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So recently my dad said that he would buy me a new MP3 player in exchange for doing some work for him this summer (along with him getting my old 4 GB 2nd Gen Nano). He placed an upper limit of ~$250, so I've been googling and researching around for MP3 player's in that area.
My old 4 GB Nano didn't fit anywhere near my whole music library and I would like something that I can put it all on and continue to put it all on for a while. I was thinking about going to the nearest Apple retail store and talking to them about it, but the nearest store is about an hour and a half away (not to mention the possible bias). Then I thought maybe TL could help me out!
Some of the major features I'd like are: wifi, large amount of memory, mail/maps/facebook/videos and such on the internet.
At this point I feel like I've narrowed it down to 3: -iPod Classic 160 GB -iPod Touch 32 GB -Zune HD 32 GB
I've looked in to these 3 quite and bit and have weighed some of the pros and cons of each.
iPod Classic 160 GB
Amazon Price: $220 Pros:
- 160 GB (won't ever have to worry about space again)
- Videos, Music, Photos, whatever I'll need to put on here will fit
- Cheaper then the other two
Cons:
- No wifi
- No cool touch screen interface
- HDD memory, much much easier to break then the flash memory in the Touch and HD. I use my MP3 player in my vehicle a lot so I don't know how those vibrations will affect it, also dropping it could easily damage the hard drive.
- Fatter then the other two
iPod Touch 32 GB
Amazon Price: $260 Pros:
- Touch screen
- Wifi
- Can stream flash, has maps/mail aps pre-installed
- 75,000+ aps
Cons:
- 32 GB, might fill it up at some point (not quite there yet)
- Don't like the UI as much, everyone has one, I like the Zune HD's UI much better
Zune HD 32 GB
Amazon Price: $230 Pros:
- Touch screen
- Awesome UI
- Ability to stream 720p to a TV with the addition of a cord (probably wouldn't invest in this, not that big of a deal)
- Snappier accelerometer and interface in general, also cheaper then the Touch
- HD Radio
- OLED Touchscreen, much brighter and more clear then the Touch
- Smaller in general then the other two
Cons:
- No flash, can't stream youtube, hulu, ect
- Doesn't come with mail and map aps
- ...Hardly any aps (<30 at this point)
- 32 GB, same as the Touch
At this point I'm kind of leaning toward the Touch simply because of the ability to play Youtube videos, although I don't like the interface as much. I love the interface of the Zune HD and also love the better screen, but hardly any aps and no video streaming suck (if those didn't exist I'd definitely go with this one). The iPod classic is cheaper then the other two and has much, much more memory, but I don't like the no wifi and HDD portion.
So TL what is your experience with these or any other MP3 players? Do you have any incite to give on buying MP3 players in general? Thanks in advance
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I have iPod Touch. Never had any issues with it.
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Sony Walkman
edit : 250 bucks jesus. I must have a skewed perception of money. There is no need to drop that much scrilla on mp3 player.
My advice - get an mp3 to listen to music, not as a gadget. God damn you dont need youtube on the go! Pay attention to at least some of your surroundings. Ya I know long bus rides and all that QQ, just enjoy a good album start to fin .
I'm getting old : (
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I have a 80gb Classic, and have for like 3yrs. Never a single problem. It's been treated pretty poorly as well I think the wifi or hd space is the deciding factor.
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biggest con for apple stuff: bad audio quality.
i don't know if they ever fixed that, but my ipod is a disgrace to my ears. i think it was an ipod classic or the generation before classic... but more likely a classic.
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man just get a smartphone, most are about the same price as an ipod yet can do a lot more
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Classics are over 200$?!?! Even if it does have 160GB storage :/
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if u dont care about apps.. wait for the zune HD2
/thread
User was warned for this post
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Wait for the next generation of Ipod Touch and get that. Either that or the 160gb one is nice, it also serves as a portable hard drive if you cant fit whatever you need to on a flash drive. I currently have a 120gb one and use it every day. Though I'm waiting for the ipod touches to get a built in camera before I buy one to replace it.
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On June 23 2010 07:48 mlee wrote: if u dont care about apps.. wait for the zune HD2
/thread
you dont just get to /thread.
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If you don't really care about space then I highly recommend the itouch. I have an iphone and it is a great void filler in between my classes. Large screen is a huge plus with videos as well.
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why not get an iphone instead of the itouch? Yeah you'll have to pay that extra monthly fee, but it's probably worth it (and if you don't insist on getting the iphone4 you can easily get it for under $250)
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If you only wanted music and videos just get the classic. But if you are more like a game and other stuff person go for the touch. Idk too much about the Zune so I can't give you a fair review on it. :p
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Hmm to be honest i'd suggest you to go with the ipod classic, simply because of its simplicity. For the other two, sure it has lot of apps and stuff, but really, you're not gonna be using it that much. You'll need wifi to do it and if there's wifi you can prolly just hop on a computer anyways. Plus the classic has 160gb holyshit! @_@, that's like 1/2 of my pc. lol
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On June 23 2010 07:44 beg wrote: biggest con for apple stuff: bad audio quality.
you mean like Zune and Other stuff have better audio quality ?
can anyone confirm?
i got a 5th gen Nano...and the sound ...is mehhh... not sure if other brands are better tho
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Hm, I'd say it really depends on how crucial YouTube and the mail/map apps are to you. The Zune HD is certainly the better choice, assuming you mainly want to listen to music, watch videos, and browse the web, as the Zune interface is so much nicer, including the media management program for the computer (Zune software >> iTunes). You do miss some of the convenience that apps bring, but personally I'd go with the Zune HD. I can't see any reason to go for the Classic, unless you really really need lots of space.
edit: Also, if you get music legally, the Zune Pass unlimited music program for $15/month where you keep 10 songs per month forever is a great deal.
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I don't think audio quality should be much of a factor unless you have some proper earphones. I was going to get a Zune HD, but it didn't and still hasn't come out outside of europe, so I got an iPod touch. For me, I think it was probably better because I got the 64gb one and I'm up to about 30gb in terms of music, so that's nearly half full. One of the main reasons I wanted the Zune was because of the interface which I found more aesthetically pleasing than the iPod's. I'm happy with my touch and I plan on customising it after I'm done with exams - jailbreaking does give you a lot of room to personalise your iPod. I still have a 30gb 5G iPod (I think it still works?) and to be honest, if you're just going to be listening to music, a classic will do just fine.
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On June 23 2010 08:07 YPang wrote: Hmm to be honest i'd suggest you to go with the ipod classic, simply because of its simplicity. For the other two, sure it has lot of apps and stuff, but really, you're not gonna be using it that much. You'll need wifi to do it and if there's wifi you can prolly just hop on a computer anyways. Plus the classic has 160gb holyshit! @_@, that's like 1/2 of my pc. lol
This for sure.
Ye its all fun an novel when youre in the store, but you end up being the asshole at parties showing off your new apps that make wacky sounds.
The classic actually has 100 gb than my pc. So lol
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On June 23 2010 08:33 topspinserve wrote: Hm, I'd say it really depends on how crucial YouTube and the mail/map apps are to you. The Zune HD is certainly the better choice, assuming you mainly want to listen to music, watch videos, and browse the web, as the Zune interface is so much nicer, including the media management program for the computer (Zune software >> iTunes). You do miss some of the convenience that apps bring, but personally I'd go with the Zune HD. I can't see any reason to go for the Classic, unless you really really need lots of space.
edit: Also, if you get music legally, the Zune Pass unlimited music program for $15/month where you keep 10 songs per month forever is a great deal.
The whole no Flash thing was the main thing I didn't like, youtube would be nice to have, but I think I can live without it. The ap issue isn't really that big, I didn't really have anything in mind but I thought it would be nice to have the option of an ap for just about anything that popped up.
I think I might end up with the iPod Classic and get a phone with wifi/3G in the future. For the people saying get an iPhone, it's not really that simple. I think my contract is up with Alltel in the next 4-5 months so I might try to get an Android based phone with Verizon soon after. Then again the the HD is sexy... grr idk.
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sound quality anyone?
kekek
need inputs here
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just jailbreak the Touch and you can get whatever UI you want
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Zune HD is a hard-hitter in the sound quality/support department. If you're using regular headphones and stuff, the differences would be nominal though. (Reviews of the Zune would back up this claim i.e. Source)
I would go the Zune route if your PMP will be a PMP. The two Apple products attack other needs such as space and games/apps; whichever fits your criteria the most is best.
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On June 23 2010 08:59 intrudor wrote: sound quality anyone?
kekek
need inputs here
you have to listen. Some people are pick and notice and have good headphones. Some people use shit ear buds and dont give a fuck.
if YOU cant notice, it doesnt matter. Just go to the store
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On June 23 2010 07:44 beg wrote: biggest con for apple stuff: bad audio quality.
This is not necessarily true, it depends on the bitrate of the music you put on your ipod. If the dac is your problem then you can invest in a lod cable which bypasses the dac completley (You'd need a headphone amp to control volume after this though) But the stock headphones on all of these players are pretty bad and won't give you nice sound no matter what you do =p.
Anyways I'd say go with the classic, ipod touch apps are great, but i've found that the wonder of them kinda wears off after a while.
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As much as I hate mac, I have an ipod touch, getting an iphone 4 on launch but anyways, ipod touch, never had a problem with it, i have the 1st gen and its like unkillable, ive dropped it so many times and its been beat around alot and still works although there are scratches, either way your mp3 will get scratches, If I were you i would invest in the ipod touch, I love mine and would never trade.
On June 23 2010 09:18 wiseman500 wrote:Show nested quote +On June 23 2010 07:44 beg wrote: biggest con for apple stuff: bad audio quality. This is not necessarily true, it depends on the bitrate of the music you put on your ipod. If the dac is your problem then you can invest in a lod cable which bypasses the dac completley (You'd need a headphone amp to control volume after this though) But the stock headphones on all of these players are pretty bad and won't give you nice sound no matter what you do =p. Anyways I'd say go with the classic, ipod touch apps are great, but i've found that the wonder of them kinda wears off after a while.
Wow...this made me laugh, you aren't going to use 120gb or whatever they are..go with a 32 touch, it's obviously better then the classic..wtf? lol
As for your battle.net account, get an ipod / android and get a free authenticator app for your battle.net security, apps are alot of fun btw.
On June 23 2010 09:39 majesty.k)seRapH wrote: ipod touch unless you actually have gigantic library. i've only used 16gb for music, i have no videos, and about 5gb for apps. but i dont have many apps either, lol
That doesn't make any sense.. you have 5gb of apps and but you dont have many apps..?
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ipod touch unless you actually have gigantic library. i've only used 16gb for music, i have no videos, and about 5gb for apps. but i dont have many apps either, lol
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Braavos36362 Posts
Normally I would close this for the usual "TL is not a tech support forum" blah blah but you seem to have put a good deal of effort and information into the OP, so it might be very useful to any TL user who needs to buy an MP3 player.
Cheers.
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On June 23 2010 09:18 wiseman500 wrote:Show nested quote +On June 23 2010 07:44 beg wrote: biggest con for apple stuff: bad audio quality. This is not necessarily true, it depends on the bitrate of the music you put on your ipod. If the dac is your problem then you can invest in a lod cable which bypasses the dac completley (You'd need a headphone amp to control volume after this though) But the stock headphones on all of these players are pretty bad and won't give you nice sound no matter what you do =p. Anyways I'd say go with the classic, ipod touch apps are great, but i've found that the wonder of them kinda wears off after a while. quality always depends on bitrate, but if the same file sounds completely shit on my ipod, while it sounds good on my PC... well... also i was using good headphones :}
interesting stuff if you can fix this problem by bypassing the DAC and getting a headphone amp.. i don't know about this, but i guess i'd rather get an entirely different mp3player then.
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if you're not afraid to ebay, you could do that, i bought my zune 120 gb for 150 when it's usually around 230+ i use it today, and it's perfect, it came brand new ^^. i can get the name of the buyer that i got it from if you'd like to do that.
anway, i'd say go with the zune hd since i have experience with zune and i don't see how the hd could be much different, if you really just want a big hdd go with the classic ipod
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On June 23 2010 09:56 beg wrote:Show nested quote +On June 23 2010 09:18 wiseman500 wrote:On June 23 2010 07:44 beg wrote: biggest con for apple stuff: bad audio quality. This is not necessarily true, it depends on the bitrate of the music you put on your ipod. If the dac is your problem then you can invest in a lod cable which bypasses the dac completley (You'd need a headphone amp to control volume after this though) But the stock headphones on all of these players are pretty bad and won't give you nice sound no matter what you do =p. Anyways I'd say go with the classic, ipod touch apps are great, but i've found that the wonder of them kinda wears off after a while. quality always depends on bitrate, but if the same file sounds completely shit on my ipod, while it sounds good on my PC... well... also i was using good headphones :} interesting stuff if you can fix this problem by bypassing the DAC and getting a headphone amp.. i don't know about this, but i guess i'd rather get an entirely different mp3player then. Quality depends on the equipment used to record the piece (and the intelligence of those setting up said equipment) more than anything else. You have to be really, REALLY cheap on bitrate to notice a drop in quality.
OP, don't worry about the sound quality of Apple mp3 players. They're not some random Chinese knockoff products (though they're made in China I think), they're a popular brand that can afford to meet standards. The only problem with iPod is that they're monopolizing the market right now, so by continuing to support Apple mp3 players, you're dicking yourself over in the future when you might want more choice and less proprietary software.
To be honest though, it doesn't really sound like you want an mp3 player. I think you should just get a DS or something, and tell your dad you wanna keep your nano. Why get an mp3 player that can play shitty games when you can get a portable game console that can play good games?
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On June 23 2010 10:42 Chef wrote:
To be honest though, it doesn't really sound like you want an mp3 player. I think you should just get a DS or something, and tell your dad you wanna keep your nano. Why get an mp3 player that can play shitty games when you can get a portable game console that can play good games?
+1ing.
you want a novelty machine! An mp3 player plays mp3s.
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On June 23 2010 08:56 DeathByMonkeys wrote:Show nested quote +On June 23 2010 08:33 topspinserve wrote: Hm, I'd say it really depends on how crucial YouTube and the mail/map apps are to you. The Zune HD is certainly the better choice, assuming you mainly want to listen to music, watch videos, and browse the web, as the Zune interface is so much nicer, including the media management program for the computer (Zune software >> iTunes). You do miss some of the convenience that apps bring, but personally I'd go with the Zune HD. I can't see any reason to go for the Classic, unless you really really need lots of space.
edit: Also, if you get music legally, the Zune Pass unlimited music program for $15/month where you keep 10 songs per month forever is a great deal. The whole no Flash thing was the main thing I didn't like, youtube would be nice to have, but I think I can live without it. The ap issue isn't really that big, I didn't really have anything in mind but I thought it would be nice to have the option of an ap for just about anything that popped up. I think I might end up with the iPod Classic and get a phone with wifi/3G in the future. For the people saying get an iPhone, it's not really that simple. I think my contract is up with Alltel in the next 4-5 months so I might try to get an Android based phone with Verizon soon after. Then again the the HD is sexy... grr idk.
Hm yeah, if you end up getting an iPod classic, you might as well just keep the Nano or buy an old Zune/hard drive iPod online for pretty cheap, imo. The Classic screen is a little small to watch videos on.
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konadora
Singapore66060 Posts
if you love having the apps, get the itouch. seriously, the apps will never disappoint you.
not sure about the audio quality though, since i never used the other two.
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On June 23 2010 10:42 Chef wrote:Show nested quote +On June 23 2010 09:56 beg wrote:On June 23 2010 09:18 wiseman500 wrote:On June 23 2010 07:44 beg wrote: biggest con for apple stuff: bad audio quality. This is not necessarily true, it depends on the bitrate of the music you put on your ipod. If the dac is your problem then you can invest in a lod cable which bypasses the dac completley (You'd need a headphone amp to control volume after this though) But the stock headphones on all of these players are pretty bad and won't give you nice sound no matter what you do =p. Anyways I'd say go with the classic, ipod touch apps are great, but i've found that the wonder of them kinda wears off after a while. quality always depends on bitrate, but if the same file sounds completely shit on my ipod, while it sounds good on my PC... well... also i was using good headphones :} interesting stuff if you can fix this problem by bypassing the DAC and getting a headphone amp.. i don't know about this, but i guess i'd rather get an entirely different mp3player then. Quality depends on the equipment used to record the piece (and the intelligence of those setting up said equipment) more than anything else. You have to be really, REALLY cheap on bitrate to notice a drop in quality. OP, don't worry about the sound quality of Apple mp3 players. They're not some random Chinese knockoff products (though they're made in China I think), they're a popular brand that can afford to meet standards. The only problem with iPod is that they're monopolizing the market right now, so by continuing to support Apple mp3 players, you're dicking yourself over in the future when you might want more choice and less proprietary software. To be honest though, it doesn't really sound like you want an mp3 player. I think you should just get a DS or something, and tell your dad you wanna keep your nano. Why get an mp3 player that can play shitty games when you can get a portable game console that can play good games?
I definitely need something that can hold a lot of music. I use my ipod a lot, going to class, hooked up to my stereo in my truck, long car rides, ect ect ect. That's why I'm inclined to get the Classic, so I won't have to worry about ever filling it up. Then again having wifi to check facebook/gmail and watch a few youtube videos every now and then is a feature I could get used to. Plus the touchscreen mp3 players are sexy, especially the HD, I like it's UI a lot, but it's just missing the ability to play youtube videos.
The thing is now I'm considering the Classic for it's crazy amount of memory and then just getting a new phone with wifi/3G, but that's a little while off into the future.
Another thing, has anyone had HDD problems in their Classic? I've been researching these MP3 players all day and that's one thing somebody mentioned. The Classic has a HDD while the other two use flash memory, so the Classic is more prone to hard drive failure. Especially since I do use my ipod a lot in my truck, do you think the continuous vibrations from driving would have any negative effect on the ipod's hard drive?
EDIT: Also the whole aps issue isn't really that big of a deal. Sure having a shit ton of aps (iTouch) is a nice luxury, but it's not really a deal breaker. I don't know though, I haven't really experienced ever having access to such a wealth of aps on anything, do you guys think I should weigh the aps thing more heavily?
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On June 23 2010 07:40 ella_guru wrote: Sony Walkman
edit : 250 bucks jesus. I must have a skewed perception of money. There is no need to drop that much scrilla on mp3 player.
My advice - get an mp3 to listen to music, not as a gadget. God damn you dont need youtube on the go! Pay attention to at least some of your surroundings. Ya I know long bus rides and all that QQ, just enjoy a good album start to fin .
I'm getting old : (
Nah, I agree 100% with you. Granted I have a smart phone that's fun to screw around with every now and then, and comes in handy when I need to look something up. But my MP3 player is currently a 4GB sansa clip that cost me $20. Not the best amount of storage space, but when do you ever listen to 4 gigs of music in one sitting? Sure if you take a long road trip and don't have access to a computer, it might be nice to have more, but it's still a couple hundred songs at least, and I'm more than willing to listen to something a few times before I get tired of it.
If you're absolutely going to spend that much for an MP3 player, I'd personally go with the Zune. I've had a chance to play around with one for a bit, and it's pretty cool. I need to warn you that I have an extreme dislike for Apple products, though.
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On June 23 2010 09:48 Hot_Bid wrote: Normally I would close this for the usual "TL is not a tech support forum" blah blah but you seem to have put a good deal of effort and information into the OP, so it might be very useful to any TL user who needs to buy an MP3 player.
Cheers.
Why the sudden strictness? This seems like a more than appropriate topic and also was put in a blog, not in the general section or other sections where it shouldn't go.
To the OP, best thing is to try out each and see what you like and how they feel/sound. Unless you listen to lossless formats and have a non-stock headphone with or without an amp then it won't matter much in terms of sound quality.
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Another thing, has anyone had HDD problems in their Classic? I've been researching these MP3 players all day and that's one thing somebody mentioned. The Classic has a HDD while the other two use flash memory, so the Classic is more prone to hard drive failure. Especially since I do use my ipod a lot in my truck, do you think the continuous vibrations from driving would have any negative effect on the ipod's hard drive? You don't have to worry about this at all. Hard drives can fail, but when people talk about that they're talking about archiving data for coming decades. I never got the classic, but I had a 4th generation and a 5.5 generation and the harddrives are both still working fine. The earphone jack on my 5.5 broke (my latest mp3 player is Cowon S9), but it took years for even that to happen. I still use it as a portable harddrive.
Flash drives have no moving parts, which is fancy and means they make no noise, and have slightly quicker response times in various scenarios (no reader arm has to physically move) but the difference is negligible and not a concern for most applications... and certainly not just listening to music.
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as a Zune owner I highly recommend that you don't get it
I had insane problems with it freezing, but there's no power reset button, so I had to wait until it ran out of battery, which is an insanely long time (like a week) before letting it die and charging it again to "reset it". That is, until it permanently froze on me. Then I got a replacement, and the exact thing happened.
The firmware is also weaksauce, and doesn't display languages other than one's using the english alphabet, so if you're into KPOP you're gonna have to read a bunch of square square square language
I recommend the iPod Classic, I had that before it got stolen and its REALLY sleek, and holds way more than that 32 gig sad sad touch (I have like 90gigs of music, idunno bout you)
Then use foobar music player with the ipod mod so that you don't have to deal with iTunes shit, and you are set for life.
I just got that setup and I couldn't be happier.
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United States22883 Posts
On June 23 2010 13:37 mOnion wrote: as a Zune owner I highly recommend that you don't get it
I had insane problems with it freezing, but there's no power reset button, so I had to wait until it ran out of battery, which is an insanely long time (like a week) before letting it die and charging it again to "reset it". That is, until it permanently froze on me. Then I got a replacement, and the exact thing happened. Did you ever try Google? Because there's a hard reset and a hard power off button combination. But that's one of the funniest things I've heard today.
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I'd go with the 32gb Itouch reluctantly. It just does more shit at the cost of drive space and shitty touch interface and money. Flash Drive + wifi + screen size > than 5x more memory space at cheaper price. Tbh the click wheel sucks dick anyways though.
Apple really knows how to rape consumers. They can easily make 300+ gig touch devices like this but they won't release them until they make a 80gb itouch, then a 300gb classic, then a 160gb touch, etc. So it'll be like 5 years or something.
I have an 80gb classic and I use it for an external drive to transfer files from place to place all the time. This is also something big to consider. Can the touch do this?
PS- Since iphone 4 just got announced there will possibly be a better touch coming out at the same time along with it. Isn't that how it worked for the first touches?
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Unless your music library is absolutely huge and/or completely lossless I wouldn't worry about space too much. This could just be me personally speaking though.
Given your desired major features, it doesn't seem you're too concerned about sound quality. I don't know what kind of audio equipment the OP has (I'm guessing not very good, no offense meant) so I don't think that's too big of a concern here either.
If you're looking primarily for a MUSIC player, I'd choose the Zune HD from that list. Better sound quality and the user interface is a lot better (or so I hear)
If you're prioritizing those major features I'd go with the iPod Touch. If you jailbreak it it'll be even better. There's tons of apps and it has all those features that you want.
Think about what you really want before you pull the plug.
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160 GB for music! That's a whole lot of music you want to have with you. I've sort of been eyeing the lines of iPod Touches because you will get to have the wifi, apps, all that jazz while having music on the side. However, I think it's important to outline all the potential uses.
When I first read the topic, getting _JUST_ an mp3 player doesn't have to ring you up to 250. In fact, what I did was get a ~90 dollar mp3 player, put rockbox on it and get 200 dollar headphones so I can listen to music but, keep in mind, I ONLY use this for music and I'm happy with that.
There were many times where I'd be in class with my friends, or eating lunch on campus, my friend would wipe out his older iPod Touch and start playing games, check websites, etc. and we'd all be looking over his shoulder.
A final random note I'd like to point out is, imagine 3-4 years down the line and you still have an active device. You'll probably be fine with upgrading it to something else because you'll probably still have smoething cool to use the device for. Hell, turn it into an e-book reader and give it to your Mom.
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I'd say the zune is pretty much out at this point from your inflection if what you wrote.
it appears you have a decision to make:
160 gb music jukebox vs the 32 gb mini jukebox with added features.
What are you more concerned with? You said you couldn't even fill up 32gb yet, chances are you won't be doing it soon or you were just waiting for more space.
It comes down to this question to ask yourself:
Do I plan on being an audiophile or do I just want to casually listen to music while being able to perform tasks on a mobile device and use the internet.
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Get an itouch i got it just when it came out. I dropped it numerous times (accidental) and it still works beautifully. Itouch also has many apps which is great.
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