Yeah, if you're not using a music library program like iTunes, and
you're still dealing with your music files directly, having some
integrated way of accessing the files on your portable probably would be
a big bonus. As far as iTunes, what Tim Moore said. It's really just a
program for managing your music library, you don't need an iPod to use
it. In fact, I used it for over half a year without having an iPod. I
suppose it's what convinced me to get one. One trick I didn't learn for
a while - the listing of your library really is a direct interface to
the files; you can drag songs out of iTunes to anywhere on the
filesystem and it'll copy them there. So you have the benefit of a
well-designed interface to a database of your music, plus still working
"directly" with your files. I very quickly stopped worrying about where
the files themselves were stored. It just doesn't matter. As long as
they're backed up when I first get them so I can restore my library if
it ever comes to that.
It's just really been a load off my mind.
As for editing tags on the player, well, your player shows up in iTunes
and you can edit files on the player. It also shows up in your file
system and you can access files that way, too. The music files are
"hidden", but A) there's really no need to see them, you work with them
in iTunes, and B) if you really need to get at them (because iTunes
doesn't let you copy *from* the iPod), just have hidden files & folders
visble in your file browser and you can go into the iPod_Control folder
and search for the track you want.
Buttons? I always reach into my pocket and adjust the volume switch
tracks without looking at it. Believe me, it's at least just as easy an
interface to master as any other player, if not easier. Volume? Reach
into pocket, unlock it, slide finger on wheel, re-lock it if you're
done. Switch tracks? Reach into pocket, unlock it, press forward,
re-lock it if you're done. Same for play/pause.
Why does "all the controls on the front" matter? What matters is
knowing what part of the interface you're touching. Easy. It's a
wheel. It's closer to one end of the rectangle than the other. You
know bottom is play/pause, left is back, right is next, and sliding on
the wheel changes the volume. That's enough.
However, I am concerned about Apple's behavior of late. I think they
have an obligation to be excellent corporate citizens and treat
musicians with the utmost care, at least as far as their store goes.
Personally, I don't use the store, although I have browsed it for some
suggestions, much like I sometimes browse Amazon to try new music.
There are a lot of things I wish Apple would do, but nothing yet has
turned me off of the iPod. Inevitably their superiority (my opinion)
will fall and they'll be the evil company or the shoddy product. Look
at Sony, they used to be king of the world but a lot of what they make
these days is pretty shoddy, and they don't know what they're doing at
all with regards to strict rights and rules and stuff. All companies
screw up or disappear eventually. But for the time being I love my
iPod, and when somebody else is king of the heap in 2 or 5 or 10 years,
I'll move on without looking back. And I don't see how by then I
wouldn't be able to play my AAC audio files ... given the ubiquity of
the iPod, it would seem any future iPod-killer would really have to be
able to play AAC files. At the very least I could re-rip my collection
and transcode what I don't have on CD. Which I wouldn't mind having to
do if it's sufficiently distant in time (around that 10 year marker).
That all being said, if someone thinks another portable will be better
for them, by all means, go for it! I in no way think the iPod is some
holy, wonderful, amazingly best-of-everything device. Just as much as
other people are tired of seeing it everywhere and tired of hearing how
amazing it's supposed to be, I'm also tired of hearing a lot of the
baseless criticism of it that gets bandied about for no apparent reason.
If you see it all of the place, it isn't just because of Apple's ad
campaign. It really is quite a good product.
-adam piontek
Alan Lucas wrote:
quoted 61 lines I will say that Redchair Software's Notmad Explorer makes using the
> I will say that Redchair Software's Notmad Explorer makes using the
> Zen with the PC pure easy. I don't even touch any of the Creative
> stuff. I know they also have versions for iPods, Dell DJs, Rios, and
> maybe the iRiver, but of course I haven't used any of those, but I'd
> expect the features to be similar. I can edit multiple tags for files
> already on the player, do easy syncs, all kinds of stuff that the
> included Creative software either couldn't do, or was just so obtuse
> about.
>
> And here's something that I consider an advantage over the iPod - the
> buttons for the Zen are on the side of the player, so when it's in my
> pocket, I don't have to look at it, or take it out of my pocket to
> adjust volume, play/pause, or switch tracks. It seems like some of
> that would be more difficult for a device where the controls are all
> on the front.
>
> obIDM - a good portion of my IDM collection resides on my Zen.
>
> Later,
> Alan
>
> np: DJ /Rupture - Special Gunpowder
>
> On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 19:16:00 -0400, Adam Piontek <adam@damek.org> wrote:
>
>>It's really not that big a deal (to me). The ease of use (iTunes,
>>hardware design, easy cross-platform external storage) makes it up for
>>me. It'd be nice if they'd do gapless, but I just plain don't really
>>care. And I had actually thought I'd be too annoyed by it, but I'm
>>not.
>>
>>Ogg/FLAC? Don't have any. Well, OK, I have some Oggs from when I went
>>through my Ogg phase a couple years ago, but I just transcode them to
>>m4a. In fact, I transcode all my MP3s that are greater than 128k too,
>>because they get much smaller and I can fit more music on my puny mini.
>>
>>Sure, Ogg can be small, too, but I think even if every other player
>>supported Ogg, I'd still go with an iPod for the ease of use and
>>iTunes. Until the competitors' software was as good as it. As of now,
>>I don't think there's anybody that matches iTunes for goodness.
>>
>>The Rio Karma seems like one of the best of the competitors, but it
>>lacks too much, if you ask me. The complaints you mention are
>>deal-breakers for me, and I'd add the interface design as being pretty
>>lacking, too.
>>
>>That all being said, I'd love for somebody to release a real valid
>>competitor to the iPod just so Apple has some good competition. The
>>key is matching iTunes, and making file transfers easy. And probably
>>the click-wheel at this point... seems the only way to go. Aside from
>>"style", I think those are the real reasons people buy the iPod.
>> -adamp
>>
>>
>>
>
>
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