has anybody already bought the new ipod extension to save you pictures on the giant hard drive? It just seems fantastic, having a 40Gig backup facility with you which is smaller than 2 cd jevel cases! Any experiences?
Posted: 2004-06-25 09:24:00
I've got them all--iPod, iRiver, and X-Drive II. Each has its travel uses.
The iPod rules in terms of beauty, ease of use, size and fidelity, but the battery can't be relied upon for a long trip unless you just bought it.
iRiver is slightly bigger, has CD quality recording capability (great for sound captures of live music or nature sounds for your video track), and an FM radio. Unfortunately, the ergonomics of the iRiver are inferior to iPod, and one can't record directly from the radio. Also, iRiver only manages MP3 and Ogg files, not the ACC files direct from CD. But, I'm going to leave behind the iPod on this trip to Africa, and rely upon the iRiver after I convert a few more music files on the computer.
X-Drive is slightly larger still and has no capability other than photo storage. But, @ $80- plus the price of a used 20gb laptop hard-drive off e-Bay, the unit has big advantages. Unlike the iPod, there aren't any extra gadgets to fumble around with because the card reader (it reads all types) is built into the body. Its battery appears reliable enough, and it's durable.
Posted: 2004-06-25 09:36:00
Great info. Thanx Alan.
I really hope that Apple will concider such issues for their next generation ipod. The battery live seems to be an issue. Personally I can't understand why they can not build a card reader into the ipod. At least for SD cards or similar. I would not be willing to carry around a second device like the belkin adapter which is even bigger than the ipod itself. How great would it be if we could have an ipod with a high resolution color display, a 60GB hard drive and a flash card reader build into it. Not to forget the new full zell technology build into the drive, or even an ipod where the cover is made out of solar pannels. I guess I am dreaming to far into the future. But hey... why not. Hopefully Steve is listening :-)
Posted: 2004-06-25 21:55:00
The ARCHOS multi-media is the only such unit on the market, but it's like carrying around a brick relative to the slim iPod. PC users frustrated by the fact that iPod is the smallest most powerful music producer should complain to Dell and other companies whose products are mostly hard to use, cumbersome, and/or lacking in reliable fidelity. From that point of view iPod is a very elegant machine. Have you checked out Apple's stock price lately? I'm sure they are crying their way to the bank.
