So I used an iPod for the first time during a recent trip (to WDW in fact) and :eek:

I so want a high-capacity MP3 player now, but I don't know which one to get. I don't want to spend a lot, but I also don't want a weak, lame device.

I was eyeing the Dell DJ -- I've always liked Dells. Who has experience/advice/links?

I love my iPod. iTunes is a great interface. Very easy to use, whether I'm uploading my own CDs or buying new tunes through their catalog.

i've had a brand allegiance to iRiver for several years. if you go to amazon.com and read customer reviews, you'll find that most people are extremely happy with their products.

right now i have a H340 which is a 40gig HD player. It does music (mp3 / wma / ogg), has a search feature, color screen, displays photos, fm radio, fm recorder, voice recorder (with either built-in mic or mic input). i've also flashed mine with the korean rom so it also does video. all of this for a street price of under $400 (i think i paid $380 for mine).

prior to that i had (well still have) the iHP140 which does all that except for the color screen (it's monochrome), video and photos. and before that, I had the ifp-195 which is a flash based mp3 player (with fm radio and recorder as well).

if you're looking for video capabilities as well, archos makes a good line of products (mine doesn't really do full motion video, but i was able to withstand watching 'finding neverland' on it).

i really despise iPod (with all due respect to iPod owners - but they're like a virus when you step on a subway train here). the wheel is nice, but they're still way overpriced and featureless.

i also like the idea that i can just plug it into any pc and it automatically becomes a mass storage device. unlike the iPod which encrypts the music, I can freely copy my music files back and forth and of course store any other type of file on it as well. the primary reason why i upgraded to the h340 is so when i'm on the road, i can copy photos from my camera's memory card to the h340 and then view the photos on the device. it just made more sense to have the ability to be able to store ~25GB of photos (the rest is music/video) for about $400 than it would be to buy 12 2GB cards @ $150/ea.

{snip}

i also like the idea that i can just plug it into any pc and it automatically becomes a mass storage device. unlike the iPod which encrypts the music, I can freely copy my music files back and forth and of course store any other type of file on it as well.

Not really true; the IPod doesn't encrypt music. Unless you're buying music from the ITunes store, you can pull your MP3's off the IPod pretty easily. (By using "disk mode" of the IPod.

As far as the IPod goes: It's for music, it's designed to be easy, and it works. Worth the money. Hands down. And I've used IRiver products too.

Just picked up the 30gig IPod Photo, and it works great.

i found this http://www.nikush.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=754&Itemid=45

which is a review of the h340 but of course compares it against the ipod photo since ipod has managed to steal such a large market share (why, i'll never really understand).

in any case, it's pretty fair. i guess one of the biggest complaints of the iriver is the navigation and i admit i get lost sometimes too with all its buttons and each button having two functions which vary based on which mode you're in, but i think you get used to it pretty quickly.

as far as the disk mode thing goes, i don't know how much the ipod has matured but that's always been a hack of sorts that requires some additional software (at least before support for the pc was added). the h340 seems to win hands down when the sound quality (h340 has SRS and WOW settings amongst serveral other eq presets - i have a pair of Shure E2 headphones which are just awesome) and the screen is amazing (h340 does 260,000 colors as opposed to 65,000 for ipod, but on a 2" screen i don't really fault apple for that).

anyhow, like i said, for what i need in a player, the iriver tops all. i wish i could justify spending a couple hundred more and buy a PMP.

I recently bought a Creative Labs Zen Xtra and have been very happy with it so far. While the user interface isn't quite as elegant as it probably should be (although I got used to it pretty quickly), the mix of sound quality and storage capacity for the price really can't be beat. The 60GB model is only $329.95 and I've been able to fit my entire music collection (around 20,000 tracks) on it with enough room left over for a couple audible books and about 10GB or so of room to grow.

-Jeff

iPod, schmyPod. I'm still rockin' to my Playtape Sound Machine! (http://www.8trackheaven.com/playtape.html)

Holds up to 4 songs per cartridge!!

:)

i found this http://www.nikush.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=754&Itemid=45

which is a review of the h340 but of course compares it against the ipod photo since ipod has managed to steal such a large market share (why, i'll never really understand).

in any case, it's pretty fair. i guess one of the biggest complaints of the iriver is the navigation and i admit i get lost sometimes too with all its buttons and each button having two functions which vary based on which mode you're in, but i think you get used to it pretty quickly.

as far as the disk mode thing goes, i don't know how much the ipod has matured but that's always been a hack of sorts that requires some additional software (at least before support for the pc was added). the h340 seems to win hands down when the sound quality (h340 has SRS and WOW settings amongst serveral other eq presets - i have a pair of Shure E2 headphones which are just awesome) and the screen is amazing (h340 does 260,000 colors as opposed to 65,000 for ipod, but on a 2" screen i don't really fault apple for that).

anyhow, like i said, for what i need in a player, the iriver tops all. i wish i could justify spending a couple hundred more and buy a PMP.

Well, you've hit the nail on the head as to exactly why the IPod has the market: It's interface. Sorry, but it really can't be beat.

I'll admit, IRiver and especially Creative are putting up quite a fight, and of course, the customer wins. But so far, they just haven't been able to beat it. (Yes, I'll admit the Zen Micro from Creative is getting close.)

As far as getting your MP3's off: Yeah, I had a Generation 1 IPod that I converted to Windows before it was available, and yeah, it was a pain. But now that they fully support Windows & Mac, it's no big deal.

i'm sure interface HELPS (that is to say i think if the ipod interface were terrible, it would hurt sales), but i don't think it's solely responsible for what made the ipod what it is.

i guess it's a marketing thing. i really don't get it, but they pulled it off. they were late into the market and they're still behind the times, but they get the sales. it's the exact same luck Nintendo has had with the portable gaming market.

there really aren't any real competitors in the advertising space when i think about it. iriver has virtually no 'presence' and neither creative nor archos really seem to market themselves either.

my first mp3 players were diamond rios. i'm not even sure how i even heard of these companies.

My husband has a 40 Gig iPod. We. Love. It. Period. End of Discussion.

Adrienne
OK, FINE! Disclaimer: My famly 2005 Holiday portrait is going to be all 5 of us wearing black turtlenecks and jeans. I already bought the turtlenecks on clearance for the older two boys. Is that so wrong? No. It's funny. Trust me. That doesn't mean we're blindly loyal. iPod is a beautiful machine.

The iPod interface is great, but the object itself is a piece of technological art. It's an extremely cool looking device. It's techno-sexy.

My husband has a 40 Gig iPod. We. Love. It. Period. End of Discussion.

Adrienne


I agree. I have sampled other players (some before I met the iPod, some after), and for playing music, the iPod has no rival.

i just got my 30gb ipod photo in the mail on monday, and it's awesome. i don't see how anyone could make a player cooler-looking or more user-friendly.

I rejected the iPod without even giving it serious consideration due to Apple's highly anti-competitive policies regarding purchased music. As long as they continue their policy of refusing to license their propietary digital rights management system to anyone else, I consider the iPod to be excessively crippled. I simply refuse to allow myself to be limited to a single vendor for legally purchased music.

Yes, I do find it oddly ironic that Microsoft is actually the company that is encouraging competition in this particular market...

-Jeff