The Archos 605 WiFi makes the iPod and the Zune look like the over priced kids toys that they truely are.
I run a lot and Ipods fail on me approximately every 6 months due to the slight shaking that it has to endure. My old creative lasted years, I am wondering how expensive is the flash based Archos compared to the harddrive driven one; as a HD just fails whenever you try to be active with it, video not necessary in the least.
EDIT: A durable case would be nice (not a fan of the random Ipod scratching).
The flash based one is 4GB with a SD card slot for expansion, and runs $199 on Amazon. But if you really don’t care about Video at all, then you might as well get something without a screen and save space. The Archos 605 WiFi's best feature is video.
Like the OP, I don't want an iPod. My main reason is because I don't want to buy into a closed platform.
No matter what you buy, you are always buying a closed platform and you are still on the whim of the device's manufacturer. The only difference is the features you'll get while choosing playback device a instead of device b.
1. Is there an adapter that will let you use I-pod accessories on other MP3 players?
2. If i go head and get an I-Pod will I run into issues with it.
3. A lot of the music I have do not have ID3 tags is this going to be an issue for the Ipod or any other MP3 player? I heard I-tunes will not read any MP3 without an ID3 tag.
4. will I have to convert any of my MP3 files to an Apple format?
5. I have a few songs that are WMA and even a couple of WAV clips do I have to convert those?
1. Propably not, otherwise the wouldn't be called I-pod accessories . If it uses ipod specific functions or the interface it most likley won't be compatible to other players.
2. Thats like trying to look into the future. Apples HW isn't without fault and like every technical products there is a slight chance that you got a dud or run into issues later. Remember, forums aren't an good indicator of technical failture rate. You will find at least 10 people here which had problems with one particular product, doesn't matter what product you'll name.
3. I think if you use iTunes or another program to fill a ipod these will create dummy tags without informations, or dummy tags within the iPod/iTunes database. Remember you can playback *.wav and *.aif files too and these don't include any tags. I believe iTunes and the iPod ignore the tags completely and just read the data from the database. As far as I know the tags are used as template for the informations wich will be copied in the database, but I am not 100% sure about that one. Maybe someone could clear that up.
4. Its called mp3 player for a reason and should support plenty kinds of encoding procedures; bitrates and things which are supported and common regarding this standard.
The Archos 605 WiFi makes the iPod and the Zune look like the over priced kids toys that they truely are.
This stance could be applied to all electronic entertainment devices. God, we are in a Webcomic subforum, writing about games and tech. First, not everybody has the same needs. Secondly, no device is without disadvantage - I hope you like paying for feature updates and plugins regarding the Archos player - See what I did there?
But I am glad that you are happy with this device and this is all that matters. I use my PSP and Zodiac for video playback, for example.
I am kind of interested in the 605 Wifi. Does it support embedded album art and smart playlists? (i.e. all songs above 3 starts not listened to in the last month?)
RandomEngy on
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creatives all the way. Superior sound quality to an Ipod, and my Zen (the first gen) has lasted me through multiple snowboarding seasons, smash after smack after crack after crunch.
I am kind of interested in the 605 Wifi. Does it support embedded album art and smart playlists? (i.e. all songs above 3 starts not listened to in the last month?)
I just got a Samsung 2 gig flash YP t9 (also comes in 4 gig) that has fm radio and voice recording, and it's got a pretty great review spread on newegg. Only problem is that it has no click wheel, but hey, what can you do.
Unless you happened to buy iTunes plus music, no. You'll have to burn your itunes tracks to CD and re-rip them to be able to listen to them on the Zune.
RandomEngy on
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I am not clumsy. I had an accident. So getting an HDD player is fine. I was basically pissed that my ipod got fried, and I dropped it 5 days after the warranty expired. Since I heard that other players had more functions and wouldn't be that much more than replacing the ipod AGAIN, I decided to get a Zune.
I just synced and am looking for podcast solutions.
For anyone else considering getting a Zune (which I just bought yesterday) Newegg is selling the brown ones for $140 while supplies last.
This is of course due to the fact that a Zune2 will be released in about a month. I was considering holding off got get that but its $250 for an 80G model, with a slight redesign and the control panel can now me touched as well as pressed. I think 30G for $140 is good enough for me.
I've been using, and enjoy, the Philips brand MP3 players. The 2 gb variant retails at about $100, as well as having a small screen for small movies and picture viewing. There's also a 1 gb SKU at $50 that disregards the screen to focus on music.
I have an older one with voice recording, but I'm not sure if these newer ones do just yet.
Really though, if you want reliability, the best way to go is Flash based and not HD based. The iPod touch goes up to 16 Gigs now, and for internal flash memory, that really isn't bad. I know there's a lot of iPod hate here, and I'm sure some of it is justified, but I've seen a lot of people treat their Nano's like they're trying to break them, and they keep on going. Plus with the Touch you get WiFi, I don't know much about the other options presented here, because I have a Mac and tend to actually like iPods, but I know not everyone agrees with me, anyways it's worth looking into. I'd say even if you aren't usually clumsy, but want a reliable product, Flash based is the way to go.
I wouldn't mind the Zune software if it wasn't a memory hogging piece of garbage, but it is, so I hate it. I'd still recommend a Zune, though. It's very good. And I find it to be very resilient.
I picked up a creative Zen 4.0gb for 120$ mind you this is in canadian dollars so it might be changed now, but it works well for me, cept if freezes a few times. But it's only once in a blue moon an stuff.
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The flash based one is 4GB with a SD card slot for expansion, and runs $199 on Amazon. But if you really don’t care about Video at all, then you might as well get something without a screen and save space. The Archos 605 WiFi's best feature is video.
No matter what you buy, you are always buying a closed platform and you are still on the whim of the device's manufacturer. The only difference is the features you'll get while choosing playback device a instead of device b.
1. Propably not, otherwise the wouldn't be called I-pod accessories
2. Thats like trying to look into the future. Apples HW isn't without fault and like every technical products there is a slight chance that you got a dud or run into issues later. Remember, forums aren't an good indicator of technical failture rate. You will find at least 10 people here which had problems with one particular product, doesn't matter what product you'll name.
3. I think if you use iTunes or another program to fill a ipod these will create dummy tags without informations, or dummy tags within the iPod/iTunes database. Remember you can playback *.wav and *.aif files too and these don't include any tags. I believe iTunes and the iPod ignore the tags completely and just read the data from the database. As far as I know the tags are used as template for the informations wich will be copied in the database, but I am not 100% sure about that one. Maybe someone could clear that up.
4. Its called mp3 player for a reason and should support plenty kinds of encoding procedures; bitrates and things which are supported and common regarding this standard.
This stance could be applied to all electronic entertainment devices. God, we are in a Webcomic subforum, writing about games and tech. First, not everybody has the same needs. Secondly, no device is without disadvantage - I hope you like paying for feature updates and plugins regarding the Archos player - See what I did there?
But I am glad that you are happy with this device and this is all that matters. I use my PSP and Zodiac for video playback, for example.
I am kind of interested in the 605 Wifi. Does it support embedded album art and smart playlists? (i.e. all songs above 3 starts not listened to in the last month?)
Yes to both.
Does the zune support podcast subscriptions? If not, is there other software that does?
I just synced and am looking for podcast solutions.
I won't tell you how to do it though, as it would be breaking rules. PM me if necessary.
This is of course due to the fact that a Zune2 will be released in about a month. I was considering holding off got get that but its $250 for an 80G model, with a slight redesign and the control panel can now me touched as well as pressed. I think 30G for $140 is good enough for me.
I have an older one with voice recording, but I'm not sure if these newer ones do just yet.