Portable MP3 Player w/ Unix Support? 459
oobeleck asks: "With my birthday just around the corner and my 8 mile runs needing music, I am thinking of asking for a portable mp3 player. What is the Slashdot community's experience with MP3 portables. What has the most support, what should I stay away from. I have been eye-balling the Diamond Rio 600/800 model. Any opinions on the Rio? I want something that works good with Linux/OpenBSD. Thanks for your help." Ask Slashdot last ran such an article back in April of 2000, I'm sure bigger and better MP3 players have been made since then. Which of today's players would you all recommend?
A Data Point (Score:4, Informative)
Looks like Archos has actually revamped this product, because mine doesn't look like the one displayed at the above link. Has anyone used one of these particular models before and can tell me if they've improved on the problem bits that I've mentioned?
If they have, I'd surely recommend this model to anyone who is in the market for an MP3 player.
Re:A Data Point (Score:2)
I haven't explicitly used it with Unix/Linux yet. But since it can function as a USB hard drive I wouldn't imagine that it would be any different than using it under Windows/Mac once you get it running.
zerg (Score:4, Informative)
Durable: I drop this thing at least once a day, it's over a year old and still going. It recharges in ~6 hours for ~6 hours of playback. If you strap the case to your back (as opposed to keeping it on your hip), you won't have as much problem w/ skip, but you will look like a complete dork.
The problem Cliff is experiencing appears to be unintentional jostling of the stop (off) button, so careful how you position it when you run.
Re:zerg (Score:2)
The Rio has a hold switch that's relatively hard to switch that will turn off all the buttons. That way you can stick it in your pocket and bump it around all you want and there's no issues.
Re:A Data Point (Score:4, Informative)
Some issues:
1) Playlists suck.
2) The screen is kinda small
3) It crashes on VBR MP3s sometime. Not too often but enough to notice
4) Turning it on is irritatingly long. You'd think it's just a few seconds, but...
5) It's not a small or light as an iPod.
Overall, having 253 CDs in my pocket has completely changed my music habits.
Oh, BTW, the reason that picture doesnt match it because that's the *recorder*, not the studio.
You need this (Score:4, Informative)
2) The screen is kinda small
3) It crashes on VBR MP3s sometime. Not too often but enough to notice
4) Turning it on is irritatingly long. You'd think it's just a few seconds, but...
You need RockBox [rockbox.haxx.se]. The purpose of this project is to write an Open Source replacement firmware for the Archos Jukebox 5000, 6000, Studio and Recorder MP3 players.
Get it now. It, um, rocks. Really.
Re:A Data Point (Score:2)
Re:A Data Point (Score:4, Informative)
I don't think that'll be a problem. Really. Watch.
(grab Archos Jukebox Recorder sitting next to me, while playing music. Shake extremely vigorously)
Nope. Not a skip. It's really resilient. Don't worry about jogging with this one. It'll do just fine.
Re:A Data Point (Score:2, Informative)
Re:A Data Point (Score:2)
I have an Archos 20 as well, I got it about 2 months ago and I love it. I take it riding with me (fairly rough terrain) and I've never had it skip. I've dropped it a few times and it's fine. I use the line out to my stereo sometimes and it works well.
The only problem I have with it is playlists. It's a pain in the ass getting playlists set up. And even if you play the list on shuffle mode it always plays the first song, then shuffles. So make sure your first song is one you like.
If I had to do it again, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. It's great.
Re:A Data Point (Score:3, Informative)
Finally, you may not believe it but the recording features on the recorder are *really* useful. I can plug my recorder into an LP player and get MP3s ... instantly, no work on my part.
Re:A Data Point (Score:2)
archos is NOT what the guy wants! (Score:2)
The guy talks about a 8 mile run. The archos is slightly heavy for that. it will not be comftarble while jogging, at all.
A solid state device looks like a better option then a HD based device.
not for a runner (Score:2, Informative)
NOT FOR JOGGERS (Score:2)
Re:Portable MP3 player? (Score:2)
Re:A Data Point (Score:2)
I would buy one of these if it supported ogg! (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm not convinced. (Score:2)
I've read this and that about Ogg being better and I want to believe it, but on the few experements I've done. Ogg ends up taking more disk space and significantly longer to encode (using CD-DA XTractor under win2ksp3).
Quality, I can't tell much difference if you force it at the same bit rate. Granted I haven't done a ton of testing, but an mp3 encoded at 160 vs an ogg file encoded at VBR160 just doesn't seem to produce much quality difference. (Maybe my altec lansing speakers aren't good enough?)
I'm sure Ogg will only improve in the future as it's still kind of a baby compared to mp3 but for right now, I'd say Ogg would be at the bottom of most people's feature list. Maybe I'm wrong.
Try an iPAQ + CF card (Score:3, Interesting)
I've been using my iPAQ (with Linux) as a portable music player for a while, and it works extremely well. Capacity is not enormous, but you can add compact flash cards (or even PCMCIA hard drives if you don't mind the bulk).
-John
You're right. (Score:2)
this isn't really the case (Score:2)
Ogg does have a few other advantages, including its ReplayGain support and its lack of patents. And since the format itself is inherently better, it should beat MP3's quality eventually (though it may take a while, as most Ogg development is currently focused on low-bitrate encoding for streaming, not high-quality encoding for archival).
i've used the pjb-100 (Score:2, Redundant)
and various in-dash car units, and after comparing the two, i would recommend a handheld cd-mp3 player.
why? they new models are fast, light, and last upwards of 15 hours on batteries (my rio even spins down the CD while playing to save juice).
CDrs are cheap, and on the average outing 650-700MB of music will last you, even if its encoded at --alt-preset extreme!
Re:i've used the pjb-100 (Score:2)
Do they skip easily? He does want to take it running, so that may be a contraint.
Re:i've used the pjb-100 (Score:2, Informative)
Before you buy a rio. (Score:2)
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/08/09/123
(I would have posted this 18 seconds ago... but slashdot wouldn't let me.)
Rio Volt SP250 (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Rio Volt SP250 (Score:2)
Nathan
Re:Rio Volt SP250 (Score:2)
How do you go about doing that? I have an SP90, and I don't think it was intended to be upgradable. Do you burn an upgrade CD-R and stick that in (like you do with some DVD players), or do you have to open it up and reprogram the EPROM/Flash/whatever-they-use the hard way?
(As the previous poster said, if you're concerned about compatibility with Linux or whatever, a CD-based MP3 player is the way to go. As long as you can burn CDs, you can get your music into your player. 700 megs for 30 cents or less is also much cheaper storage than anything else on the market (by comparison, the 128MB CompactFlash card my digital camera uses cost about $60 not too long ago).)
Re:Rio Volt SP250 (Score:2)
The steps to flash the firmware can be found here [geocities.com] . The basic gist:
Nathan
Re:Rio Volt SP250 (Score:4, Informative)
Another important feature: upgradable firmware. Few players have this. If you get the SP250, be sure to upgrade the firmware to 2.05 (available from Rio's SP250 page under the "Support" section), which adds a lot of neat stuff and fixes common complaints about the OS. I imagine it wouldn't be too hard for some enterprising soul to hack the firmware and get Ogg support.
Also: It comes with rechargable batteries, and the player doubles as a charger.
The only thing I don't like about the SP250 is the fact that it takes a little too long from the time you power up to the time you actually start hearing music. The SP250 "remembers" the information for the last 5 MP3/WMA CDs that you put into it -- so it doesn't need to do the time-consuming scan on them -- but it still takes several seconds of eternity from disc insert to disc play.
Re:Rio Volt SP250 (Score:3, Informative)
They've been very good on delivering on their promises so far (and even giving you things you wouldn't expect -- the 5-CD memory was added in a firmware upgrade) so it's a good choice if you want to move to Ogg in the future.
Re:Rio Volt SP250 (Score:2)
Oh, and if the batteries are starting to get weak (sadly, you can't believe the battery gauge) you'll find that the skip protection sucks. So put in a fresh set of batteries if you haven't charged it in a while. Those Energizer Titanium thingies will power the thing for AGES! I've gotten over 15 hours off one set.
me too (Score:4, Funny)
iPod kicks ass (Score:5, Interesting)
I've had the 5GB version for about 6 months, and am constantly impressed with just how usable it is. I just wish Apple would hurry up & put out a PDA in the same vein....
--Mid
Re:iPod kicks ass (Score:2)
Re:iPod kicks ass (Score:5, Informative)
Re:iPod kicks ass (Score:5, Insightful)
So if you like the iPod (and it is in your budget), you probably can't go wrong.
Sharp Zaurus (Score:2, Informative)
You can store your contacts & calendar on it too.
Re:iPod kicks ass (Score:2)
Get a jukebox. (Score:2)
Under $50 solution (Score:2)
I have been using mkisofs/cdrecord to burn cd's at home while at work for a while now. Just need to call my wife and ask her to put in a new CD. My kids have even got to the point they know when the CD pops out, time to put in another blank.
Re:Under $50 solution (Score:2)
Re:Under $50 solution (Score:2)
I have tried doing some tests of the anti-skip system, among those turning it on and playing it while jumping on a trampoline, and beating on it while it was playing. It did not skip during either of those tests, and this pleased me. However, when I walk with it, I sometimes notice it skipping after ~15 min of fast walking, so I wouldn't recommend it for jogging, as it would probably skip more, and faster. It's really great for short sprints though.
Re:Under $50 solution (Score:2)
Besides, a CD player is a HUGE device, when you're going on a decent run. You want something smaller, like a solid-state player.
iPod, baby! (Score:3, Insightful)
On that note, are there portable players with Vorbis support?
Re:iPod, baby! (Score:2)
My experiences (Score:5, Interesting)
I picked up a Diamond Rio 500 when it first became available. I really liked it at first, though the Rio Manager software (for Windows) was so gawd-awful that I bought a replacement (musicmatch). There are fairly mature drivers and software for Linux though I must admit I haven't ever played around with them. I suspect they work with the later models as well.
That said, I am now not so happy with my purchase. The RIO contains only 64 megs of memory which, in your case, would probably be fine. I wanted more. More importantly, though, I have been unimpressed with the 'customer service' for this product. At times (last month), Windows drivers were not available for download. Finding a contact email address was difficult (though this may be resolved now). But more importantly, these devices just aren't very sturdy. Mine is now unusable except when left flat on a table and NOT MOVED. If I pick it up, the thing powers down. My brother and sister both bought one as well and at least one of the two no longer works for them, either.
So what did I get? A Creative Nomad Jukebox 3. 20 gigs of storage and it works very well. I doubt this would be suitable for you, though... no good Linux support yet and it is very much overkill for 3 mile runs. :) In fact, as it is hard-drive based, I wouldn't want to run with it at all. On the other hand, it is great for a one week trip to Mexico (yay!) and for extended bus trips and the like. Heck, I have ALL my CDs ripped to MP3 and stored on the device and I still have over 1/3 of the storage available to me. Firewire and USB, oh my.
Mini Disk! (Score:5, Informative)
They are pretty cheap now, I paid 80 bucks for my Sony MD walkman (bit of an older model now). The tapes are cheap too.
One of my favorite things to do is record video game music off the stereo. I'm able to pop in GTA 3 select Head radio (better variety of weird noises between songs
I recently purchased a really nice microphone for my MD player. Now I can sample sounds all over the place and use them on my computer to make music. Great if your into that sort of thing.
Oh plus the tape adapters for the car work great! I'll never understand why they haven't caught on more with consumers. My friends say the same thing now after they have seen all the uses I've gotten out of it.
Re:Mini Disk! (Score:3, Informative)
The newest entry into the MD world is NetMD, basically a USB-enabled MD recorder. The implementation is a bit shoddy, for example you can download music from PC -> MD, but you can't upload from the MD -> PC; not even material that is recorded in analog mode (say, at a concert). No doubt because Sony is slightly paranoid about keeping users in check. I still use my reliable (non-NetMD, or even MDLP) Sony MZ-R50 for recording concerts and as a portable. Much more (useful) information at the Minidisc Community Page: http://www.minidisc.org/
Re:Mini Disk! (Score:3, Informative)
Mini Disc's issue (Score:3, Informative)
mount -t vfat
cp -r tunes/
and fill a disc up in 5 minutes or less.
Re:Mini Disk! (Score:2)
Re:Mini Disk! (Score:2)
You do know that the GTA3 radio stations are just MP3 files to begin with, right? Check out your GTA3 sounds directory. I dunno, might be easier.
FORMAT WARS. (and just how pointless they are) (Score:4, Insightful)
"Minidiscs never caught on because they use a lossy compression algorhythm"
I wonder how MP3 caught on then...
I mean if all that people cared about was sound quality,
I think I would have a 1/2 inch reel-to-reel in my car by now.
(analog tapes are lossy, yet they are everywhere...why is that??)
There are different uses for different technologies.
CONVENIENCE VS. QUALITY.
Scenario 1.
Quality.
I really like the sound quality of DAT.
It's sampling rate is higher than that of cd (48Khz).
I also have -all the time in the world- to fast forward and rewind what are essentially cassette tapes 2.0.
I can overlook such things as bulky players, delicate internal mechinisms,
and fragile tapes.... for some of the best quality possible.
Scenario 2.
Convenience.
"I'm usually on the go when i listen to music.
I really like being able to throw my MD in my pocket with a couple of discs and go.
I can overlook things like "lossless" recording, higher frequencies i can't hear,
and the ability to trade DAT GD/Phish/DMB shows
for the versitiliy and convenience of minidisc."
Now this is a little silly...people don't talk like this...but they do SHOP like this.
HOW and WHERE do you do your listening?
In the car?
In a private listening room with headphones?
In a subway train?
Is space limited?
Is there a lot of background noise?
All of these things must be factored before a decision can be made on the appropriate format for the occasion.
FYI, I personally use...
MD when biking, walking around,
DAT when mastering/archiving studio tracks,
CD when in the shower,
Vinyl in a quiet room and headphones,
Car-MP3CD when driving,
HD-MP3 for my main jukebox,
MD-Data for recording OUT of the studio,
ADAT for recording IN the studio,
and old analog tapes for mixes for my not-so-high tech friends.
Everything has it's place.
Rio 600 (Score:2)
What I really want is a 128MB backpack with an FM tuner. Then it would about the perfect device.
Frontier Lab's Nex II (Score:5, Interesting)
It uses a Compact Flash slot. I've used several brands and they've all worked. It currently has a 128MB card in it, but it could take the IBM Microdrive, 1GB!!
It acts like a removable drive, attached via USB (I actually have some non-MP3 files on it and the player doesn't care). You can drag and drop (or cp) right to the NexII. You can take the NexII to another machine and drag and drop from the Nex to the machine. Lovely.
It's incredibly small and light, just a few ounces plus battery weight. Mine came with a sweet neoprene case to carry it in that has an attached belt clip. Perfect to run or bike with.
You can find it for dirt cheap brand new on eBay, about $80. This company [ebay.com] sells them, it's where I got mine and I'll vouch for them. (I'm not associate, just a happy customer.) 128MB compact flash card go for about $40 new on ebay.
You can get "Nexkins" to change the look of the device. Pretty trivial (the machine already looks cool) but there are some neat ones you can find on ebay.
The Nex is really easy to use, and it's just so userfriendly I love it. Moving between tracks, changing the volume, adjusting the built in equalizer (it really works!), using the backlight are all very easy.
I haven't had any problems with mine and I've had it for over a year. Love it, love it, love it. It really is everything you want: light, inexpensive, n*x compatible as removable USB storage, usable, and reliable.
I really don't think you could go wrong with this.
Re:Frontier Lab's Nex II (Score:3, Insightful)
Players I've tried:
Rio 300
Rio 600
Archos Jukebox (early one, don't remember the model)
Creative Jukebox
Yepp
iPod
The Rio 300, Archos, and Creative took for-freaking-ever to fill up. The Rio 300 because it attaches via parallel port and the Archos and Creative because GBs take along time to travel over USB. And if you only fill a few 100MB what's the point of having a jukebox right?
The Rio 600 has crappy DRM issues. You need special (Win or Mac) software to put files on it, and you can't take files off it on another machine.
The yepp was basically a piece of shit.
The iPod was excellent. But it doesn't work with n*x that I'm aware of and it's quite a bit more expensive than the Nex. I'd actually say the Nex is as easy to use as the iPod, and I just don't need GB's of space so the Nex gets my nod.
Also, all of these are really too heavy to run or bike with except the Yepp, which was crap. The Nex is just perfect at a few ounces.
Re:Frontier Lab's Nex II (Score:2, Insightful)
works great with the 1gig microdrive, uses AA batteries (get some good 1800mAH nimh batts) and is small and reliable. and quite functional enough to please even the most serious control freak (EDITOR: guilty as charged).
Re:Frontier Lab's Nex II (Score:2)
since the current CF-2 size is 1gig max (today), 2 levels of dir is usable. but it would be nice if this limit was removed.
not sure a lot of people know this about the nex-2. its annoying but not a show stopper and I've learned to live with it.
Re:Frontier Lab's Nex II (Score:2, Informative)
Ooh, ooh. Me too! (Score:2, Informative)
Love / Questions / Pointers on the NEX II (Score:2)
And Frontier Labs are a nice, decent company to deal with. About 2 months into my NEX II ownership, I yanked the thing off an exercise machine and it took a hard fall...the LCD screen stopped working. Shipped it off to Frontier Labs, they sent it back w/in 3 days of receipt good as new, no questions. The largest delay factor was simply the unfortunate fact that Frontier Labs is based in Hong Kong.
Which brings me to some questions about this device perhaps the savvy Slashdot community will know. What is up with Frontier Labs?! Why are they not marketing the heck out of the NEX II? You really have to dig to find one of these...buy.com occasionally carries it, but certainly none of the big consumer retail outlets do. I got mine via Ebay from Choke Slam Media [chokeslam.com], a little mom'n'pop reseller, hilariously endorsed by Frontier Labs themselves.
And why is support for the NEX II at an apparent stand-still since like 1999 or 2000? There have been zero firmware upgrades since then, and there are some obvious bug fixes/feature additions. The one-level-deep directory structure has been mentioned. There is no support for
The last question is...have any NEX II users found an armband style case that fits the NEX II? I run with mine, and though the factory case is highly funtional, and the belt clip quite sturdy, it chafes after a reasonable run. Last time MP3 players were discussed, somebody mentioned the Amphipod [amphipod.com] which is an ergonomic, "chafe-less" waist pack that looks awesome, but I wonder if their Micropack Landsport fits the NEX II. Any suggestions in this regard?
Re:Frontier Lab's Nex II (Score:4, Informative)
The NexII can be fussy about the CF cards you feed it - branded ones are a good idea. Don't be tempted to flash it up to the 1.42 firmware unless you actually NEED to - Frontier Labs pulled it from their site for a damn good reason (namely that it bites). Stick with 1.4 or thereabouts.
Also note that the current versions of the NexII firmware will list and play back mp3s/WMAs in the order they were written to the CF card, so copy them in the "right" order - if you're a Windows addict, my little utility called copynex [flarp.net] will copy files across in sensible order - I'm assuming linux users can figure out their own solution (shell/perl scripting, rewriting their OS to copy files in the desired order, etc.) ;-)
can take quite a beating (Score:4, Interesting)
The fact that it only uses Compact Flash cards (no internal memory) allows me to mail him more cards and let him listen to new content without having to mail the player back home to be re-filled.
<freedom rant>
Because this player takes CF cards and behaves like a external drive it does not have any SDMI/DRM trappings of other players, allowing me to put whatever I want on the player from whatever computer I choose. Plus it works great with my linux box as a removable drive (no dumb special purpose drivers or reverse engineered hacks).
</freedom rant>
Zaurus (Score:3, Informative)
At home I have a 802.11b network, plug in the [amazon.com]
CF 802.11b card and the Qtopia desktop application will work with the IP address - upload, manage, roam!
Besides that, it has a healthy developer community, Sharp supports open source efforts and it's a PDA! I'm sure that a 256MB storage card is enough for your 8-mile run! Short of a solid state device I'll only invest in an iPod.
Re:Zaurus (Score:2)
Rio 600...my thoughts (Score:2)
Personally.... (Score:2, Informative)
I think if I were to get a player today I would make sure it would store the mp3s AS mp3's and that it used compact flash for the storage media. With USB 2.0 support out now for compact flash these things HAUL when copying to them and are much better than their serial (im so slow I wave to the snails as they pass me) counterparts.
Construction before software! (Score:4, Informative)
Using myself as an example of why you might want to listen to my advice, I bought an mp3 player with more or less the same goals you did, with the addition of wanting it cheap. So, I ended up buying a jaMp3 from KBGear [jamonline.com]. One trip to the weight room was all it took. I'm a big guy and I work out hard; the sucker died the first time out from (I believe) getting sweaty.
Anyways, I'm currently looking at the Samsung YEPP-30sh [yahoo.com]. .
Re:Construction before software! (Score:2)
Anyways, I'm currently looking at the Samsung YEPP-30sh [yahoo.com]. . .its VERY small and light, has 128 megs, relatively inexpensive, and I've heard good things about its durability. That might be one for you to consider.
I've been wearing a YEPP-30 while I work out for about two months without any problems. I tuck in my shirt and clip it on my waistband. I haven't had any problems even when my shirt is drenched with sweat. However, YMMV.
Re:Construction before software! (Score:2)
Also, afaik, none of the YEPPs are linux compatible.
I just have (Score:2, Offtopic)
waaa waaa waaaaaaa
Re:I just have (Score:2)
8 miles? (Score:3, Funny)
Fool, ask for a bicycle instead!
iPaq + CF + Card reader (Score:2)
Obviously, this is an expensive solution to the problem, but it works if you already have an iPaq or another PDA which can use some kind of flash media. Alternatively, just get an MP3 player that supports one of these cards.
just get a jornada.. (Score:2, Informative)
of course they run M$ pocketpc 2002... so they're not all good
I own a pjb100 (Score:3, Informative)
Pro's:
upgradable hard drive - I'm putting a 40 gig in this weekend, up from 20
rechargable lithium ion battery (internal)
battery lasts ~7-8 hours if you don't modify the playlist too often
sounds better than most other mp3 products I've listened too.
linux, mac, and windows clients
the firmware is very very stable
Con's
The company that makes it is almost invisible
The firmware is stable, but also never gets upgrade
(and worse) the firmware is closed source
Its not as pretty as the ipod
It does not have a regular filesystem, which limits its potential use as a usb harddrive
USB isn't as fast as firewire (ipod)
It's expensive
It could be smaller. Jogging? You would need to hold it or have a fanny pack. it's too heavy for a belt.
It comes with a car cigarette adaptor
The table of contents is constrained by a max size, which makes multiple playlists impossible when you've got 20 gigs worth of songs.
All in all, I love my pjb100. I use it almost every single day on the bus and at work and it boosts the quality of life much more than any other gadget I can think of. Still, I wish the firmware was OS so that somebody smarter than me could add features
You can purchase it at http://www.mp3factorydirect.com
Re:I own a pjb100 (Score:2, Interesting)
I purchased mine from K55 [k55.ch] in Zurich, Switzerland. They only sell mp3 players, and they have a long list of different devices. It's in german, and the prices are in Swiss Francs, but it's still an interesting browse...
If someone has some links or HD references for an upgrade, please feel free to answer to this reply.
PJB100 - still the best (Score:2)
it has a open-source linux SDK and many tools (linux, win32, mac os and OSX). 10-12 hours battery life - i use it 10 hours a day, every day. it recharges in under 3 hours. the firmware hasn't been upgraded in a year, but it's stable and mature. it has a gorgeous large screen. and built-in games! it also supports gapless encoding (either directly or with exact audio copy's audio image/cue file ripping), which is great for live recordings, dance or classical.
it's also pretty large compared to the others (about the size of a not-so-modern cassette walkman), although it comes with belt buckle etc, i'd stick it in a bag on my back instead for jogging etc. also, usb is much slower than firewire, but this unit is almost 3 years old. you can buy them from thinkgeek, mp3factorydirect.com or many other providers, in up to 40G sizes, though 60G is just around the corner! (the drives just got released in japan last month)
if you're looking to upgrade an existing PJB, you need a 9.5mm high 2.5" laptop harddrive. the best are the toshiba GAS/GAP units, which give the best performance as the PJB is able to use a sneaky way to conserve power between reads.
also on the horizon is the PJB-300, though this will just be issued by the same marketing company, not manufactured by the same people (which was compaq, in this case).
no details have been released yet, though the company has been taking ideas from the PJB100's userlist, so it should hopefully be better than the pjb100!
hope this helps,
fross
Get a non-DRM chip player (Score:2)
With a laptop, you can either use a USB drive, or you can get a PC Card adapter that lets you plug in the chip directly.
This is how I manage my digital photos from my digital camera: I never plug in the camera, and haven't installed the special camera software. I just slot the chip into the drive, and treat it as just another "disk".
If you do this with a Mac, it will stick Mac junk on the chip ("finder.dat" files and such) but it will work. On Windows or Linux, it will just work.
I will not ever buy a player that requires me to use a special version of MusicMatch Jukebox to transfer files. Ever.
steveha
vote for rio 500 (Score:3, Informative)
1) Full VBR and all bitrate MP3 support
2) Great command line linux utilities to transfer mp3s. Fast and easy to use.
3) upgradable firmware (the latest versions add some great features)
4) SmartMedia support
5) Long battery life
6) it's $50
7) lasts forever
8) never skips or fades
9) fast USB transfer. It only takes 2-3 minutes to change music with the linux utilities.
I put a 64 meg card in mine (giving me 128 megs of space), and with a good encoder (such as LAME ABR) 3 cds worth of music will sound just fine.
I've used mine for running and working out for years and it's showing signs of wear, but still working great and it's still as solid as the day I bought it.
Where is this linux support?? (Score:2)
I looked into this 6 months ago (Score:2, Informative)
The portable hard drive options looked good, lots of space and easy to configure Linux to mount the thing. I was a little worried about how long it would take to move a gb of stuff through USB.
I eventually decided to get a sony diskman with mp3 support. This allowed me to play existing cds, or burn cdrw in mp3 mode. The cd burning utilities were more advanced than the rio tools and I could burn different disks with different stuff and then easily switch out the disks. The thing runs for many hours on a set of batteries, at least 10h. Its not as portable as the rio, but not much bigger than an Archos.
There's only one choice (Score:3, Interesting)
I've owned a Nomad Jukebox and used an Archos model, and they're both horribly inferior to the Apple unit.
Note that it's somewhat easy to scratch the exterior, but the new iPods come with a decent carrying case, so that's mostly irrelevent.
iRiver Slim 350 MP3 (Score:2)
Nomad II MG (Score:2)
It's been great. And though I've only tinkered with the linux tools for the thing, they seem to tranfer stuff well & easily. All they really require is USB device filesystem compiled into the kernel.. at this point there's not even a kernel module needed. Plus, there's an FM tuner on the thing.. not nearly as good as my Walkman AM/FM radio, but it's nice to have handy. The only complaint are the buttons.. it's way to easy to bump it when in my riding jacket and pause/switch mode/delete. Otherwise, it performs excellent. Quite pleased.
Nomad (Score:2)
Nomad IIc (Score:2)
Since I use a treadmill or cross-country simulator as part of the workout, I like the light weight and smallish size (clips nicely on the hip or on an arm band) since it doesn't bounce around much. The Smartmedia cards are pretty cheap right now (I bought a batch of 3 128MB cards for ~$40/each at my local Fry's), so I can have different music for different days without having to remember to re-upload a new list.
The only complaint I have is the headphones are a little on the cheap side, and will need to be replaced soon thanks to the decomposing foam pads (though that's mainly thanks to regular use and a genetic pre-disposition to sweating while exerting myself, I think). Other than that, I'd vouch for it, and I seem to recall it was pretty cheap at Tiger and a few other online outlets.
Good luck finding the right fit!
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This is just too obvious ... (Score:2)
http://www.apple.com/ipod
Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)
Iomega HipZip Review (Score:3)
The Pros:
The Cons:
To summarize, if you are looking to purchase an MP3 player for your runs, I would not recommend the HipZip. Other players are lighter, smaller, and offer more storage than this unit.
Re:Things to consider... (Score:2)
They can if you use a 1GB compact flash microdrive [ibm.com]...
Re:Things to consider... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:ipod? (Score:2)
Re:ipod? (Score:2, Redundant)
MOD PARENT UP!! (Score:2)
Re:go cd mp3 player (Score:2)
interesting that you should say "to boot" as the iPod can also be used to boot your Mac
Playlists (Score:2)
Re:Nomad/iPod experience (Score:3)