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Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
11/01/09
11/01/09
11/01/09
1. Cool, new, must-have feature, which will be hard seeing how everyone who wanted a cheap computer to do some reading, surfing and video watching has a netbook by now.
2. Practical, easy-to-use and universally accessible UI, which will also be hard because even with a touchscreen, intuitive UIs aren't popping out of the ground left and right. In fact, I don't know of a single manufacturer who's gotten it right, yet.
3. A price you can justify with netbooks and PMPs already readily available. Creative isn't the most costly player in the market, but they're also not trendsetters like Apple. I personally happen to like Creative hardware, but I wouldn't pay a significant premium for it.
Let's see how this goes, because as of yet I'm not convinced by any of the ebook solutions available. #zii
09/16/09
If I were to use the music capabilities on my phone, I'd run those batteries out instead. This is bad.
Do we see the problem here? Until someone makes a phone that can get at least 12 hours of talk/music time with an average load from background apps at the same time, using a phone as a PMP isn't feasible. Similarly, the iPod Touch's ZOMG HUEG screen drains the battery faster than the small screen on my 5G iPod.
There's also tactile issues. I use my iPod in the car to pipe through the stereo. The iPod in general doesn't have the greatest tactile feedback, but the old school ones have something. You get nothing from a flat sheet of plastic.
Is it nice to have a music player in my phone? Absolutely! Is it, or will it ever be my primary player? Hell no.
09/16/09
just walk with the usb cable if you have a computer at work or just charge in your car
saying " will it ever be my primary player? hell no?" says that you dont plan for battery technology to advance?
09/17/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
Ballmer just chained a big concrete block to their new PMP and threw it into Puget Sound - it's already going down....
09/16/09
09/15/09
until the Zune get a decent App store like Apples, i dont know why people would prefer it over the touch.
Enjoy ur HD radio while i enjoy Assasins Creed on my iPod!!
Apple beating Microsoft in games field :), didnt expect to say that any day.
09/16/09
Enjoy playing Assasin's Creed on your iPod while I enjoy Assasin's Creed on my tv. :)
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/15/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/15/09
The iDisk app was both grossly late and severely lacking in robust features; the device isn't secure; the push email is still not 100% complete (GMail push please); and there is still a lot of kludge to simple features (Contacts on the phone are separate from contacts on MobileMe).
On top of that, the one feature I'd love to see for iTunes is notable by its absence - subscription pricing. I downloaded about 12 albums both before and after a great Reverend Horton Heat/Motorhead concert using ZunePass. Total cost: $15 per month. On iTunes, it would have been more expensive than a year's subscription to ZunePass.
Apple's App Store is getting very game-heavy and there is not a lot of movement on the iTunes front either.
I still think that subscription is a killer app which may help Zune get some legs. Apple is missing a window.
09/15/09
Now I don't completely understand Zune pass but I think I get the basic understanding. Correct me if I'm wrong. But if for any time I would need to cancel my subscription I loose all downloaded music expect for 1 album I get to keep every month. So after a year I've spent $180 to keep 12 albums. And that's only albums, not singles or certain tracks I wanted from an artist. It just doesn't seem like a good deal to me. I'd rather buy $180 of music each year that I selected weather that be singles, a couple singles, or albums.
I guess it could work if you download an assload of music every month. But I, and I think the majority of people, don't. Some months I don't want to spend any money on music. I have a great collection already, and between the last two months I've spent tops $10 on music. And who knows what I'll be buying in the upcoming months. Maybe nothing for the next 6 months, maybe an assload, but that's the reason I won't be purchasing my music on a subscription basis.
09/15/09
09/16/09
09/16/09
09/15/09
I'll stick with my Cowon S9. I can make the UI look however I want, it sounds bloody fantastic (kicks the shit out of a zune and ipod in that area, thank you very much) and it has mega battery life. That's all I want. I have a web browser on my phone, and facebook on my phone.
09/15/09
09/15/09
09/15/09
I miss real station wagons.
09/15/09
09/16/09
I have a hacked Palm Lifedrive, but it's getting more damaged as time passes...
I have to find a replacement device, but Palm Pre is not available here in Canada yet, and won't be on my network.
I was thinking about a Zune HD...
09/15/09
09/15/09
09/15/09
If a song comes that I don't like, I can easily change it by putting my hand into my pocket and pressing the button.
09/15/09
09/15/09
I need physical buttons, not a damn touch screen. I need it not to be my phone, as I actually use my phone a bit differently. Having music on my phone is nice for a backup, but it is more of a mixed media device, where my music player is dedicated to music only. At work, I can leave the music player tied to the stereo while I wander off with my phone somewhere. I don't need just one device, I need a really good and flexible music player. If that happens to be a Touch, so be it, but if I had my choice, it would be a Nano or Zune HD with a full-function physical remote, FM and HD radios and BT audio. Of course, I know I'm in the minority, but I love the size, weight and battery life of the smaller devices.
09/15/09
I think Apple has just brainwashed everybody beyond repair into hating buttons. If they're useful and straightforward, then it's worth having them.
09/16/09
09/15/09
09/15/09
09/15/09
The iPhone Touch is multipurpose device that evolved up from an MP3 player. But about a decade ago we had PDAs that were basically pocket computers that had simplified to fit the technologies of the time.
Back when the iPod was first released, I was already in love with my new iPaq PDA that allowed me to take my computer with me in a pocket computer form. With internet and apps, and even a video player.
The only difference is I wasn't restricted to using a proprietary media playerto put music and video on it, or buying "approved" apps that were allowed by HP.
09/15/09
09/15/09
09/15/09
09/15/09
09/15/09
the ipod touch in the pocket frightens me, especially while im at work. there's glass in 'em. they're fragile. and they take up quite a bit of pocket real estate.
i tend to use the clip for podcasts and as a portable flash drive, and for when i'm in situations where the ipod touch wouldn't fare well (be it getting dropped, getting scratched, or getting dunked)
as a primary device, the clip is barely adequate. but that's ok - it's expendable. I haven't put a lot of time into downloading apps, or amassing a huge library of music onto it. i wont be out hundreds of dollars if i destroy it.
i think dedicated, 'dumb' PMPs will persist for quite a while, even if they have to take a back seat to more expensive capable devices. because, lets face it, the iTouch isn't a mp3 player that can run apps. it's an app platform that also plays mp3s.
09/15/09
In fact, I'm even afraid to upgrade to a new phone in the fears that I'll scratch it, so I use a cheapo one.
I'm probably part of the minority here, but I suppose I'll have to upgrade sometime. I really like the functionality in the new generation of phones and media players that all my friends have. But then again, I've seen what happens to their devices after a bit of misuse or unfortunate technical hiccups...
09/17/09