ipod mini or Zen Micro

[redmile04]

I sell both and I would recommend the Zen micro is very underated and Is cheaper. Does everything the ipod does

[DJRice]

Originally posted by Barnes@Sep 9 2005, 01:39 PM
Good luck. Let me know if you need help with the mini or iTunes.

ill admit, for my needs anything over 5gb is overkill. Sound quality is the most important factor, followed by size/looks/weight, then battery life, software etc.

I want to be able to throw it into a shirt pocket no problem.

[DJRice]

Originally posted by Bobblehead@Sep 9 2005, 03:30 PM
Sony is bad, they only play a proprietary format. They will accept MP3, but they transcode on the fly so you get sound degradation.

If you want a mini, get them fast. They are now replaced by the Ipod nano. Instead of a small hard drive, they are flash memory based.

And Apple is pushing AAC because it can include thier proprietary Digital Rights Management(DRM) system, which they license to MP3 makers. I don't think Creative players can listen to music downloaded from the Itunes music store (unless you remove the DRM).
Similarly, iPod won't play music encrypted with the Microsoft DRM system, while Creative players will.

They will all play unencumbered MP3 files (even if Sony does transcode them).

I will admit, a 20GB player for $244 is a pretty good deal, but with Sony's MP3 reputation, I wouldn't touch it.

sorrry stupid question here, how is a flash memory based drive better than a small hard drive type? I suppose flash is quicker transfering data?

Depends when the nano comes out, and price. If its gonna be 2x the price, forget it. I think $180 for a new ipod mini silver is a steal, just want to make sure its for my liking, as opposed to all the other brands - creative, iriver, mpio, samsung, etc.

[Jaws]

Yeah, I'd wait for a 4GB Ipod Nano. It uses flash memory instead of a mini hard drive. It's also 1/3 the volume of the Mini and has a colour screen.

Why flash memory is better? A flash based player is more durable than a hard drive based player (because there are less moving parts) and it won't skip. If you accidentally drop a hard drive based player from a decent height, there's a chance the hard drive could get busted.

[Bobblehead]

Originally posted by DJRice@Sep 10 2005, 02:10 AM
sorrry stupid question here, how is a flash memory based drive better than a small hard drive type? I suppose flash is quicker transfering data?

I think flash is better because there are no moving parts. You can't get it in as large of a capacity as the Hard drive based, so it depends upon how you want to use it.

If you want to listen to things for a coupel hours a day while working out, go flash based. If you want to carry your music collection around, have lots of different music with you at all times, then a hard drive based system may be better for you.

As far as transferring data goes, I wouldn't get anything less than USB 2.0 Firewire is fine if your computer supports it, but almost everything new has USB ports.

[Hakan]

iRiver H340 blows ipod and zen out of the water. But I'm biased.

The iRiver DAPS are going to have an open source firmware released soon by the rockbox group as well. Something Ipod users can only dream about.

[Bobblehead]

Originally posted by Hakan@Sep 10 2005, 02:35 PM
iRiver H340 blows ipod and zen out of the water. But I'm biased.

I'd love one, but they still seem a bit pricy.

I had ready that they had an issue with MP3s encoded with VBR - do you know if they fixed that in the firmware yet?