January 28, 2004
Interesting Analysis of iPod Mini Pricing
When the new iPod Mini was announced many were suprised at $249 price tag, since just $50 more buys a 15 GB iPod. In response, Ars Technica has a nice analysis of where the iPod mini will (or maybe won't) fit in.
In-Depth Review of Gateway DMP-X20
This fine folks over at DAP Review have added another detailed review, this time of Gateway's first entry into the MP3 player space, the 20 GB DMP-X20.
First Player with Integrated Wireless
SoniqCast in now shipping the new Aireo, which they say is the first portable MP3 player with integrated wireless (802.11b). Like the Nextway D-Cube, it also has a 1.5 GB capacity and FM reception and broadcast.
Another novel feature is a slot for SD (secure digital) media cards. It's not yet clear if you can play music stored on the card and/or transfer files (photos from a digital camera, for example) to the player. But in any case, it's a step in the right direction for transforming MP3 players into all-purpose, portable file storage devices.
Nextway Introduces iPod Look-alike, but not Feature-alike
Nextway recently introduced the D-Cube NHD-150D player. Although it looks very much like an iPod, it's actually quite different under the hood. With a 1.5 GB capacity, it features FM radio reception, recording and broadcasting, plays OGG format and comes with a remote.
On a side note, it's great to see some of these new features like FM recording and OGG support, start to proliferate.
January 27, 2004
Sony/Aiwa Announces Ultra-Thin 2GB Player
Sony-owned Aiwa recently announced the HZ-WS2000, a player that sports a 2GB harddrive while measuring only 3.6" x 2.2" x 0.4". By the comparison, the new iPod mini is 3.6" x 2.0" x 0.5".
Robert Scoble vs. Buying an iPod
Robert Scoble, a widely-read weblogger and Microsoft employee, has an interesting view on why you shouldn't buy an iPod. In a nutshell, purchasing music via iTunes (with Apple's AAC DRM) is a dead end because, so he says, Microsoft's WMA DRM is the inevitable winner in the DRM standards war. Needless to say this has generated quite a bit of discussion.
"When you hear DRM think 'lockin'" he says. Very true, but it cuts both ways. Maybe AAC will will in the end, possibly WMA or even a third standard. Or maybe DRM will go away. No one can say for sure, so in the meantime buy the player that suits you best.
January 26, 2004
Catching Up: HP to Offer Own iPod
Recently HP announced that it would offer HP-branded iPods and include iTunes on new HP PCs. While it may not seem significant for a company like HP to re-brand an existing product, this is one of the very few times Apple has entered into such an arrangement.
By contrast, my last experience with a re-branded Apple product was my Bell & Howell "Black Apple" ][+ computer circa 1981.
Catching Up: iRiver iHP-140
iRiver has announced the iHP-140, the 40GB successor to the iHP-100 and iHP-120. Like, its predecessors the iHP-140 should be only slightly larger than the 3rd generation iPod, but include an LCD remote, FM radio, digital recording to MP3 or WAV and a carrying case with the retail package.
Toshiba Gigabeat G20 Review
I4U has a new review of the Toshiba Gigabeat G20. The G20 is (so far) only available in Japan, but it's only 3" x 3.5" x .5" versus 4.1" x 2.4" x 0.62" for a 3rd generation 20GB iPod.
Catching Up: iPod Mini Announced
For at least a little while we need to play catch up to bring the site up to date with happenings in the recent past.
First off, Apple recently announced the iPod mini line. Currently the only model has a 4GB capacity (versus 15, 20 or 40GB 3rd generation iPods), 5 color choices and is only 3.6" x 2.0" x 0.5". By comparison, a 15GB or 20GB 3rd generation iPod is 4.1" x 2.4" x 0.62".
Creative Nomad MuVoČ 4GB $199 and Hackable?
The Creative Nomad MuVoČ 4GB is now only $199 at Amazon, an excellent price for the compact player. However, folks have discovered an easily removable 4GB compact flash MicroDrive under the hood. Since the retail price of a 4GB CF card is much higher, people are buying the MuVoČ just for the drive and reusing it in their space-hungry digital cameras. Of course, all of this is a big YMMV, but some have even been able to put smaller CF cards into the player get to use both the player (with diminished memory) and the 4GB CF.
January 24, 2004
What's in Store
As you can see, there's not much here (yet). Our immediate goals are to get a more usable site layout in place and to publish the first edition of "Which Player Should I Buy?".
"Which Player Should I Buy?" will be a continually-updated buyer's guide. With so many models on the market and so many features to get bogged down with, it's hard to find the right one. The guide will give an overview of several important MP3 player features (such as size/weight, capacity or ability to be used as a portable hard drive) and models that meet those criteria.
Following the initial release of the Guide, we'll start producing pages for individual player lines. Today there is no one place to get complete details on all the major products. Does the Nomad support WMA? Which is heavier, the iPod or the iRiver IHP-140? Player Blog will be that place.
Starting Up
This is the startup of Player Blog, a resource for information, news and reviews of MP3 players.
Buying an MP3 player today can be a pretty rough experience. There are so many models to choose from, a bewildering set of features and new models come out every day. Our goal is to make this site a one-stop destination to help people find the right MP3 player for them and to keep up to date with the state of the market.