[fisherKing]

i got a palm tx (to replace an aging tungsten t).

with the tx i can:
sync (thru bluetooth) to ical and address book on my powerbook; as opposed to the nano, i can create & edit data on the tx. bluetooth is great, i havent even unpacked the usb cable for the tx.

i have wifi, so i can surf the web (tiny screen notwithstanding), and send & receive email.

with pocketTunes, i can play mp3s, but also listen to internet radio (there are a million streaming stations).

i got a 4gb sd card for $70; twice the size of my nano.

i can watch (landscape mode, full-screen) movies: last night i watched a southpark episode, and triplettes of belleville.

been dL'ing youtube videos, transferring to my tx.

4GIGS...lots of music and videos.

i can read a book (am reading "american gods" by neil gaiman).

the tx sounds ALMOST as good as the nano (there is a little hiss in the preamp); the music covers it. and of course the nano kicks its ass with battery life.

am not suggesting anyone give up their ipods; just having fun exploring alternatives (and like having one less thing to travel with).

rant done!

[zerroeffect]

Reason I don't use my new nano:

- The sound sucks (I have to use the classical preset to get anything close to dynamic range)
- No cross fading (I should have researched this before I bought it - big drawback for me)
- Boring (The interface is tired - graphics, animation, clicking through multiple menus to get to settings or playlists)
- All style, little substance

I should have waited to get one as a week or two later, these new ones were (are) refurbished for half the price. What a waste.

Glad you like your palm, fisher.

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by zerroeffect 

Reason I don't use my new nano:

- The sound sucks (I have to use the classical preset to get anything close to dynamic range)
- No cross fading (I should have researched this before I bought it - big drawback for me)
- Boring (The interface is tired - graphics, animation, clicking through multiple menus to get to settings or playlists)
- All style, little substance

I should have waited to get one as a week or two later, these new ones were (are) refurbished for half the price. What a waste.

Glad you like your palm, fisher.

hey, not to be difficult, but i think:
-the nano has great sound (u just need better earbuds; i use sony mdr-ex71's)
-gapless playback is good enough; crossfading will prob be a feature at some point (but prob will eat into battery life)
-easy to use; the interface is logical, smart.
-stylish AND substanstial.

i think the nano is amazing, the best ipod there is.

[zerroeffect]

Perhaps to you the sound is great. I have Sony inner-ear headphones that sound great with my cd player, but the nano falls flat.

Gapless playback is great for some songs, but it doesn't have the shine of cross fade. It seems like something added in to try and satisfy whiners like me. Why double the battery life instead of using a bit of it for cross fade? Marketing, I think.

The interface is fine for what it is, but I wouldn't say it's as intuitive, smart, and God given as claims made. It's just better than the other stuff out there and probably the best that can be done with such a system. Personally, I think the Creative slider is on the right track for a linear menu system like the nano (and every other mp3 player I've seen). Why go around in a circle to go up and down in a menu? I see the buttons on the four corners of the wheel and that's a part of it, but it seems counter-intuitive, but different and revolutionary (5 years ago).

Best iPod. I'll give you that. But worth the money... I say try it before you buy it and think about what you want and what is possible. Apple seems to be holding out on features so they can introduce them little by little and milk this thing for all it's worth. Good on 'em. They can use the money and market share.

I'm not biting again until I feel I'm getting my money's worth.

[fisherKing]

just curious; whats wrong with the sound?
what bitrate do you encode your mp3s...?
what happens when u play files with the eq off..?

an mp3 will NEVER sound as good as an audiofile (on a regular cd).
just the laws of compression.

i am a music producer (for my living), and the nano sounds great here...


anyway,
never intended to do a 'nano defense' thread, but i think it's an amazing piece of gear...

[zerroeffect]

Actually, I guess if I would have mentioned that my MP3s are encoded with variable bitrate for newer ones and lowest bitrate at 160 for older ones and my CD player is one of those special kinds (Sony MP3 CD player), it would have nulled your first few questions.

It's great that you're a music producer and all, but that doesn't mean anything to me as I know it's all subjective. I know about compression and I know what sounds good "to me" as, even though I don't produce music, I feel I am very in tune with what I listen to and enjoy and have de-constructed songs and sounds for many a year and many an album. I'm also a graphic designer by trade and know how frustrating it is when people don't understand what "works" and why.

The nano is flat in my opinion. Perhaps I got a slightly defective unit or I was expecting something greater, but it seems stale.

Edit: I'm listening to my iPod now, trying to find the word for it and I think the best one is: compressed. Not exactly that, but narrow and compressed. When I turn on the classical EQ, the music seems to expand as if let out of a confining box and spread out over the listening spectrum. It sounds wrong when played without the EQ. Perhaps I like wide stereo separation. I really enjoy surround sound, so it would make sense to expect something just as enveloping for it's format.

I agree, it is amazing that something so small can do what the giant walkman of my youth could do (and more), but that's a structural compliment and that is all. It serves its purpose and will continue to sell very well, my opinion be damned. I just think it's too praised for what it is and am, consequently disappointed (a dangerous thing to say on a mac board, I know).

Thanks for weighing in. This is fun.

[fisherKing]

hey, hear u.
sound (and design, and the interface)...it's all subjective, what we like, dont like.

i realize that every day when i see how people are dressed...! LOL

whatever works 4 u (or, in this case, doesn't work..)

[tboparis]

Originally Posted by zerroeffect 

Reason I don't use my new nano:
- Boring (The interface is tired - graphics, animation, clicking through multiple menus to get to settings or playlists)

Maybe you find it boring but any mp3 interface becomes repetitive and not-so-great after repeated use.
The animations are, I agree, not breath-taking and I do not expect that from mp3 players. Maybe it would be better if you could personalize the interface animations, but again I couldn't care less if an mp3 had this kind of thing.
You don't have to click through multiple menus to get to setting or playlists. All you need to do is go in Settings>Main Menu>and choose what you want in your menu (works on my iPod Mini, not sure it works on the newer ones).

[cenutrio]

iPod nano + nike kit is enough reason -in my opinion-, to just get one. No matter size or revision.

My 2 cents

[zerroeffect]

Yeah, it works in the new ones, I guess the menus all feel alike to me, so it's not too intuitive when quickly glancing at the player.

And glancing is what I do, so the interface got old really quick (within the first week). It reminds me of Firefox and trying to emulate Safari with that (I should know, I created the Eternal Aqua Safire theme for the same reason). It seems pasted on and kid-like. In my opinion, if the iPod is going to be all stylish, it should go all the way and add the cool animations. It's not just an mp3 player when it's Apple.

As for the Nike kit, I'm thinking of getting that soon. Maybe it will breath new life into the player.