[niksem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by discord Is it set to manual sync? How is X5 only 2gb? They are in 20Gb/30GB....maybe even 60 now, I don't remember.

yep, my bad.. but this unit has a trade off to IPOD of having lower resolution and higher price... looks like i would have to stick to IPOD. I guess it is not that terrible, i wish there was a 3rd party software that would do everything (add, edit, delete files from IPOD, restore IPOD). Apple did make a competetive device. Honestly, I did not really put that much time in researhcing it before I bought it.

 

[niksem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TenaciousO I have both the 5G iPod and the Gmini 402 at the moment. I happen to like itunes quite a bit, but the 400/402 fits the description of the player that you're looking for. Out of SR60s, they both sound about the same to me, which is great. Actually, they sound so similar that I can only conjecture as to the differences in sound. My perception is that the 402 has a slightly more upfront sound while the iPod sounds maybe a bit airier...I think. That said, I think the iPod is the better music player because it is easier and faster to navigate due to the clickwheel versus the directional pad on the 402. The 402 is actually pretty easy to navigate as well, but it does take a lot longer to scroll through songs/artists/etc. The iPod definitely has a better, bigger, and higher resolution screen, but I feel that Apple didn't exploit it as much as they could have. For live-action video, as hard as it is to believe, videos on the 402 were actually much clearer than the iPod. Live-action videos on the iPod are a bit blurry, and they also have this brownish tint that makes everything look a bit drab. It was pretty amazing to find just how much clearer things looked on the 402 even though the iPod has the better screen. One big negative of the 402 is that it has horrible viewing angles, but I would still rather watch live-action videos on the gmini than on the iPod. However, the iPod has a huge advantage when it comes to cartoons. The blurriness actually makes cartoons look better with bigger and bolder lines. On the balance, I'd take the gmini for video. Although it supposedly lasts only 10 hours for music, it does last an admirable 5 hours for video. Video on the iPod is supposed to last 2 hours, but I watched an episode of Lost, and battery life was almost gone. Furthermore, the gmini accepts the divx and xvid format. Finally, the gmini comes with everything necessary to output to a tv, while you have to spend an additional $20 for the output cable for the iPod plus maybe another $30 for the power adapter since you probably wouldn't be able to watch a full movie on the iPod using its battery alone. Both players are basically a wash when it comes to music playback. The Gmini has drag-n-drop, easy playlisting, deleting. The iPod has 10gb more space and faster navigation. For video, it depends on how you're going to use it. If you intend to watch a couple of episodes of The Simpsons or Family Guy and just on the unit itself, then stick with the iPod. If you're looking to watch shows like Lost or Arrested Development or full-length videos, then go with the gmini. If you want to watch most of your stuff on tv, whether animated or live-action, go with the gmini.

You can watch probably 3 hours of movie on a fully charged IPOD... I did watch it quite a bit when I was standing the line for XBOX 360. Yeah, it also drives me nuts to pay money for things that should've been included in the kit such as AC adapter and docking station.

 

[apnk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by niksem i wish there was a 3rd party software that would do everything (add, edit, delete files from IPOD, restore IPOD).

Well there is Anapod software. Go to redchairsoftware.com and check it out, it makes the iPod work thru windows explorer and you can drag stuff into it. The only downside is that its cost $25.

 

[niksem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by apnk Well there is Anapod software. Go to redchairsoftware.com and check it out, it makes the iPod work thru windows explorer and you can drag stuff into it. The only downside is that its cost $25.

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH. It is what I was looking for!!!!!!!! Ok you made my life 100 time easier.

 

[niksem]

I got a trial version of it from www.download.com, so

Anapod >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Itunes

 

[DigDub]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rab10 All MP3 players work this way! When you connect an MP3 player to the USB port of a computer, the mp3 player goes into a data mode (and on some mp3 players recharge while connected to the USB port.) You wont be able to use the MP3 player until the mp3 player is disconnected from the computer's usb.

ummm... not all players work this way. the samsung yh-j70 is able to playback and be charged via usb at simulteneously. the 5g ipod is also able to this, but you would have to eject the player in itunes first.

 

[roblo]

Unless there this a genuine glitch (i doubt) then you need to set the iPod to auto update. once the ipod has updated the songs etc it will sit there charging and you can listen to it once it had updated. This is what I do all the time as my on board audio sucks and with the iPod i get a known quantity.

From iTunes Help

To automatically update your iPod, iPod nano, or iPod mini with all the songs in your library, first connect your iPod to your computer. When it appears in the Source list, choose Edit > Preferences and click the iPod tab. Click the Music tab and make sure "Automatically update all songs and playlists" is selected. Then make sure the "Only update checked songs" checkbox is deselected.

Or for certain songs only:

To automatically update your iPod, iPod nano, or iPod mini with only certain songs, select the checkboxes next to the songs you want to copy in the iTunes window. Then connect your iPod to your computer and when it appears in the Source list, choose Edit > Preferences and click the iPod tab. Click the Music tab and make sure "Automatically update all songs and playlists" is selected. Then select the "Only update checked songs" checkbox.

Rob

 

[Ant1]

Well, I like the quality of IPOD, which is not bad compared other mp3 devices I had in the past, but small features like these make this device so annoying:

1) glitches been reported by many users; my unit, for example, cannot be used while connected to computer. It stays in "do not disconnect" mode forever while connected to computer


Of course you can use your iPod whilst connected to the computer. All you have to do is eject the iPod, either by dragging its icon to the bin, or by ejecting it in iTunes. After that, the "Do Not Disconect" disappears, and you can use the iPod normally.

2) have to use Itunes, too complicated, just want to copy and paste my music into a file explorer folder

You can do that too. All you have to do is open the iPod window within iTunes (at the bottom-right of the iTunes screen) and select "manual manage songs and playlists". You can then drag songs into iTunes at your heart's content.

 

[lal316l]

Quote:

Originally Posted by niksem Well, I like the quality of IPOD, which is not bad compared other mp3 devices I had in the past, but small features like these make this device so annoying: 1) glitches been reported by many users; my unit, for example, cannot be used while connected to computer. It stays in "do not disconnect" mode forever while connected to computer 2) have to use Itunes, too complicated, just want to copy and paste my music into a file explorer folder 3) cant edit music titles/delete files when they are on IPOD 4) no support for WMV files, they have to be converted 5) Video quality is GOOD! However, u have to convert movies into special BS ipod standard to watch them...takes a long time. If a movie is 16:9 ratio it becomes distorted unless you use some special software to correct for that... too complicated 6) battery is non-replacable, has to be sent to Apple for that... 7) Itunes is a headache!!!!! Here is what I want: 1) sound quality 2) video feature 3) Non-Apple made I kinda like this device but would go for something more compact: http://www.creative.com/products/pro...ct=12985&nav=1

1) This not a glitch, all Ipods are like this when connected to a computer. It is Ipod's own data transfer mode. Many mp3 player are restricted by this system as well (unable to use in data transfer mode). If you want to listen to your songs on your Ipod while it is connected to your computer, use Itunes or if you use Windows try Winamp with it's Ipod Plugin through Media Library.

2) Something tells me you barely even tried to use Itunes. Try to learn how to use it. It's really not that hard. If a majority of the people who own Ipods who barely know how a computer works can use Itunes competently, I'm sure you can to.

3) You seem to expect the Ipod to be "THE BEST PLAYER THAT DOES EVERYTHING." Clearly it seems you bought into the media hype as did everyone. WMV is a Microsoft branded video format. Ipods are made by who? Oh that's right, Apple.

4) Not only Ipod doesn't support this feature, a vast majority of mp3 players don't support this as well. While the ability to edit/files would be nice to have on a mp3 player, it is clearly an inefficient way to manage your music library in terms of tagging every single detail. This is why we have our computers to handle this. Mp3 players ARE NOT computers!!

5) I totally agree on the video issue on the 5g Ipods which holds me back on buying one. The whole converting videos into a viewable format is too much of a hassle to deal with but it is in no way complicated.

6) Ipods have never had a "replaceable battery" of any kind, if it breaks we'll fix it for you, for a price. This is an idea given to the general public by Apple. Techinically there are user replaceable batteries online if you look for it but the process of switching the battery for another one is not very efficient. The battery issue has been discussed many times before. I believe it's more of a marketing strategy really. If the general public are given the idea that a player has a replaceable battery, they will get the impression as the battery is more likely to fail giving a slightly negative impression of the player itself. Consumers don't want things to be overly complicated. If you tell people your product works, it should work and if it should fail, fix it for a nominal fee. If you were pushing a product, you wouldn't want to cause people to worry about their purchase. That is why you have to be as vague as possible. You might argue that a replaceable battery feature might give consumers peace of mind, but that's not the goal of the company. They want your money first then answer your questions after. It's all about first impressions.

7) See #2

On the issue of the not being to drag files off your Ipod to the computer, it is a security mechanism to prevent "illegal" file sharing hence the inability to go from computer to computer "stealing" people's music. There are workarounds to this through 3rd Party Programs (most which cost money). A good free one that allows putting files in and taking out is Winamp's Media Library Ipod Plugin.

 

[bigshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigDub ummm... not all players work this way. the samsung yh-j70 is able to playback and be charged via usb at simulteneously. the 5g ipod is also able to this, but you would have to eject the player in itunes first.

Why not just play from your iTunes library on your computer?

See ya
Steve

 

[bigshot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lal316l 6) Ipods have never had a "replaceable battery" of any kind, if it breaks we'll fix it for you, for a price. This is an idea given to the general public by Apple. Techinically there are user replaceable batteries online if you look for it but the process of switching the battery for another one is not very efficient.

That's news to me. I swapped out the battery on my 3g last year, and it took about 20 minutes... no problem at all.

See ya
Steve

 

[x1lexure]

Somehow I get the idea that you're not going to be satisfied with any mp3 player. That's not a dig, just something I'm attributing to you from reading your post.

Having said that: I really think you should take a minute to examine just exactly the trouble you're having with the iPod, and whether it's really the iPod, or you.

1) Again, not a glitch.

2) iTunes is going to make your life so much easier once you get used to working with it. The keyboard shortcuts for playlists are especially important to learn and utilize. I remove and fill up mine in about an hour or so, and everything is labeled correctly and incredibly easy to find. That's a ton of data to label and sort through, and iTunes does it incredibly.

3) I do agree on this one.

4) So take a couple seconds to convert them, or try and get the files in a more supported format.

5) I agree here, but I can see Apple doing this in order for other errors to be avoided.

6) In 2 years tell me if this is going to really matter, and whether or not your battery is dead.

7) iTunes is only a headache for so long, and then it becomes a Godsend, just like an other fairly complicated program that allows for a mediocre amount of choice and options.

If you do decide to get rid of the old girl, give me a call, I know a number of people who could use her.

 

[chrisfromalbany]

boy, I havent seen this much ipod support in one thread.. lol.. as for the convertion. I havent had an issue. Downloaded V. Converter and no troubles. It takes sometime but the up side is it does save some space in the process. I have 30 videos, 5 SuicideGirls Video podcasts (lol), 5 movies (torrent all the way).

 

[skybl4ck]

i find itunes to be uber easy to use, and it also is a great organizational tool to tag song. if you wanted to transfer songs from a computer with no internet connection into your ipod, you could just keep the installation file of itunes on your ipod.

 

[Chef Medeski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by niksem 1) glitches been reported by many users; my unit, for example, cannot be used while connected to computer. It stays in "do not disconnect" mode forever while connected to computer

That is not a glitch, that is how the iPod was designed. If you need to access your music while connected to your computer, you use iTunes to play or browese the music.

Quote:

2) have to use Itunes, too complicated, just want to copy and paste my music into a file explorer folder

If iTunes is too complicated there is no MP3 player that comes with simpler software.
Quote:

4) no support for WMV files, they have to be converted

With iTunes you can just set all your WMV files to be converted over night. It takes 15 minutes, so if that is an issue then I suggest instead of wasting your time looking for a new MP3 player you just learn the easy way to use yours.
Quote:

5) Video quality is GOOD! However, u have to convert movies into special BS ipod standard to watch them...takes a long time. If a movie is 16:9 ratio it becomes distorted unless you use some special software to correct for that... too complicated

Yes, this special software is necessary for almost all MP3 players since none of them come in 16:9 ratio. Now this might be a bit harder than iTunes, but that isn't Apple's fault: its the media companies for being such a pain in the ass to deal with. If of all of this is too complicated I suggest you just go back to CDs, because a lot of what you are using is the simplest software around.
By the way MPEG-4 isn't iPod BS. Its actually a widely used standard. H.264 may be Apple's encoding, however there is clearly another widely used option. Just like how Apple uses AAC, their own creation, and the widely used MP3 on their iPod. Same mentality, its just you haven't heard of MPEG-4.
Quote:

7) Itunes is a headache!!!!!

Once again, if iTunes is a headache you either aren't reading the manual or have no perception of a headache. It is the simplest software out there.