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Virgin's New iPod Rival
iammaxus writes "CNET has the scoop on Virgin's new iPod killer. Favorite quote: 'Virgin said support for open standards such as WMA will let people select the music service of their choice.'" While this doesn't look like a bad player, it's the same price as an iPod mini (and incompatible with the most popular pay-per-download site), so calling it an iPod killer seems a bit premature.
Seems that these "killers" aren't real dangerous. It is the ipod that is killing everything else, truth be told.
Branson of all people should know that if you don't differentiate, you won't beat the incumbent
Not trolling, but (with one obvious exception - Virgin Galactic) when has Branson innovated? Virgin Atlantic was just another airline, Virgin Cola just another cola, etc. There's probably something obvious I've missed but when I think of Virgin/Branson, I *don't* think innovation, I think discount prices.
(Still, with Virgin Galactic I'm prepared to forgive him...)
This is where the serious fun begins.
I like the built in FM tuner. The big question is if you can record from it. It doesn't look like it. And that's exactly what I want.
I attend various conferences. Some of them broadcast on a low power FM radio signal for people in the audience that are hard of hearing. Those people can have a private radio with headsets and adjust the volume to make it easier for them to hear. It also is a great way to record the program without the distracting noises from the audience.
I'd like to find an MP3 player, HD based or replacement memory sticks (SD, xD, whatever), that has the ability to record using a built in microphone and an FM tuner. A microphone jack would be a plus.
The closest I've found is a small 128/256 meg device, but the memory is not interchangeable, it's built in.
Anyone know of anything like that? Who makes it? And where it can be found?
. 62,400 repetitions make one truth -- Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
You may wish to research Branson's early business history. He began with a telephone order music service that was (at the time) very innovative.
It seems that the smart thing to do in business, is to come up with a innovative product, make enough money to get your head above the water and from that point just lock-step.
Just an FYI, I have -never- played or stored a WMA file on my ipod, or my harddriver for that matter. Calling it the iPod killer, because it supports WMA, is a joke.
Hrrm... I usually just sign my name.
Of course the iPod supports AAC and MP3 and "is capable of working with various digital music services" too. So I guess that's fair enough.
If Apple refused to license FairPlay to Virgin, then Virgin is correct in saying that their lack of iTunes support is Apple's choice."Digital Music" is not all "MP3". iTunes are AAC, not MP3 (yes, I know, they both use MPEG-style encoding). Pedantic, perhaps, but important. Encoded music comes in lots of formats, not just WMA and MP3.
We may not imagine how our lives could be more frustrating and complex—but Congress can. – Cullen Hightower
I disagree. Looks really nice. I like how they've outlined the buttons with what appears to be a ridge so that it's easy to use in poor light without having to light up the device.
:-S
From what I can see of the picture, it seems like the clear LCD protector covers most of the front of the unit. I like that, too.
The blue-grey on silver-beige two tone scheme sets it apart from all the copycat white-only products out there.
By choosing not to use an identical interface to the iPods, Virgin will attract users who find the iPod interface displeasing.
Basically, thank God it's not an iPod clone.
I wish I could load virgin's site for more pictures.
If you could be told what you can see or read, then it follows that you could be told what to say or think - BoC
If you think that was good you should check out Tokyo, its linked rail and underground systems handles far more traffic and is more efficient than anything in the UK. Some of it is open 24 hours a day as well due to the amount of communters it carries.
Jonathanjk.com
20 GB iPod: 2.4 x 4.1 x 0.57 = 5.61 cu. in.
(40 GB iPod: 2.4 x 4.1 x 0.69 = 6.79 cu. in.)
iPod mini: 3.6 x 2.0 x 0.5 = 3.60 cu. in.
Virgin: 3.78 x 2.23 x 0.62 = 5.23 cu. in.
I love all of my Apple products, but I always thought that the last few years worth of designs (iMac, G3, G4, iBook, & especially the iLamp) looked like set dressing from A Clockwork Orange... which in my book isn't a bad thing, just sort of odd. I'm not thrilled with the all white lineup... It starts looking shabby after all of the handling. This is particularly annoying in the case of the iPod and iBook...
Someday a real rain is gonna come...
You go on about how ipod+itunes is sooo wonderful. I have had itunes trash all the settings that i applied (one-by-one) to different songs.. MULTIPLE times.. but i wont get into that.
yea, apple focused on the software integration.. but what about something like the iRiver that focused on the need for NO software!! iRiver uses a standard directory structure and requires NO SOFTWARE TO USE. i can plug it in ANY computer and transfer songs without issue. Try that with an iPod.
I would rather not have a proprietary setup where i have to make sure all my ID3 tags are perfect and what not (only to have iTunes trash it repeatedly). If I have a file/directory structure that works for my on whatever computer i use, then i can just move the files right to my player and continue using my file/directory structure there.
portability, transparency, non proprietary, multi-platform
If I change the per-song EQ setting in iTunes, it is reflected on the iPod.
That's bad. Difference devices use different transducers. You don't want you earplug EQ to be used on your desktop or HiFi speakers.
How about the fact that I like having all the swear words in my music? I got burned buying a snoop dogg CD at a Wal-Mart. The entire CD was reduced to the word "Snoop" over and over again with the rap beats behind it. I don't want to buy the kareoke version, thanks.
I see no support for ogg vorbis (and yes that is important, I'm not re-ripping my entire CD collection because virgin doesn't know what .ogg is) or gapless playback (my Pink Floyd albums sound crappy when there are millisecond long gaps in between each song when there should be smooth transitions). Unless this player really does support both of these, I'm still shopping for a Karma.
Mathematics is made of 50 percent formulas, 50 percent proofs, and 50 percent imagination.
I honestly think that Apple's biggest rival, as it stands right now, is itself. I know that when the 4th generation iPods came out I was tempted to sell my 3rd gen. iPod to purchace the new one. I doubt that I'm alone in that as well.
"Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor."
"(and incompatible with the most popular pay-per-download site), so calling it an iPod killer seems a bit premature."
Well it's abvious it's incompatible, since Apple made the choice not to let anyone else use they're DRM. I personally would like a choice of what service I can use, and not be locked into one. Are you suggesting competition is a bad thing?
Don't Vote for Norm Dicks! http://www.nodicks2008.com Another nutless dirtbag that voted for the FISA bill!
>The Public was conned into believing that privatisation would benefit them in some way....
... that the British blood in your veins... ;)
You tell me with a straight face that you honestly believe that the privatisation of, e.g., BT, has not benefitted the British people, and I'll buy a copy of Socialist Worker off of you. When I've stopped laughing, which will take a while.
> Why did people buy these shares anyway?
To make money on the investment? Capitalism 101.
>
Oooohh, Nationalist and Socialist, nice
> After seven years of Blair, the nation's wealth is distributed less equitably than when he started,
I'm not sure the focus on wealth distribution is entirely healthy; you should look instead at the levels of poverty. If everyone has enough to eat, and a roof over their head, access to services and education - why should they worry that someone else has more?
> and fox hunting is still legal.
And let's hope it bloody well stays that way!
Coming on to the real failures of the Blair administration:
* Completely fucked up the reform of the house of lords, achieving the seemingly impossible by making it less democratic.
* Huge increases in tax, nicely hidden away where it's not too obvious to the feebleminded.
* No visible progress on improving the things that actually need fixing - NHS, transport, education. But time to protect cuddly foxes.
* Still no Freedom of Information Act. Funny how they dropped THAT manifesto promise once they got their grubby hands on power.
* Continuing erosion of civil liberties. Come on, Blunkett makes Howard (previously universally reviled as the most repressive home secretary in history) look like a bleeding heart liberal in comparison. Let's look at some examples:
* RIP act - the government, the council, and any tom dick and harry has the right to snoop your email. And of course this will not catch a single criminal.
* Phone taps don't need judicial oversight anymore
* Foreigners (like me, in theory) can be locked up indefinitely without trial, charge, or any disclosed evidence
* Biometric ID cards - lots of government invasion into your life, huge costs, zero actual benefit.
Let's not even get into the mess of the pension system (admittedly that was a mess beforehand, but he's not done anything to improve it), or the fundemental injustice of meanstesting.
no taxation without representation!