Who has an iPod?

XRchic · 03-12-2006, 12:43 PM

I love electronic gadgety things. I have been thinking about iPods. But for the life of me I am just not sure when I would actually use one and how useful it would be.

Does anyone on here have one and recommend them, or a certain kind and what and when do you use it? I dont catch public transport so that counts out a fair bit of usage I think.

Cheers

Jac

HLC · 03-12-2006, 12:48 PM

i have an "older one"

ie. i bought it at the start of 2005. i think its gen 3? the first ones with the clickwheel- the wheel with the buttons built in.

its a 40gb one and i have about 4000 songs on it.

i find it very useful for guitar practise, can stick it in my ears, and jam along with it. also useful for long train rides and stuff if you like listening to music.

can also be used as a portable hard drive.

ive had a couple of problems with it crashing, and having to reformat it once- wiped everything, and resetting it a few times- no problem. but thats because i dropped it and it messed up the moving parts or something.

the new ones are flash memory i believe, so no moving parts, which makes them more durable.

boss-290 · 03-12-2006, 12:51 PM

I am in the exact same dilema. I have been thinking of getting an iPod, but I cannot justify the cost or the usage of it. I would love one of those iPod Shuffle's where they can clip on to your clothing. I have seen them for around $115 - $120 and that doesn't seem to be a bad price. Seeing as I am on holidays, I suppose I could go out and walk and listen to some tunes if I had an Mp3 player. Thats the only thing I can think of when I can use such a device.

Cheers,

svo347 · 03-12-2006, 12:58 PM

Seriously id get one of the newer 40G units which plays movies etc... They are getting brilliant!!

eb_5litre · 03-12-2006, 01:01 PM

I have a 20G iRiver, never had a drama with it..... which is more than I can say for my friends with iPods.

Didnt CHOICE magazine recently rate the iPod as one of the shonkiest products in Australia?

Edit - Herehttp://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle...+Shonky+Awards

Venomous · 03-12-2006, 01:05 PM

You have to be careful with some people's opinions, as their often biased.
People often critisize them but i had a 3G ipod when they came out, kept that
for ages, loved it so much, then upgraded to a 30gig 5G which plays videos etc.
Sure they have their little flaws, but nothing that isn't easily fixed.
If your into listening to portable music, i very highly recommend one.

Yellow_Festiva · 03-12-2006, 01:08 PM

Yeah i have an iRiver as well, 6Gb type.

I would not buy an "iPod" branded mp3 player, rather a generic mp3 player.

If you are gonna get one ask yourself what you are gonna do with it. If you just want to listen to music than i doubt more than 6gb is needed, however if you want to watch movies, have large amounts of data to move around or store than splash out on a 60-80gb drive.

The price difference is minimal the more capacity you get as well.

Dont bother with anything that still advertises its capacity in Mb either!

BA_BOSS · 03-12-2006, 01:12 PM

I have a 60Gb ipod (colour) with around 560 CD's on (7778 individual tracks) and room for another 250 CD's which I don't have yet. Every bit of music I own is on it so can carry my entire collection in my pocket. Set a playlist, plug into into the hifi system and hours of non-stop music.

So far, never had a problem with it.

Plugs into the car audio system so no need to keep reloading the 6 stacker and when my better half is with me, she love to be the DJ. I spend a considerable amount of time on planes so very convienient.

Every album is backed up on my PC and also to an external HD so no chance of losing my entire collection. The actual CD's never get used much anymore.

Best gadget I have bought in ages. For someone who doesn't have a vast music collection and would give the portable a bit of shaking around, I would recommend one with flash memory & not a HD. No moving parts to be damaged such as HD so a lot more robust & theroretically reliable.

Kobayashi · 03-12-2006, 01:53 PM

I just got one of the new ipod shuffles. (1 gig, bout 120 bucks)

Its so damn tiny, LOL! I do love it though. I bought it for walking/jogging, so i didnt want to get one of the bigger ones, but i will get an 80 gigger soon after xmas. The clip is really strong. I hate the bud type earpieces though, so will ugrade those ;)

No complaints about it as yet.

MrSparkle · 03-12-2006, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eb_5litre

I have a 20G iRiver, never had a drama with it..... which is more than I can say for my friends with iPods.

Didnt CHOICE magazine recently rate the iPod as one of the shonkiest products in Australia?

Edit - Herehttp://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle...+Shonky+Awards

... not that you've got an agenda or anything!

:

My 60G Ipod Video has performed flawlessly. 45G used and growing. Battery life is great, sound quality is great (proper in-ear headphones only thanks, none of these shyte "buds"), and unlike a lot of other devices I've played with over the years, I still have this one and use it daily! Money well spent.

XRated · 03-12-2006, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Venomous

You have to be careful with some people's opinions, as their often biased.
People often critisize them but i had a 3G ipod when they came out, kept that
for ages, loved it so much, then upgraded to a 30gig 5G which plays videos etc.
Sure they have their little flaws, but nothing that isn't easily fixed.
If your into listening to portable music, i very highly recommend one.

I agree.

Whilst I haven't used an iRiver (my friend has one and it looks really complicated and dated in comparisson), I've never had an issue with my iPod Mini and it's served me well. The only drawback is the in-built battery that will lose its charge over years of use, but this may have been rectified with the later generation models - you can get them replaced with longer-lasting batteries now anyway.

I don't see the point of the iPod video models; why anyone would want to watch something in their hands on such a small screen I can't fathom... But definitely check out what other companies have to offer as they usually have a few more features and seem to be priced lower than the iPod equivalent.

By the way XRchic, I'm a bit of a music nut and use my iPod for things like gym, jogging, when I use public transport and often laying in bed. It all depends how much you're going to use it, that'll determine whether it's worth spending your hard-earned cash on.

Sound quality is very good and superb when I use my Sennheiser ear phones (not that I'd wear the massive things in public!). I highly recommend the addition of decent headphones from companies like Sennheiser, Stanton and Bose if you're a music buff/audiophile.

MrSparkle · 03-12-2006, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XRated

I don't see the point of the iPod video models; why anyone would want to watch something in their hands on such a small screen I can't fathom... But definitely check out what other companies have to offer as they usually have a few more features and seem to be priced lower than the iPod equivalent.

Yep that's right. The video capability is overrated due to screen size mainly. I got mine purely because it was the highest capacity model at the time!

:

XRated · 03-12-2006, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrSparkle

Yep that's right. The video capability is overrated due to screen size mainly. I got mine purely because it was the highest capacity model at the time!

:

Yup, and that I totally understand. I suppose it's a bit of a gimmick but who could complain; it still plays your music!

XR6_661 · 03-12-2006, 02:19 PM

iPod Shuffle FTW

boss-290 · 03-12-2006, 02:51 PM

what does FTW mean?

Kobayashi · 03-12-2006, 03:22 PM

cause i am in a pic whore kinda mood, heres a pic of the shuffle :p included a 50c piece for a comparison!

oh, and FTW = For the win

**GasoLane** · 03-12-2006, 03:40 PM

Everyone is talking about iPods for music and video's but seem to forget that complete radio shows can be downloaded.
The best bit is that unlike music and video, radio is free!

CNET might help...
http://www.cnet.com.au/mp3players/mp...9272000,00.htm
http://www.cnet.com.au/mp3players/0,...0003883,00.htm

pauljh74 · 03-12-2006, 04:21 PM

If you like having a large portion of your music collection available on the device at any time, an iPod or similar hard drive device would be suitable. If you only want access to half a dozen albums at a time (512MB would accomodoate this), a flash memory MP3 player would be better - less moving parts, smaller, cheaper. Let's face it, hard drives don't really like being bounced around.

I'm actually considering upgrading my (near antique) mobile phone for one that plays MP3s and has FM radio, so I have an all in one device. A good phone with camera, MP3, Bluetooth, FM radio and upgradeable memory can be bought outright 2nd hand for ~$200- some less, some more. Nokia 6230i and SE K750i are on my shortlist.

groops · 03-12-2006, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eb_5litre

I have a 20G iRiver, never had a drama with it..... which is more than I can say for my friends with iPods.

Didnt CHOICE magazine recently rate the iPod as one of the shonkiest products in Australia?

Edit - Herehttp://www.choice.com.au/viewArticle...+Shonky+Awards

I can back this up...and give evidence if people want it. I'm a tech for Harvey's and I can tell you now, I will get on average 1-2 Ipods back a day, in warranty, out of warranty that cannot be fixed by the 5 R's that Apple suggest on their website, most of them have faulty mainboards... There are plenty of other great products out on the market that are built better and last longer. Sony, Toshiba, LG, Creative. The funniest thing is that the lastest craze for the people that put the packaging together of the 'New generation' Ipods ia to leave out the headphones and/or the USB cable.

MG

groops · 03-12-2006, 04:40 PM

Oh, and if anyone ever wants to replace their headphones for any Mp3 player's standard ones that come with the player...(which I would suggest)...there is an awesome brand called 'Skullcandy' that I now use. They are by far the best quality sound and best noise cancellation headphones around. I've used Sennheiser, Koss, Sony, etc, and these bud style headphones are by far the sharpest sound and deliver the best bass around.

MG

S3SR · 03-12-2006, 04:54 PM

ipod shuffles looked better in the 'long' model

ipod nano - go at least a 4 or 8gig
advantages
- uses flash memory so will last longer with jogging, heavy operation, take a few bumps and knocks
- small, will fit in any size pocket
- new models come in different colours
-search function
-improved battery life over older model

ipod video's (30 or 80gig only)
- uses a HDD
- little bigger than nano
- everything nano has plus plays movies (only mp4 though)
- only black or white

disadvantages
- new nanos dont come with software (itunes)
- warranty doesnt cover battery (i think)
- not enough colours
- ipod videos only play mp4 and not divx

other than that they are pretty good, i got one 4th? (previous) generation and ive never had a thing go wrong, some people just shouldnt own anything though.

also prices on ipods are pretty much fixed unless they want to make a loss or rip you off

chich · 03-12-2006, 06:28 PM

I bought my sister (15yo) the 30gig video iPod for Christmas last year and she takes it everywhere. She listens to music and watches videos in bed before she goes to sleep without bothering anyone, on the tram when she's on her way home from school, stores photos on it etc. I actually find myself using it at times when i do long cardio sessions at the gym, but thats about it. I prefer to listen to CDs the old fashioned way - 6 speakers, a subwoofer and a couple of amps :dj:

In your situation i'd suggest buying one only if your car has an iPod jack, at least that way you'll have your whole music collection with you at all times. Even then, $500 buys you a pretty decent head unit these days..

Perana · 03-12-2006, 08:27 PM

Yeah we've got 2x 6GB mini's have not had any issues at all, battery life is great on all.

New (5.5G) Video's dont come with itunes either (ie you have to download it)

Battery IS covered by warrenty for a certain amount of time.

8GB Nano is also the same price as a 30GB Video.. so weigh up whether HDD space is more important than the size of the unit.

**Bluehoon** · 03-12-2006, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XRchic

I love electronic gadgety things. I have been thinking about iPods. But for the life of me I am just not sure when I would actually use one and how useful it would be.

Does anyone on here have one and recommend them, or a certain kind and what and when do you use it? I dont catch public transport so that counts out a fair bit of usage I think.

Cheers

Jac

I love it. Plug it into car stereo and Off you go... Best playlist going....

Use it on airplane all the time, going for run, walk, bored when on site...

Surprising how often you use it when you get it...

XRchic · 03-12-2006, 09:05 PM

Hmmm very interesting... I work right next to an apple shop, I might go and have a play tomorrow.. hehe.

I like the coloured ones.

eb91xr6 · 03-12-2006, 09:32 PM

i got an ipod vidio but only used it for like 2 weeks as it was the new toy now it just sits around colecting dust, i found it a big wast of money

xurbanx · 03-12-2006, 09:36 PM

I haven't got an iPod, reason being I have no use for it. My 512mb mp3 player serves me well, and if I'm in the car the cd player does it job. Apart from that I did get that iDog for a friend, it seems cute.

**GasoLane** · 03-12-2006, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xurbanx

I haven't got an iPod, reason being I have no use for it. My 512mb mp3 player serves me well, and if I'm in the car the cd player does it job. Apart from that I did get that iDog for a friend, it seems cute.

When it all boils down an iPod is only an MP3 player with a weird name, it's just that the name iPod seems to be a general term for them (MP3 players) these days.

HLC · 03-12-2006, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boss-290

what does FTW mean?

For The Win, mate.

BlueRaven · 03-12-2006, 10:41 PM

The brand mp3, for this argument, is irrelevant. People tend to get a little brand specific, including myself. I think more important than a brand is the model and type, though if you have your heart set on something - your always going to want to go with that.

If your an active person, I'd recommend a flash based player with over 5gb capacity. Otherwise, I'd recommend the biggest mp3 hard disk based player you can afford.

I use my Creative Zen for everything - and still buy CDs as well. Basically, its my car stereo, my home stereo (ironically plugged into an actual stereo system) and my personal music player, as I travel around 2hrs a day in public transport.