iPODs
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iPODs
Christmas is coming and Daysleeper is after an iPOD. Anyone got any good or bad comments on the 4th Gen iPOD. Probably the 20gig model but I might be able to stretch to the 40gig. 
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Pocket PC's come with a limited memory for MP3 compared to the 20/40 gig iPods, so it depends on what you want. The 20 gig model is enough unless you have a music collection that exceeds most - and some of the add-ons are fantastic.
However if you want one for Christmas you should have ordered it last month, you'll struggle to find anywhere that can deliver now in time. Looks like its going to be the number one present again!!
On a side note to the original question does anyone know how compatable iPods are to Windows XP? I have all my music stored with Real Player as .ra files and don't want to change them all to MP3 and downgrade the original quality. Is it easy to download into the iPod from the .ra files and convert as you do so or do I need to change all the existing files?
Hope this helps and thanks in advance
However if you want one for Christmas you should have ordered it last month, you'll struggle to find anywhere that can deliver now in time. Looks like its going to be the number one present again!!
On a side note to the original question does anyone know how compatable iPods are to Windows XP? I have all my music stored with Real Player as .ra files and don't want to change them all to MP3 and downgrade the original quality. Is it easy to download into the iPod from the .ra files and convert as you do so or do I need to change all the existing files?
Hope this helps and thanks in advance
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Any particular reason for an Ipod? They just seem so overpriced to my mind and don't even include a case in the price. The battery life is also pretty poor when compared to the competition. I have a 2 year old creative zen which has a 20gb hdd and haven't had any problems with it. The latest Zen Touch offering from Creative is saying there is battery life of over 20 hours. Since I use mine when flying long haul or commuting then battery life is a top priority but I can see that it is not the be all and end all to necessarily everyone.
Check out this site for reviews and information on what is available out there.
http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/...=4a&filter_id=
Check out this site for reviews and information on what is available out there.
http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/...=4a&filter_id=
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A word of note: if you buy the 20GB iPod and then the remote control headphones and black case, you end up spending almost as much as if you'd bought the 40GB version, which comes with both in the box anyway.
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Neither of them have a remote in the uk these days.
The only difference other than the size of hard drive is the 40G comes with a dock (£29 by itself) so its still an extra £80 for 20gigs of memory I will probably never use and a £30 dock I dont need.
Hmm useless extras, tempting.
As for the zen creations, well there is a certain something about the iPOD, which explains why it has over 90% of the hdd mp3 player market. Besides I dont have USB2 on my powerbook!
Should point out my entire cd music collection moved over on to the powerbook is 9 gigs. Its only taken me 10 years to collect it all.
The only difference other than the size of hard drive is the 40G comes with a dock (£29 by itself) so its still an extra £80 for 20gigs of memory I will probably never use and a £30 dock I dont need.
Hmm useless extras, tempting.
As for the zen creations, well there is a certain something about the iPOD, which explains why it has over 90% of the hdd mp3 player market. Besides I dont have USB2 on my powerbook!
Should point out my entire cd music collection moved over on to the powerbook is 9 gigs. Its only taken me 10 years to collect it all.
Last edited by Daysleeper; 24th Nov 2004 at 12:46.
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I have a 10Gb ipod, which is more than enough - I've got a fairly sizable music collection, but 10 gigs is enough for all the stuff that I listen to regularly. If you could fill a 40Gb ipod then i'd bet that you'd almost never listen to most of it.
The ipod itself is great, and it's simplicity itself with a Mac. I remember the PC as being a bit more of a pain to use, but I didn't really try that hard.
One gotcha if you're using old hardware - the firewire port on my old Sony Vaio didn't work with the ipod, so something has changed at some point.
The ipod itself is great, and it's simplicity itself with a Mac. I remember the PC as being a bit more of a pain to use, but I didn't really try that hard.
One gotcha if you're using old hardware - the firewire port on my old Sony Vaio didn't work with the ipod, so something has changed at some point.
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I have a 20 GB Ipod. Its the business. Also very very easy to use. I have borrowed loads of CDs to put on it and and all my Downloads. Try as I can, I can only get 7 or 8 gb on it. At that there is some music I would hardly listen to. Apart from back up for your computer, I don't know what one would do with a 40 gb model.
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Speaking from the point of view of a complete novice when it comes to mp3 players, I assume that when you've got a squillion songs on your Ipod, there is some sort of cataloguing system so you know where to find something. How complex is it? Unlimited playlists? Folders? How does it work?
Yes, I tried the Ipod FAQ. but it starts a couple of rungs above my knowledge level, so be gentle with me here.
Yes, I tried the Ipod FAQ. but it starts a couple of rungs above my knowledge level, so be gentle with me here.
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Sony have just brought out there own version of the iPod for £299. Looks a lot nicer and technically seems better as well (3000 more songs, double battery life on a charge, etc).
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Binocs, Am not a computer expert like most of the bods in here seem to be. I found the Ipod software very straightforward. You can import your music folder into Ipods and it will be labeled the same way it is in that Folder. Also when you put a music CD into your computer that you want to transfer onto your Ipod, if you are connected to the Net, it will look up the CD content and label it all for you, which saves loads of typing. It really is pretty slick and easy to use.
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Well its ordered. And despite an apple store note saying up to 5 days to build then up to 5 days for laser engraving I got an email today saying Dispatched. Hopefully here by the end of the week.
Cheers for the advice folks.
Cheers for the advice folks.
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My 4th generation iPod works great under WinXP. There shouldn't be many differences to using one on the Mac, escept that you will probably need to install iTunes, which comes installed on all new Macs.
Realplayer also works with iPods, but it will convert all files to MP3 or AAC. Apple isn't too happy about this though. There are other programs that work with iPods too, like Ephpod and Xplay.
Just a note as this is a common misconception, AAC is not an Apple propriatary format but the planned replacement for MP3. The Fairplay DRM used for iTunes Music Store files is an Apple propratary format though. The Fiarplay is just wrapped around the AAC file.
As for the difference between the iPod and other hard drive players, for me it was the simplicity of the iPod. Others may be cheaper or have more features, but very few, if any, have as clean an interface. This includes both iTunes to organise your music and the interface on the iPod. The difference in price and battery life aren't that big anymore either.
Sony's new music players look good, however, based on my experience with their Minidisc players, I will wait a while until I see the limitations they place on them. They also have a habit of using their own music software that is far more complicated to use than necessary when compared to either iTunes or Windows Media Player 10.
My iPod does what it was designed to do very well, that is play music. It also performs very well as an external hard drive.
goates
Realplayer also works with iPods, but it will convert all files to MP3 or AAC. Apple isn't too happy about this though. There are other programs that work with iPods too, like Ephpod and Xplay.
Just a note as this is a common misconception, AAC is not an Apple propriatary format but the planned replacement for MP3. The Fairplay DRM used for iTunes Music Store files is an Apple propratary format though. The Fiarplay is just wrapped around the AAC file.
As for the difference between the iPod and other hard drive players, for me it was the simplicity of the iPod. Others may be cheaper or have more features, but very few, if any, have as clean an interface. This includes both iTunes to organise your music and the interface on the iPod. The difference in price and battery life aren't that big anymore either.
Sony's new music players look good, however, based on my experience with their Minidisc players, I will wait a while until I see the limitations they place on them. They also have a habit of using their own music software that is far more complicated to use than necessary when compared to either iTunes or Windows Media Player 10.
My iPod does what it was designed to do very well, that is play music. It also performs very well as an external hard drive.
goates
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I don't know if anybody has seen or heard this about iPod batteries
PPRuNe Handmaiden
Have you seen the new iPod Photo? iPod Photo
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don't know if anybody has seen or heard this about iPod batteries
There is a replacement programme for the early models, a guarantee in the new ones and a load of third party support now. Its an old issue.
Besides which for me if I go anywhere far away I take my firewire equiped laptop with me to charge from. Its mianly for long car trips (car charger)
As for the Photo , Its just too expensive at the moment for my pocket.
I'm getting very excited, though I'm not allowed to open it till christmas. Which as I'm scheduled to be downroute all day could be a bit of a bummer.
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I have the 20Gb ipod and it is fantastic, I also purchased the i-trip with it which transmits onto any radio freq you require on car/house music systems. Nothing better than tuning the radios around the house to the freq and having your choice of music pumped around the whole house, from something the size of a mobile. Likewise in the car it has made my CD-Multichanger redundant. The fact is you put a CD inti your PC and the Itunes software will automatically open and ask if you want it imported into your library, easy as that. It is one of the most user friendly interfaces around today, none of the other MP3 players can match this. I have used the Zen and looked at the Sony and they can match ipod in Gb/hours etc but lack the ease of use.
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Query
Just a question for those that have them. I was told that you can only use an ipod with one computer, that if you try and use an ipod with multiple pcs, for example yours, and then go and collect music collections from all your friends, it wipes them out, and only allows one pc to send to the ipod. Is this true?