[techfreakazoid]

Is the Sony X1000 the only 'audiophile' pmp with dedicated play/pause, ff, rew buttons and the headphone jack on the top/same side of the device? The Samsung P3 and Cowon S9 also intrigue me; however, the former lacks dedicated buttons, while the latter has the headphone jack located on the opposite side of the buttons. Paired with my E500s, the wires wrap around my ears and fall behind my back. I would like to have the pmp reside in my rear pocket so the headphone jack and controls can be easily accessed from the top without having to pull the device out of my pocket. Is this an integration issue (in the case of the S9) or are engineers and designers not conducting usability studies?

 

[EFN]

In this time and age, it seems that being less is the "in" thing. DAPs and PMPs are being equipped with even lesser and lesser buttons. If you want the convinience of physical buttons, you will have to step a few years back and get those H series iRiver DAPs

 

[techfreakazoid]

I agree. The move towards touch screens and 'simplicity' by pmp/mobile device OEMs is taking steps backwards at the expense of practicality. Similarly, vendors come out with glossy finishes to make the products sparkle on TV/print ads, but as we all know the products quickly lose their lustre and appeal having to constantly wipe the devices clean of fingerprints. Product designs are cyclical and hopefully, inclusion of optical outputs in the iRivers comes back!

As a Head-Fi'er, are you content with touchscreen controls? Hardware buttons? Combination of both? What other product 'enhancements' are really a step backwards?