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Help me choose Area-51m Companion (media device).

post #1 of 17
12/11/04 at 4:16pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, I did a comparison with the iriver H340 (left) and the Ipod Photo (right).

Price: $429.99/$499.00 (At Amazon.com: $386.65/$474.05)
HD: 40GB/40GB

Radio: Yes/Yes (Ipod with accessory only)

Weight: ~7.16/6.4 ounces.

Battery: Up to 16/15 hrs.

LCD: up to 260 thousand pixel colors/2-inch (diagonal) 65,536-color

Picture View Types: JPEG and BMP / JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF and PNG formats

Dimensions: 4.05 x 2.4 x 0.98 / 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.75 inches (almost the same size)

Extra iriver features: transfers through WMP available, integrated voice recorder (Ipod with accessory), Supports MP3, WMA, ASF and OGG music files (Ipod only MP3 and ACC), Store or transfer files of any type.

Extra Ipod features: Can connect to a TV or projector for slide shows, firewire transfer as well as USB, Sync and charge via included FireWire or USB 2.0 cables, transfer to Ipod via media reader (accessory needed), looks cooler, offers applications (games, notepad, calendar...etc), integration with BMWs, tons of accessories.

Sources: iriver, ipod

Conclusion: Iriver has a better price ($70 cheaper, $88 cheaper on Amazon.com), longer battery life (by 1hr), apparently a better LCD (that is if it is the same/greater size than the ipod's). And the Ipod has a smaller weight (by almost 1 ounce), more picture formats compatible, and I guess it looks cooler, watch slide shows while you listen to music, Sync/Charge with FireWire/USB. Also things in the Extra Features.

I am not really sure who wins this one. What do you guys think? I am really going to have to go to a place that has both of these available so I can make my final judgments with the help of one of the salespeople who knows more about them than on the websites. I do know, however, that if I was just getting a music player I would pick iriver over ipod.

(If you know of any other reviews other than mine that compares iriver/ipod please post it.
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post #2 of 17
12/12/04 at 12:47am
i would personally go for the ipod....i know its an apple and all, but from my use of them i have nothing but good things to say about the ipod. I can't say the same for an iriver since i have never used one and don't know anyone who has. I also like the availability of accessories for the ipod, there is alot out there for them, i can't say that i have seen alot of stuff for the iriver.

So in my totally biased opinion go for the ipod.
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post #3 of 17
12/12/04 at 2:56am
my iPod is a GREAT companion to my Area 51m. both are sexy pieces of hardware.
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post #4 of 17
12/12/04 at 1:15pm
I have HP Ipod 40 gigs. It rulez.
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post #5 of 17
12/12/04 at 2:30pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your help guys.
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post #6 of 17
12/12/04 at 3:16pm

And now for something completely different

Before you follow the rest of the Lemmings off iPod mountain, check out:

http://www.neurosaudio.com/

I have one of the originals, but I am still really pleased with it. Its been to Iraq and back and has a lot of frequent flyer miles. I got it because I use vorbis to encode my audio and at the time, this was the only device that supported ogg containers. Good luck.
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post #7 of 17
12/12/04 at 3:51pm
I remember the first Neuros got terrible reviews, on top of being one of the bulkiest MP3 players out there. Maybe they improved in the second generation - I havnt been updated in the reviews category cause I think someone keeps stealing my magazines in my apartment building.

I'm sure the iPod has no problem holding its own against the Neuros...
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post #8 of 17
12/12/04 at 4:22pm
More informed feedback from those who have never owned or seen a product... You notice that I didn't suggest that he purchase one, I suggested that he look at their website. In fact, even the first generation got great reviews. If you want to look, there are plenty of ipod-hater sites available. I think the ipod is a great device (although I have never owned one). Please next time, if you have enough time to post and crap on my input, use your time to visit the link before you form an opinion. The support forum is very active, so ANYONE can read what owners think and form their own opinion rather than basing an opinion on 16th hand info. Thanks.
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post #9 of 17
12/12/04 at 5:33pm
Neuros I


Quote:
The dimensions of the Neuros are 5.3" x 3.1" x 1.3", compared to the dimensions of the new iPod at 4.1" x 2.4"x 0.62". With regard to weight, the latest Apple sets the standard for a jukebox portable at a mere 5.6 ounces, shedding nearly an ounce from the original. The Neuros, on the other hand, weighs in at a heavy 9.4 ounces, more than even the Rio Riot (8.8 ounces) and the Archos Multimedia Jukebox (9 ounces).
I have actually known about the Neuros before it was released - Maximum PC featured it as a preview showing much promise because of its internal radio boradcasting capabilities. I was interested in how the product would fair because I was looking for an MP3 player at the time. Well, when the reviews came out in the magazine, it was a dissapointment - attempted to pack many features in instead of working on a great MP3 player. Anyways, lugging this fatass around with its 'backpack' would not envy any iPod owners.

BTW, of course the iPod cant please everybody because it isnt perfect; but guess what - its as close to perfection an MP3 player can get, so far.

CNet's Neuros II review
Rating; 5.7

Cnet's iPod 4G review
Rating 9.0

Maximum PC iPod 4G review
Rating; 10
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post #10 of 17
12/12/04 at 7:46pm
anyone here has a NW-HD1 from Sony?
They released the NW-HD3 which supports mp3... a bit late Sony...
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post #11 of 17
12/12/04 at 8:47pm
Thread Starter 
For the guys arguing about the Neros. It should have never been posted in this topic anyways since I am looking for something that not only plays music but is compatible with pictures as well. The iriver H320 and the Ipod Photo both have this capability and this is why i am researching them. Thanks.

Btw, RdLdr1 you made a good argument.
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post #12 of 17
12/12/04 at 8:53pm
i'm not forcing the iPod on you, I'm just recommending it (sorry if I came off like a jerk). Check those two out and see which one you like better (of course, you already know that ).
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post #13 of 17
12/13/04 at 9:13pm
Loving my Silver iPod Mini

Although several people are questioning my...social circles?...for getting the mini
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post #14 of 17
12/13/04 at 10:41pm
I will probably be getting an Ipod myself, I need it for more than the music side of things, though I am curious I havent heard anything on the apple Lossless format, typically I would just be using Ogg(Which until I just checked on it I thought the IPod supported). It will be keeping me from having to buy a PDA for a while though which is part of what I really need, allow me to store sound designs(Audio and data) and a variety of other functions I will be using it for.

Seablade
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post #15 of 17
12/14/04 at 7:11am
I am very happy with my Ipod 40Gb

I use it not only for audio but also to store my digital photos (with the Belkin device) so I have always my CF cards available for more photos!

When I get home I download the photos into my sweet AW

What a perfect combination

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post #16 of 17
12/15/04 at 5:47am

Any more colors in the near by. . .

Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 19 Does anyone know when or if the 7700 will be offered in other colors?
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post #17 of 17
12/15/04 at 8:08am
Hmmm....just as a clarification....you need this to do what again? Play mp3s? look at pictures? Or use it as a storage site for pictures? If you need an alternative to apple brand, I'd always recommend a Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra from Creative. Waaaaaaay cheaper for more space, albeit a bit on the delicate side (note to users: do NOT drop. Dropping VERY bad.) It can also double up as a spare hard disk drive no problem...just make sure you install the creative jukebox explorer software and you should be good to go with it. I've had mine for quite a while.....it's pretty utilitarian, but for the price it really can't be beat ^^;;
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