iPod

[BjAM]

Does anybody on this forum have an iPod, iPod nano, shuffle and all that. I'm just curious because I'm getting one next week (on a monday which is my birthday...the 28th.) I'm too excited because I heard these things are cool and stuff. :D

[Dr. OneWay]

I have a iPod Nano. WOOT! I actually have a cool story about how I got it: In Oct. 2005, my friend invited me to this church party (Jam), where they play music, have basketball, etc. Well, there were at least 500 kids there. And I won. Out of the raffle. For the iPod. I practically jumped out of my seat, I was so excited. I mean, those things aren't cheap, and I wasn't getting one anytime soon.

Ever since then, its like my lifesaver whenever I need music, especially when I walk my dog and my neighbors dogs. I hope you love yours as much as I love mine.

[BjAM]

I'll get mine next week. W00T!:D Hey, your story on how you won was really cool. You were lucky. :)

[One Radical Dude]

I have an iPod that has the capability of playing videos (one of my parents won it for my b-day). Even if the iPod you get doesn't play videos, it's still great to be able to listen to your favorite tunes on there. ;)

[RayChuang]

The iPod are good units but 1) Apple should include a free protective case with their Nanos and regular iPods and 2) the way you copy audio (music/podcasts) to the iPod with iTunes can be very confusing indeed. :mad:

Sandisk's Sansa e200 series players are excellent units, sport sturdy construction, and integrates superbly with Windows XP machines, which means easy copying of files to the player. :cool: If I had the money I'd get the Sansa e280, the new player with the 8 GB flash memory.

[Dr. OneWay]

The iPod are good units but 1) Apple should include a free protective case with their Nanos and regular iPods and 2) the way you copy audio (music/podcasts) to the iPod with iTunes can be very confusing indeed. :mad:

Sandisk's Sansa e200 series players are excellent units, sport sturdy construction, and integrates superbly with Windows XP machines, which means easy copying of files to the player. :cool: If I had the money I'd get the Sansa e280, the new player with the 8 GB flash memory.

1) I agree with you on the protective case. I had to go about two months without a case, until we found one that was a off-brand case (Apple hadn't even released the case to retailers yet, Best Buy says). The off-brand case works great, it flips up, letting me change songs, and is held down by a magnet when closed.

2) I don't think its that confusing. Whenever I want to import songs from a CD, I insert the CD, and a window pops up, asking what I should do. I just click "Import CD using iTunes", and it starts importing it onto my library. As for songs you have downloaded from a place other than iTunes, you just click "File" up at the top, "Add file to library". You can select all the songs you want from a different place on your computer, letting you put it onto iTunes. I have not spent one cent on music through iTunes, and my iPod is full of songs. So, importing isn't really that hard. :p

[Arxane]

My video iPod has saved my life many a time when I was working at the American Cancer Society verifying checks. Boy, that job was mindnumbingly boring, but my collection of music made sure I didn't go insane.

However, I must say I'm not a fan of Apple's copyright protection on their iTunes files...and it's not for illegal reasons, either. My mother (a teacher) uses Arcsoft software to create burned DVDs for her classroom kids, and she loves putting pictures to music on her little movies. Unfortunately, Apple's copyright protected files aren't recognized by Arcsoft, and the only method of turning the protected file into a usable mp3 for her is to go through the "burn and rip" hassle.

[purplehairedwonder]

I have an iPod Mini... it broke just a little after going off warranty and I had to pay $94 to get it fixed; but it's my baby and I love it. I've got a ton of songs (way more than before I busted it) and I take it everywhere. It's been a lifesaver on long car rides and when I run and all that good stuff. I love it.

[mikestorm]

I have an ipod Nano, and I absolutely love it.

Sidenote: Apple's customer service rocks

I left my ipod in my center console of my car on a blazingly hot day. At around 6pm I get in my car, open my center console and reach for my ipod. Do you remember that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Belzig tries to pick up Marion's medallion in the bar? I lived it. I honestly would not have been the least bit surprised if the apple logo seared itself into my palm on that day.

Needless to say I fried my nano - literally. It was only three months old, so I go to the King of Prussia Mall where they have an Apple store. I put my name in the queue to talk to an "apple genius" (that's what they're called). When it's my turn, I hand over my ipod and he tries to get it to boot.

Genius guy: "So, what happened?"

Me: I shrug and make some noncommittal grunting noises

Genius guy: "Uh huh...well, this one's toast. Here's a new one."

Me: my grunting gets more committal and excited and I even muster a "Thanks!"

Either way, there are some new players on the market (Samsung and Scandisk each have one out now) and I'm told they rival or exceed Apple in terms of features and battery life, but the above scenario has solidified my preference for the ipod.

[stitchlover]

love my ipod video :)

[BjAM]

I have my iPod Nano!! I'm soooo happy!:D

[RayChuang]

1) I agree with you on the protective case. I had to go about two months without a case, until we found one that was a off-brand case (Apple hadn't even released the case to retailers yet, Best Buy says). The off-brand case works great, it flips up, letting me change songs, and is held down by a magnet when closed.


Actually, one thing I'd like for Apple to offer standard with their iPods is an AC adapter that charges the battery in the iPod without having to plug into the USB port. Sure, it might add about US$8-US$10 to the retail cost of an iPod but I think it's worth it NOT having to rely on your computer to recharge the iPod's battery. :)

[Dr. OneWay]

Actually, one thing I'd like for Apple to offer standard with their iPods is an AC adapter that charges the battery in the iPod without having to plug into the USB port. Sure, it might add about US$8-US$10 to the retail cost of an iPod but I think it's worth it NOT having to rely on your computer to recharge the iPod's battery. :)

I KNOW! I mean, I ended up buying the AC adapter off the internet, but its sometimes a hassle to keep it in your computer all the time. I mean, what if you go on a trip? Do you just not have it charged for a week? No music? That's not a good thing on Apple's part.

[Yojimbo]

I have an iPod Nano Black.

I got it during Christmas 2005 for myself from Amazon when I bought my mother a digital camera. I needed any type of iPod for an upcoming ICS (Information Computer Sciences) course for podcasted lectures. Though I did download the podcasts, I never stored them on the Nano. Instead I began uploading my CD collection into it. :sweat:

I haven't bothered with any accessories, one: it's a luxury I can skip one right now two: as a college student, it is my right to plead poverty and three: my room is too small for an iHome or anything else. So for now, my Nano is mostly smudged too death. :D

[Mittenz]

Just a tip for you BjAM. Try not to get anything like soy sauce spilled on your iPod. It happened to mine and it ruined the thing.

[EscaflownePilot]

Be sure to look into other alternatives if you aren't accessory crazy, though. Personally, I'm really enjoying my Creative Zen Vision M. It plays a pretty wide range of audio and video formats, and has a lot of things that the current iPod lacks out of the box (AC adaptor for charging w/o a PC, a built-in FM tuner/recorder, etc) for the same price as the current-gen iPod.

There's certainly nothing wrong with going for an iPod - they're probably the most user-friendly, and have SO many cool accessories that you'll never in a million years get on any other digital media player, but it does pay to do your research - sometimes a non-iPod is just a better fit based on what you want.

I do love my player, though. I NEVER have to hear myself think again - if ever I'm bored or doing something trivial, putting the earbuds in and listening to a favorite album can really save you. I daresay there are some chores around the house that I used to dread that I now look forward to as a chance to listen to a new album while I'm doing it.

[BjAM]

Just a tip for you BjAM. Try not to get anything like soy sauce spilled on your iPod. It happened to mine and it ruined the thing.

Thanks for the tip.

[purplehairedwonder]

Thanks for the tip.
Another one: Don't drop it on the ground... a lot. That's what happened to mine and that's why it cost $94 to fix... had to get a new motherboard for the damn thing.

But if you ever need to send it in for repairs somewhere, I recommend iPodmods.com. That's where I sent mine (at a recommendation from my brother who is a total techno-nerd so knows all these kinds of things) and the service was very good.

[BjAM]

Another one: Don't drop it on the ground... a lot. That's what happened to mine and that's why it cost $94 to fix... had to get a new motherboard for the damn thing.

But if you ever need to send it in for repairs somewhere, I recommend iPodmods.com. That's where I sent mine (at a recommendation from my brother who is a total techno-nerd so knows all these kinds of things) and the service was very good.

Thanks again. I pretty much listen to my music outside.

[ThePeterNetwork]

Another one: Don't drop it on the ground... a lot. That's what happened to mine and that's why it cost $94 to fix... had to get a new motherboard for the damn thing.

Is that why some of the songs on my iPod keep skipping? :sad:

[purplehairedwonder]

Is that why some of the songs on my iPod keep skipping? :sad:
Probably. They don't like getting dropped, heh. I would listen to mine when shoveling snow and it would keep falling onto the driveway :sweat: The songs didn't skip, but it kept taking longer and longer to start up.

[Boy Wonder]

I used to have a 20GB from 2004 (before color), and it was stolen from my locker at school, so I have a 1GB Shuffle. I have only 100MB left on it.

[SuperStantzio]

I also have an Ipod as well. I have the first with the shuffle that can hold 102 songs. I enjoy mines very much and my brother gave it to me when he got another a Ipod nano. It works very well I haven't broke it yet. :D

[RayChuang]

Speaking of which, the rumor mill is getting "hot and heavy" with rumors that two new iPod Nano models will arrive around September 16-17, 2006.

The new Nanos are supposed to sport these new features:

1. Flash memory in six and eight gigabyte capacities.

2. A new case design that looks almost like the old iPod Mini, this time with scratchproof metallic case and scratchproof display.

If I were Apple, I would include an AC adapter that will allow you to recharge the battery pack without needing to connect the iPod to the USB port of the computer. I'd also use a new battery design to increase the running time of the iPod after a full charge to at least 20 hours.

The video iPod--sometimes called vPod--will probably not arrive until January 2007.

[FerrariCake]

Oy, I need help. I think my iPod nano (2GB) is broken. A few hours ago I was listening to it, and I clicked the track skip to get to a song I like, and it froze. I mean, the screen froze, and nothing i do with unfreeze it. I even tried seeing if my computer could jar it out of frozenness, but my computer can't even 'find' it when it's plugged in. I'm pretty sure it's broken, which really sucks, as I only got it like seven months ago. Should I mail it to Apple and have them fix it under my warranty dealy, should I chuck it and scrape up for a new one, what do I do?

[Nobuyuki sama]

Oy, I need help. I think my iPod nano (2GB) is broken. A few hours ago I was listening to it, and I clicked the track skip to get to a song I like, and it froze. I mean, the screen froze, and nothing i do with unfreeze it. I even tried seeing if my computer could jar it out of frozenness, but my computer can't even 'find' it when it's plugged in.
First things first. Try resetting it following the handy instructions (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61705), then follow-up with the rest of the troubleshooting (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=32222) procedure if that doesn't work.

If all else fails, then worry about getting a new one.

[Ryan227]

I have a 30 GB one. It's white and it's name is Moses :p I kind of regret buying one so big because I have a lot of music and I still don't have enough to even fill half of it. I bought it myself and it's the most I've ever spent on one thing. I still love it though.

[FerrariCake]

First things first. Try resetting it following the handy instructions (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61705), then follow-up with the rest of the troubleshooting (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=32222) procedure if that doesn't work.

If all else fails, then worry about getting a new one.
Thankies, but it's all better now. The battery drained that night, and in the morning when I plugged it into the comp to recharge, eveything was as it chould be. ^_^

[Mynd Hed]

My girlfriend recently got the 30 gig version, and she's in love. It's a really neat piece of electronica; I was skeptical until I saw it in action. Especially where the video features are concerned. I just plain couldn't believe that anything could be that watchable on such a small screen, but darned if it isn't.

So right now I've got some serious iPod envy going on. I'm pondering my options as I attempt (probably in vain, but we'll see) to squirrel away some money for an mp3 player of my own.

The more I do my homework, though, the more the Creative Zen line is starting to look really nice to me. On the lower end, the 1 GB version seems to offer a lot of features (line in recording, voice recording, a wee LCD for track titles, an armband, an AC charger) out of the box that the Shuffle either requires a seperately purchased (and usually ridiculously pricey) accessory for or else just plain doesn't offer.
And at the higher end, I like the greater file compatibility that the Zen Vision M offers over the iPod. Less time spent transcoding video means more time spent enjoying it. (-: I guess it's a little bigger and heavier, but personally I don't mind that too much.
If I had a bottomless wallet, I understand they're just about to release a widescreen version of the Vision, but when I'm honest with myself I know it'll be years and years before something like that is in my price range. (-:

[Dr. OneWay]

OK, so now my iPod Nano is even more essential. When I was riding on the bus today to go back home from my first day of high school, I figured out that . . . . I am the lasssstt stop. So, I'll end up being on that headache-prone, bouncin' up and down bus for a half hour every day. And I didn't bring my iPod today, figuring just in case someone ripped my backpack off of me and stole my precious contents. Tomorrow. . . it's going in my backpack ;)

[Opaque]

I have a 30gig video and it's pretty much the best thing ever for between classes and going to the gym.

I have well over 3,000 songs and every episode of Red VS Blue on there. About half the songs I ripped myself at the highest quality MP3 possible and the RvB episodes were the hi-res versions and where then made into MPEG-4.

Some of the best news is that the 360 offers iPod support, so when I play Live Arcade or full retail games where a custom soundtrack is desired (like racing and sports titles) I can just pop open the guide tab and play whatever I want off teh iPod. It's made Texas Hold'em completely awesome.