iPods - I'm taking the plunge!

Sput2001

Are you dead set on getting an iPod, as opposed to another brand?

An iRiver, for example, may not have the same fashion appeal but they're usually cheaper and are widely considered to sound a whole bunch better.

Check out the H320 (or the H340 if you want more capacity), it's a great piece of kit.

sonalrattan

I'm about to go for the 30gb video - the nano is great - but for £40 more you get 26gb more... you do the math.

Dixons 30gb video - £179.98 - use the 5% dixons discount - delivery is free. and if you have an egg card get a futher 5%. not bad.

badgerino

I have a Shuffle and a 30GB iPod.

I LOVE the shuffle, its so tiny and the sound quality is astonishingly good. Also you don't need any cables with it. It's my favourite gadget.

I think the sound on the 30GB is not that good, it's quite big (only JUST pocket sized). I actually now use it as a spare hard drive!

I have a nano too, but have never used it, so I cannot really talk about that.

What I would say is that you should consider how often you change your music taste / how often you will be adding new stuff to your iPod, and how many tunes you NEED to have with you at one time. I have found that having several thousands of songs in itself wastes time, if you can't decide what to listen to!

wolfman

I have a Shuffle too. Still use it more than my iPod.

It's very robust, and I can pick it up easily, press play and listen away. I can either put it in my shirt pocket, or hang it around my neck. Brilliant little device, despite not having a screen (which can be seen as a positive). One of my best buys in a long time.

Also regarding sound, the Shuffle is said to be the best of the iPod bunch as it's driven by a different chip (Sigmatel). I certainly prefer my Shuffle in terms of sound quality to my 4G iPod.

sarahlouise210

Are you a student ???? LLoyds TSB are offering a free Ipod Shuffle if you open a Student account! £500 to open ...thats it..no monthly commitment..good offer!

patwa_2

I know this may seem obvious but what are you thinking of using the iPod for? If it's just for listening to music on the bus on the way to work/Uni, I'd recommend you go for a stand-alone MP3 player. I bought an Olympus WS-320M 1GB MP3 Player/Dictaphone last year, used it to record my lectures, then listen to music whilst travelling. Very long battery life for just one AAA battery, and very good sound quality. small enough to fit in my wallet. Plus it doesn't need any special software, just treat it as a normal flash disk.

I'm getting a free 30GB iPod Video in a couple of weeks, but I'm not sure if I'm going to want to keep it or not. I mean, it's great for longer journeys, but to pay £180 for something that's only going to get a little use every day seems excessive. that having been said, if you're looking for something portable to store all your music, to carry with you to use with other computers/share with friends, then it's great and the screen makes navigating things much easier. One of my guides had one when we travelled recently, and despite its size it was definitely her best friend.

I say it's all about how you're going to use it. Trust me, what may seem like a great buy now may not seem quite so good in one month's time when you've got it packed and boxed under your bed gathering dust.

Cheers and take care.

Hussein.

horsenailbucket

30g Video ipods are now £143 in the Apple Refurb Store. Good price.

Casual

Most helpful and interesting. Especially all the discount codes and cheap options. :T

I now have a two pronged method of attack. I ordered on Monday a Shuffle (using the £20 John Lewis code) and I'm going to test this out and see if I like it for commuting. (It was only £30 so worth trying out).

And then I think I'm going to go for the 30gb version as I want a bigger more substantial machine with more capability.

That's my current action plan - might change but never know! Thanks for all the opinions guys, it all helped!

Cheers-
Catherine :beer:

wolfman

Even if you do get an iPod or other player, the Shuffle is still really handy.

Few things to get you started:

- If you don't like iTunes, or want to be able to update the Shuffle on a computer that may not have iTunes, go to http://shuffle-db.sourceforge.net/. There only seems to be a Python script version now, so I've put the executable up on my website, just PM me and I'll send you the link.

I basically use it so that I don't need iTunes. I can plug my Shuffle into any computer, drag and drop some mp3's, run the app (to update the Shuffle's music library) then unplug it, and play.

- File storage, the Shuffle is handy in that you can plug it into a usb slot without a cable, just like a usb key. Just plug it in, open up My Computer and it'll show up as a removable drive. Just drag and drop files as you would on a normal hard drive. I store all kinds of files on mine. To do this securely I use an application called TrueCrypt. http://www.truecrypt.org/ It's a standalone, easy to use app, that'll encrypt any files you put on there.

- Portable apps. Some great portable apps about. http://portableapps.com/ Means you can put Firefox (along with all your bookmarks) on the Shuffle so you always have it with you where ever you go. Same with Thunderbird for email etc...

gemlcoleman

Ipod 30gb Black

Is now £173 on amazon, cheapest I could find...and free delivery...

Anyone know any cashback sites that could make this even cheaper??

Gem