Newest iPod vs. the Nomad Zen NX? 160
flyingember asks: "I am considering purchasing an iPod, since they are so cool looking. I then came across the new Nomad Zen NX. Size isn't an issue, my current MP3 player being a MP3-CD player. The big thing is price. In the US the 30GB Zen costs $300, the 30GB iPod costs $500. Or you can get a 10GB iPod for $300 or a 20GB Zen for $250 on the low end. Has the iPod got better design and layout of controls to make the price difference worth it?"
iPod (Score:5, Insightful)
I like devices that have interfaces that match their use. Take palm and its OS. I thought grafitii is great. It makes sense for really quick input. The fact you don't have a start menu and just use the "applications" menu to get to stuff was also great. It even use(d) a low power cpu. It's the opposite reason why I really hate windows ce. I just can' get used to the idea of having a start menu and apps that take up so much screen space.
--
Other reason I don't like the zen? Same friend, can't download the drivers from creative, and to use the drivers, he has to install the base software. But the software he prefers to use for syncin' needs the drivers. So to use one software, he's forced to use another.
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iTunes works really well w/ the ipod. Hopefully, the win version will be just as good.
Re:iPod (Score:1, Troll)
Like, on the iPod, you can even dream about using *another* software besides iTunes? But, oh, I forgot, Apple software is perfect, no one would ever want to use an alternative.
And I'm sure your strong, argumented, educated opinion on Windows CE is right-on-spot relevant to th
Re:iPod (Score:2, Interesting)
He does compare the user interface of the ipod to the user interface of the zen, comparing it to palmos and wince. I am right there with him/her on this comparison.
And with the ipod, you'd be amazed to discover there are other software solutions for it. While I can't speak for the mac side of the house (and everyone I've talked to about itunes has been fairly happy with it), I know for certain on the PC side, there's EphPod [ephpod.com] and Media Jukebokx [musicex.com], both of which I've
Re:iPod (Score:2, Informative)
I unfortunately have to say the same about the iPod. The one giant wheel is very awkward to use for certain things such as playing Solitaire. However, after a couple days, I was very used to it.
The iPod is also just plain better designed. There are practically no moving parts, and I can't imagine anything other than the har
Re:iPod (Score:2)
Re:iPod (Score:4, Informative)
So yes, there will be a Windows version of iTunes.
Re:iPod (Score:2)
Good! If apple keeps the good software on it's platform (well, partially theirs) then it's more of a hook for the marketplace.
Size matters! (Score:1)
Of course, you could indulge in simple style,
but too the real techies, who would know
that either you're using smaller files,
or you paid more and got less to go.
iPod is sexier (Score:4, Funny)
But iPod is smaller, lighter
It's way more stylish (aka chicks dig it)
It's got a slick interface with a really nice screen
You can play solitaire on it gosh darn it!!!
Okay, I'm just trying to defend my impulse 400 (USD) purchase.
Re:iPod is sexier (Score:2, Funny)
*shaking head* You'd have better luck spending the extra $200 you saved on hookers if that's what's important to you.
Re:iPod is sexier (Score:2, Funny)
Re:iPod is sexier (Score:2, Funny)
$200 spent on a prostitute is a one shot deal, once it's spent, it's gone.
$200 invested in something that girls, for whatever stupid reason, will sleep with you for, or be more likely to sleep with you, will pay dividends for at least 6 months. 6 months is how long it will take for that item to be deemed out of style by women's magazines, to be replaced by something more expensive.
It is expensive, no doubt, to keep up, but if you're smart, it's way cheaper than hookers. And who knows,
Re:iPod is sexier (Score:3, Funny)
Perhaps you have forgotten that this is slashdot...
Re:iPod is sexier (Score:3, Funny)
Not sure - I need to know what a sex life is and what I can do with it before deciding...
And much more than a music player (Score:1)
The iPod plays AAC which may not seem like a big deal but it is the successor to MP3 so I suspect you'll be seeing more and more content that way, DRM issues aside. There is also audible.com support if you like that sort of thing. You can also do contacts and calendaring on the iPod. Sounds kind of us
Re:And much more than a music player (Score:5, Insightful)
Ummm says who?
Don't be a stupid fanboy. The successor to the MP3 format seems to be the MP3 format, as size is becoming a non-issue. Microsoft also has the very nice WMA format if you want DRM. The installed base of players still skews strongly toward WMA, and right now more players are being shipped supporting WMA then AAC. That doesn't mean the AAC format is doomed just that it wil probably never become quite as important as WMA. It doesn't really matter though look at a place like AllOfMp3 [allofmp3.com] they allow you to choose what format you want your music in, and the bitrate you want it at. So AAC will probably be around for a long time, but is almost certainly not the succesor to MP3
Re:And much more than a music player (Score:1)
Re:And much more than a music player (Score:1)
Re:And much more than a music player (Score:1)
For me, AAC 96 seems to do it just fine on my klipsch monitors, ns10's, and various headphones.
Re:And much more than a music player (Score:2)
Re:And much more than a music player (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah. These things should support less digital formats.
Re:And much more than a music player (Score:2)
What FUD?
I'd take points off of the Nomad simply because it has Microsoft's proprietary WMA in it. Ish, don't encourage them.
Honestly, are you transferring large amounts of mp3s back and forth all the time -- enough to warrant the 35% speed increase (and price increase too!)?
Re:iPod is sexier (Score:1)
For questions like these (Score:5, Informative)
Nomad Zen reviews [epinions.com]
iPod reviews [epinions.com]
Of course, Epinions are not too helpful when the product is brand new. I usually go through a couple of five-star reviews and several one-stars (if such exist) to see what people are generally complaining about.
Re:epinions vs slashdot. (Score:1)
Also, few of those reviews reflect the give and take of a comparison - claim/ counter claim - that is so abundant on slashdot.
Short answer (Score:2, Insightful)
Doesn't the Nomad have features that the iPod doesn't have?
Like FM tuner and recording?
[and there's also the anti-yuppie factor
Re:Short answer (Score:1)
Re:Short answer (Score:1)
I got my remote a few days ago. I ordered it straight from Creative's site and it only took about a week to get it. I'm not sure about the Zen, but with the Jukebox3, it can be used to record FM or mono to 64Kbps MP3s. I mainly use it record from the line-in/optical port.
Yes!!! (Score:2, Informative)
The cool factor really throws it in my opinion, unless you are on a super tight budget, but seeing as you are even considering buying one, you probably aren't. It's a great piece of equipment and my only complaint is the battery life blows. If that
battery life? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Yes!!! (Score:5, Interesting)
im still using my 5gig 1st gen that ive had since a month after release and it is amazing still. The only time the size is an issue is when i use it in firewire disk mode. i even think that its better smaller. it makes me choose my playlists for it more carefully. its noit like i need the entirity of my library on it at any given time. in fact i usually leave about a gig open, JIC theres a file i need to throw on it.
what i really want is an uber-cheap uber-small 3-5gig model, id be in hog heaven.
and to be on topic, the interface is the best part of the ipod, it is the essence of good design. the second you put the ipod in your hand you know how to use it.
Re:Yes!!! (Score:2)
Re:Yes!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
By comparison, the Zen weighs 9.5oz to the 5.6oz/6.2oz iPods.
Capacity wasn't too much of a concern either. I've had a hard enough time finding 15 gigs of music to listen to, let alone 30 or 60 gigs.
I cannot really compare the iPod to the Zen, because the iPod was the only one I considered.
Re:Yes!!! (Score:1)
I bought a 10Gb second-gen back in February and it is possibly the finest purchase I have made all year. I find I get sort of close to the 10 hour mark with the battery, somewhere between nine to ten hours but i haven't timed it out exactly. I use it at work on a daily basis. I don't even bother with playlists, I just set it to random, hit play and let it go all day long. My only regret is that I did not buy a better case sooner; there's a faint scratch on the screen. I briefly toyed with getting a Nom
Archos (Score:3, Interesting)
function and form (Score:4, Informative)
Re:function and form (Score:2)
I'm not sure if things have changed with the NX, but the original Zen can not be mounted by the operating system as a removable HD, at least not with Creative's drivers. You have to go through a special Nomad Explorer app to transfer files. iPod, OTOH, mounts directly.
Qaulity vs. Price (Score:5, Interesting)
The next thing is simplicity - the menu system on the ipod I find much more navigable and easier to use... granted I have only played w/ a zen in the store but the ipod just makes sense.
You also say you are not too worried about size, but just going from the series 2 to the series 3 is awesome (and the series 2 was smaller). You can slip it into your shirt pocket and never know it is there. It really does make a difference... granted, either is night and day for you right now, but down the road do you really want to suddenly be envious of a friends tight little package? (he he...)
I can honestly say these have been some of the best purchases I have ever made, have used them w/ both windows and on my wife's ibook. They work fabulous. And don't forget that iTunes and the Apple Music Store are coming to windows... you'll need something to play those nice songs on and slickly hook into what I think is the best mp3 player out there! (Yup, I'm jealous of my wife... come on economy - get rolling so I can get me a G5!!!)
You could always just buy you a volkwagen bug and get an ipod for free!!!
Re:Quality vs. Price (Score:2)
I'm considering selling the iPod buds and buying a
Re:Quality vs. Price (Score:2)
I recommend using anything but the iPod headphones myself.
Re:Quality vs. Price (Score:1)
Re:Quality vs. Price (Score:2)
The only earbuds that I've used that stick OK are a set of Koss ones I have (I forget the model) that use compressible foam to mold into the ear. They stick OK. Usually, I use a set of conventional walkman-style Sony headphones that fold up. Sound from both of those is worse tha
Re:Quality vs. Price (Score:2)
For buds, they're the best in the $100 price range. The bass really sucks and the treble *can* be tinny. I use Stanton Dynaphase 60's (old studio headphones you can get on ebay for $20). Using my studio headphones, the sound out of the iPod really is *amazing*. It's made me go back and re-record my entire CD collection using the --extreme preset in lame.
I *really can* tell the difference in sound quality using these headphones and the ipod. Using a Nomad, I can't t
Re:Quality vs. Price (Score:2)
Re:Qaulity vs. Price (Score:1)
Now if they could make it record to mp3 or wav files like the Nomade Jukebox3, I'd certainly be willing to buy an iPod. It would make recording shows to put on furthurnet [furthurnet.org] less cumbersome.
Re:Qaulity vs. Price (Score:2)
Re:Qaulity vs. Price (Score:2)
You can see a list of a few of the higher end ones here [headphone.com]
The path is clear (Score:3, Informative)
So the difference is $200 give or take. The Zen NX isn't quite as small as the new iPod, but it's much smaller than the original Zen.
One of the coolest things about the Nomad's is Notmad Explorer [redchairsoftware.com], or more specifically, the Notweb Explorer. It's a cool web interface to your mp3 player. You can browse it, search it, download or stream your mp3's. Very cool.
The battery life is significantly longer on the Zen NX (and the battery is user removable). Also very cool.
Support? (Score:4, Interesting)
Apple? I own an IPOD, and notwithstanding that you have to install MusicMatch, their package is quite good. I had very few software problems and absolutely no hardware issues. The IPOD is top notch stuff and it makes the subway commute into work everyday much more enjoyable.
Re:Support? (Score:2)
Re:Support? (Score:2)
I'll put in another vote for ephpod - it's is great. I actually bought a 5gb mac iPod, all the was available locally, and so never had any 'retail' windows software, but the alternatives have been excellent. Having used creative devices before I've found the a
Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)
Re:vorbis! (Score:2)
Linux friendly (there are 3 apps to sync over Linux) as well. Much of the Linux and Vorbis work are being done by Xiph.
It's funny cos it's true (Score:3, Funny)
Think of it: no licence fees, and *one* extra sale guaranteed!
Re:vorbis! (Score:2)
iPod, for sure. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:iPod, for sure. (Score:2)
Thanks,
Lynn
Re:iPod, for sure. (Score:1)
Hold out for the Rio Karma / Pearl (Score:5, Informative)
Details:
http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/00799
http://gear.ign.com/articles/382/382161p1.html?
http://msg.mp3.com/hardware/liststory/?position
http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/008007.php
http://empeg.comms.net/files/133662-ipodcompare
Re:Hold out for the Rio Karma / Pearl (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, along with Duke Nukem Forever, and Doom 3 on the Indrema. You can buy an ipod NOW.
Re:Hold out for the Rio Karma / Pearl (Score:2)
On top of this, you say the new Rio product will have OV, a feature that nobody except a few anti-patent zealots care about. Too clever for me.
Re:Hold out for the Rio Karma / Pearl (Score:2)
Re:Hold out for the Rio Karma / Pearl (Score:1)
[archos.com]
Archos
product?
Rio Karma (Score:2, Informative)
Depends on your OS of choice (Score:2, Interesting)
I own a jukebox 3 (20gb) and it has great sound quality (creative does have a BIT more experiance in sound than apple) and has dual line out ports (attatch to 4+speaker systems) in addition to the headphone jack. The feature that an iPod doesnt even come close to is line/mic/optical(and FM with additional hardware) recording to many different formats
Re:Depends on your OS of choice (Score:1)
If you rule out the size factor... (Score:4, Insightful)
iPod supports Audible. I don't think Nomad does. (Score:4, Informative)
iTunes Music Store (Score:5, Interesting)
--Paul
Re:iTunes Music Store (Score:2)
More important - when it will be available outside of USA?
Replaceable battery, etc. (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Replaceable battery, etc. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Replaceable battery, etc. (Score:2)
Re:Replaceable battery, etc. (Score:2)
Like this? [applelaptopbattery.com]
Re:Replaceable battery, etc. (Score:2)
It really makes a difference with classical music and jazz however. Normalizing is in most cases, a bad thing.
Re:Replaceable battery, etc. (Score:2)
Re:Replaceable battery, etc. (Score:2)
For those on the fence: it didn't have that feature when I bought it (or a calendar, address book, album shuffle, battery extender, etc.)
Re:Replaceable battery, etc. (Score:1)
The iPods do support the "sound check" feature from iTunes, but that does not == on-the-fly normalization (if that's in fact what the Zen does). To use the sound check feature in iTunes, you have to first set the preference and then let it go through your music library applying the sound check tags (or however it's done) so that way the iPod will simply read the settings when the sound check setting is enabled.
Not exactly on-the-fly, though..
Re:Replaceable battery, etc. (Score:2)
Exactly right, but the result is the same and you don't have to spend CPU cycles (read battery life) on the portable unit by doing it on the host computer. Though less high-tech, it may be a better implementation.
In defense of the Zen (Score:3, Informative)
First off, I love my Zen, but then I would probably love whatever mp3 hard drive player I had (sweet, sweet 60 gig of musicy goodness). The biggest point for the Zen versus an iPod (at least in my clumsy opinion/experience) is that the Zen uses a standard notebook hard drive, which means that if you buy the 20 gig version now (or perhaps you, uh, drop and kill your Zen) and later want to go to a 60 gig, you can replace it fairly easily.
Second -- the Zen sounds great, but I can't compare it to an iPod since I have never heard one.
There are drawbacks to the Zen, however -- you need drivers for it (and, for a while, when transferring by firewire the music would be randomly corrupted with parts of the song being mixed up and transposed everywhere) which means no just plugging in and using it as a external hard drive; the Playcenter software that comes with it is just utter shit which makes it necessary to buy Notmad Explorer [redchairsoftware.com] (and then something like Mp3/Tag Studio [magnusbrading.com] to tag all your files so they show up right on the Zen) and while that is a nice little piece of software, it is an extra $30 you have to spend that should have been fixed by making it a USB storage device like the Archos; the lack of any input/output jacks other than headphone-out kind of sucks meaning that I have to use the headphone-out with the fm-transmitter and line-in on the car and no recording without shelling out another $60 for the fm/mic remote; the battery is non-replaceable without sending it back to Creative and is supposedly only good for 300-500 charges (although the NX's battery is replaceable).
While it may sound like I am coming down hard on the Zen, I do still dearly love mine -- having it full of 60 gigs of music means having my entire music collection in my pocket and being able to listen to anything on a whim or showing up at a party and having pretty much anything anyone else wants to hear.
And as for size? Eh, I wear pants with big pockets. I've already got the camera, flash cards, and phone in there, what more is another big toy?
Re:In defense of the Zen (Score:1)
nomad jukebox 3 has:
- Analog/Optical Line-In for direct recording from external audio devices
- Headphone-out + 2 line outs.
and I'm using it with linux with latest libnjb and gnomad2:
libnjb [sourceforge.net]
njb3 is also cheaper than zen.
hopey
Ipods Interface Sucks (Score:1)
The software (Score:4, Informative)
I don't know if it's my setup (about 12GB of MP3s on a Samba share), but the software was diabolically bad at cataloging my collection & copying it to the iPod. Musicmatch locked up completely several times, leaving it "Not Responding" according to Task Manager under XP. It took about 2-3 hours to do the cataloging of the collection (I'm not sure as I had to keep restarting it and actually ended up leaving it running through the day while I was at work). Also, it seemed to be incredably slow at copying tracks to the iPod (about 15 minutes for 4 songs!).
In the end, I downloaded EphPod [www.ephpod] and used that to copy files to the iPod. Worked a heck of a lot better, getting a full list of MP3s in about 10-20 seconds (about the same as Winamp). Copying wasn't as fast as I'd hoped (about 1.5MB/sec; I'd have hoped for nearer 8, the limit of the 100Mbit/sec ethernet) but still OK.
However, the iPod itself is great; the lack of moving parts is a comfort as it prevents dust entering the system anywhere. The sound is excellent and the controls are good. The hold button is a fantastic idea, preventing the unit starting up when you don't want it and the headset controls are pretty good.
Re:The software (Score:1)
Re:The software (Score:2)
Re:The software (Score:2)
The only moving part on the outside of the iPod case is the hold switch, which needs to be mechanical by its design. A touch sensitive hold switch wouldn't be very effective would it?
The only mechanical part inside is the hard drive, which is cradled in a big shock-damping assembly.
Re:The software (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Archos Multimedia (Score:1)
Archos can do much more than the iPod and costs much less. Go check it out people! (archos.com)
Re:Archos Multimedia (Score:1)
ipod shortcomings (Score:2)
Battery life. It's not bad but not exactly great. The advertised battery life is 10 hours, but I've only found it to be 3 or 4. Still not bad, but this gets to be a pain when travelling. Also using the EQ presets, the backlight, and playing large mp3 files causes the battery life to be shorter.
Pauses between songs. This is very obvious when I'm listening to a DJ mix sp
Re:ipod shortcomings (Score:2)
I hope that will work ok, as I'm about to buy an iPod and I've already got my
Re:ipod shortcomings (Score:2)
On that topic, do you know of any tools for editing ID3 tags, especially across groups of files, etc.?
Re:ipod shortcomings (Score:2)
Re:ipod shortcomings (Score:2)
Additionally, I avoid using iTunes whenever possible due to it's completely stupid way of creating "music libraries" instead of just letting me browse the local and network filesystems, where I already have everything organized the way I want it (I have the same problem with iPhoto as well).
Re:MP3s aren't gapless (Score:2)
This probably states my ignorance of how mp3 compression works, but in one of the versions of Winamp on windows there's a No-gaps setting on the audio out. I'm assuming that the program then does some processing to figure out where the end/start times are. It was close enough for listening purposes and I wish that Apple implemented this in the ipod.
I decided! (Score:1)
Essential difference (Score:1)
using the ipod by touch only (Score:2)
Re:Easy (Score:1, Interesting)