My Non-iPod iPod Has Arrived

July 26th, 2006 at 09:17pm Sara G. 12

Much like Kleenex, Band-Aid, and Xerox, the brand iPod seems to be becoming so popular that it is a generic descriptor of the type of item itself -- an mp3 player. I am not anti-iPod. I think they are great in that they have sped up the developing technology of portable music players tremendously. Apple realized earlier than other companies that mp3 players could be serious money makers...what with the proprietary software (read: itunes, which can only be used with iPods), accessories, and the sale of the player itself. Not to mention, I think iPods have opened up some PC users to the possibility of using a Mac computer.

Also, iPods have a lovely sleek design and for the most part seem to be user friendly. Some people buy them now because it's hip. Whatever the reason, most iPod owners are mostly happy with their purchase. A general statement I know, but I find it to be generally true.

There are naysayers out there (see anythingbutipod.com), but I am not one of them. I don't think they are the be all and end all of mp3 player technology. I think they are a little overrated and overpriced, but that's not to say they aren't good. And hell, you have to give their marketing department full props. The ads are cute and memorable. I almost want to see them. They got U2 (my favorite band) to endorse the technology for free. The band says this is because they believe in the technology that strongly. They didn't want to get paid because then they would be sell outs. But, if the endorsement is free, then they are truly giving a product their stamp of approval versus using their accrued stardom to generate even more money. Note, they did get some damn good exposure in return...timed with the release of a new album, but I believe them that they believe in the product.

Moving on, after all this, I didn't buy an iPod when I purchased an mp3 player last week. I went with a Sandisk Sansa 6 gb e270. It is comparable to the Nano. A consideration for me was a tuner. Working in fm radio, I need to and want to listen to good ol' terrestrial radio and not just my music library pretty much every day. I didn't want to carry around a separate radio or pay the extra $50 for an external tuner to go with an iPod.

Also, I wanted simple drag and drop technology adding new music to the player. Didn't want to have to use a program to add and delete files. Just the windows. Not really for simplicity’s sake, although that is a bonus. More for speed. Admittedly, with this player video must be converted before loading, but I am not planning on viewing video much at all and feel comfortable enough with computer technology that I can handle the conversion process. I wouldn't recommend this player for say, my Mom.

I could have gone either way whether it was a hard disk or flash memory type player. Honestly, I only learned the difference between the two while researching my purchase. I learned flash memory players are more durable if dropped.

My little player also has an fm recorder (which I, of all people, might actually use), voice recorder (on the fly interviews and sound bites for work), and it has video playback. If I want to watch a movie on the little guy I can. It also has a 1 gb expandable slot. It also shows photos, an option I doubt I will utilize very much.

I got on amazon, pcworld.com, and pcmagazine.com….read about 50 reviews of this little 6 gb player and decided to go with it. It’s not going to be perfect. I don’t think any of them are. But the problems that this one has will be issues with which I can deal. For instance, one review complains the buttons are too small. I have average female hands and fingers. Since it was a male reviewer, I figured I would be okay with the size of the buttons. I am.

Another reviewer did not like how the player can only charge through a computer and if on vacation and you don’t own a laptop, well, when your battery dies you are up a creek. However, there is an adaptor now for a USB cord to a wall outlet. And, I do have a laptop. Again, it will be a little annoying when I get the adapter eventually, but I can live with it.

I knew I didn’t want to put my entire music library on there, but I wanted to have lots of music and variety. I felt one or two gb wasn’t going to be enough. But, I also don’t have a car and am on the go all the time…on foot, bike, or bus so, I wanted this thing to be pretty small too, but hold a bunch of songs. The sansa seemed to be the happy balance betweens these preferences. And, it was $204. A 4gb nano costs that much and I still would have had to buy the tuner. I also kind of assume my player will break in two years or so and will be pleasantly surprised if it lasts longer. So, I didn’t want to spend a ton of money ($399 for 60 gb video iPod), even though a part of me wants the biggest and best that is out there. Hey, if you are going to bother, go all the way right? Not so much. There is a cost factor for me.

Are you ready for my biggest complaint? It’s one that I didn’t read anywhere is my labored research about this product…there’s no belt clip. The only case that is sold to match it doesn’t have a belt clip. It comes with a lanyard. What the hell is that about? I am supposed to wear it around my neck or let it dangle from a bag. I just don’t get it. This where I am jealous of iPod owners…you can buy a variety of accessories at the gas station down the street, even more at circuit city or any target, and then the internet, the possibilities are almost endless. With my sansa, I can count on one hand the number of accessory options. Not that I want a hot pink bejeweled mp3 player, but I want a belt clip. I do. I hope they come out with one soon.

There are other complaints in various reviews, but some have been fixed with firmware updates and others seem like anomalies. And some, well, it’s a gamble. Hopefully I won’t run into those same problems. There were tons of glowing reviews as well.

I am quite happy with my non-iPod iPod. I’m sorry Bono. I did buy the album though.