Friday at work I completed a big merge of my project's code to the
main branch in source control. (Yeah, two hours before leaving for
a four-day weekend, but I'd done a lot of testing first
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I've bought both iPods and some of the lesser-known alternatives. I am in an odd situation: I am buying the mp3 players for my wife, who is not particularly computer-saavy [love you, dear], so ease of use is of high importance.
Both of the iPods I owned broke quickly and were hard to use. The installation of software took me several hours the first time (including downloads of updates and a new BIOS) -- the second time around it went substantially more smoothly due to my prior experience. Neither iPod lasted 6 months (one rusted and the other just stopped working completely). Apple has a very frustrating return policy that required me to brush up on my Hindi. So, I'm not a big fan of iPods (or Apple in general).
Early versions of Creative's Muvo had a lousy interface, in which you had to look at the device to see whether it had finished downloading the songs. The new devices are drag-n-drop. They're really just flash drives with earphones. There is no software to install, and no setup needed. Drag the songs onto the folder in Windows, and then hit the play button. Much more rugged design than the iPod, but you don't get a video screen -- just an LCD display. There are all sorts of deeper interface options, but I haven't really explored them. The goal was a portable device that would play music, so I stopped there.
As for ease of use, all of these players are pretty intuitive. You might have to look something up in the manual the first time you use it, but the interface designs are pretty mature by now.
If you're downloading songs, there is an additional complication: not all players are compatible with all DRM formats. For example, if you download songs from Walmart, you can't play them on an iPod. The details change with time, so that example might be outdated, but you should know what the answer is before you plonk down the money.
Summary: iPods are cool, and most have a video screen. iPods work well with iTunes. Muvos are easier to set up (on a PC) and are less fragile.
Both of the iPods I owned broke quickly and were hard to use. The installation of software took me several hours the first time (including downloads of updates and a new BIOS) -- the second time around it went substantially more smoothly due to my prior experience. Neither iPod lasted 6 months (one rusted and the other just stopped working completely). Apple has a very frustrating return policy that required me to brush up on my Hindi. So, I'm not a big fan of iPods (or Apple in general).
Early versions of Creative's Muvo had a lousy interface, in which you had to look at the device to see whether it had finished downloading the songs. The new devices are drag-n-drop. They're really just flash drives with earphones. There is no software to install, and no setup needed. Drag the songs onto the folder in Windows, and then hit the play button. Much more rugged design than the iPod, but you don't get a video screen -- just an LCD display. There are all sorts of deeper interface options, but I haven't really explored them. The goal was a portable device that would play music, so I stopped there.
As for ease of use, all of these players are pretty intuitive. You might have to look something up in the manual the first time you use it, but the interface designs are pretty mature by now.
If you're downloading songs, there is an additional complication: not all players are compatible with all DRM formats. For example, if you download songs from Walmart, you can't play them on an iPod. The details change with time, so that example might be outdated, but you should know what the answer is before you plonk down the money.
Summary: iPods are cool, and most have a video screen. iPods work well with iTunes. Muvos are easier to set up (on a PC) and are less fragile.
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