Coming home? Returning to iPod

[sprite]

Hello one and all,

Well you probably don't remember me, but I'm one of the lucky souls who managed to purchase her iPod Mini on the day of release here in the UK. Ah, it seems so long ago that I took my shiny golden baby home.

Then followed months of happiness until the inevitable happened.

I had too much music.

So I started looking at new players, and this was last Summer - before the photo iPod was truly established, and definitely before the video iPod was even out.

I confess. I abandoned Apple.

I bought an iRiver H320 and I have to be honest, it is a fantastic piece of kit. I don't wish to start any flame wars, but feature-wise it had the iPods of the time beat by far. Radio, voice recording (of course I've used neither), video support (ditto that, far too awkward to get videos onto it, and only 15fps), basically acting as an external hard drive... the list went on, and so months of happiness followed with this, too.

Until the romance is over and you're left with the faults. The long loading time to get the unit powered on and playing music. The fact that it doesn't arrange things in shiny pretty folders the way iTunes used to, the fact that making a playlist is a tedious process that you need to do on the computer and, the fact that.. well.. it doesn't have a click wheel *weeps*

But I'm hesitant to move back. One thing that I REALLY like about the iRiver is that I can go to visit my friend who has a band, get his band's songs, put them on my unit and listen to them on the way home without using iTunes.

I suppose you can't have it all ways, can you?

On one hand, I really like iTunes.
On the other, I really like using drag & drop. (But the organisation sucks).

So is it time to move on again? Move past my bulky iRiver (let's face it, it's bulky) and go back to the smooth sleekness that is the iPod?

I never had a proper iPod - just the mini - so I've not experienced the shiny whiteness before. But it is pretty.

Is it bulky? I'm done with bulky. I don't want big and bulky. I want cute and manageable and can-fit-other-stuff-in-my-pocket too. But I want 20gb, at least. 30 is even better.

I want (gosh I'm so demanding, aren't I?) to put files on it for transfer, take them home, take them to work, get them off again (with the necessary iPod cable, of course). Drag & Drop in this case, naturally :)

I want to watch video (she says, knowing full well this may not end up being the case in reality) if it's good at doing it. If the battery life is up to it? This is one question I hear asked often, and I have to ask it when I see the likes of the iAudio X5 with its "LongPlay" feature.

I miss the user-friendliness. I miss the arguments I had with iTunes and the satisfaction I felt when it found my iPod again. I'm getting all nostalgic thinking about it, now. Aw.

So iTunes these days... I still use it, albeit an older version because the newer features aren't much use to me... but are we UK folk shafted in terms of video/podcast/music video content etc?

Just seeking the opinions of those who aren't nearly as out of the loop as I. :)

Thanks in advance!

[melsmusic]

I'm too tired to answer all your questions (surfing when I should be sleeping) but I'm a chick that liked the sleek look of the ipod. I also looked (but not purchased) the iRiver and it isn't near as nice. Now, that's not the main buying feature of course, but lets face it, chicks will be chicks right? And accessories, nice cases, remotes, I could go on. ;)

You can connect your ipod manually so you can drag & drop, don't know about connecting to someone else's though as I haven't tried this and I assume they 1. Need iTunes 2. Need to have it in manual as auto will completely replace your contents 3. Then want to know if this ipod wants to be their new one, so I think that part could be clumsy.

The new 30 gig video ipods (minimum unless you go nano which are about the size of a credit card !!) .. are nice, slimmer and you can also get black.

Hoped my half response helped a bit. :)

[sprite]

Thank you for your reply :)

The "on the go" feature I mentioned is something the iPods definitely don't do - with the iRiver, you can hook it up to a Digital Camera and download the pictures onto it which you gotta admit is pretty handy if you're on holiday or similar.

And I completely understand and agree with the "pretty" factor.... :D

[studogvetmed]

Originally posted by sprite
Thank you for your reply :)

The "on the go" feature I mentioned is something the iPods definitely don't do - with the iRiver, you can hook it up to a Digital Camera and download the pictures onto it which you gotta admit is pretty handy if you're on holiday or similar.

And I completely understand and agree with the "pretty" factor.... :D

The iPod has added new accessories to transfer pictures from digital cameras... Of course they cost extra, and in my opinion, too much extra, but the option is there. I'd spend my money on a larger camera card :D

For the drag and drop thing, I wonder if having a copy of the cool program (never used, but I call it cool because Honeybee, moderator especial does use it and loves it), would help facilitate the grabbing of music from any computer you go to and get it to play on your iPod.

Google Yamipod and check it out. It might be the clincher in your return to iPod.

I think the UK can get just as much podcast content as the US, but I think the video content (in the music store), is nonexistent at the moment, but you can always grab your own compatible content from elsewhere.

Cheers,
Stu

[sprite]

Erm.. well..

**hugs shiny new 60GB Black iPod**

I have all the strength of will of a fruit fly. :)

Now to play!

Thanks for mentioning that program, I'll get onto Googling that. Also selling my iRiver to a friend so it's going to a good home (and I get some money, yay!)

[studogvetmed]

Originally posted by sprite
E
I have all the strength of will of a fruit fly. :)


As long as you have a longer life span, it's all good.

Welcome home :D

[melsmusic]

Originally posted by sprite
Erm.. well..

**hugs shiny new 60GB Black iPod**

I have all the strength of will of a fruit fly. :)

Now to play!

Thanks for mentioning that program, I'll get onto Googling that. Also selling my iRiver to a friend so it's going to a good home (and I get some money, yay!)

It only takes one look hey? :D

Enjoy, as it says on the box.