Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Two MP3 Player Epic Fails in One Month
Two MP3 Player Epic Fails in One Month
Today Apple announced the newest additions to the iPod family- most notably an iPod touch with GL ES support (and a 50% faster CPU) with up to 64GB of storage and a new iPod Nano that can shoot VGA resolution video; however they failed to add the camera into the iPod Touch! The 64GB of storage is a massive amount of flash memory- but it comes with the requirement to use the bloated Apple iTunes to organize applications/movies/etc. (Don�t get me wrong: I once was an iTunes zealot- back in the days of v6- but the current implementation of iTunes on Windows reminds me of Windows Vista). The OS is updated to v3.1 to add �Genius� and �gaming features�- but both of these are useless on an Media player (unless they are going to release an Apple Bluetooth gamepad?)
A few weeks ago, details for the Microsoft Zune HD were released: it features an awesome looking 3.3� OLED touch screen (480x252) and utilizes the nVidia Tegra chip to allows the player to output 720p video to an external monitor/TV (and enables the option for 3D rendering for the upcoming �app store�). The player also features WiFi (for web browsing, wireless sync, online purchases) and an FM Radio, but fails to include a Bluetooth radio- which kills all chances of A2DP wireless audio� (and no camera was expected)
Here is a basic cross-comparison of features that I was looking at:
|
iPod Touch 64GB |
Zune HD | |
| Memory: | 64GB | 32GB |
| Screen Size: | 3.5� | 3.3� |
| Resolution: | 480x320 | 480x272 |
| OLED: | No | Yes |
| WiFi: | Yes | Yes |
| A2DP: | Yes | No |
| Camera: | No | No |
| Apps: | Yes | Yes* |
| HD Output: | No | Yes |
| Web Browser: | Yes | Yes |
| iPod Car Dock Connector: | Yes | No |
| Wireless Sync: | No | Yes |
| Price: | $399 | $279 |
*Apps forthcoming- possible Windows Mobile 6.0 compatibility?
The iPod Touch seems to win by 8 to 7 on features, but this comes at a price of $120 more than the Zune HD.
I was considering upgrading my aging iPod Classic 60GB, but both of the new offerings have fallen short of what I think they need to contain for the price points they are asking. I need to decide if one is �good enough� to replace my current (working) 60GB iPod (and part with $300-$400) or if I should just wait until the next generation rolls around�
Update: I eventually went with the iPod Touch 64GB and I am now hooked on the App store. I wanted camera and GPS functionality, so I returned the iPod Touch and purchased an iPhone (no contract); now I am just waiting for a jailbreak for the iPhone 3GS with FW 3.1! :)
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