[bangraman]

iTunes is the Mercedes of it's ilk. Not as filled with bells and whistles as some, but does everything it's supposed to very well. Mediasource is unfortunately a bit of a Rover

 

[WhoCares]

Speaking of playlists, I also want to start making them so that I'll be ready when I get my Zen Micro for X-Mas

.
So, my question is:
Can I make the playlists with any program? I use jetAudio, but I do have WMP 10. Or do I have to use WMP or Creative's software??

Thanks.

 

[TheTrueStar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman The Zen comes with Windows Media 10 support although I didn't get around to using it to find out if there are any peccadilloes. The Zen will charge from a USB socket so you can just plug it in and use it while it's charging, but I would suggest that you do charge it up fully with the supplied power supply first. Check your run time as well after about two complete charges, as mine was getting less than an iPod Mini (<5 hours). I've sent it back for for a replacement or refund. If I get a refund I think I'll choose a different colour this time...

Is it only compatable with Windows Media Player 10 or can it work with Window Media Player 9 or lower? Because I have 9?

Thanks

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman iTunes is the Mercedes of it's ilk. Not as filled with bells and whistles as some, but does everything it's supposed to very well. Mediasource is unfortunately a bit of a Rover

I don't know what the big deal is about iTunes, i've used it and just don't see why people go crazy for it. I personally upload my mp3's on my zen via windows explorer, its pretty easy (even easier than using iTunes for my sister's iPod).

 

[DanGilbertTX]

Wait, you can upload them via Explorer? I sure hope so. I get mine tomorrow and thought I had to use their software (that was the impression I got reading up on it) to upload the files. Will it take standard .m3u playlists as well? Probably too much to ask for. If not, what are the different ways one can go about creating a playlist? Thanks in advance to any who reply.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gloco I don't know what the big deal is about iTunes, i've used it and just don't see why people go crazy for it. I personally upload my mp3's on my zen via windows explorer, its pretty easy (even easier than using iTunes for my sister's iPod).

Well it creates smart playlists, burns CDs, has Audible support, rips using error correction and nicely tags your files, has (or interfaces with QT) great AAC and ALAC encoders and supports MP3, WAV and tag transferable AIFF, has a very elegant list design methodology, is free, etc. That stuff.

 

[Taphil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanGilbertTX Wait, you can upload them via Explorer? I sure hope so. I get mine tomorrow and thought I had to use their software (that was the impression I got reading up on it) to upload the files. Will it take standard .m3u playlists as well? Probably too much to ask for. If not, what are the different ways one can go about creating a playlist? Thanks in advance to any who reply.

I think after you install Creative's software from the CD the Micro comes with, you can access it from My Computer and add music to it from My Computer. But you still gotta install the software first.

 

[n0On3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taphil I think after you install Creative's software from the CD the Micro comes with, you can access it from My Computer and add music to it from My Computer. But you still gotta install the software first.

yeah, that's how I upload my .mp3 to the player, is there another way to upload them without creative suite? and yes, that suite adds an icon for your zen micro and you can copy and paste files. But it's not like a regular drive.

http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~roadkil/

I tested the data partition (which is driverless) and with the program Drive Speed (link above) it gives a score of 220, when a simple USB2 pen drive gives 9500. The zen micro driverless partition really is slow, and it really feels like that when copying files there.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx Well it creates smart playlists, burns CDs, has Audible support, rips using error correction and nicely tags your files, has (or interfaces with QT) great AAC and ALAC encoders and supports MP3, WAV and tag transferable AIFF, has a very elegant list design methodology, is free, etc. That stuff.

I don't use playlists, i use nero to burn cds, don't use Audible, i use eac+lame to rip cds, encode to mp3 and freedb to tag my mp3's, i don't use QT, AAC or ALAC or even AIFF. Simply don't see the big deal for me.

 

[aviazn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx Well it creates smart playlists, burns CDs, has Audible support, rips using error correction and nicely tags your files, has (or interfaces with QT) great AAC and ALAC encoders and supports MP3, WAV and tag transferable AIFF, has a very elegant list design methodology, is free, etc. That stuff.

Plus its visualizer is the best I've ever seen. I've literally just sat in front of my computer for hours at a time just watching it...

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gloco I don't use playlists, i use nero to burn cds, don't use Audible, i use eac+lame to rip cds, encode to mp3 and freedb to tag my mp3's, i don't use QT, AAC or ALAC or even AIFF. Simply don't see the big deal for me.

Well 'what's the big deal with iTunes' and 'what's the big deal with iTunes for you' are kinda different questions, no? Surely you see the advantages for some others, right? You know for a free product that does all most need? Before it came out WMP was most peoples default player. WMP! And it's so much more than just a better WMP. I switched around (EAC, CD Paranoia, X-Toast, Whamb, Audion, etc.) and keep coming back. I mean I currently don't use Rio, iRiver, Creative or iAudio products, but there may still be something worthwhile or 'big' there.

 

[DanGilbertTX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taphil I think after you install Creative's software from the CD the Micro comes with, you can access it from My Computer and add music to it from My Computer. But you still gotta install the software first.

Ok, then it is just a USB driver that gets loaded with the software then that lets you access the Music portion of the drive. I get my Zen tomorrow and I will figure out what the device driver is that gets loaded and let everyone know. May even repackage it for those who don't want to load the Creative software and just want to access it via Exploder. Personally, I NEVER load any camera or other access software. It is all crap. I just want file level access to it.

One thing I might actually need the Creative software for is playlists. No one answered me about what kind of playlists it uses and how you create them. I would be interested to know.



Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx Well 'what's the big deal with iTunes' and 'what's the big deal with iTunes for you' are kinda different questions, no? Surely you see the advantages for some others, right? You know for a free product that does all most need? Before it came out WMP was most peoples default player. WMP! And it's so much more than just a better WMP. I switched around (EAC, CD Paranoia, X-Toast, Whamb, Audion, etc.) and keep coming back. I mean I currently don't use Rio, iRiver, Creative or iAudio products, but there may still be something worthwhile or 'big' there.

Personally I just use WinAmp for playing music on my computer. Version 2.8 no less. Over 2 years old now, but it works great for me. It is no frills. I rip with EAC or AudioGrabber. Both free as well. Having been in the computer business long enough I see all sorts of "It can play music, organize your hard drive, wash your car, and walk the dog" kind of products. They do lots of things decently. I prefer finding the tool that does one thing and does better than any other and sticking with it. In the end it generally works out better. Just my cranky old $0.02 worth.

 

[photographlondon]

The big deal with iTunes is the incredible playlisting, no other software comes anywhere near the level of control and versatility that iTunes does with its smart playlists.

I like it because it lets me cycle through my entire music collection without any repetition, and only the tracks that I want to hear more often get played more often. It also means that I go through every forgotten corner of my music and nothing gets neglected. After using smart playlists the standard shuffle option offered by most other software just doesn't cut it.

 

[yeeyy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx Well 'what's the big deal with iTunes' and 'what's the big deal with iTunes for you' are kinda different questions, no? Surely you see the advantages for some others, right? You know for a free product that does all most need? Before it came out WMP was most peoples default player. WMP! And it's so much more than just a better WMP. I switched around (EAC, CD Paranoia, X-Toast, Whamb, Audion, etc.) and keep coming back. I mean I currently don't use Rio, iRiver, Creative or iAudio products, but there may still be something worthwhile or 'big' there.

I use Cdex for ripping to MP3 or Musepack. And I use Foobar for music playback. Never use iTunes before, thus no comment, though I do not think I will use that.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx Well 'what's the big deal with iTunes' and 'what's the big deal with iTunes for you' are kinda different questions, no? Surely you see the advantages for some others, right? You know for a free product that does all most need? Before it came out WMP was most peoples default player. WMP! And it's so much more than just a better WMP. I switched around (EAC, CD Paranoia, X-Toast, Whamb, Audion, etc.) and keep coming back. I mean I currently don't use Rio, iRiver, Creative or iAudio products, but there may still be something worthwhile or 'big' there.

Oh sure, i'm sure it works great for a lot of folks, but after trying it out i kinda shrugged and said to myself, "what's the big hoopla?" I personally have been using winamp for years and even tried foobar (which i didn't care for also). I guess i'm used to eac and nero and don't see the need for iTunes, to each his own