Is there life after iPod?
October 17, 2005 4:07 AM   Subscribe

Is there life after iPod?

About a year ago, I bought an iPod. I loved my shiny, stylish new toy but it did not love me. It was a constant pain and ultimately a waste of hard-earned cash. I think I'm ready for a new portable audio player but I don't know what to buy. Are there any players out there that come close to iPods on both form and function? I'm sure there are many happy iPod owners out there, but I'm not going to buy another, so please don't use your post to try and talk me round. Sorry to be grumpy but It's still so raw.
posted by londonmark to Technology (20 answers total)
 
Any chance you could tell us what the problems were with the iPod? It might help us make recommendations that won't rub the same sore points.

Or was it just a one-off dodgy unit?
posted by chrismear at 4:12 AM on October 17, 2005


Uh, this would be easier to answer if you told us what you didn't like in the iPod and would like in your new player. ("Oh god how I loved and hated my iPod - what should I get now?" is a little vague.)
posted by Marquis at 4:13 AM on October 17, 2005


I've got three iPods (and five PowerBooks & two iMacs) but otherwise I'm fairly agnostic.

I have an Archos AV 400, which you might want to check out. I use it to record the BBC Business news at 3:30AM, and watch it on the train to work at 5:51AM.

I've always said if they improved the battery life I'd probably drop a couple of the ipods in favour of the Archos, simply to reduce devices. Things that appeal to me about the Archos -

1) Video; I purchased it solely for that purpose but, of course, now iPods s can do the playback side...

2) Cover art - nice big screen. Of course iPods...

3) Integrated CF slot, with optional adator for other media - read pix right off my digital cameras card

4) Voice recorder
posted by Mutant at 4:20 AM on October 17, 2005


What are your priorities? If you're moving away from iPod, I'm guessing that you won't need iTunes?

Personally, there are only two players out there right now that rock my world.

iRiver h120 (or the newer h320)
Cowan iAudio m3l
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:04 AM on October 17, 2005


Response by poster: Sorry if the question was a bit vague, but I deliberately didn't expand on my problems with the iPod because I don't think they're relevant. I didn't want it to become an 'iPod ruined my life' rant. I have no issues with the iPod in terms of functionality or design but the unit had so many faults and caused so many problems with my laptop that I just don't want to go there again.
posted by londonmark at 6:07 AM on October 17, 2005


Maybe it's a problem with the laptop?? What brand/type?
posted by Wiggo at 6:41 AM on October 17, 2005


We have a Creative Labs mp3 player, an iPod, and a Dell DJ 30. The DJ absolutely rules. I love it and keep trying to talk my son into trading with me (I have the iPod) but he knows a good thing when he sees it. It comes with a driver that loads Yahoo Music Jukebox (very similar to iTunes), but he just hooks up the cable into a USB and drags mp3s into a folder that pops open, and that's it. It's sturdy, doesn't dent or scratch, looks great, and it's a good price.

You can only buy a DJ from the Del DJl website, and also possibly from Dell kiosks in malls, but I'm not positive about that.
posted by iconomy at 6:50 AM on October 17, 2005


I don't think you'll find a better player out there than the iPod. This is speaking as someone who has been through three (count 'em!) Creative Zen Micros, a Nomad, a Samsung portable media player, a Windows Media Player SPV smartphone and an Archos AV. I used to have an iPod, which I sold, and I'm looking forward to getting one again.
posted by skylar at 6:55 AM on October 17, 2005


My girlfriend has an iRiver H10 20GB color and she loves it- she used to have an iPod and, after many technical, support, interface, and usability issues, decided not to give any more money to Apple. She reports that the H10 rocks beyond anything the iPod could conceive of. And if you want a black one you don't have to get U2's signatures all over it.
posted by baphomet at 7:04 AM on October 17, 2005


Best answer: I was given a first-gen iPod for my high school grad gift, and while I loved it at first I eventually became disenchanted with various things (UGH iTunes! you suck!) and with the whole snotty culture that seems to be cropping up around them. There, I said it! Then the battery/firmware/screen ALL crapped out, and that was the end of that.

So I tasked my dad, who researches EVERYTHING he buys for days before making purchases, to find me a new player and he found me the iRiver H320. I am completely in love with it and will never ever go back. There are a couple quirks, for instance the controls aren't terribly intuitive (but learnable!). But it makes up for it with little bonuses like an in-player recorder and FM radio. Plus it looks and sounds great and you have total control over how your files are organized because it acts just like a removable hard drive.

My sister has the H10 and is just as happy. My only major complaint would be that they seem to come out with new firmware upgrades (such as video playback) for European models far sooner than for North America, should that be a concern for you.
posted by nelleish at 8:34 AM on October 17, 2005


I'd like to join the chorus of iRiver fans.
posted by box at 8:52 AM on October 17, 2005


If the issue was iTunes, perhaps you should try some third party iPod management software before you replace it. Something like this might work out for you.
posted by I Love Tacos at 8:56 AM on October 17, 2005


I also would heartily recommend the H320. I've had one for almost a year and it's great - 14 hours of battery if you set it up right, optional video playback (nelleish, have you tried that yet?) and fantastic sound - better than iPod, as far as I'm concerned, plus the usability of a hard drive and no software required. Your only problem might be finding the H320/340 - they seem to be phasing them out in favour of the H20 (which I have no experience with).
posted by Dipsomaniac at 8:57 AM on October 17, 2005


I have nothing but love for my Creative Novad Muvo2. 4 gigs, mounts easily on Mac or PC. Teeny in the pocket. Great sound. For less $ than a Shuffle. Voice recorders and FM radio available as an add-on.
posted by erebora at 9:05 AM on October 17, 2005


another vote for iriver.
posted by shmegegge at 10:41 AM on October 17, 2005


Best answer: In terms of straight audio players (versus the whole "portable video player/recorder/popcorn maker schtick), your best bet is probably an iRiver, followed by Creative/Dell (the Dell DJ is essentially a Creative player in new makeup). I hesitate to recommend the Dell because I had horrible quality control problems with mine (two players died on me before my one-year warranty expired, while my first iPod is still going strong after its first year), but its feature set really does line up quite well with the iPod. You won't get album art or photo/video capabilities, though. The iRiver series seems to be pretty good as well, with no major faults I've heard about. You may also want to think about finding a used Rio Karma, which got rave reviews from a lot of people. Generally speaking, you won't have any trouble finding an audio player that matches the price/performance of an iPod; in fact, many players on the market beat the iPod in that area. Where the iPod truly shines is interface; you'll have to actually pick up a unit in a store and test drive it to see if you can live with the various eccentricities of the other models.

If it's just iTunes you're sick of, join the crowd. The first thing I did after I bought my iPod was purchase a third-party client that works along the lines of Windows Explorer, doesn't screw with—excuse me, "manage"—your music collection, and has a lot of nifty features including downloading songs from iPod to PC, streaming off the iPod on your computer, etc. There are plenty of free options as well that are also nice, for both Windows and Mac.
posted by chrominance at 11:00 AM on October 17, 2005


Aside: As of last week, both the iPod and the iPod nano come in black, with no U2 stylings.
posted by mbrubeck at 11:46 AM on October 17, 2005


What are you doing with your iPod?
posted by jb at 8:03 PM on October 17, 2005


Response by poster: Thanks everyone for your ideas. iRiver is sounding pretty good at this point, although I think I need to have a play with one -- they look so clunky on screen...

I've just seen this thread too, and have fallen in love with the Creative Zen Vision.
posted by londonmark at 1:40 AM on October 18, 2005


I'm very happy with my iAudio X5. Audio, video, voice recorder and radio, all with better sound than the ipod.

And AFAIK, it's the only one that'll act as a USB hard-drive for your digital camera.

The only downside is that it's not easy to see and play with one in the UK before you buy, but if you're near the City or NW3, you can come see mine.
posted by quiet at 8:16 AM on October 18, 2005


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