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Newest iPod vs. the Nomad Zen NX?
flyingember asks: "I am considering purchasing an iPod, since they are so cool looking. I then came across the new Nomad Zen NX. Size isn't an issue, my current MP3 player being a MP3-CD player. The big thing is price. In the US the 30GB Zen costs $300, the 30GB iPod costs $500. Or you can get a 10GB iPod for $300 or a 20GB Zen for $250 on the low end. Has the iPod got better design and layout of controls to make the price difference worth it?"
The iPod is just more asthetically usable. I don't know how to explain it. My friend got a zen recently. It has a jog dial on the right somewhere, but the interface is just weird. It feels like the type of interface I'd expect on my receiver.
I like devices that have interfaces that match their use. Take palm and its OS. I thought grafitii is great. It makes sense for really quick input. The fact you don't have a start menu and just use the "applications" menu to get to stuff was also great. It even use(d) a low power cpu. It's the opposite reason why I really hate windows ce. I just can' get used to the idea of having a start menu and apps that take up so much screen space.
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Other reason I don't like the zen? Same friend, can't download the drivers from creative, and to use the drivers, he has to install the base software. But the software he prefers to use for syncin' needs the drivers. So to use one software, he's forced to use another.
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iTunes works really well w/ the ipod. Hopefully, the win version will be just as good.
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ping -f 255.255.255.255 # if only
The Nomad is cool and all. And I'd be proud to own one. And it is kinda cheaper. I would recommend it to others! And even myself perhaps if I didn't already own a 3rd gen iPod.
But iPod is smaller, lighter
It's way more stylish (aka chicks dig it)
It's got a slick interface with a really nice screen
You can play solitaire on it gosh darn it!!!
Okay, I'm just trying to defend my impulse 400 (USD) purchase.
no thanks
Nomad Zen reviews
iPod reviews
Of course, Epinions are not too helpful when the product is brand new. I usually go through a couple of five-star reviews and several one-stars (if such exist) to see what people are generally complaining about.
No.
:) ]
Doesn't the Nomad have features that the iPod doesn't have?
Like FM tuner and recording?
[and there's also the anti-yuppie factor
your thin skin doesn't make me a troll
I have a 2nd generation ipod and now a new 3rd generation ipod, both 10 gigs, (i got the second one as part of an apple store rebate and only paid 70bucks for it). The layout and design is really really worth it. Even if you just get the 10 gig, it's worth it.
The cool factor really throws it in my opinion, unless you are on a super tight budget, but seeing as you are even considering buying one, you probably aren't. It's a great piece of equipment and my only complaint is the battery life blows. If that and the price are significant issues, then you can side with the Nomad, but otherwise, the iPod is your best bet.
Just picked up a Jukebox Multimedia for $300 - 20 gigs + support for recording and low end DivX movies. Spent a lot of time interviewing people with it at Defcon, not great quality but a versatile little box.
The ipod isn't just an MP3 player. It also can store your contacts, and appointments, as well as functioning as a portable harddrive as well (the zen can most likely do this too.) So it does a little more in a better package with a better interface. I'd say ipod.
I have a 20GB 2nd series ipod (now my wifes) and a 30GB 3rd series. The big difference I found was the quality. Borrow somebodies ipod and just listen to the sound - it is fantastic. The headphones alone would be $75 as they contain neobydium magnets and are great quality - ever notice when you see somebody with an ipod they are using the included headphones?
:)
The next thing is simplicity - the menu system on the ipod I find much more navigable and easier to use... granted I have only played w/ a zen in the store but the ipod just makes sense.
You also say you are not too worried about size, but just going from the series 2 to the series 3 is awesome (and the series 2 was smaller). You can slip it into your shirt pocket and never know it is there. It really does make a difference... granted, either is night and day for you right now, but down the road do you really want to suddenly be envious of a friends tight little package? (he he...)
I can honestly say these have been some of the best purchases I have ever made, have used them w/ both windows and on my wife's ibook. They work fabulous. And don't forget that iTunes and the Apple Music Store are coming to windows... you'll need something to play those nice songs on and slickly hook into what I think is the best mp3 player out there! (Yup, I'm jealous of my wife... come on economy - get rolling so I can get me a G5!!!)
You could always just buy you a volkwagen bug and get an ipod for free!!!
Size isn't an issue, my current MP3 player being a MP3-CD player. The big thing is price. In the US the 30GB Zen costs $300, the 30GB iPod costs $500.
So the difference is $200 give or take. The Zen NX isn't quite as small as the new iPod, but it's much smaller than the original Zen.
One of the coolest things about the Nomad's is Notmad Explorer, or more specifically, the Notweb Explorer. It's a cool web interface to your mp3 player. You can browse it, search it, download or stream your mp3's. Very cool.
The battery life is significantly longer on the Zen NX (and the battery is user removable). Also very cool.
Creative is horrible at support. Have you ever tried to DL a driver pack from them? Usually you get 4 or 5 TSR proggies that will crash your system. I lived in Singapore and actually had to go to their HQ three times to get my Geforce II replaced. Bad news.
Apple? I own an IPOD, and notwithstanding that you have to install MusicMatch, their package is quite good. I had very few software problems and absolutely no hardware issues. The IPOD is top notch stuff and it makes the subway commute into work everyday much more enjoyable.
We are Pentium of Borg. Division is futile. You will be approximated.
Where the hell is the vorbis support?!?!?!??!?
Dammit, all I want is something as cool as the ipod, but with vorbis.
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I wouldn't give up my 10 GB iPod for anyone else's machine, regardless of its capacity. The iPod is unbeatable when it comes to ease of use, putting CD players to shame. It's also got one feature that I've never seen on any other player, on-the-go playlists. If you don't know what I mean look on Apple's iPod site. Add to that the fact that you can charge it straight from the FireWire port, can grab a phone number or email address without having to pause the music and whip out the Palm, and will soon be able to record from it as well (you can do it already through a special developers mode, and Apple will supposedly release a firmware update in the near future integrating this function into the real interface), and I think the Zen has been soundly smacked. The iPod more than makes up for the price difference in its quality. It's also a rock. I don't know about the Zen, but I've never carried my 3rd gen iPod in a case for fear that it might get jumbled, scratched or crushed. The no-moving-parts philosophy probably has something to do with this. And if you're worried about vorbis support, just switch to AAC. The difference is amazing. And if you're really REALLY worried about vorbis support, the iPod will most likely support it once QuickTime does, which can't be too long. Oh yeah, and it won't drag your pants down if you put it in your pocket. Nice touch. I'm all about maintaining my pants-edness.
----- "All right. It was a miracle. Can we go now?"
20 and 40 gig versions, supports Ogg Vorbis and shipping in October (allegedly)
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Details:
http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/00799
http://gear.ign.com/articles/382/382161p1.html?
http://msg.mp3.com/hardware/liststory/?position
http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/008007.php
http://empeg.comms.net/files/133662-ipodcompare
You probably wouldn't have heard of this yet unless you have an Empeg, but wait for the upcoming Rio Karma before deciding.
-- V
The iPod plays AAC which may not seem like a big deal but it is the successor to MP3 so I suspect you'll be seeing more and more content that way
Ummm says who?
Don't be a stupid fanboy. The successor to the MP3 format seems to be the MP3 format, as size is becoming a non-issue. Microsoft also has the very nice WMA format if you want DRM. The installed base of players still skews strongly toward WMA, and right now more players are being shipped supporting WMA then AAC. That doesn't mean the AAC format is doomed just that it wil probably never become quite as important as WMA. It doesn't really matter though look at a place like AllOfMp3 they allow you to choose what format you want your music in, and the bitrate you want it at. So AAC will probably be around for a long time, but is almost certainly not the succesor to MP3
I'd do something interesting, but my server can't handle a slashdotting.
I own a jukebox 3 (20gb) and it has great sound quality (creative does have a BIT more experiance in sound than apple) and has dual line out ports (attatch to 4+speaker systems) in addition to the headphone jack. The feature that an iPod doesnt even come close to is line/mic/optical(and FM with additional hardware) recording to many different formats. Im not sure if the zenNX has these as creatives website isnt loading for me but these features definately made me pick creative over the ipod even though the jukebox is kinda big and ugly (doesnt matter if you keep it in a bag, pocket, or slide it into an empty slot above your car stereo :) )
Bottles.
You cut out one of the biggest wins of the iPod and you also cut out one of the biggest reasons for the price difference. In electronics, if you want it smaller, you pay more. So, what should you do? I can't answer that for you because you've already shown that you don't think like me (I'm not saying that's bad or good, just different)...you've ignored the thing that I think makes the iPod worth the extra money... but, that's just my opinion...so I suppose, if it doesn't matter to you (size that is) go for the Zen...if you like how it sounds, as that's the second big win of the iPod and most important thing (to me) is cost...and that's where the Zen wins...so go for it.
"I'd take points off of the Nomad simply because it has Microsoft's proprietary WMA in it. Ish, don't encourage them."
Yeah. These things should support less digital formats.
Audible handles my audiobook addiction. I wouldn't be able to stand a player that didn't handle that format.
No Zen is good zen
One point in favor of the iPod is the iTunes Music Store. Intuitive interface, non-intrusive DRM, great selection and getting better all the time. And it will soon be available for Windows. Do you really want to use BuyMusic.com instead?
--Paul
- Removable/replaceable battery (although whether Creative will actually sell them further down the line is another issue).
- Low signal/noise ratio - Apple don't have (in my limited searching) specs for SNR for the iPod listed anywhere, so I can't compare, but from what I hear, the ZenNX has it there.
- 4-band equaliser - the iPod just has presets.
- On-the-fly cross-song volume normalisation - probably be handy for when your entire collection was been ripped before you knew anything about volume control. *ahem*
Err, that's it. I would recommend that you check the accuracy of my statements; some of my comparisons may be to the older iPod.Since most comments here have been about the iPod and its features and nothing has really been said about the Zen, I'll take a shot.
First off, I love my Zen, but then I would probably love whatever mp3 hard drive player I had (sweet, sweet 60 gig of musicy goodness). The biggest point for the Zen versus an iPod (at least in my clumsy opinion/experience) is that the Zen uses a standard notebook hard drive, which means that if you buy the 20 gig version now (or perhaps you, uh, drop and kill your Zen) and later want to go to a 60 gig, you can replace it fairly easily.
Second -- the Zen sounds great, but I can't compare it to an iPod since I have never heard one.
There are drawbacks to the Zen, however -- you need drivers for it (and, for a while, when transferring by firewire the music would be randomly corrupted with parts of the song being mixed up and transposed everywhere) which means no just plugging in and using it as a external hard drive; the Playcenter software that comes with it is just utter shit which makes it necessary to buy Notmad Explorer (and then something like Mp3/Tag Studio to tag all your files so they show up right on the Zen) and while that is a nice little piece of software, it is an extra $30 you have to spend that should have been fixed by making it a USB storage device like the Archos; the lack of any input/output jacks other than headphone-out kind of sucks meaning that I have to use the headphone-out with the fm-transmitter and line-in on the car and no recording without shelling out another $60 for the fm/mic remote; the battery is non-replaceable without sending it back to Creative and is supposedly only good for 300-500 charges (although the NX's battery is replaceable).
While it may sound like I am coming down hard on the Zen, I do still dearly love mine -- having it full of 60 gigs of music means having my entire music collection in my pocket and being able to listen to anything on a whim or showing up at a party and having pretty much anything anyone else wants to hear.
And as for size? Eh, I wear pants with big pockets. I've already got the camera, flash cards, and phone in there, what more is another big toy?
My 2nd gen iPod does the advertised 10 hours. For the size, this is by far the best battery life I've ever had on a portable player. Way better than my old solid state mp3 players (2-3 hours), and only eclipsed by my sony CD walkman, which had plenty of room for larger batteries (ie. barely portable, certainly not pocketable). I can't really argue against either of these players, unless you have a mac, in which case the iPod is a no brainer.
I don't know if it's my setup (about 12GB of MP3s on a Samba share), but the software was diabolically bad at cataloging my collection & copying it to the iPod. Musicmatch locked up completely several times, leaving it "Not Responding" according to Task Manager under XP. It took about 2-3 hours to do the cataloging of the collection (I'm not sure as I had to keep restarting it and actually ended up leaving it running through the day while I was at work). Also, it seemed to be incredably slow at copying tracks to the iPod (about 15 minutes for 4 songs!).
In the end, I downloaded EphPod and used that to copy files to the iPod. Worked a heck of a lot better, getting a full list of MP3s in about 10-20 seconds (about the same as Winamp). Copying wasn't as fast as I'd hoped (about 1.5MB/sec; I'd have hoped for nearer 8, the limit of the 100Mbit/sec ethernet) but still OK.
However, the iPod itself is great; the lack of moving parts is a comfort as it prevents dust entering the system anywhere. The sound is excellent and the controls are good. The hold button is a fantastic idea, preventing the unit starting up when you don't want it and the headset controls are pretty good.
Please, Apple, build in Vorbis support for your iPod. I have 30Gb of my own (i.e. not downloaded) Vorbis files, and am putting off buying a portable player in the hope that you'll come through.
Think of it: no licence fees, and *one* extra sale guaranteed!