IPod and speaker help

[lawmax]

So, I''m the last person on the planet to get an ipod. Can any of you run down the options and what may be best?

Also, I was considering a new music system for the house and my brother says that these days, most people just use their ipods and a speaker system. Which one is best?

Best place to buy?

Thanks for any and all info you have along with experiences/preferences,

lawmax

 

[lawmax]

I want an iphone. I imagine it will be a while before Verizon gets them, though.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 4/9/2007 2:08:37 PM
Author:lawmax

Can any ofyou run down the options and what may be best?

The Shuffle version is pretty inexpensive ($79) and hold about 250 songs. Good for travelling and/or gym/cardio workouts, but doesn''t hold enough to be a realistic substitute for a home music system.

The Nano is the next step up - comes in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB options for $149/199/249, respectively. 4G holds about 1,000 songs, 8G holds 2,000. This model has a color screen that also allows you to store/view photos on it, too. It has more capacity than a shuffle, and you can do more with it, but it''s still fairly portable - you can get an armband for it, but it easily fits into a jeans pocket, too.

The full version IPod comes in 30GB and 80GB for $249/$349 and holds 7,500/20,000 songs respectively. This one has enough capacity to store movies and videos, too. Sizewise, it''s a bit smaller than a PDA phone.....so it''s not quite as convenient portability-wise as the Nano, but it''s sheer volume makes it the most logical choice if you plan to use the Ipod more as a home music system and portability isn''t a priority.

What''s best for you really depends on what you want it for. I use mine a lot when I''m housecleaning (moving between 1st and second floor) and when on the treadmill, so I preferred the Nano as a good blend of volume and portability. If I were going to use one as a replacement home music system, I''d likely get the 80GB Ipod and leave that one on the docking station (which is a speaker unit).

Also, I was considering a new music system for the house and my brother says that these days, most people just use their ipods and a speaker system. Which one is best?

Bose makes a really good "Sound Dock" that would fit the bill nicely for that. It runs $299.

Best place to buy?

Honestly, it doesn''t really matter, because with both Ipod and Bose, there is no price variance - the price point is set by the manufacturers and you can''t shop around for a better price. The price is the price is the price whether you buy at Apple or Best Buy or Circuit City, etc. If you have an Apple store near you, I''d likely go there because you''ll be able to see all the options in person and pick what fits best for you.

 

[lawmax]

AlJ,

Thanks for the great rundown on the options and summing up which one makes most sense for the house. I realized after I posted that there were lots of threads to look at, though some were older and some were just plain confusing.

I know Bose makes a speaker system and so does Apple and others. I wondered if one was better than the other.

Thanks again,

lawmax

 

[aljdewey]

Lawmax, perhaps I should have phrased differently.

I wasn''t just telling you that Bose has "a" speaker system. You asked which was best, and that''s the one I feel is best.

 

[Julianna]

twocents

From a technical/software/hardware standpoint, I would not buy any iPod other than a shuffle. The iTunes software, while being user-friendly, is proprietary and the way it organizes itself on your computer is annoying at best and horrific at worst (I won''t expound unless someone asks...don''t get me started....hee hee

).

ANYWAY the only way I am able to cope with the software is because the shuffle is such a marvelous bit of machinery. As a matter of fact, I just traded up to a new shuffle from the one I''ve had for two years, I like it THAT MUCH. I carry it with me every day, it holds plenty of music; and furthermore, apparently people who own mp3 players with larger capacity TEND to just put ''em on "shuffle" anyway. Plus, it''s so. Very. Cute. (oooo....shiny)

The reason I say I wouldn''t buy any other iPod is because of the varied, numerous problems that have plagued every model of iPod. The "normal" iPods (not Nano, Shuffle, or Video) had data-dumping problems, random crashes, display problems, and so on. The Nanos had plastics issues (apparently it was formed of plastic that scratched when you breathed on it)...you get this idea.

The only two iPods I''ve agreed with entirely (software aside) are the Shuffle and the Mini, and the latter is out of production.

I''d buy from Creative, they aren''t as pretty (in my opinion) but SO much less buggy and SO much less proprietary (as in, not).

/twocents

 

[lawmax]

Wow, Julianna! Thanks for your post. I will consider that for sure!

AlJ...got it on Bose...muchas gracias!

lawmax

 

[aljdewey]

I hadn''t heard of the regular Ipods having data crash issues, but then again, I don''t own one, so I''m not in the loop on that.

I am in the loop on the Nano, though, and when I was researching them, I too saw the flap about the scratching issue. I didn''t feel this was a sufficient enough reason to pass it by, frankly. it''s not much different than a cellphone......get a protective cover for it, and problem solved!

When I got my Nano, I got a cheap pack of protective plastic screen overlays and a ''skin'' or ''glove'' for the unit. No problems at all.

I love the shuffle - I, too, think they are WAY cute, and I want one (even though I have a Nano!). However, I don''t think I''d be happy with the shuffle solely. It''s nice to be able to opt to play all the songs by a given artist, and to set up play lists for specific uses in my Nano. For a ''home system'' use, I''d think that was even more desired.

 

[ellaila]

HI,

I just got a Shuffle a few weeks ago, and I love it! But I''m using it basically for gym purposes only.

I''m still kind of dumb when it comes to iTunes, but AlJ, I''m pretty sure that even with the Shuffle, you can create playlists on iTunes and you can arrange the order the songs play in or list by artist so you could still use the Shuffle for a home stereo system (though I''m not sure if there are any speakers that go with it!). You just can''t do arrange things ON the Shufle itself -- that only plays!

But again, I''m still new to the whole iTunes thing and admittedly, I''m not catching on too quick with it!

I also looked at the Creative ones, and I thought they were awesome. But since I basically just wanted something to keep my mind off working out, the Shuffle was enough for me. But if I ever decided to get an MP3 player with the works, I''d probably go Creative.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 4/11/2007 5:16:04 PM
Author: ellaila
HI,

I just got a Shuffle a few weeks ago, and I love it! But I''m using it basically for gym purposes only.

I''m still kind of dumb when it comes to iTunes, but AlJ, I''m pretty sure that even with the Shuffle, you can create playlists on iTunes and you can arrange the order the songs play in or list by artist so you could still use the Shuffle for a home stereo system (though I''m not sure if there are any speakers that go with it!). You just can''t do arrange things ON the Shufle itself -- that only plays!

But again, I''m still new to the whole iTunes thing and admittedly, I''m not catching on too quick with it!

I also looked at the Creative ones, and I thought they were awesome. But since I basically just wanted something to keep my mind off working out, the Shuffle was enough for me. But if I ever decided to get an MP3 player with the works, I''d probably go Creative.

Hee hee - well, that''s good to know, because it makes it even more attractive to me to get a shuffle strictly for treadmill/workout use! LOL

I guess it''s usefulness as a home music system would really depend on how broad one''s musical tastes run. For me, I like a wide array of music, so 250 songs wouldn''t really be enough ''meat'' for me in a home music system. Heck, I blew through uploading about 300 songs just after getting my Ipod! LOL

I have a Nano that holds 1000 songs, and even though I''ve ripped or downloaded all my favorite things, I''ve only gone through about 550 songs.

OH.......and a note about the ITunes software. I use MP3 files, too, and have had no problems importing mp3 files to use on it.

 

[flopkins]

alj did a pretty good rundown. I have the first gen nano 4GB, and I would recommend an 8GB nano... it''s super small and portable, and holds enough for a day''s worth... unless you really have a LOT of songs or want a lot of video capability... then I would go for a full size.

I have a iHome - it''s pretty cheap, only $80 now I think. the speakers are quite good for the price, and you can do radio too. but don''t buy it for an alarm... mine is buggy. unless they fixed it on the newer gen. ones...

We also have a bose - it''s quite nice, and compact too. definitely sleek.

 

[tanuki]

If you have already invested in an audiophile set of speakers Panasonic Elite has a line of recievers that dock to the iPod and your other components as well.

 

[sumbride]

I have a 60 gb video ipod that I adore. It''s only frozen once, and that was right after I got it. I''ve had no other problems with it whatsoever, and I use it for music, video, photo storage, and even games. I have tetris! I also don''t have any problems with iTunes, but I have a Mac, so it doesn''t do anything "funky" to my system and I haven''t heard of what problems Julianna is talking about.

I have an Evo iSkin case for mine and I think I maybe got one scratch before I put it on. None since.

As for where to buy, if you buy from Apple.com, you can get free engraving if you''re into that sort of thing! Mine has a sweet little note from my FI on the back.

 

[PedroDaGr8]

Too clarify a little bit if I can. Being the owner of a 4G (4th Generation) iPod 40GB, these are NOT for working out if you plan on doing running, nor are the now discontinued ipod minis. There is a simple reasons for this. They are hard drive based, which means MOVING PARTS. The result is, when running the read head on the hard drive(analogous to a record player needle)crashes into the platter(to continue the analogy think record) and can eventually kill the drive. This happened to mine, this may be the data dump errors and things like that, which was referenced. The shuffles and nanos are flash based(memory chips so no moving parts) and hence do not suffer from this problem.

Oh yeah, one other thing. iPods HATE ACETONE, like nail polish remover. I am a chemist and was wearing my iPod and I regularly use acetone in my research, well I spilled some on my iPod (on the screen portion no less). Well my shiny iPod went from bright and shiny to a frosted texture and look.

Now onto the iPod nanos. The 1G's were ATROCIOUS for scratching, people would leave them in their dress shirt pockets and the dress shirt fabric would scratch them. This has been resolved in the 2G nanos, my g/f(soon to be fiance I hope) has one and it has been VERY robust and she absolutely loves it. The shuffles are awesome too, I happen to like the new one that clips on to anything, the only drawback is no screen and I am addicted to screens (I like the game parachute a bit more than is healthy).

Now for an extremely random tangent:
A guy that hacked his old minis and even his regular 4G iPod and converted them to CF cards and the battery life is much higher
http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/753/how-to-turn-your-ipod-mini-into-a-flash-based-ipod

 

[Julianna]

OH.......and a note about the ITunes software. I use MP3 files, too, and have had no problems importing mp3 files to use on it.

iTunes will take many file formats, including MP3 and M4A, and if it doesn''t like a format (ie. WMA), it''ll convert it for you, which is great! The problems that I have with iTunes relate to the "one computer" policy for an iPod, the "three locations" policy for music bought on iTunes, and the frankly pirate-esque way it sails in, attempts to commandeer your music-storage options, and then balks and fails when you make small changes.

From a technical standpoint, it''s sucktastic. From a "look I can make playlists and the iPod is so sexy" standpoint, it''s outstanding, as evidenced by the ginormous market share it enjoys. I''ll never give up my endless parade of Shuffles, that''s for sure. Especially if they keep making ''em in different colors.

 

[Julianna]

Now for an extremely random tangent:
A guy that hacked his old minis and even his regular 4G iPod and converted them to CF cards and the battery life is much higher
http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/753/how-to-turn-your-ipod-mini-into-a-flash-based-ipod

Schweet!

Woot for useful hacks!

 

[Nicrez]

For those of you that hate I-Tunes, try the EphPod program, which is like I-Tunes but far more functionally useful. It can also download from IPod to computer. I love it because for the 5 generations of IPod I have gone through I have accumulated many songs, and many computers/hardrives/libraries... It helps me bring it all into one program. Also it''s organization is far more intuitive.

I have had more problem with IPod periphery than IPod. Once I had an I Pod 4th gen that died and that thing went to Best Buy, where it was purchased for me with the warranty (which I suggest coming from Apple only!). It has never lived again, so I bought the video. I love it, but don''t use the video all that much. All in all they are great and easy to expand and outfit due to popularity, but they are definately not the best made or produced MP3 player. That said, I still love mine and it is inseperable from my side. Even daily commuting is impossible with my little black beauty...

 

[nejarb]

pedro or julianna...okay, it''s good to know that i can put mp3 files into my i-tunes library and onto my ipod (that''s what you said, right?)...but where do i go online to buy mp3 files? b/c some songs or artists that i search for in the i-tunes store just aren''t available there. thanks

 

[Julianna]

There are many places to go online and buy music. One of my favorites is emusic.com, they have a great variety of stuff and you can try it for free before you buy. After your free trial, it''s still around 33 cents a song. I have a friend who swears by it. I could probably track a few more down for you as well, if emusic is not to your taste.