Topic: portable music

[Rocking-M]

hey, what the best portable music option no a days?
MP3 player or what. I don't need any special features other
than I'd like to put my own music from the computer onto the player.

[rhos1355]

I'm pretty cack-handed when it comes to gadgets, so I opted for the iPOD. Pretty straight forward

[gerhed]

Ipod Nano if its earphones.

[Really?]

The little square iPod shuffle is perfect.  The clip will let you hang it in a lot of places.

[nickjtc]

iPod. I have a first generation 'Shuffle' for light days (about 8 hours of music) and the 80 gig Classic for my entire music collection....10 days worth, and it's only a quarter full.

I remember when the the height of technology was the Sony Walkman...the same size as a casstte tape case. 40 minutes of music. Now I can carry all the music I want, plus photos and videos, in my pocket.

Where will it end?

[333]

I'd have to agree with the IPod vote.  My wife has one and loves it.  And it is a good choice for some aftermarket car radios as well.  I have a Sony that has an IPod (specific) cable and the radio remote will control the IPod.  I haven't tried it yet, as the wife has a bad knee and can't climb up in my van.  I do, however, use the USB plug with a flash drive to bring music from the computer to the van.

[Rocking-M]

Isn't IPod a mac format or can I load it through windows?

[Really?]

Apple has the free iTunes app for Windows so it is not MAC specific.

I would not mount the iPod classic on a bike as the vibration and bumps will destroy the hard drive in it.  Best to be on your person.

I wore my first gen shuffle out.  it was starting get washed out from the massive amount of hours I put on it.

The second gen is like $49 + tax and if you order it online, engraving might still be free.  Since the 2nd gen shuffle is not a hard drive, no chance of destroying it to bumps and vibration.

Edit: you could mount some bar mounted speakers and then plug the iPod into them so everyone can hear it, lol.  Sometimes I do that on my XVZ12DN as i have a pair of 4" Boston Acoustic speakers in the dash.  Other than than, it flows through my headsets.

[void909]

Ipod rocks. I cant live without it. Get one you will see why

[Rocking-M]

one more ignorant questions, If I have my own saved mp3 songs is it simple to upload them to the ipod?
I'm also planning to get a usb turntable.

[Really?]

You can import MP3's into iTunes.  It will do a search upon either the installation or when it opens the first time.  Or, you can drop a disc in with them and tell it to import.

[void909]

Rocking M,

 Its very easy to convert your existing mp3 music into files readable by your Ipod. It only takes a few seconds depending on your computer. If you have a lot of music on your computer I wouldn't recommend letting itunes search your computer for files to convert, I would put the albums or songs you want to hear on the ipod first and use the space accordingly. This also saves you time when sorting out your ipod and trying to get things organized. Hope this helps. 

[Spikeybike]

and then you can into the torrent programs  (insert evil laugh here) 

[tramp]

still have my ipod
would i get one again-----no
if you computer craps like mine did, you cannot download from your ipod back to your computer
if you sync your ipod you will erase whats on your ipod  because itunes erases whats in your ipod then downloads it's library to the ipod
if there is nothing in the library there will be nothing in the ipod
when i called apple on this problem they would not talk to me unless i gave them $35
my ipod was only 2yrs old but no longer supported by apple
look into microsoft zune
i hear alot of good things about it and windows media supports it

[Really?]

still have my ipod
would i get one again-----no
if you computer craps like mine did, you cannot download from your ipod back to your computer
if you sync your ipod you will erase whats on your ipod  because itunes erases whats in your ipod then downloads it's library to the ipod
if there is nothing in the library there will be nothing in the ipod
when i called apple on this problem they would not talk to me unless i gave them $35
my ipod was only 2yrs old but no longer supported by apple
look into microsoft zune
i hear alot of good things about it and windows media supports it

Actually, you can pull the data back off the iPod, there are apps for that.  Also, you can back up iTunes music a few different ways that will allow you to pull it back in if your computer craps.  How did your computer problem and not backing up become Apples problem?

[nickjtc]

Actually, you can pull the data back off the iPod, there are apps for that.  Also, you can back up iTunes music a few different ways that will allow you to pull it back in if your computer craps. 

Do tell. This is a thorny situation I too have been confronted with before. I usually make data discs of my entire collection and then re-install the music if anything untoward happens, or if I get a new computer.

[rbmgf7]

i use to own an iPod nano and i hated it, especially with iTunes. I then got a Sandisk Sansa Fuze. Great mp3. Half the price of an iPod with the same amount of storage (and optional microSD expansion slot), plays video, has a radio, and built in voice recorder (real handy for lectures). importing music is easy as dragging and dropping. you can get one from newegg.com for $50.

[Really?]

There is one in the iTunes app that allows you to back up to DVD.  If you have an iDisk (MobileMe) and a MAC, the built-in back up program has an option for iTunes music.  I know there is a download for Windows machines and iDisk but I have not played with it to know its details.  You can back-up to other locations, you are not restricted to an iDisk.

Do a Google search for pulling music from an iPod and you will find some apps and manual ways of doing it.  Below is an example.

http://www.methodshop.com/gadgets/ipodsupport/copyoff/index.shtml

Lastly, if you back-up your entire drive, you should be able to put it back if one drive or the computer crashes.  I think Norton Ghost creates a full bootable image option.  You can run a small raid array and build it to mirror the other drive.  When one drive goes down, you boot from the other.

So there are options, even outside of iTunes.  Some people just do not like iTunes and the ways that it handles data, I can live with that.  To each there own.  I prefer the simple and easy way so I can spend time on the bike and riding instead of fixing my computer (I also come home to a MAC).  NOT INTENDED TO START A OS/HARDWARE WAR.

PS.  If my comment to Tramp sounded mean, that was not my intentions and sorry for that.  Being in IT, I deal with these issues and the user never backs up data and I am the bad guy because of times I cannot retrieve the data and I wont fork out the money for DriveSavers to get it for them.

[void909]

People,

If you dont own a drive to back up your files you should go get one immediately. All your years of collecting music and pictures and such could easily be gone without a trace. I learned the hard way years ago. You can get a nice external hard drive for cheap and its well worth it.

I really dont like itunes that much either but once you use it for a while its not that bad.