[roastpuff]

I'm currently deciding what to get myself for my birthday, and I'm torn between the two. I can get both as new/mint for about the same price - Clix from eBay, iPod from Craigslist or similar.

Clix
Pros:

1. Better SQ
2. More exclusive - not many people have one.
3. Sweet control method - something to finally compete against the click-wheel.
4. Text-reader out of the box. BIG thing for me, since I love e-books.
5. Battery life as long or longer as a nano.
6. Smaller than Video.
7. Plays videos quite easily & long-lasting (approx. 5 hours).

Cons:

1. Thicker, bulkier.
2. Doesn't support OS X. Bad, because my main computer is a Macbook Pro.
3. Space is limited.
4. Games are not as prolific, though it does support Flash.

iPod Video
Pros:

1. 30GB capacity - nice for storage, have everything together.
2. Everyone has one. Literally. Lots of accessories and support.
3. Slightly bigger screen.
4. Native support for iTunes and OS X.
5. Easy to convert videos, can do iTMS videos.
6. Games, though they aren't cheap.
7. Thin, sleek form-factor.

Cons:

1. SQ is not as good. Neither is the EQ.
2. Battery life is less than Clix - especially for video (only 3 hours).
3. No e-book reader. I really want something with a bigger screen than my N73. Seriously.
4. Longer than the Clix, and wider.
5. Everybody has one. Literally.
6. Sometimes too much music is a bad thing.
7. Prone to scratching.

I have an external HD, so storage is really not that big of a deal. It's just for the price... *sigh*.

 

[wnewport]

With the ipod you have the option of using the line-out for better sq. You can also use Rockbox to play FLAC files. I think 30gb of FLAC music would beat out the 4gb of MP3s on the Clix. I haven't heard the clix, so this is just an assumption.

 

[roastpuff]

Clix has line-out in the form of a dock, and I plan to use both unamped. I prize portability too, so I don't want to carry around an amp.

I don't really want to bother with Rockbox either, because I'm afraid of bricking.

 

[apnk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roastpuff /img/forum/go_quote.gif Clix has line-out in the form of a dock, and I plan to use both unamped. I prize portability too, so I don't want to carry around an amp. I don't really want to bother with Rockbox either, because I'm afraid of bricking.

The clix, because by reading your first post you seem to be leaning to the clix. I would get the iPod because of Rockbox, which has a text reader BTW

.

 

[roastpuff]

Hm, how good is Rockbox text reader? What files does it support?

 

[IpaqMan]

A few months ago, I looked at the Clix 2GB and the Ipod Video 30GB. I ultimately chose the Ipod for capacity. If you want to watch videos, you will need a lot of space. I only have a few movies, tv shows, and music videos on my Ipod and they take up almost three gigabytes. I was also concerned about getting accessories for the Clix. It uses a proprietary cable, so a spare one would be more expensive than a spare clone cable for the Ipod.

For books on a DAP, I prefer audiobooks. You can listen to them during walks, workouts, or during a drive. Text on these small screens can be a problem. I use a PDA with a larger screen to read text. And the Ipod Video supports Audible.com audiobooks. Netlibrary is a source for books, but WMA DRM is problematic with regard to books (resume, bookmarks). Audible.com books are well supported on Ipods and other DAPs.

BTW, I don't know if this is fixed on the Clix, but they never really shut off and so can run out of power in three or four days doing nothing. The Ipod has something similar but I believe they last longer than four days.

The Ipod Video has improved video battery life to over five hours with the latest firmware. From the Itunes store, you can get a lot of tv shows and movies all ready for the Ipod. I also find a lot of tv shows for free on the Itunes Store.

And lastly, Iriver is a small company that has been impacted in a major way by the competition. I have a terrific DAP from Rio/Sonic Blue and unfortunately, there is no support for it anymore.

 

[apnk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roastpuff /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hm, how good is Rockbox text reader? What files does it support?

I dunno, I never used it. Sorry.

 

[wnewport]

For me, 4gb is hardly enough. I went from a Zen Micro to a 30gb iPod, and I absolutely love the iPod. This is coming from a lifetime iPod hater. Now I can't imagine life without an iPod.

 

[roastpuff]

Coming from a 1GB Shuffle, 4GB is massive. I honestly don't want to listen to all the music in my library in one go. I take them in bite-sized chunks a few albums at a time, and I try and learn the artist's style.

iPaqMan, the 30GB's battery life is only 3.5 hours, on the improved model, estimated by Apple. The 80GB is 5 hours, but that's too pricey for me. I might not even get an improved model, because I'm buying used if I go for an iPod video. I prefer text to audiobooks, because sometimes I can't se the audio capability of the DAP, and I don't want to sign up for audible.com subscription. A lot of original fiction and fanfiction gets loaded up as my eBooks, and Baen's Free Library is another major source of my entertainment.

Can anyone chime in on Rockbox's text reader software?

 

[drippydonut]

The Rockbox text-reader can dispay pretty much any plain text (.txt) file.
It has some features like auto-scroll, different word-wrap options, etc.