Are Ipods Really Worth It?

[slade]

i just got an ipod 30 gb video for christmas and was going to return it, but it turns out my parents had it engraved with my name i already have a samsung mp3 player, and although an ipod is so much better, i just wont be using it enough to justify $300. but i guess im stuck with it.

unless...

nicad, want a NIB ipod with your name engraved on it?

as long as im keeping it though, i might as well use it. i dont feel like installing itunes though, i just dont like it, ive heard bad things about it, i dont need to download music and im happy with winamp anyway. so im looking for an itunes alternative. i know about the winamp plugin which looks nice and ive been looking at anapod explorer, although im not sure if either of those work for videos or pictures. Does anyone know of any alternatives that do work with pictures and videos? also, would they allow me to edit the file organization? (all i really need would be the folder artists and maybe playlists, i dont need songs, podcasts (whatever that is) genres, composers and audiobooks)

oh, and what video/picture formats does the ipod work with?

[MayAMonkeyBeYourPinata]

i just got an ipod 30 gb video for christmas and was going to return it, but it turns out my parents had it engraved with my name i already have a samsung mp3 player, and although an ipod is so much better, i just wont be using it enough to justify $300. but i guess im stuck with it.

unless...

nicad, want a NIB ipod with your name engraved on it?

as long as im keeping it though, i might as well use it. i dont feel like installing itunes though, i just dont like it, ive heard bad things about it, i dont need to download music and im happy with winamp anyway. so im looking for an itunes alternative. i know about the winamp plugin which looks nice and ive been looking at anapod explorer, although im not sure if either of those work for videos or pictures. Does anyone know of any alternatives that do work with pictures and videos? also, would they allow me to edit the file organization? (all i really need would be the folder artists and maybe playlists, i dont need songs, podcasts (whatever that is) genres, composers and audiobooks)

oh, and what video/picture formats does the ipod work with?

Use the winamp plug in, and videora can condense movies to the size that you need.

Use Google now.

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

ok i guess im using my christmas money to buy myself an ipod than =)

[sgt_easton]

Not even close to being worth it.

I bought an RCA Lyra at Wal-Mart. It's sized between an iPod Mini and Nano. Hard drive based, and 4 gig. Has a rotary wheel (with clicks), and, get this: it works with WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER. You know, that program you already have. And even if you don't, it's free. Or if you don't like WMP, you can just drag and drop files with Windows. iTunes and Quicktime are not good, but that's another topic entirely.

The real kicker for me was this: The thing was $149 at Wal-Mart. Compare that to a 4 gig Nano for $249. Is it really worth the extra $100?

For anyone who's interested: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=3756854

P.S.: The Lyra can play .wma (Windows Media Audio) files. Same sound quality as .mp3s, but half of the space.

[steimway]

it works with WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER. You know, that program you already have. And even if you don't, it's free.

So who sold you iTunes?

Would you mind explaining why a rotary wheel and hard drive are better than touch sensitive and solid state?

I'll agree with you on the price, it would be kickass to have a 4 gigabyte nano for $149. But I just don't think that the ability to play .wma files is a major plus. It seems like many people are happy with mp3 or even AAC through the iTunes store.

[Timmee]

I got my Gen. 4 20G IPod at Best Buy. They'd had some returns, that were missing some parts, or had scratches, etc. I paid $180 for mine, and it works great. Easy to use, sounds great, and it holds 20 gigs of storage.

BTW, sgt_easton, I can drag and drop files ontop my IPod as well (IPods can be used as a portable hard drive as well as an mp3 player).

[sgt_easton]

I got my Gen. 4 20G IPod at Best Buy. They'd had some returns, that were missing some parts, or had scratches, etc. I paid $180 for mine, and it works great. Easy to use, sounds great, and it holds 20 gigs of storage.

BTW, sgt_easton, I can drag and drop files ontop my IPod as well (IPods can be used as a portable hard drive as well as an mp3 player).

I never said iTunes costs money. I just meant that almost everyone one (well, Windows based anyway) already has WMP; therefor having no need to install another progam.

Secondly, I mean dragging and dropping .mp3s for playing. Sorry for the confusion. Is it possible to do this with an iPod? I don't know, and lebulletsponge's is way out of commision for me to try.

I think the only advantage to using a HDD instead of solid state is the price. Solid state wins in terms of longevity. As far as the wheel goes, I mean that one click equates to one movement on the screen. I just think it's more precise.

BTW, Timmee: Best Buy is freakin' great, isn't it?

[Timmee]

I never said iTunes costs money. I just meant that almost everyone one (well, Windows based anyway) already has WMP; therefor having no need to install another progam.

Secondly, I mean dragging and dropping .mp3s for playing. Sorry for the confusion. Is it possible to do this with an iPod? I don't know, and lebulletsponge's is way out of commision for me to try.

I think the only advantage to using a HDD instead of solid state is the price. Solid state wins in terms of longevity. As far as the wheel goes, I mean that one click equates to one movement on the screen. I just think it's more precise.

BTW, Timmee: Best Buy is freakin' great, isn't it?

I don't know about drag and drop for playing songs, I thought you meant general file storage. Best Buy is ok for certain things. I sure wouldn't want to buy memory or a power supply there, but that's where I got my video card from (they actually had a better price at the time than online stores did).

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

ehh wow these ipod screens scratch easily =(

[rkjunior303]

Get A Case!!!!!!!

[Huskie_American]

Are ipods worth there price?

Id say, NO! You can get Mp3 players that hold just as much memory, have the same features, and perform the same, for half the price! Brand new a lot of the 20+gb mp3 players are around $300-$400 but when you buy on ebay ipods are the only ones that hold there price. I am currently thinking about getting an RCA 20GB multimedia player. Found here RCA
the retail price is $400, but after searching on ebay i found many of them for $200 and less! It might not be as fancy or as 'stylish' as an ipod, but without the apple logo the price goes down dramaticly. So if you ask me if Ipods are worth there price...i would have to say 'No'.

[Cow hunter]

one of the things that almost convinced me not to get an ipod was the fact only one computer sepcially formatted to that specific ipod could deal with the music...... but then i went to engadget and found that it is possible!!!!

http://www.engadget.com/2004/11/02/how-to-get-music-off-your-ipod/

but in a word, yes, ipods are worth it for the reasons of its ease of use, nice looks, features, and capability to be used as a flash E;/ external hard drive
other than that, itunes is DEFENITLEY the best compared to other mp3 software (WMP, MMP) until it starts to have problems...... my cousin-in-law's 5 year old ipod only has a 20 min full batteryt charge..... then they replace it

[Yudanja]

i just got an ipod 30 gb video for christmas and was going to return it, but it turns out my parents had it engraved with my name i already have a samsung mp3 player, and although an ipod is so much better, i just wont be using it enough to justify $300. but i guess im stuck with it.

unless...

nicad, want a NIB ipod with your name engraved on it?

as long as im keeping it though, i might as well use it. i dont feel like installing itunes though, i just dont like it, ive heard bad things about it, i dont need to download music and im happy with winamp anyway. so im looking for an itunes alternative. i know about the winamp plugin which looks nice and ive been looking at anapod explorer, although im not sure if either of those work for videos or pictures. Does anyone know of any alternatives that do work with pictures and videos? also, would they allow me to edit the file organization? (all i really need would be the folder artists and maybe playlists, i dont need songs, podcasts (whatever that is) genres, composers and audiobooks)

oh, and what video/picture formats does the ipod work with?

might look into this http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/softw...-of-145179.php

[magsRus]

I have a 6GB Mini Ipod its killer

[grEnAlEins]

simply put, yes