So, my 3 year old Dell DJ has crapped out on me so it's time to replace it. Those new iPod Touches look pretty slick, but $400 for 16gb is pretty steep. I'd like to get something that can do video as well as music. Does anyone else have any first hand experience with other portable media players that they can share?
I have a dislike of anythng running that Best Buy Musicstore, and I have bad experiences with Samsung. Creative products, on the other hand, are great as long as you don't use Customer Service a lot.
There's still the 80 GB iPod for 249 and 160 GB for 349. Had an iPod once, but it got stolen. Haven't had the money for a new one since.
Looks like Microsoft is announcing a new player today. I guess I'll wait and see what people say about that one.
The new Creative Zen looks and sounds pretty damn impressive. 16GB Flash Drive, tiny as a credit card, FM radio, recorder, playback of unrestricted audio and video content, excellent sound quality, multiple audio settings... I have an older 20 GB Creative Zen Sleek which I'm very pleased with.
I would consider a zune if there were more accessories... and those may come with time. I bought my IPpod video refurb'd from the apple website. It looked new when I bought it, and was covered with the same warranty as a new Ipod. I have had it almost a year, and no problems so far.
That's pretty much my issue with getting another MP3 player as well. . I want one that can play my music in a boombox without any problems, and there are a lot of iPod-compatible things out there that can do that. Not so much for the Zune, and I'm surprised Bill Gates and the rest of Microsoft didn't consider that.
I don't think I'd make much use of any accessories, other than a case possibly. If I want to play songs through my stereo, my computer's already hooked to that via spdif, I've already got a universal fm transmitter for my car, and if necessary, I've got a headphone to RCA adapter that I can use on any device.
I can totally buy that with a salary of 75 pounds every two weeks (Who can tell me what the joke is, anyone? )
Yep, and I don't know about the UK, but you won't find such things on retail shelves in smalltown, USA. Zune accessories still seem rare, and overpriced. IPod goodies on the otherhand are cheap and come in a wide variety.... my refurb'd 30GB Video Ipod is hardly cutting edge, but with my car and home docks, I get lots of utility and plenty of satisfaction... great on trips when the kids need a little entertainment, too...
The accessories for the iPod might seem cheap, but when you think about what they really are, they aren't. That boom box? A couple of powered speakers. The case? A slice of leather so small that even strippers would be embarassed. I actually like the Zune accessories that are available. They're priced high enough to make you consider if you really need them, or if there's something out there that would work just as well. They're rare because it simply doesn't have the market penetration and the sheer number of styles. How many times has the design of the iPod changed? The now-defunct Mini? The Nano? The Shuffle? And now we've got a whole new touch input system to...tweak...with every revision. Frankly, it's an accessories manufacturer's wet dream - you get a half-dozen form factors to produce for, all with a guaranteed customer base.
Lol... that was pretty good, and I see your point, although for me, it's all about my maximum opportunity cost... It is, like so many tech purchases, I think, a preference issue. Is the Zune cool..? Yeah... but I don't want to pay 2 to 3 times the amount for a case, a car dock, and my nifty little alarm clock dock. I acutally got fairly nice stuff, by the way. Not the nicest, but nice... and with the budget I can afford. There are high-dollar, ultra-posh accessories for the Ipod that are on par with anything released for Zune, if that is your budget.
^ I think that poster was talking about just the accessory aspect. On average, I've seen far more technology suited for iPods than Zune here in the U.S., which for me is the biggest reason I want an iPod over Zune. I don't wanto to have to dis around to find something with Zune compatibility (and no, connecting random USB port cables together doesn't count).
Once again, you're not really on a budget if you're buying iPods or Zunes in the first place, let alone the accessories for them. Take even a silicone sleeve thing, which, to be frank, does almost nothing except get the surfaces that don't matter if they get scratched or not from getting scratched. Hell, they're sitting there at about five bucks (and yes, I'm sure you can find some Good Deals or something), but to be honest, you should be able to buy them in a pack of five for that price - they're a nothing product to make. Start getting into leather or hard cases, and suddenly, you're sitting in the $25-$50 range! And those five dollars here and ten dollars there add up, especially if you buy into the "lifestyle" aspect of it - clock radios, stereos, car adapters. Suddenly, the already expensive $150 or $250 purchase becomes a $300 or $400 purchase, if not more. The fact is, anything with "Designed for iPod" or "Designed for Zune" or whatever the hell they print on it is probably going to cost double or even triple what it should, or what a comparable product with a simple line in jack would cost.
Sure it is! I mentioned earlier, I got my Ipod as a refurb, yet covered with the same warranty as a new model. Being on a budget doesn't mean necessarily that you can only spend dimes... for me it means I save my cash as long as I need to, in order to get myself something that gives me the most for my money. Kyle, I agree that the cheapest thing is not always the best option, which is why I have an Ipod video, and not some genero-no-name.. It's why I have a nice computer, and not a $300 walmart deal. For me, the Ipod gave me the biggest variety of accessories for the least money that gave me the most functionality in the areas I was interested in. The Zune is not a bad item, but if you want to use it as a versitile item... in the car, home, and on the go, you will have to be prepared to look harder and spend more for accessories than you would for an Ipod.
^ Actually, the one complaint I have with iPod is not including a wall adapter with the damn thing. In that way, yeah they *are* sucking more money out since everyone with an iPod will go out and buy one because it's easier than leaving the computer on all day or night to charge. Besides that...
And as I've said, there are a plethora of products that use line-in functionality (which will work with any MP3 player) that are cheaper than the accessories for both. You're always going to spend more if you buy into the lifestyle. Doesn't matter whether it's an iPod or a Zune. And when it comes to power, both Apple and Microsoft are dicking you over there. The use of a proprietary power/sync combo cable rather than pure USB (which is all that power/sync cable is, just with a different end) is designed purely to get you to buy more overpriced crap.
Yeah... making you buy the wall adapter = dumb... I still say that in everyday america, ipod accesories are cheaper for the buck and easier to come by that the zune equivilants... if anyone has spare cash, and feels like making the market more competitiave... by all means, buy a zune..
