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iRiver H320 (Almost) Hits The Market
skyshock21 writes "iRiver appears to now be taking pre-orders for their H320 hard drive MP3 player. This is the one with the color screen that was featured on Slashdot a while back. Although it doesn't support .flac files like the Rio Karma, it does support .ogg, in addition to the usual file formats (mp3, .wmv, .asf, .wav) and sports a nifty color screen. There is also a review posted on CNET."
3/8" is a lot, when the iPod is all of 5/8" or so thick - you're talking a 65% increase in one dimension. If you get used to the size of an iPod, or even a Mini, that increase is going to make it seem bulky indeed.
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Mod me down, you fucking twits. Go ahead. I dare you.
(I read with sigs off.)
lies in its scroll wheel and simple interface. That, and it's now 'chic and cool' to get one -- which is idiocy beyond my understanding.
I want a device that acts like a hard drive, so I can 'sync' files without a headache on any machine. I like WMP10 but there is a syncronized folder option in Windows, and I'm sure there is one in OSX as well. Add a simple menu, a simple interface unit (joystick, scroll wheel, etc), good battery life and a plethora of music formats, then you have a perfect player.
The simple reason I won't buy the iPod is because it only works with iTunes -- which I hate. I also am locked into using iTunes for my music purchasing. If there's a sale at Microsoft's music site, or somewhere else -- I'm SOL. It's the real reason I'm buying the iRiver -- because I don't want to be locked into a specific program or site to purchase music or sync my device. The iRiver may not have the best interface, or the most intuitive joystick... but for a person like me, who hits play, selects random, and just skips songs he doesn't want to hear -- it really doesn't matter what type of joystick I have because it won't get much use.
Simplicity in this area is key. The iPod is very simple and to the point, and since it was first of its kind really, with a lot of marketing behind it, it's #1. People need to realize that the iPod isn't number 1 because it is the best player -- it's clearly not -- not in battery life, choice of format, syncing, or price -- but because the marketing budget on that device is bigger than all the other devices combined.
You want to beat iPod? Sink some money into getting TV ads comparing iPod to and I'm certain you will have people checking those devices out.
Oh, and make them available in colors too -- then stupid women who buy 'pink' will also be satisfied.
The price is always right if someone else is paying.