lying around work and you don't need a special adapter to connect to somebody else's computer - they likely already have one.
FM radio
Wide format compatibility. It plays everything the iPod can and lots that the iPod can't.
Cons:
Cheap. By all reports it doesn't have a very high build quality.
Slow? By some reports it can take several seconds to skip songs. This would annoy the piss out of me.
Buggy? By reports there's some things that can make it hang or freeze, like a song with DRM or improperly formatted album art.
So, does anyone have any experience with either of these players? What else is out there that I should check out?
Thanks,
I think that's why this little Nano is growing on me. It's thin, and small enough to fit in the coin pocket of my pants.
But I need more capacity. I have A LOT of music.
Obviously I'm aware of newer and higher capacity iPod Nanos. I think I would have preferred the 5th gen over the 6th gen with the touch screen, but NOS 5th gen ones are stupefyingly expensive (probably because, like me, people prefer them). I've also been looking at the Sandisk Sansa Clip line. These look pretty cool, since they also have a MicroSD slot (which are available up to 32gb), which means you can get 40 gigs of music space for less than $100. However reviews seem spotty - it appears it's relatively possible to get a lemon and/or have durability issues. They're also apparently slow to use when the music is on the SD card.
Beyond that, I simply don't know what's out there, and would like some education and opinions.
Here's what I'd like in such an mp3 player:
Small size. The smaller, thinner, and lighter, the better. I'd also prefer it to be more square rather than long and narrow.
Screen size/resolution doesn't matter as long as it's enough to display what's necessary and navigate around. Obviously I need a screen though (no iPod Shuffles). I'd prefer not to have a touch screen.
FM radio would be nice, but not a deal breaker if it doesn't.
At least 8gb. 16+ preferred. MicroSD expandable would be great, but I don't know if anybody other than Sandisk has this.
A clip would be nice, especially if it's removable/replaceable.
Obviously the iPod is the gold standard, but it has some disadvantages (at least how I see it):
Expensive.
I $@#&ing HATE iTunes. Yes I use it with my Classic and my Nano, but I'd still prefer drag-and-drop, especially for an on-the-go player that I can load/delete quickly.
Non-standard charger/connector. Why Apple insists on using their big, crappy plug-in instead of the now-universal micro USB, I cannot fathom. It's not like Macs don't have USB ports...
Not expandable. Why Apple refuses to make their iPods/iPhones expandable with MicroSD slots, I cannot fathom. Actually, I can. So they can get more money from their rabid fans every time they come out with a new one with higher capacity.
iTunes sucks. Yes, I mentioned this already, but it sucks so much I have to mention it twice.
Touch screens make me wary, especially this small.
However, there are some definite boons as well:
Build quality. iPods feel more solid and well built than other players.
FM radio. Hell, you can even rewind up to 15 minutes of what was playing.
Loooooooong battery life. Up to 24 hours advertized. I doubt anybody actually gets what's advertized, but everybody advertizes less, so the Nano should outlast any on a charge.
Very small. Just as long as I don't forget where it is and give it a washing machine ride.
Mono playback. That'd be great for clean-up time at work, where I could listen in one ear and keep the other ear free to hear the phone ring or converse.
Being an iPod, it works with all the doohickies made for them, like remotes and docks. Heck, they even make bands for them so you can wear it like a watch (you can set the display as a clock).
As for the Clip series, there's positives and negatives too:
Pros:
Cheap. Half the price for an 8gb Clip compared to an 8gb Nano
Expandable. For less than $100 you can get the Clip and a 32gb MicroSD card for 40 total gigs.
Drag-and-Drop music transfer. Not only easy to load, but easy to unload on somebody else's computer.
Micro USB charged/connected. There's always a couple charger cords lying around work and you don't need a special adapter to connect to somebody else's computer - they likely already have one.
FM radio
Wide format compatibility. It plays everything the iPod can and lots that the iPod can't.
Cons:
Cheap. By all reports it doesn't have a very high build quality.
Slow? By some reports it can take several seconds to skip songs. This would annoy the piss out of me.
Buggy? By reports there's some things that can make it hang or freeze, like a song with DRM or improperly formatted album art.
So, does anyone have any experience with either of these players? What else is out there that I should check out?
Thanks,
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