sorry, long post, but maybe this will help someone else decide too.
i'm really having trouble deciding which unit to get. at first i was looking at the "mini" players, ie, 4-5GB, but after counting up my cd's i realized that wasn't going to be close to big enough to house my entire collection at the higher encoding rates. 20gb should be enough with a little room to spare, but now i'm completely confused about which unit to buy. here's my wish list:
1) easy navigation;
2) easy connectivity to pc (ideally show up as a removable drive for easy non-mp3 file copying);
3) can sync with WMP10;
4) case included with unit;
5) smaller the better;
6) can use it jogging;
7) built-in fm tuner;
8) included ear buds good enough to not require replacement;
9) built-in fm transmitter. this is rare but would sure be nice - i'll have to buy an external one if it's not included 'cause i'll be using it in the car a lot.
here's the units i'm considering and how they do on my list:
ipod 4g 20gb:
1) yes
2) yes, i think
3) no
4) no (!)
5) yes (!)
6) ?
7) no
8) yes, i think
9) no
other) i love the look and the EXTREMELY easy navigation. the audible book features are nice too. not sure why so many folks don't like itunes - i played with it last night and it looked fine to me, so i can probably live without wmp10. however, what bugs me about apple is (like always) how expensive everything is. $300 for the player and you get NOTHING with it - no case, no fm tuner, nothing. and all the accessories cost a bundle. seems like EVERYTHING is $40 and up. yikes!
creative zen touch
1) sort of
2) yes, but doesn't show up as a drive?
3) yes, sort of
4) yes, but i hear it's a stupid case - covers up the screen and buttons - wtf?!
5) sort of
6) no!
7) no
8) no, or so i've heard
9) no
other) personally i think it looks kind of clunky and brick like, and too darn many buttons, but i need to play with one at a store. the problem is right now it's hard to find - too new, i guess? the ui seems to be getting rave reviews. the price is certainly right - it's nearly $50 less than the ipod AND includes a case, even if it is a crappy one.
iriver hp120
1) ?
2) yes, and yes!
3) yes, sort of
4) yes, and it looks like a good one!
5) sort of
6) ?
7) yes!
8) ?
9) no
other) i'm kind of love/hate with the look - in some ways it's cool but in other ways just darn fugly. i tried the joystick at a store and the unit must have been broken - didn't do anything. anyway, seems like it would be a lot harder to use than the ipod. the feature set rocks, tho - included tuner, inline remote w/LCD, recording capabilities, supports a bunch of different codecs, the list goes on. the INCLUDED case looks pretty decent, too. price is actually kind of steep - MORE than the ipod?!
samsung 910/920
1) yes
2) ? (reviews say you have to use napster to copy music to the unit? wtf!)
3) apparently not!
4) ?
5) decent size - just a hair bigger than an ipod and pretty light
6) ?
7) yes!
8) ?
9) yes! the only one!
other) "discovered" this yesterday at compusa, manager sale price, looks like they're phasing out the 910 for the 920? i really liked the unit, looked good (except for the fugly blue lights around the rocker switch), easy to navigate, and best of all built in fm tuner AND transmitter! this unit seems like it has everything i want ... but the napster tie in sucks. stupid napster logo on the case and on the "boot" screen, and apparently you can only access the device with the napster software. what a stupid idea by samsung! 920 isn't out yet but looks to fix some of the issues with the 910 but still a napster-specific device.
so, in reviewing how each device compares to my wish list it seems that the ipod does the best job in the categories where it meets my needs, but will cost me a fortune 'cause of all the extras i'll have to buy to get the other stuff i want. the iriver comes in second 'cause of everything that comes with it, but doesn't do so great in the look/feel/use categories. the zen touch falls in the middle, good price, some features, some look/feel/use points.
your thoughts?
i'm really having trouble deciding which unit to get. at first i was looking at the "mini" players, ie, 4-5GB, but after counting up my cd's i realized that wasn't going to be close to big enough to house my entire collection at the higher encoding rates. 20gb should be enough with a little room to spare, but now i'm completely confused about which unit to buy. here's my wish list:
1) easy navigation;
2) easy connectivity to pc (ideally show up as a removable drive for easy non-mp3 file copying);
3) can sync with WMP10;
4) case included with unit;
5) smaller the better;
6) can use it jogging;
7) built-in fm tuner;
8) included ear buds good enough to not require replacement;
9) built-in fm transmitter. this is rare but would sure be nice - i'll have to buy an external one if it's not included 'cause i'll be using it in the car a lot.
here's the units i'm considering and how they do on my list:
ipod 4g 20gb:
1) yes
2) yes, i think
3) no
4) no (!)
5) yes (!)
6) ?
7) no
8) yes, i think
9) no
other) i love the look and the EXTREMELY easy navigation. the audible book features are nice too. not sure why so many folks don't like itunes - i played with it last night and it looked fine to me, so i can probably live without wmp10. however, what bugs me about apple is (like always) how expensive everything is. $300 for the player and you get NOTHING with it - no case, no fm tuner, nothing. and all the accessories cost a bundle. seems like EVERYTHING is $40 and up. yikes!
creative zen touch
1) sort of
2) yes, but doesn't show up as a drive?
3) yes, sort of
4) yes, but i hear it's a stupid case - covers up the screen and buttons - wtf?!
5) sort of
6) no!
7) no
8) no, or so i've heard
9) no
other) personally i think it looks kind of clunky and brick like, and too darn many buttons, but i need to play with one at a store. the problem is right now it's hard to find - too new, i guess? the ui seems to be getting rave reviews. the price is certainly right - it's nearly $50 less than the ipod AND includes a case, even if it is a crappy one.
iriver hp120
1) ?
2) yes, and yes!
3) yes, sort of
4) yes, and it looks like a good one!
5) sort of
6) ?
7) yes!
8) ?
9) no
other) i'm kind of love/hate with the look - in some ways it's cool but in other ways just darn fugly. i tried the joystick at a store and the unit must have been broken - didn't do anything. anyway, seems like it would be a lot harder to use than the ipod. the feature set rocks, tho - included tuner, inline remote w/LCD, recording capabilities, supports a bunch of different codecs, the list goes on. the INCLUDED case looks pretty decent, too. price is actually kind of steep - MORE than the ipod?!
samsung 910/920
1) yes
2) ? (reviews say you have to use napster to copy music to the unit? wtf!)
3) apparently not!
4) ?
5) decent size - just a hair bigger than an ipod and pretty light
6) ?
7) yes!
8) ?
9) yes! the only one!
other) "discovered" this yesterday at compusa, manager sale price, looks like they're phasing out the 910 for the 920? i really liked the unit, looked good (except for the fugly blue lights around the rocker switch), easy to navigate, and best of all built in fm tuner AND transmitter! this unit seems like it has everything i want ... but the napster tie in sucks. stupid napster logo on the case and on the "boot" screen, and apparently you can only access the device with the napster software. what a stupid idea by samsung! 920 isn't out yet but looks to fix some of the issues with the 910 but still a napster-specific device.
so, in reviewing how each device compares to my wish list it seems that the ipod does the best job in the categories where it meets my needs, but will cost me a fortune 'cause of all the extras i'll have to buy to get the other stuff i want. the iriver comes in second 'cause of everything that comes with it, but doesn't do so great in the look/feel/use categories. the zen touch falls in the middle, good price, some features, some look/feel/use points.
your thoughts?
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