Reflections on iPod

Well I now own an iPod shuffle and an iPod 80gig.
iPod Shuffle:
I use this for walks, work-outs, and yard work. This little toy is an excellent music player. I had to spend several hours making playlists for it, but once done it’s very slick. I picked songs that had a strong beat and were paced for work-outs. I charged it fully and have not had to recharge it since. It’s pretty amazing; in fact, it has had many hours of use and still does not need to be charged! For an $80 player this thing is tops.
I know it does not have a display and its is pretty basic, but for working-out and moving around it is the greatest toy. The light, small, durable, long battery life, and cheep advantages far outstrip the disadvantages.
iPod 80gig:
This device was purchased to replace my failed Creative Nomad Jukebox USB2.0 MP3 player. I picked it up based on the popularity of iPod and the impressions I have from the shuffle. Here is where I went wrong. I should have researched the device somewhat more closely. I want to use it to base all of my music in, but it is not intended to do that. It is intended to be a player and not a master file storage system. Of course I failed to realize this until I had invested a bunch of time in getting it set up. Suffice it to say, the iPod does not work like a creative labs product.
Advantages: It has a huge storage capacity. It is a full 20 gigs bigger than the creative labs player (Nomad W). It is smaller and lighter. It has lots of iPod toys available.
Disadvantages: It only plays Apple music format (not WMAs) and video format. It does not function like other PC equipment – a different mind set. Not compatible with downloaded (and protected) music. I have downloaded about $50 in music and the iPod won’t touch this stuff. You can’t load it onto the player. It does not function as a master storage device.

Yesterday as I was trying to figure out if the iPod was worth the price, I did do some reading. Online most of my questions were answered. I found, and downloaded, programs that convert DVDs to MPG4 format. I also decided to just take the required time and convert my music libraries. In keeping the iPod I am loosing all of my downloaded music, so I went ahead and dealt with that (tried to get used CDs where possible and single tracks from iTunes where CDs weren’t available). I ordered up a tone of music last night to deal with the problem. Dollars and cents wise I spent close to $40 (which I humorously left on Da Wife’s nightstand). I will have to spend about that again on downloads, but if I took the iPod back, I would loose $38 to a restocking fee + the Nomad W is $75 more than the iPod (for less space). I will also have to find a half-ways descent program for converting DVDs to iPod format.

I like the idea of skins, cases, chargers, and gizmos for the iPod, so we must figure this has some value. I also did some research into the Nomad W and found that it too uses a special video format and has issues with conversions. Being stuck without a player has been a real pain in the rump. I just love being able to hide behind my music. There is a whole world of vile conversation going on around me and I am immune.

End Note: I am keeping the iPod and I am going to enjoy the bolts out of it. It makes me immune to the surrounding mental drivel.