ive got 5,500 id3-tagged songs on there, and space free. the load time from "off" to playing music is ~20 seconds, the device takes about 6 seconds to get to the boot screen "loading" etc., displaying the firmware revision and proceeding in.
in general, switching modes (e.g. plugging in the usb cable, switching to picture/radio/text modes takes about 6 seconds to load up the new section, and the screen turns off to save power in most modes. it also takes about 3-6 seconds to turn off the player, a bit longer if it's still recording, about 7-10 seconds.
it's not sleek, but from hard stop to play, is 20 odd seconds. for a hdd player, i guess that's fair.
it's a sweet little player, ive let it charge while uploading songs overnight, and it's been playing for about 7 hours now off the battery, just shuffling about. i guess that's the standard ipod time, so i'll see how long it takes to discharge. 12 hours off a charge + an external battery pack for recharging, perfect for flights/work/etc. there's no hiss between tracks, and the quality is good on my beyer dt531 headphones, no hiss or quirks in quality except when enabling the SRS equaliser features. but i expected that.
it kinda makes me want to know what all the fuss is about, the difference between the iRiver and the iPod in price is now negligible. it costs AU$730 here for the new H340, the 40gb iPod is AU$649. i got the H340 for AU$690, so the odds are that it will be promoted with the ability to modify the menus/shell to make it pretty and shiny for personal gratification and generally showing off.
style wise, it's an ugly little flecked brick of a player, the menus are dull and very much like OEM dvd players from asia, basic icons, art and menus. i just read from mistic river (unofficial iriver forums), there's efforts to mod the bitmaps inside the H3xx firmware, a blessed thing that. add a neoprene shell or a filmy translucent coloured cover, you can accessorise it to death just like the iPod too.
a little heavier than the 20gb ipod and 40gb ipod from ppl who have tried both, a little bit thicker. the real impressive thing is, there's accessories included -in apple dollars, the standard included accessories add up to a fearsome dollar amount - $300 or more, and the quality is as good as the belkin iPod accessories, the LCD remote is not always included in the H340 pack (it's optional), but the standard remote is simple enough, plain and nice. the radio works great and recording FM radio takes a brief time to start but it's good quality, recording directly to mp3. people whove tried the built in mic say it's clear for voice and music, recording cars, traffic, etc. the usb 2.0 connection charges the unit slowly, and its treated like a regular USB HDD under XP. i havent tested in on other platforms yet, but i assume its a standard connectivity. ogg and mp3 works, so im happy. as said above, it wont read flac/mpc/m4a/shn files, something i'll have to fix with a music manager.
i'm also just trying out new alterna-itunes playerlist/music managers, like moodlogic, which is a $40 purchase for the suble art of re-arranging playlists and file/folder layout on the mounted HDD according to genres and BPM.
i'm not really phased towards paying $40 for a playlist manager, but it is intriguing. all the music its chosen, has been interesting and good. honestly though, shuffle is habitual, and after 5 years of winamp, i'm used to getting a shocking selection once every so often. paying $40 for the priviledge, would just be stupid in the nth degree, american stupid, enjoying itunes on windows stupid. you get the idea.
there's my review. im happy enough, but the visual style might make people uncomfortable, knowing it cant be pesonalised, so if i was making a point, it would be to get support for shells/cases for personalising your iriver.
yeah... right... (if they do make it, i deserve royalties dammit.)
Plotline for every episode : "Ambassadors" solving crimes by day, sleeping with rogues, thieves, cops and diplomats by night. you need the busty blonde, the fiery redhead, the short haired athletic brunette, the curly haired brunette who runs things, or mix up your stereotypes liberally.
FFS. Done. like that Pamela Anderson series ViP. a walking soft-porn ad for victorias secret cataloge models & bikini models. well, as long as it keeps them all paid, should be another FOX hit, expect to see it before Firefly gets canned.
Re:Please Don't buy an Xbox Just for Linux
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i think that what you're looking for is intelligence in a human way. which is what everybody thinks when you say 'intelligence'.
A.L.I.C.E. is simulated intelligence, solely to reply to human reponses in an intellgent way. to me, understanding implies that an AI can grasp a concept, like sports, sex, relationships, etc. and model responses or even make up speech on it's own without interaction. that's very much outside of the scope of measuring modern AI (for the purpose of the standard turing test)
for some strange reason, it's better to get results by having an AI conversing with real people and convincing them they are intelligent, rather than convincing the person they are human. what makes the turing tests so oblivious is that we "judge intelligence" based on human interaction, those programs with 'canned "template"' responses can handle human interaction better, and A.L.I.C.E. has proved that.
'The fact' that the responses seem limited, is that people are limited in the way they interact. unless you're intimate with every stranger you have ever talked to in person, most people introduce topics with only a handful of words, and computers (as well as people) handle pattern recognition (CBR/AIML) better than assembling random phrases into an order that makes sense.
AI is wasted on chatting, but then again, so is regular human intelligence.
On the subject of container formats, i can say (from my own opinion) quicktime is not the answer. it's not even a choice. just having Playback of a format does not mean it is a viable container format, content creation still needs to be available to anyone on any OS platform. and it has to be independent of any ties to codecs, regardless of ownership.
AFAIK Apple has no intention on creating a non-proprietary format for anything, and surprise, surprise, corporate and public interests are negated in most of the available container formats. on one hand, you can name the popular formats for container files, simply because the industry is dominated by popular, working, defined standards that do not accomodate competing products, standards, or allow for these standards to change.
i.e. MPEG-4 has a container format -- it's not being used yet..MP4 is one proposed extension. The ISO MPEG-4 compliance is in flux, so yes it's available and no, there is no standard mpeg-4 hardware or a defintive specification or software to take advantage of it for all OS's. Possibly, in time, MPEG-4 might take the reign as the dominant container format, a streaming, storage content format like VOB has become for DVD, with multiple video streams, multiple audio streams, menus, chapters and interactive content. Till then, it's in flux.
the established standard Microsoft's AVI file format, has come into competition, from OGM and OGG, new container formats, OGM being a imposed continer for ogg audio and video content to bypass restrictions of the AVI container. MPEG is another container format solely for MPEG audio and video, MCF is an emerging (read: in development) container format designed for RAW MODE2 writing, to encode alternative formats such as MPEG-4 (and all of it's "estranged-cousin" video codecs, such as VP3/4/5, divx3/4/5, xvid, MS mpeg4/1/2/3, quicktime 6 & 3/4, etc. and audio, from MPEG1/2/4 audio, OGG audio, VBR audio, AAC/AC3/DTS audio, WAV audio, etc.) using the older, established MPEG1/2 VCD/SVCD style formats to store data in the 'raw' 2352 byte sectors rather than the 2048 byte sectors used for data. both ogm and mcf have drawbacks, but there is a definite direction and progressive need to having a new, unique container format that isn't proprietary.
while the mac platform has nice video editing suites, those without macintosh hardware are completely and utterly devoid of editing features on their alternate OS counterparts. AFAIK, there are no editors for quicktime content on other platforms that are freely available for evaluation or testing, other than to purchase. speculating that it will be created in the future is still just wildly gesticulating at hot air, and calling it "opportunity"
having to export content from one container to another format to edit content is not a container format, it's a proprietary, locked container format, a subtle difference. while a proprietary container format can be useful, it is entirely without merit if it can only be stored or streamed on one OS, like Microsoft's Active Streaming File format.
if Theora wants to be an established standard, i would think it be best for xiph/ogg to choose and use a TLE such as ogm, or ogv/ogg/oga (for brevity's sake) and to add more features for useful, standardised usage (i.e. combining audio/video into streaming file formats with FECC / multicast / etc, writing audio/video to 'mpeg' style file containers with 2352 byte MCF 'packet' formatting, etc). If theora can be developed and released with software to make content with the idea of becoming an open version of MPEG-4 without the prorietary nature, then it will do quite well in competition. if it looks good, sounds better, and fits more content per GB than MPEG2, it might beat divx's current de-facto hold on the video compression field.
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ive got 5,500 id3-tagged songs on there, and space free. the load time from "off" to playing music is ~20 seconds, the device takes about 6 seconds to get to the boot screen "loading" etc., displaying the firmware revision and proceeding in.
in general, switching modes (e.g. plugging in the usb cable, switching to picture/radio/text modes takes about 6 seconds to load up the new section, and the screen turns off to save power in most modes. it also takes about 3-6 seconds to turn off the player, a bit longer if it's still recording, about 7-10 seconds.
it's not sleek, but from hard stop to play, is 20 odd seconds. for a hdd player, i guess that's fair.
it's a sweet little player, ive let it charge while uploading songs overnight, and it's been playing for about 7 hours now off the battery, just shuffling about. i guess that's the standard ipod time, so i'll see how long it takes to discharge. 12 hours off a charge + an external battery pack for recharging, perfect for flights/work/etc. there's no hiss between tracks, and the quality is good on my beyer dt531 headphones, no hiss or quirks in quality except when enabling the SRS equaliser features. but i expected that.
it kinda makes me want to know what all the fuss is about, the difference between the iRiver and the iPod in price is now negligible. it costs AU$730 here for the new H340, the 40gb iPod is AU$649. i got the H340 for AU$690, so the odds are that it will be promoted with the ability to modify the menus/shell to make it pretty and shiny for personal gratification and generally showing off.
style wise, it's an ugly little flecked brick of a player, the menus are dull and very much like OEM dvd players from asia, basic icons, art and menus. i just read from mistic river (unofficial iriver forums), there's efforts to mod the bitmaps inside the H3xx firmware, a blessed thing that. add a neoprene shell or a filmy translucent coloured cover, you can accessorise it to death just like the iPod too.
a little heavier than the 20gb ipod and 40gb ipod from ppl who have tried both, a little bit thicker. the real impressive thing is, there's accessories included -in apple dollars, the standard included accessories add up to a fearsome dollar amount - $300 or more, and the quality is as good as the belkin iPod accessories, the LCD remote is not always included in the H340 pack (it's optional), but the standard remote is simple enough, plain and nice. the radio works great and recording FM radio takes a brief time to start but it's good quality, recording directly to mp3. people whove tried the built in mic say it's clear for voice and music, recording cars, traffic, etc. the usb 2.0 connection charges the unit slowly, and its treated like a regular USB HDD under XP. i havent tested in on other platforms yet, but i assume its a standard connectivity. ogg and mp3 works, so im happy. as said above, it wont read flac/mpc/m4a/shn files, something i'll have to fix with a music manager.
i'm also just trying out new alterna-itunes playerlist/music managers, like moodlogic, which is a $40 purchase for the suble art of re-arranging playlists and file/folder layout on the mounted HDD according to genres and BPM.
i'm not really phased towards paying $40 for a playlist manager, but it is intriguing. all the music its chosen, has been interesting and good. honestly though, shuffle is habitual, and after 5 years of winamp, i'm used to getting a shocking selection once every so often. paying $40 for the priviledge, would just be stupid in the nth degree, american stupid, enjoying itunes on windows stupid. you get the idea.
there's my review. im happy enough, but the visual style might make people uncomfortable, knowing it cant be pesonalised, so if i was making a point, it would be to get support for shells/cases for personalising your iriver.
yeah... right...
(if they do make it, i deserve royalties dammit.)
Plotline for every episode : "Ambassadors" solving crimes by day, sleeping with rogues, thieves, cops and diplomats by night. you need the busty blonde, the fiery redhead, the short haired athletic brunette, the curly haired brunette who runs things, or mix up your stereotypes liberally.
FFS. Done. like that Pamela Anderson series ViP. a walking soft-porn ad for victorias secret cataloge models & bikini models. well, as long as it keeps them all paid, should be another FOX hit, expect to see it before Firefly gets canned.
This theory also works for US Presidents.
if you don't vote, they just won't get in
idiots. the other universal constant.
i think that what you're looking for is intelligence in a human way. which is what everybody thinks when you say 'intelligence'.
A.L.I.C.E. is simulated intelligence, solely to reply to human reponses in an intellgent way. to me, understanding implies that an AI can grasp a concept, like sports, sex, relationships, etc. and model responses or even make up speech on it's own without interaction. that's very much outside of the scope of measuring modern AI (for the purpose of the standard turing test)
for some strange reason, it's better to get results by having an AI conversing with real people and convincing them they are intelligent, rather than convincing the person they are human. what makes the turing tests so oblivious is that we "judge intelligence" based on human interaction, those programs with 'canned "template"' responses can handle human interaction better, and A.L.I.C.E. has proved that.
'The fact' that the responses seem limited, is that people are limited in the way they interact. unless you're intimate with every stranger you have ever talked to in person, most people introduce topics with only a handful of words, and computers (as well as people) handle pattern recognition (CBR/AIML) better than assembling random phrases into an order that makes sense.
AI is wasted on chatting, but then again, so is regular human intelligence.
On the subject of container formats, i can say (from my own opinion) quicktime is not the answer. it's not even a choice. just having Playback of a format does not mean it is a viable container format, content creation still needs to be available to anyone on any OS platform. and it has to be independent of any ties to codecs, regardless of ownership. AFAIK Apple has no intention on creating a non-proprietary format for anything, and surprise, surprise, corporate and public interests are negated in most of the available container formats. on one hand, you can name the popular formats for container files, simply because the industry is dominated by popular, working, defined standards that do not accomodate competing products, standards, or allow for these standards to change. i.e. MPEG-4 has a container format -- it's not being used yet. .MP4 is one proposed extension. The ISO MPEG-4 compliance is in flux, so yes it's available and no, there is no standard mpeg-4 hardware or a defintive specification or software to take advantage of it for all OS's. Possibly, in time, MPEG-4 might take the reign as the dominant container format, a streaming, storage content format like VOB has become for DVD, with multiple video streams, multiple audio streams, menus, chapters and interactive content. Till then, it's in flux.
the established standard Microsoft's AVI file format, has come into competition, from OGM and OGG, new container formats, OGM being a imposed continer for ogg audio and video content to bypass restrictions of the AVI container. MPEG is another container format solely for MPEG audio and video, MCF is an emerging (read: in development) container format designed for RAW MODE2 writing, to encode alternative formats such as MPEG-4 (and all of it's "estranged-cousin" video codecs, such as VP3/4/5, divx3/4/5, xvid, MS mpeg4/1/2/3, quicktime 6 & 3/4, etc. and audio, from MPEG1/2/4 audio, OGG audio, VBR audio, AAC/AC3/DTS audio, WAV audio, etc.) using the older, established MPEG1/2 VCD/SVCD style formats to store data in the 'raw' 2352 byte sectors rather than the 2048 byte sectors used for data. both ogm and mcf have drawbacks, but there is a definite direction and progressive need to having a new, unique container format that isn't proprietary.
while the mac platform has nice video editing suites, those without macintosh hardware are completely and utterly devoid of editing features on their alternate OS counterparts. AFAIK, there are no editors for quicktime content on other platforms that are freely available for evaluation or testing, other than to purchase. speculating that it will be created in the future is still just wildly gesticulating at hot air, and calling it "opportunity"
having to export content from one container to another format to edit content is not a container format, it's a proprietary, locked container format, a subtle difference. while a proprietary container format can be useful, it is entirely without merit if it can only be stored or streamed on one OS, like Microsoft's Active Streaming File format.
if Theora wants to be an established standard, i would think it be best for xiph/ogg to choose and use a TLE such as ogm, or ogv/ogg/oga (for brevity's sake) and to add more features for useful, standardised usage (i.e. combining audio/video into streaming file formats with FECC / multicast / etc, writing audio/video to 'mpeg' style file containers with 2352 byte MCF 'packet' formatting, etc). If theora can be developed and released with software to make content with the idea of becoming an open version of MPEG-4 without the prorietary nature, then it will do quite well in competition. if it looks good, sounds better, and fits more content per GB than MPEG2, it might beat divx's current de-facto hold on the video compression field.