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XPlay: iPod with Windows
meanie writes "Mediafour, a company which specializes in cross-platform software introduced the XPlay software to link up your iPod with Windows. Looks like a solid product, but since I didn't buy an iPod due to lack of a Mac, I haven't been able to check out the software. Anyone try this yet? I might just buy an iPod now."
I tried out the beta version with the 5 gig model. It works pretty well. I think they did a good job of extending the iPod's audience.
.doc, etc.)
One thing that the poster failed to note was that it does allow you to seamlessly transport files between the two platforms, and, in some cases, will even aid in file translation, by reading the MacOS file descriptors and translating those into simple extensions (.mpeg,
I wonder if Steve's going to patch the iPod to make it incompatible with 3rd party software such as this?
Michael C. Hollinger
The iPod is amazing. It's hard to believe no one has released a better mp3 player and it's been out for over a year or more now. There was a recent article about it on Zdnet, talking about USB2 vs FireWire on the iPod. Anyways, the fact that it now has software support for windows should definatly boost its sales. I'm surprised Apple didn't release a client in the first place for Windows. Now i just have to wonder why i would possibly do with 10 gigs of music?
- tristan
This sound a little familiar to anyone else?
:)
Guess the editors lack some long term memory.
---
"how can the same street intersect with itself? i must be at the nexus of the universe!" - cosmo kramer
Another option is EphPod.
-- Erv Walter
There's a sourceforge project for HFS Plus on Linux listed as an alpha kernel patch which seems usable as of 6/6. HFS Plus is the filesystem used on the iPod, and Linux already has good 1394 mass storage support, so somebody just needs to roll a nice song browser, and the linux users can have an iPod too.
;) ;)
OK, Linux users probably don't need a song browser, but it sure would be nice.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
my ipod was amazing for the time that it worked (about 5 days). Xplay was amazing, worked without flaw. I blame their lack of a "beta expired" message for killing my ipod. They put an error up instead which read "your ipod must be disconnected and reconnected to function since you recently did an ipod restore". I then proceeded to try other programs to fix it, ended up formatting the entire hard drive, and now whenever i plug it in it reboots my computer. xplay, i loved you, but why in hell did you not give a simple "beta expired" message??? my 400 dollar toy is now a farking paperweight!!!
The Archos Jukebox has been doing this longer than any I've found. I've been eyeing these wonderful toys from their initial press releases and I must say they are what iPod aimed to be (and succeded). If only they had a harder marketing push...
http://www.archos.com
This is my sig. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
The word on the street is that Apple is going to release their own Windows iPod software as soon as Macworld July. Remember you heard it here first. Unless you heard it somewhere else already :)
I suppose it's a good idea. Tons of folks have speculated that Apple sells more Macs because people want iPods and need Macs to run them. This may be true, but perhaps the iPod can be the "gateway drug" of PC to Macintosh conversion for some.
You like your Macintosh better than me, don't you Dave? Dave? Can you hear me Dave?
I've had my iPod with XPlay for about a week now, and it is simply amazing. What I'm most excited about is that being able to carry 1000-2000 songs in your pocket is a true innovation. Digital Music is here to stay simply because it is way too convenient compared to the other alternatives - the RIAA may try to sue small tech companies out of existence, but it won't matter. Consumers will demand digital music for years.
smd4985
Since then things improved rapidly, and the company is responsive to what people say. The software is working well for me (final beta, not upgraded to 1.0 as yet) and they even added a playlist-related feature that I requested.
Its advantage over Ephod is that it includes an HFS+ reader with the software. Ephod requires you to have some form of Mac drive-reading software already (MacDrive or MacOpener), whereas XPlay comes with a stripped-down MacDrive driver anyway.
Cheers,
Ian
It's worth noting that since iTunes and iPod are commercial products, Apple has covered the necessary licensing fees for you (read, passed them on to you), so if you're only using a Mac/iTunes/iPod for your music, you don't need to feel guilty about not paying any licensing fees or using a product illegally.
If the issue is just that you don't want to use any products covered by patents, you'd have to get rid of most of your appliances, cars, computers, electronics, etc., living in the woods with home-built tools. OK, you could have electricity and a phone but you'd have to buy a service panel and phone that were more than 17 years old. Most new phones have DSP's, and the DSP code is covered by software patents. It's a grim reality, but reality nonetheless.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Ive used several of the xplay betas and they all had serious issues with 'write errors' and corrupted song databases. Several times my only fix was to wipe the ipod clean and start over which was frustrating, but the software was beta what was I to expect? Im now using ephpod + mac opener on XP and its been solid as a rock and its interface is far superior to that of xplay IMHO -- way more features.
http://www.ephpod.com/
I would highly recommend this as a better alternative to xplay.
yeah the ipod is a costly little toy.
have you looked at the archos mp3 player?
twice the space, plus recording, plus $100 less plus runs on AA batteries, plus linux/windows/mac software.
thank you.
"Tension is the great integrity" -- R. Buckminster Fuller
You should check out the excellent and cheap MP3-player Diva, which has received very high marks from users at MP3.com.
It can be bought with different amount of built-in flash memory and has a CompactFlash Type 1 slot where you can put inexpensive CF-cards to expand the memory.
This player does not even require any driver installations under Win2000/XP and is said to work with Linux (according to Diva themselves, read the FAQ). The memory card shows up as a removable drive in Windows when you connect the USB cable and it's extremeley simple to download or upload MP3s from/to the player. Yes, you read me right, no security protocol so you can easily move music from one computer to another too.
I just bought one and I couldn't be happier. Best player I've tried so far and definately lots of bang-for-your-buck.
This may be true for the older Archos devices, but the Archos 20 recorder has a USB 2.0 interface which should compare quite well with the firewire interface of the iPod. Besides, how many people are really going to be actively transfering multiple Gigs of MP3s back and forth between their player and their computer? I would expect that most users will load all of their music on their player once and then not have to worry about it, save for loading on new music as new CDs are purchased.
I will agree that the UI on the archos isn't the most lucid, but it works well enough. I don't think this is as strong of an argument on this board since I'm sure that most of the linux users here didn't stop using linux just because of a less-than-perfect UI.
IMO, the cost of the iPod is still too high when compared to devices like the Archos 20 recorder. I honestly cannot see the need for spending $200 more for a device with a smaller drive and a firewire-only interface. This is fine if you've only got an iMac and want to work with iTunes, but not so if you have other hardware that is more expandable (ie, can have a USB 2.0 card added to it). My archos works just fine under linux and win2k and if I dropped a USB 2.0 card into my aging beige G3 (which has neither USB or firewire on its motherboard), I'm sure it would work just fine there as well.
The 4-pin FireWire port is perfectly compatible with iPod (or any other FireWire/1394 device, for that matter) - it just lacks the power leads that the larger port provides. So your Gateway notebook can't charge the iPod, but will be otherwise fine. Some devices (but not iPod) might require that power come from the FireWire bus, in which case you'd probably need a repeater with A/C power in.
All Macs have the 6-pin port that provides bus power. Add-in PCI FireWire cards do, too.
Just as a side note - all the DV camcorders I've seen (including my Canon ZR40) use the 4-pin variant - it takes up less space.
-- Josh Turiel
"2. Do not eat iPod Shuffle."
I've have a 5GB version for about six or seven months. For the first few, until I got myself a belt-clip for it, I carried the little guy in my hand most of the time.
I usually have decent coordination, but I guess there's something about having $500 of hardware in your hands that makes Nature want to mess with you. I somehow managed to trip two or three times while carrying my iPod, each while it was playing. There wasn't a skip, pop, distortion, or anything like that. When I plugged it into my iBook, it came up just fine, I could transfer files and music... In one case, I broke my fall with my hands, which put most of my body weight on one corner of the iPod. The result: a barely visible dent.
Overall, I've found my iPod to be VERY durable. The poor thing's been dropped, broken my fall, been sat on, been in my backback going to and from campus on the bus (where backpacks routinely get kicked, tripped over, etc.), and I recently even left it sitting in the glove compartment of my car for one of the hottest weekends in Houston. No problems, and no damage beyond some faint scratches. (They really should have made the thing BRUSHED aluminum! Scratches don't show up as well, and neither do fingerprints!)
Your mileage my vary, of course, but I don't consider my iPod to be very breakable.
-Ster
P.S. MacWorld did an iPod "Torture Test" in March 2002, and it held up quite well. Unfortuately, the article is not online, and I don't have that issue here right now. -S
Hmm, you list $499 for the 10gb iPod, $30 for the firewire card, and $30 for the software.
You do realize that the Gigabeat from Toshiba is only 5gb? If you want 10gb you need to buy a removable 5gb PC disk drive for $321?
So it's now $559 vs $725? The iPod is cheaper.
And if you're comparing to the 5gb version? Yeah, it's $459 vs $402. A $57 advantage to the Toshiba, which is bigger and bulkier, so you can say, you're paying for the size convenience.
GPL Deconstructed
It helps if you're playing with facts rather than a bunch of crap which isn't accurate.
1. No, the battery isn't replacable by the user. But it holds a 10 hour charge quite admirably, and it's a long-life Lithium-based battery. By the tame you would need to replace the battery, you wouldn't be using the iPod you have now anymore.
2. Of course you have to send it to Apple for a battery replacement. It's a special battery built just for Apple. However, it is trivial to dissassemble the pod and remove/replace parts.
3. 90 day warranty is accurate. However, you can obtain a very cheap 2 year warranty from many brick-and-mortars selling it, Apple has been known to support it past the warranty, and many credit cards will double your warranty time.
4. I've dropped my iPod 5 times. It still functions, and it isn't any worse for wear. The things are built to be solid, which is why...
5. Solid state doesn't matter. First of all, 5 or 10 gigs in solid state would be ungodly expensive. Beyond that, though, the iPod *IS* solid state when it's playing! Unless your song exceeds half an hour, the hard drive comes on only long enough to copy it into the iPod's RAM, then shuts back down. There are no "moving parts" to worry about for most songs. On top of that, the drive used in the iPod is one of the smallest and most rugged drives on the market.
While perhaps their intention was it would sell more Macs, Apple can, and does sell the 5GB iPod at 400 bucks and make a hefty profit. Look at a possible iPod competitor, the Toshiba GigaBeat. It uses the same 1.8" hard drive the iPod does, yet its removable and uses a PC card interface(read: more expensive), and they are marketing it for 400 dollars as well. Apples integrated solution, using their own software and hardware technologies, has to be much cheaper to produce. Although perhaps it was Apple's intention to sell more Macs with iPod technology, they KNOW its a good thing that 94% of the computer world is now able to use the iPod, which will bring in massive revenue to use to produce even more cool hardware (which will then, of course, be hacked to work with Windows).