[s2pidstoner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jet_fighter00 Very well put. Every DAP is different, people need DAP's for different needs and uses. There are some DAPs that do suck though. But the iPod , iHP, Rio Karma, and others, are all very good. It only matters what features matter to you.

true, but it does get annoying when people who dont know anything about anything say the iPods the best just because theyve never heard of another mp3 player.


friend: im gonna get an ipod man
me: and youre paying for it?
friend: yeah
me: dude theyre way overpriced
friend: so? thats why theyre good... at least theyre better than mp3 players.

 

[jet_fighter00]

Yes, it does get annoying when iPod is thought of the only thing in the market. I personally love my Rio Karma.

 

[gorman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JiPi iPods are made to play music and that's exactly what it does, and very well at that. And it's got IMO the best GUI (simple of use) and the controls it has (2G better than 3G IMO again) are just very simple and effective too. It doesn't have any buttons that you push to get a cold beer or anything (like the iHP with all it's little gadgets) but it's an MP3 Player, and it's what it does!

I believe you can read from my signature that I own a Rio Karma. A friend in the office owns an iPod 3G. The Karma is made to play music and it does *nothing* else (apart from having a stop watch function. I believe iPod offers considerably more in the "extras" section (games, agenda, etc.). Having tried both I can tell you that I can't find the iPod interface to be better. Karma's interface is very intuitive and practical. And, if we are talking just music, Karma offers parametric equalization, gapless replay of gapless albums, substantially higher battery life, support for more codecs. What it doesn't offer is a remote and mass storage capabilities. Plus, there is practically zero aftermarket accessories you can buy for it (apart from a couple of home made solutions).

 

[Slimm]

"support for more codecs"

Well, it's my understanding the the Karma supports MP3, WMA, OGG, Flac, and Wave files, while the iPod supports MP3, "non DRM" WMA, Lossless, AAC, and Wave (or AIFF) files. Not more than, but different.

I could be wrong, but that's what I read.

 

[blessingx]

Tack on .AA support for the iPod. For some of us that's a big deal. WMA is just converted by iTunes right?

 

[gorman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slimm Well, it's my understanding the the Karma supports MP3, WMA, OGG, Flac, and Wave files, while the iPod supports MP3, "non DRM" WMA, Lossless, AAC, and Wave (or AIFF) files. Not more than, but different. I could be wrong, but that's what I read.

I stand corrected. Lossless is so new for iPod that I forgot it.

Having "non DRM" WMA takes you away from the majority of online stores. Not having AAC, otoh, takes you away from Apple store. Sooo... yes, I'd say that as far as codecs support is concerned they are more or less equal.

 

[Slimm]

Don't all the online stores have some sort of DRM encoded in their files though?

 

[gorman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slimm Don't all the online stores have some sort of DRM encoded in their files though?

What I meant is:

With iPod you can buy only from iTunes store, since you have DRM only for AAC.

With Karma (and pretty much every other player, I believe) you can buy from every other store, with the exception of iTunes store.

Now, given the market segmentation for players, I'm inclined to believe that the iTunes store is probable the richest one in terms of contents availability. But if you sum up all the other ones... probably the options even up.

 

[Slimm]

I understand what you're saying. Thanks for the clarification.

You can buy from other "stores" which sell MP3's and use them on the iPod, (eMusic, AllofMP3), without having to burn the CD first.

When you buy from iTunes, you can only use those files on an iPod without burning first.

 

[kvirat]

i went to apple store many times to try ipod/ipod mini. 'cause they look so cool and probably... ipod=mp3 ..lol...then, i left and said...it's not my sound....i need music for listening, not player for looking......that's my experience....

 

[ipodstudio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pomegranate Sure, iPod IS synonymous with "mp3 player" lately for the majority of people...but then what about Walkman? I know things are slightly different, in that Apple didn't invent the hardisk mp3 player, but perhaps things will follow a similar trend over the next few years.

Why do people always scream as soon as one company starts to become too successful? Does success really make so many people uncomfortable? A few years back Apple was the little guy that everyone screamed was the proletariat's champion...now they're getting bigger suddenly they're being shoved into the same room they locked Bill Gates into

EDIT: I didn't mean to quote your post, pomegranate, just pressed the wrong button and then spaced

So this post was not directed at you or anyone in particular..just rambling...

 

[gorman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ipodstudio Why do people always scream as soon as one company starts to become too successful? Does success really make so many people uncomfortable? A few years back Apple was the little guy that everyone screamed was the proletariat's champion...now they're getting bigger suddenly they're being shoved into the same room they locked Bill Gates into

Because successful companies tend to be run the same way. What's the difference between the proprietary solutions of Microsoft and the proprietary solutions Apple adopted for iPod (AAC, for instance)? None, I believe. But, anyway, if iPod had those two or three features that I feel it's lacking, I'd buy it in a minute.

 

[KandieMan]

I'm in Grade 11, and I would say I have seen about 10 people with a 3G iPod in our school. I got the iHP-120, and when people see it, the most common question is "is that an iPod?"... its black, looks nothing like an iPod yet all of my "tech" friends don't know beyond the iPod! Others do, however, even an iPod owner asked me "hey is that the iRiver"? I was delighted hehe!

And just the other day, a second iHP-120 was born into our school through a birthday gift.

I am actually unhappy about that... I wanted to be the different one! I had the iFP flash player, then noticed a LOT of Koreans had them around their necks... I hope people don't COPY ME IN MY SCHOOL with the iHP-120

 

[jet_fighter00]

I saw the iRiver is it iGP or something like that? Well it was the 1.5 gb minidrive one. Anyways, the teacher saw it and said "Is that an iPod" and the student replied "no, its better, because its smaller". Of course he didn't know how many songs it can hold, he just said an "infinite". When I asked if it was an iRiver, he got all exicted and said hells ya. Aw.... people these days. I'm not saying this iRiver is better than the iPd, since I am not the student, plus how do you compare a hard drive player to a minidisk?

Just wanted to share my story.

 

[ipodstudio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gorman Because successful companies tend to be run the same way. What's the difference between the proprietary solutions of Microsoft and the proprietary solutions Apple adopted for iPod (AAC, for instance)? None, I believe. But, anyway, if iPod had those two or three features that I feel it's lacking, I'd buy it in a minute.

Yep, I understand that point and agree with it to a certain extent, but it's deeper than that. It's more like a deep-routed jealosy of anything that's too successful, with some people. You notice it in every group that discusses equipment, whether it be PADs or automobiles, and often it's very unfair and based totally upon prejudice kindled within forums and other groups.
No big deal, but it's an interesting phenomenon which raises it's head everywhere, these days