A Must-Have for gadget fiends!!
Written: Jun 27 '03
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Pros: SO LIGHT! Very clean design and sound. Love the touch-sensitive navigation pad!
Cons: Music Match Software (PC users) is rotten.
Battery life could be better.
The Bottom Line: First-time buyers and the PC challenged should perhaps reconsider... but if you can deal with Music Match Software, buy it!!!
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| orangekrona's Full Review: Apple iPod 3rd Generation White (15 GB) MP3 Player |
I was intrigued by the first generation iPods, but never made the leap. Recently, I met up with a friend who showed me the new iPod he'd bought, which is the exact same one that I decided to get (15GB). The EXTRA sensitive touch pad just proved to be to irresistible for my techno-habit.
Not that this is big news, but I am positive that it plays much nicer with Mac than with Windows--getting it all figured out and working properly was not terribly easy. The Music Match Jukebox software (which must be used if you are a PC user) is not very user friendly. It's pretty bad, in fact. (I still haven't figured out how to successfully rip CDs from my collection.) It helped that I had already owned an MP3 player, a Creative Nomad Jukebox, (which had fool-proof software) and was used to trying several different methods of transferring data from one device to another.
But, that aside, I must say that it is oddly appropriate that the iPod kind of feels like a bar of soap in your hand, because the sound is every bit as clean as the design. Some MP3s that I had had on my other player (Creative Nomad Jukebox 6 GB) which sounded garbled or glitched sounded flawless on the iPod...and in the case of one song, I even heard layers of the song that I had NEVER heard before.
I love that the touch sensitive touch scroller, while a song is playing, can serve as the volume dial or a quick fast-forward/rewind searcher, with a touch of the "select" button in the center of the navigation ring.
And I do enjoy the remote.
I must say that the iPod exudes beauty in a way that shames the bad 80s tunes that mostly come out of it.
BUT if you have NEVER owned an MP3 player before, or aren't too computer literate with your PC, you may want to consider other MP3 players, simply because Music Match will make you want to tear your hair out sometimes. It's a shame that such a wonderful device could not have better software.
The user interface on the actual iPod is quite intuitive and easy to use.
Also, if you are a first-time MP3 buyer, this is a lot of money to invest. That said, the 15 GB is a MUCH better deal for the money than the 10 GB. For $100 more, you get the carrying case, the dock, the remote, and 5 more GB of music. I personally think that 30 GB is excessive...
I have not (and do not) intend to try to use it as a PDA, just because I foresee bad things happening (mistakenly deleted files) in Music Match when I try to sync the iPod with my computer. There is a very good reason why it was mainly designed for music.
Lastly, the battery life is about average. Turning the backlight off altogether will obviously significantly improve the battery life. I actually like the fact that the fire wire cable used to connect to the PC doubles as the power cord (through included adapter)--there aren't 4 different cords to keep track of. It would be nice though, if it also had a slot for a removable battery, in case of an MP3 emergency. :)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400
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Epinions.com ID:
orangekrona
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Reviews written: 1
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