iPod mini

[imported_rod]

Im currently looking at getting an MP3 player. I think that an iPod mini is my best option, but I just want to know what you guys have to say...

Basically, I want something that:
Enough storage for 200+ songs (~1gb+)
decent sound quality
small and light
looks decent

Also, I'm a uni student, so price is a concern. I get a 10% on apple gear 'cuase Im a student, which explains it's low price below. So far, I've looked at:

iPod mini(4GB / 6GB) - AU$268 / AU$322
Creative Zen micro(5GB) - AU$329
Olympus m:Robe100(5GB) - AU$329

EDIT: I also looked at the iRiver H10, but at AU$399, it seems too expensive for only 5GB of storage.

Thanks in advance guyz (and girlz)
RoD

 

[07]

I don?t really like my mini, the battery life is the craps, and the SQ is not great, but neither is any Mp3 player.. basically my REVo 7.1 puts it to shame and it really shouldn?t.. ok it should, but give me a break, it sounds worse that onboard sound.

There are better deals than the mini, but if you want the mini, just get it. I don?t feel its worth talking someone out of it.. Its a decent product, its nice looking and cute and there are a tone of 3rd party accessories for the mac. There are number of issues that bother me, but honestly most people end up loving thier mini's.

Would I buy it again? No

 

[unfalliblekrutch]

I just ordered my creative zen micro two days ago for only 170USD, i dont know how much that is in australian dollars, but I know for me, it was $30 less than a mini, not to mention I get 1 extra GB of storage, FM tuner, and voice record functions.

 

[imported_rod]

07:
The mini (generation2) is rated to have 18hours battery life - that's about twice what the first generation ones had. Also, whats an "SQ"?

unfalliblekrutch:
US$170 is AU$222. The cheapest I could find the zen micro in Australia was AU$100 more than that. If the iPod mini and the Zen Micro were the same price, i'm not sure which i'd pick, but with a AU$60 (US$45) difference, I figure the iPod is better value.

Anyone else got any suggestions?

RoD

 

[imported_ArtVandalay]

I got a free first-gen mini. It does the job, but if I were spending my hard-earned money I'd buy something else. It has low battery life, the battery drains even when it's off, it doesn't allow me to sort the way I want to (artist -> year), doesn't support ogg-vorbis, wma, flac or wav, has bad sound quality, a proprietary method of loading music onto it (I use various OSs), it renames the music you load onto it (not all sound files are copyrighted, you know - sharing is legal in many circumstances, especially if you're not a top-40 whore)... shall I go on? I like the iAudio and iRiver products, they seem to have a ton of features, the way tech toys should

 

[tw1164]

I have a dell DJ(gen 2). Its 20gb, and was less then $200. I think it maybe a little larger then the mini.

found specs
20 GB storage
Up to 12 hours of continuous play
6.8 ounces
4.0 x 2.5 x .74 inches

 

[halfadder]

I like the overall fit and finish of the iPod (4th generation) and the iPod Mini (2nd generation) more than anything else on the market. The iPod has a very cool shiny metal back and the iPod Mini is made of anodized aluminum, just like a heavy duty MagLite flashlight.

BUT, my first choice for buying a new MP3 player would be the Dell DJ (2nd generation). It's a little bigger than the iPod Mini and the play/pause button is a little annoying, but it's WAAAY cheaper than the iPod Mini. I must say I will sacrifice quality for price.

And regardless of what everyone eles says, MusicMatch and the Dell DJ Scroll Wheel are totally on-par with iTunes and the iPod Click Wheel. Neither one is better, they're both very nice and will work for anyone. So don't be stupid, BUY THE CHEAPER OF THE TWO!!!

Edit: With my earbuds and my headphones, I honestly can't tell the sound quality difference of ANY moden MP3 player when I'm playing back 128 - 190 kbps files. They all sound the same to me, but then, I'm no audiophile and can't tell the difference between a $500 sound system and a $2000 sound system.

 

[HDTVMan]

THE CUBE!!!
The worlds smallest MP3 player. About 1" squared.

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: HDTVMan
THE CUBE!!!
The worlds smallest MP3 player. About 1" squared.

Wow, I figured you must have been kidding, but I googled out of curiosity. I can't believe it. Check this thing out:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3756867

1 GB too. I'm actually pretty impressed. Why isn't this thing more widely known and popular? Not that I'd really buy one, it's just too strange and it'd be awkward to have on a belt clip or armband, but still...

 

[imported_rod]

I just searched for the "Dell DJ" on staticeice.com.au, and couldn't find one anywhere in Australia. And if it's not on staticice, it's not in the country. Also, it's a bit bigger than the mini, and weighs twice as much. Is it made by dell (www.dell.com)? I did a google, but couldn't find much useful info on it.

I dont really like the idea of being forced to use iTunes to transfer music, but even the creative series require 3rd party software, so i don't really have a choice. Also, the file formats dont bother me - basically all my music is in MP3 format, and most at either 128kbps or 192kbps. That should work fine on a mini, shouldn't it?

Also, has anyone here used a dock with any MP3 player. I still can't decide if it's worth buying one...

BtW: Is AAC music much better than MP3?

RoD

Edit: Just found a decent site about the Dell DJ. http://www.everythingusb.com/hardware/index/Dell_DJ_20.htm Still think i might go for the iPod, considering I'd probably have to order the Dell internationally.

 

[HDTVMan]

Originally posted by: AmberClad

Originally posted by: HDTVMan
THE CUBE!!!
The worlds smallest MP3 player. About 1" squared.

Wow, I figured you must have been kidding, but I googled out of curiosity. I can't believe it. Check this thing out:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3756867

1 GB too. I'm actually pretty impressed. Why isn't this thing more widely known and popular? Not that I'd really buy one, it's just too strange and it'd be awkward to have on a belt clip or armband, but still...

Its pretty new and exclusive to Walmart. No one ever thinks of walmart for their MP3 player.

 

[Liver]

I just received my MobiBlu cube MP3 player yesterday. It is TINY. Has a nice OLED screen that is quite readable and bright. Interesting connection (to me at least). It charges, USB connection, and headphone connection is the same connection, very discrete. It is USB 1.1, slow but that that bad. It is plug and play with Windows XP and then drop and drag MP3 files (no OGG, AFAIK).

Sound quality is good. Nothing earth shattering, but not bad my any means.

I bought the 1 Gig version, actually I bought 2.

Liver

 

[unfalliblekrutch]

Originally posted by: rod
I just searched for the "Dell DJ" on staticeice.com.au, and couldn't find one anywhere in Australia. And if it's not on staticice, it's not in the country. Also, it's a bit bigger than the mini, and weighs twice as much. Is it made by dell (www.dell.com)? I did a google, but couldn't find much useful info on it.

I dont really like the idea of being forced to use iTunes to transfer music, but even the creative series require 3rd party software, so i don't really have a choice. Also, the file formats dont bother me - basically all my music is in MP3 format, and most at either 128kbps or 192kbps. That should work fine on a mini, shouldn't it?

Also, has anyone here used a dock with any MP3 player. I still can't decide if it's worth buying one...

BtW: Is AAC music much better than MP3?

RoD

Edit: Just found a decent site about the Dell DJ. http://www.everythingusb.com/hardware/index/Dell_DJ_20.htm Still think i might go for the iPod, considering I'd probably have to order the Dell internationally.

THe creative zen micros do not need 3rd party software. If you upgrade your firmware as soon as you get it to the 2.xxx version, then you can plug and play/drag n' drop your files onto it.

 

[vegetation]

Originally posted by: Liver
I just received my MobiBlu cube MP3 player yesterday. It is TINY. Has a nice OLED screen that is quite readable and bright. Interesting connection (to me at least). It charges, USB connection, and headphone connection is the same connection, very discrete. It is USB 1.1, slow but that that bad. It is plug and play with Windows XP and then drop and drag MP3 files (no OGG, AFAIK).

Sound quality is good. Nothing earth shattering, but not bad my any means.

I bought the 1 Gig version, actually I bought 2.

Liver

What kind of real-world battery life do you get?

 

[inspiron8200guy]

iPods are great. You seriously can't beat the click wheel. The only thing you can't do is play protected WMA files like those downloaded form Musicmatch. If you have non protected WMA files iTunes will convert them to AAC (MP4). It plays just about everything else. If you are going for styling and functionality I woud go with the iPod. I've got a mini and wouldn't even think twice about getting something else.

 

[Liver]

vegetation, i accidently left it on. it was dead when I needed it. It has a OLED screen, which I assume turns off to protect battery life.

Seems it was on the entire time.

Will let you know when I drain it. However it took about 90 minutes to charge it via USB (only method available).

Liver

 

[unfalliblekrutch]

I just got my micro and its swwweeeettttt. Everything is as good or better than i expected sound quality, feature, and usuability-wise. The only problems so far are that the fm reception isn't great(theres no anntenna except the headphones), the touchpad thing is a slight bit oversensitive even on low, and the protective case/stand thing it comes with is a tight fit(that might be a good thing, i donno ). Anyway, I love it! I guess if you can't get it for the same price or lower than an ipod mini, it's not really worth it, but i saved $30 on it compared to the mini and i get fm tuner, voice record, 1 more gb of storage, and cool blue lights

 

[imported_rod]

Well since the iPod is $60 bucks less than the zen micro, i'll go with the ipod.

Seems there's a world-wide shortage of them though. But i put my name down on a waiting list for a mini.

Still wondering if i should get the dock or not. "inspiron8200guy", do you have one? Im thinking of spending the money that i could use for the dock on getting the 6GB model instead of the 4GB one. (The 6GB model is still cheaper than the zen micro or m:robe).

Thanks guys
RoD

 

[glorygunk]

Originally posted by: rod
Well since the iPod is $60 bucks less than the zen micro, i'll go with the ipod.

Seems there's a world-wide shortage of them though. But i put my name down on a waiting list for a mini.

Still wondering if i should get the dock or not. "inspiron8200guy", do you have one? Im thinking of spending the money that i could use for the dock on getting the 6GB model instead of the 4GB one. (The 6GB model is still cheaper than the zen micro or m:robe).

Thanks guys
RoD

For crying out loud, don't spend the $30 US (=AU?) on a dock. The 2GB extra storage is worth far more than the ridiculously overpriced chunk of plastic.

 

[imported_rod]

Originally posted by: glorygunk
For crying out loud, don't spend the $30 US (=AU?) on a dock. The 2GB extra storage is worth far more than the ridiculously overpriced chunk of plastic.

AU$52 for the dock. Yeah, I've decided to spend the money on an extra 2GB instead.


Also, one final question - which interface should i use to connect it to my PC? I have 10xUSB2.0 and 3xFireWire on my PC, and the only connection I use is one of the USB's. I know firewire is alot faster than USB1.1, and I think it's still faster then USB2.0. Does anyone know for sure? Also, is there any difference between them when recharging?

RoD

 

[glorygunk]

Speedwise, USB 2.0 and Firewire are about the same. When you charge via USB, make sure it's a powered USB port (i.e. not one of those small portable laptop USB hubs). Dunno about Firewire charging...the new mini's don't even come w/ Firewire cables anyway.

 

[imported_rod]

OK. Well, I'll google it, see if i can find any more info about USB Vs FireWire.

Thanks All
RoD

 

[vegetation]

If your laptop has a mini-style firewire port then note it does NOT have a power feed to it. Desktop firewire with the larger ports do have power. Just something to consider if you have a laptop.

 

[Griffinhart]

I have a Zen Micro, myself. I love the styling and the Blue Display looks great. 5GB of storage has been a good amount for me. My only complaint is that I wish th battery life were longer. I get about 10 or 11 hours on a charge.

IMHO, the two biggest benefits of the Zen over the iPod are:
1. User replacable battery.
2. Compatibility with most music services. It can be used with the Yahoo, Rhaposdy, and napster supscription music services. iPod's can't.

 

[imported_rod]

Thanks for the input guys.

vegetation: I dont have a laptop, so that doesn't really apply to me, but thanks for letting me know - Im hoping to get a laptop for uni soon.

Griffinhart: Thanks, but I think I've already worked out those problems.
1. I've seen how to replace the mini's battery. It may not be as easy as the micro, but I'm sure i can do it.
2. I don't use any music services, so the second bit doesn't really apply to me.

RoD