I was hunting for a car stereo to replace the one that came with my car. I found one that allows my ipod to plug into it. I then control the ipod from the dashboard. It charges the ipod as it is playing.
That's cool - that's what I'd like to get - I didn't even know that was out there!
I'm in the process of selling my car, so maybe I'll get that with my new car (or mini van... did I say that? oh, help!) Of course Kristopher wants a mini van with a DVD player - aaarrrggghhh! It could be a VW Bus, and he'd think it was kool if it just had a DVD player! LOL!
It seems the iTrip drains the charge pretty quickly - so that's a great charging feature with it.
there are a lot of cars out there with "auxilliary" inputs... my honda element has one... I play my mp3 player through it as well as the satellite radio... but they're out there...
I have used a couple of mp3 players for a few years Creative labs zen nomad and an Iriver 512mb-primarily as a recorder) - my music collection which is a couple of hundred cds is all on mp3.
The main thing I don't like about Ipod is their m3u format it is propritary and I don't think you can make as high quality rips of your own cds and albums as you can with open format players.
Further while itunes is great there are a lot of other good online music sources.
Also the original ipods had a short battery life and you had to send the thing in to have the batteries changed! I hear the batteries last longer but if they are built in you'l have the same problem.
You might consider Creative, Iriver (theirs record- so you can record your timbuck three album) or Archos. Also if you are getting a jukebox-(hard drive unit) spend a little more and get a 40gig- I have had a creative zen nomad (20gig) for about 4 years- it still sounds great-I'm listing to it now through a stereo but I have almost filled the drive with favorites and that is the main reason I would replace it.
I have an mp3 cd player (I bought it online from crutcfield- an easy to install kit with excellent directions and tech support) in my car with aux inputs so I can use either a portable or mp3cd which lasts several hours.
The sad thing is that this will drive up the overall cost of iPods in the future (but lower the price of used ones that are 1-3 Generation). You can find the batteries for like $20 on eBay - installing them is nothing - I change batteries on my pocket PCs all the time (I have 3). So, it's not a big deal. But someone thought they should sue about it. They really hurt themselves and future ipod buyers. I've seen many instances on eBay where people sell their iPod just because the battery is dead. WIMPS!
I just caged a 20 GB iPod w/ all the accessories (but the CD) for $130 on eBay - I can't wait for it to arrive! It's not the Photo iPod - I don't need that - but it has some of the features I need (organizer, alarm clock, etc.) that the first generation doesn't. I'm always playing with things like this, so I'll probably sell it off in a few months and upgrade to a 40 GB. I also know how to format the songs so that they take up almost 45% less space on the iPod, so I can fit more on it. Cool trick, really.
Interesting about the format that iPods save music in - can you elaborate a little more about the difference between MP3 and M3U...
I have to go along with ckeer on the Creative, I have the 30GB and got it for cheap... I steered away from the ipods because of the "proprietary" issue... I've got about 200 CDs on mine and have plenty of room left... love the Creative, love their software and ease of use...
Chas, I'd be very careful buying ipod stuff on ebay unless you know the folks... there was just a story the other day on the teevee about counterfeit ipods and ipod stuff... no bueno...
Chas- I mispoke the file that apple uses is m4p not m3u (m3u is a playlist format for mp3 files.)
Apple has developed this format to keep it from being used on a non apple product. I don't think ipods can play mp3's or wav files. There are now conversion programs to do this. Many people don't like m4p for this reason- I convert songs I buy on Itunes by recording them to cd and then ripping the cd. This is not the best way as it can add a little distortion although they sound acceptable to me.
You probably would have trouble conveting your cd collection to apple format without an apple computer but perhaps they included the software for windows (I doubt it since they would much rather sell the whole computer-that is part of apples whole buissness model) There is software available from third parties I think.
Another thing about recording you own cd's is the fidelity. It is related to bit rate which is sampling rate. If you look at the two copies of GSC radio episode 1 you see the MP3 is four times the size of the WAV. Tthat is because the WAV file has one quarter the bitrate or sampling rate of the mp3. The lower rate is fine for voice but the music won't sound as good.
The highest bitrate available on a standard mp3 is 320kbps- cd quality is 128kbps- I can tell a diffrence between a 128kbps mp3 and the original cd. Above about 160kbps I can't. I record all my cd's at the highest possible rate the files are bigger but who cares- they sound better and storage is cheap- I don't know what the highest rate available on M4p is.
I hope that helps you understand why I don't like the apple format and would not get an ipod- but I hope you enjoy it. I know millions do.
ckeer- Thanks for the post - yes, that explaination does help. I didn't realize all the other options out there and it's certainly interesting exploring them. I'm the kind of person who researches even the smallest purchases - sorta drives hubby mad at times, but I like to really know what I'm getting. Last time I bought a computer it took me about 6 months to make a decision, but I got exactly what I needed/wanted - and for a decent price.
I feel the same about the iPod at the moment, but think that I'll probably move on to something better shortly. I'm always wheelin' and dealin' on these kinds of things and I haven't lost money yet on something like this.
================
Tom - I was really careful when I bought my iPod - I made sure the seller answered questions, had a good feedback score, etc. He was also PayPal verified - I don't buy from anyone who isn't. I also insure my items and ask for tracking (yes, I'm a pain in the butt buyer!) I do a lot of dealings on eBay (I have a store - reselling children's clothing, toys, books, etc.), so I've learned what to look for. I've seen a lot of the fake listings you've mentioned - they're not hard to pick out becuase the price is too good to be true, the seller has zero feedback - or it's Chinese (I'm serious!) - and it just reeks of a rip off. Someone once said that only greedy people get burned on eBay - I think there's some truth to that!
Chas- I think you might want to look at ways to convert you favorite cd's and recorde to m4p- if you like the ipod and the quality is fine stick with it. I use music match and/or easy cd creator platnum ( it has stuff to improve direct recording from records) to rip and convert from mp3 to wav.
Here are a couple of products that may work that I found-
I just got the best little gadget for my iPod - it's an iTalk, which records to the iPod. I've picked up several gigs around town videotaping public meetings and then writing up the meeting minutes. I didn't want to worry about bringing a tape that would run out in 60 or 90 mins. and would need attention while I was filming. The iTalk has a one-touch record button and can record as long as the battery has power and the iPod has memory! It costs about $20 on eBay (including shipping!) and is well worth the money!
It also has a mic-in jack, so you can record directly to the iPod, and a pre-amp on the mic to boost the sound. Additionally, it has a speaker so you can hear what you've recorded - or even utilized the alarm function on the iPod without a lot of money for a whole alarm clock set.
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pawtucket
I was hunting for a car stereo to replace the one that came with my car. I found one that allows my ipod to plug into it. I then control the ipod from the dashboard. It charges the ipod as it is playing.
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ChasUFarley
That's cool - that's what I'd like to get - I didn't even know that was out there!
I'm in the process of selling my car, so maybe I'll get that with my new car (or mini van... did I say that? oh, help!) Of course Kristopher wants a mini van with a DVD player - aaarrrggghhh! It could be a VW Bus, and he'd think it was kool if it just had a DVD player! LOL!
It seems the iTrip drains the charge pretty quickly - so that's a great charging feature with it.
Gotta love these things!
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Tom Strange
there are a lot of cars out there with "auxilliary" inputs... my honda element has one... I play my mp3 player through it as well as the satellite radio... but they're out there...
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ckeer
I have used a couple of mp3 players for a few years Creative labs zen nomad and an Iriver 512mb-primarily as a recorder) - my music collection which is a couple of hundred cds is all on mp3.
The main thing I don't like about Ipod is their m3u format it is propritary and I don't think you can make as high quality rips of your own cds and albums as you can with open format players.
Further while itunes is great there are a lot of other good online music sources.
Also the original ipods had a short battery life and you had to send the thing in to have the batteries changed! I hear the batteries last longer but if they are built in you'l have the same problem.
You might consider Creative, Iriver (theirs record- so you can record your timbuck three album) or Archos. Also if you are getting a jukebox-(hard drive unit) spend a little more and get a 40gig- I have had a creative zen nomad (20gig) for about 4 years- it still sounds great-I'm listing to it now through a stereo but I have almost filled the drive with favorites and that is the main reason I would replace it.
I have an mp3 cd player (I bought it online from crutcfield- an easy to install kit with excellent directions and tech support) in my car with aux inputs so I can use either a portable or mp3cd which lasts several hours.
her are links to Archos Players, Creative players, Iriver players
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ChasUFarley
I guess I'm out of the closet now as someone who as a Timbuck Three album....
Yes, I confess. I do. I've been outed and it feels SSOOOOOO GOOD!
Yeah, I found out about the iPod battery issue - there was a class action lawsuit about it because it was so bad. I think Apple settled the suit:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=129937
The sad thing is that this will drive up the overall cost of iPods in the future (but lower the price of used ones that are 1-3 Generation). You can find the batteries for like $20 on eBay - installing them is nothing - I change batteries on my pocket PCs all the time (I have 3). So, it's not a big deal. But someone thought they should sue about it. They really hurt themselves and future ipod buyers. I've seen many instances on eBay where people sell their iPod just because the battery is dead. WIMPS!
I just caged a 20 GB iPod w/ all the accessories (but the CD) for $130 on eBay - I can't wait for it to arrive! It's not the Photo iPod - I don't need that - but it has some of the features I need (organizer, alarm clock, etc.) that the first generation doesn't. I'm always playing with things like this, so I'll probably sell it off in a few months and upgrade to a 40 GB. I also know how to format the songs so that they take up almost 45% less space on the iPod, so I can fit more on it. Cool trick, really.
Interesting about the format that iPods save music in - can you elaborate a little more about the difference between MP3 and M3U...
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Tom Strange
I have to go along with ckeer on the Creative, I have the 30GB and got it for cheap... I steered away from the ipods because of the "proprietary" issue... I've got about 200 CDs on mine and have plenty of room left... love the Creative, love their software and ease of use...
Chas, I'd be very careful buying ipod stuff on ebay unless you know the folks... there was just a story the other day on the teevee about counterfeit ipods and ipod stuff... no bueno...
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ckeer
Chas- I mispoke the file that apple uses is m4p not m3u (m3u is a playlist format for mp3 files.)
Apple has developed this format to keep it from being used on a non apple product. I don't think ipods can play mp3's or wav files. There are now conversion programs to do this. Many people don't like m4p for this reason- I convert songs I buy on Itunes by recording them to cd and then ripping the cd. This is not the best way as it can add a little distortion although they sound acceptable to me.
You probably would have trouble conveting your cd collection to apple format without an apple computer but perhaps they included the software for windows (I doubt it since they would much rather sell the whole computer-that is part of apples whole buissness model) There is software available from third parties I think.
Another thing about recording you own cd's is the fidelity. It is related to bit rate which is sampling rate. If you look at the two copies of GSC radio episode 1 you see the MP3 is four times the size of the WAV. Tthat is because the WAV file has one quarter the bitrate or sampling rate of the mp3. The lower rate is fine for voice but the music won't sound as good.
The highest bitrate available on a standard mp3 is 320kbps- cd quality is 128kbps- I can tell a diffrence between a 128kbps mp3 and the original cd. Above about 160kbps I can't. I record all my cd's at the highest possible rate the files are bigger but who cares- they sound better and storage is cheap- I don't know what the highest rate available on M4p is.
I hope that helps you understand why I don't like the apple format and would not get an ipod- but I hope you enjoy it. I know millions do.
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ChasUFarley
ckeer- Thanks for the post - yes, that explaination does help. I didn't realize all the other options out there and it's certainly interesting exploring them. I'm the kind of person who researches even the smallest purchases - sorta drives hubby mad at times, but I like to really know what I'm getting. Last time I bought a computer it took me about 6 months to make a decision, but I got exactly what I needed/wanted - and for a decent price.
I feel the same about the iPod at the moment, but think that I'll probably move on to something better shortly. I'm always wheelin' and dealin' on these kinds of things and I haven't lost money yet on something like this.
================
Tom - I was really careful when I bought my iPod - I made sure the seller answered questions, had a good feedback score, etc. He was also PayPal verified - I don't buy from anyone who isn't. I also insure my items and ask for tracking (yes, I'm a pain in the butt buyer!) I do a lot of dealings on eBay (I have a store - reselling children's clothing, toys, books, etc.), so I've learned what to look for. I've seen a lot of the fake listings you've mentioned - they're not hard to pick out becuase the price is too good to be true, the seller has zero feedback - or it's Chinese (I'm serious!) - and it just reeks of a rip off. Someone once said that only greedy people get burned on eBay - I think there's some truth to that!
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ckeer
Chas- I think you might want to look at ways to convert you favorite cd's and recorde to m4p- if you like the ipod and the quality is fine stick with it. I use music match and/or easy cd creator platnum ( it has stuff to improve direct recording from records) to rip and convert from mp3 to wav.
Here are a couple of products that may work that I found-
Tune bite
Blaze media pro
Using an old computer hooked to a stero is a nice way to have and play tour colection of music
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ChasUFarley
I just got the best little gadget for my iPod - it's an iTalk, which records to the iPod. I've picked up several gigs around town videotaping public meetings and then writing up the meeting minutes. I didn't want to worry about bringing a tape that would run out in 60 or 90 mins. and would need attention while I was filming. The iTalk has a one-touch record button and can record as long as the battery has power and the iPod has memory! It costs about $20 on eBay (including shipping!) and is well worth the money!
It also has a mic-in jack, so you can record directly to the iPod, and a pre-amp on the mic to boost the sound. Additionally, it has a speaker so you can hear what you've recorded - or even utilized the alarm function on the iPod without a lot of money for a whole alarm clock set.
Just thought I'd share that with y'all - :)
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