Three iPods and the PSP

[Reggie]

I just got the shuffle and the PSP.

[Homie S]

Gee thanks, now I have to buy a new pair of pants.

[SamuraiCatJB]

uhhhh.... Reggggie..... what was that address again... I forgot.... ;)

[JackAxe]

I have bids on the iShuffle. :)

<]=)

[JackAxe]

I couldn't resist. One iPod and a DS. ;)

http://www.bainne.com/fun/ipod_ds.jpg

<]=)

[Homie S]

I'll play ball.

Ipod with the goodies, and my new V551 phone.

http://homies.go-dedicated.com/Images/Picture 194.jpg

Guess what time I took the picture. HURRRRR

[JackAxe]

Now it's Sam's turn. :)

What's that skin thing on your iPod?

<]=)

[treffmeister]

iPods are Suck. Get something worth the money.

[JackAxe]

Yes they are suck. We knows this wells. :p

Your argument wasn't very convincing, I'll stick with the iPod.

<]=)

[Gizmo]

I couldn't resist. One iPod and a DS. ;)

<]=)
And a 30" inch monitor. :)

[SamuraiCatJB]

Now it's Sam's turn. :)

What's that skin thing on your iPod?

<]=)

what? you want to see an ipod next to a 48" HDTV and a wireless headset? :p

[Tam Hanna]

While I do not have a Ipod, PSP or DS, I have the following gadgets:
Palm V,IIIc, Vii-Prototype in clear case, Tungsten T3, PPK keyboard, Siemens SX1, SonyErr T68i, Sagem MyX5m.
Hope that this rounds uo the list-btw, the DS looks impressive!

[Gizmo]

iPods are Suck. Get something worth the money.
All your SUCK are belong to us. :p

[Homie S]

iPods are Suck. Get something worth the money.

Go back to your bridge.


Jack: That's an exoflp skin. It covers the entire ipod, buttons and all. There's also a little plastic protector over the screen. I love it because the bottom end just pops off so you can dock it anywhere you need, like my altec lansing speakers. I would definitely reccomend anyone an iSkin or exoskin for protection their pod from scratches.

[JackAxe]

Cool. I was wondering what the bottom thing was. Is it also waterproof?

<]=)

[JackAxe]

what? you want to see an ipod next to a 48" HDTV and a wireless headset? :p

Yep. http://www.bainne.com/fun/smile.gif

<]=)

[JackAxe]

All your SUCK are belong to us. :p

*LOL* :D

<]=)

[Homie S]

Cool. I was wondering what the bottom thing was. Is it also waterproof?

It's silicon rubber; It's waterproof itself, but it doesn't waterproof the ipod. You could say it makes it water-resisitant, besides the open ports at the top. They also make versions where they cut down the thickness of the top so you can use accessories on the top and still have the skin on. They make them for any generation or type of iPod, I think I went to www.allabouttheaccessories.com to get mine.

edited to fix tags

[Vishalca]

Hey Reggie, how are you finding your iPod shuffle? Is it a great device, and is it working well on your PC/Mac? The reason why I am asking is because I am interested in purchasing one, and am searching hard for some user reviews.

[SamuraiCatJB]

Yep. http://www.bainne.com/fun/smile.gif

<]=)

:p there you go... one iPod in a sportsuit, headphones, buddha, and a ... err... uhhh.... big... screen....

http://www.zianet.com/jjustinb/DSCN1873.jpg

[TheBigBradWolf]

my one Intel Personal Audio player 3000

Well, my laptop and phone are in the shot a bit...

[JackAxe]

That's not an iPod, that's an iPAP. :p

Keep your hands on the remote Sam. :D

<]=)

[JackAxe]

It's silicon rubber; It's waterproof itself, but it doesn't waterproof the ipod. You could say it makes it water-resisitant, besides the open ports at the top. They also make versions where they cut down the thickness of the top so you can use accessories on the top and still have the skin on. They make them for any generation or type of iPod, I think I went to www.allabouttheaccessories.com to get mine.

edited to fix tags

$30 for something they squeese out of a mold. :eek: I like the red case though, so I'm currently scratching me heed.

<]=)

[SamuraiCatJB]

That's not an iPod, that's an iPAP. :p

Keep your hands on the remote Sam. :D

<]=)

iPAP?

the remote is never far away.... speaking of which... my new one will be in soon... if not already tomorrow.

[Gizmo]

iPAP?

the remote is never far away.... speaking of which... my new one will be in soon... if not already tomorrow.
MORE toys, SamCat??

[JackAxe]

We're adults, we don't buy toys. :)

<]=)

[JackAxe]

iPAP?

the remote is never far away.... speaking of which... my new one will be in soon... if not already tomorrow.

Cool. :)

I was refering to the "Intel Personal Audio player." :D

<]=)

[JackAxe]

That avatar is creeeeepy Gizmo. http://bainne.com/fun/eeek.gif

<]=)

[Joel]

Hey Reggie, how are you finding your iPod shuffle? Is it a great device, and is it working well on your PC/Mac? The reason why I am asking is because I am interested in purchasing one, and am searching hard for some user reviews.

I have a 1GB iPod shuffle and I love it. It's with me almost all the time now, my 20GB iPod seems like a backup device! I've tried the using the iPod shuffle as a flash drive and it works great in OS X and in WinXP. :) I say get one but if you don't like it, it's extremely easy to sell it to others.

[Joel]

Here are some size comparison pics I took at MacWorld... the next day, I bought an iPod shuffle!

[SamuraiCatJB]

Cool. :)

I was refering to the "Intel Personal Audio player." :D

<]=)

no... I have an iPod 4G (40gig) in a sports skin case, not an IPAP. I actually have no intel products here.

[SamuraiCatJB]

MORE toys, SamCat??

I am just accesserizing...

[Homie S]

no... I have an iPod 4G (40gig) in a sports skin case, not an IPAP. I actually have no intel products here.

You would not fit well in our house.

[SamuraiCatJB]

You would not fit well in our house.

I don't fit well in most chairs, so I would not be surprised. :D

[JackAxe]

no... I have an iPod 4G (40gig) in a sports skin case, not an IPAP. I actually have no intel products here.


Noooooooooo, I know you have a iPod. :D

Look at the post right above my original. That peep has an Intel audio device. I was commenting on his being an iPAP. :p I just commented on your TV in the same post. ;)

<]=)

[SamuraiCatJB]

Noooooooooo, I know you have a iPod. :D

Look at the post right above my original. That peep has an Intel audio device. I was commenting on his being an iPAP. :p I just commented on your TV in the same post. ;)

<]=)

never confuse me when I put in more than 60 hours in a week, without compensation for overtime... brain no workey. :p

[JackAxe]

Return it and get a chew toy like Meatwad. :)

I work that much too. But right now I'm not managing my time very well, so I've had to work a few all nighters. I have so much work to do by Monday. :eek:

<]=)

[SamuraiCatJB]

Return it and get a chew toy like Meatwad. :)

I work that much too. But right now I'm not managing my time very well, so I've had to work a few all nighters. I have so much work to do by Monday. :eek:

<]=)

you and me both.... I just finished the math validation (eyeball compare, but works) to make sure I was doing this right.... now I will grab some shut-eye.

[JackAxe]

Night. I took a break today, because I had to do the yard. But tomorrow is going to suck. But I'm gratfull for the work. :)

<]=)

[SamuraiCatJB]

Night. I took a break today, because I had to do the yard. But tomorrow is going to suck. But I'm gratfull for the work. :)

<]=)

well, now I am sleeping.... sooooomeone who will remain nameless... said for me to hurry up and show my new gadget in action... :p

[zackepceo]

I'll have to take pictures of my gizmos when I get home now. I still really like my DVD player, it's a mirrored Samsung thingy.

[JackAxe]

Let's see the action, I grow very very impatient. :mad: :p :D

And I'm waiting for you Zack. :mad: :D

<]=)

[zackepceo]

OK, let me find my camera.

[zackepceo]

I hate my camera batteries. Extreme cheapo 500MAh rechargable poo.

[zackepceo]

http://img164.exs.cx/img164/9186/gizmos2cu.jpg

[zackepceo]

That's a Nintendo DS, a Clie TG50, the infernal hockey puck mouse, a really terrible motorola phone, my iPod, a flash drive that was handily nearby, all sitting on top of Amphigorey Also.

[JackAxe]

You have a DS toooooo. :D CooOoOooooOoOoOooOoool. I don't know why I didn't put 2 and 2 together. :D

Can you WiFi between it and the Clié, or is that just you writing it twice? :eek:


You just brought back a very very painful memory with that satanic hockey puck mouse. http://bainne.com/fun/eeek.gif

And where's the tiny Apple sticker for your Clié. :)

<]=)

[zackepceo]

That was just me writing 'Hi!' twice, and the TG doesn't have WiFi. The DS's pictochat would be hard to make work on another thing, because nintendo's version of wifi is 2mbps, channel 13, ackward packet sized wifi with no IP headers.

[JAmerican]

Couldn't resist...

My babies...
http://jamerican.net/1src/comparison.JPG

http://jamerican.net/1src/ux45.jpg

http://jamerican.net/1src/DSC00052-1.JPG

What u guys think? :D

I also dislike iPods. If Apple made a 20GB iPod Flash Drive, that didn't need iTunes to upload music, then I would get one.

JAmerican

[JackAxe]

NERD!!! :p

I will never go back to a Clié for digital audio. The sound quality is poor compared to an iPod. SonicStage is Satan's personal audio iterface software. It is absolutely the most horridly awful abomination of vomit to ever be pooed out and coded. Tis one reason why Sony got owned in the digital audio arena.:p

Wooooooo. 1.25G of storage, that's only one CD. :p ;)

Sell your Sega cartridge and buy an iPod. Notice that iPod is in the title, so you be an outcast. :D *kidding*

<]=)

[JAmerican]

I respect your opinion but I have 81 tracks...
http://jamerican.net/1src/UXscreens1.jpg

20 videos, some music videos, others family guy episodes, few trailers...
http://jamerican.net/1src/UXscreens3.jpg
http://jamerican.net/1src/UXscreens2.jpg

and...

http://jamerican.net/1src/UXscreens4.jpg

I still have 40MB to spare plus I have a 256MB card that I can use as backup for school work and pictures. I also DO NOT use SonicStage because it does suck and I can't play ATRAC3 on PRO sticks which suits me just fine. I have Softick Card ExportII as well and I can make my USB-built-in UX device a flash drive. Can't do that with an iPod and I can listen to my MP3 via my school PC or transfer new songs onto my device without any programs like iTunes. :p

One more thing, the N64 cartridge is not a SEGA cartridge. The purpose of that photo was to compare items to my device. I couldn't get a new pic of all my new things at the time. The thing in the middle was my Sidekick Color.

JAmerican :D :)

[JackAxe]

*Yawns* :p

81 tracks of compression. Try copying a CD directly onto your UX and see if it will play. :p Works for an iPod and It has the room for it. :)

All iPods are Mass storage devices, so a PC formated iPod will plug into any Mac or modern PC (98 is too primitive.) without the need for drivers. :p Can't do that with a MS, but I'm glad to hear the UX can do it with the USB port, will it plug into a Mac also without drivers? The UX is still my favorite Clié/PDA at this time and I really would like to get one. I just never got around to it and that feature right there would be a major plus.

There's something called copy protection that limits the music part, this is why iTunes is needed. :) If iTunes were even remotely as bad a SonicVomit and Sony for music handling, then I would not own or use an iPod. But fortuanately that is not the case, it's my personall favorite audio app and has been since the very first version. The iPod wasn't even available until about 2 years later. It's designed extremely well and makes playlist, burning and music managing a pleasure, I don't care that I need it for syncing my music to my iPod, becasue it's what I use anyways. :)

I own mostly Macs afterall, so iTunes in perfectly integrated into the OS and has always performed flawlessly for me without taxing the system in any way. ;) I have it on my PC also, but it's just not the same. Feels cheapened because of XP, but I still use it. :)

CHeck out my screen shot of iTunes (http://bainne.com/fun/itunes.jpg) . :D I stretched it out to full screen, I don't normally run it this way.

But again, it's the audio quality that matters that matters the most for me and the iPod is hands down better in that area. Integration between the iPod and iTunes has been done extremely well. :) But I will own a UX someday and I really do appreciate it's PDA features for multimedia. One of the reasons I haven't bought one, is because I generally have my briefcase with me and that holds my Powerbook. (It's just not Disneyland portable.) :o

<]=)

[zackepceo]

You and you 30" display's enormous resolution..

[zackepceo]

And what's meatwad doing down there?

[JAmerican]

*Yawns* :p

81 tracks of compression. Try copying a CD directly onto your UX and see if it will play. :p Works for an iPod and It has the room for it. :)

All iPods are Mass storage devices, so a PC formated iPod will plug into any Mac or modern PC (98 is too primitive.) without the need for drivers. :p Can't do that with a MS, but I'm glad to hear the UX can do it with the USB port, will it plug into a Mac also without drivers? The UX is still my favorite Clié/PDA at this time and I really would like to get one. I just never got around to it and that feature right there would be a major plus.

There's something called copy protection that limits the music part, this is why iTunes is needed. :) If iTunes were even remotely as bad a SonicVomit and Sony for music handling, then I would not own or use an iPod. But fortuanately that is not the case, it's my personall favorite audio app and has been since the very first version. The iPod wasn't even available until about 2 years later. It's designed extremely well and makes playlist, burning and music managing a pleasure, I don't care that I need it for syncing my music to my iPod, becasue it's what I use anyways. :)

I own mostly Macs afterall, so iTunes in perfectly integrated into the OS and has always performed flawlessly for me without taxing the system in any way. ;) I have it on my PC also, but it's just not the same. Feels cheapened because of XP, but I still use it. :)

CHeck out my screen shot of iTunes (http://bainne.com/fun/itunes.jpg) . :D I stretched it out to full screen, I don't normally run it this way.

But again, it's the audio quality that matters that matters the most for me and the iPod is hands down better in that area. Integration between the iPod and iTunes has been done extremely well. :) But I will own a UX someday and I really do appreciate it's PDA features for multimedia. One of the reasons I haven't bought one, is because I generally have my briefcase with me and that holds my Powerbook. (It's just not Disneyland portable.) :o

<]=)

No offense but I don't know what kind of supersonic hearing you have because I can't tell the difference between a 192kbps track from a 64kbps track. If you compressed your songs, you could have many times the space you have now. I don't care if I have to compress my songs, they play perfectly clear for me.

As for video, iPods don't have video or color screens for that matter. :p I'm sick of black and white. We are in the age of color not crappy black and white. When will Apple get it in there head that people want portable media. They come out every so often with a new device that people go out and buy. And instead of them making many advancements, they make one or take away one. For example, The iPod Shuffle? (forget the name, not important :p LOL) doesn't have a screen. How will you determine what track you are on?

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the iPod. I think they are cool.

Can you answer this question for me? I think you answered it above but I want to confirm this from an iPod user... can you take an iPod from place to place and connect it to any PC that does NOT have iTunes on it? If you can then its a flash drive. Now do you need the cradle to connect to the device or can you use a cable with USB.

Now if Apple fires their development team or revap their iPod product so that it has multimedia functionality, meaning a hi-res screen for watching video, playing music and looking at photos. Then it is an ultimate media device. Otherwise, its a bulky black/white MP3 player.

Another thing I hate about iPods, no speakers. That means you have to buy some bulky speakers to connect to it and let others listen. As well as you can't enjoy a Family Guy episode with your friends or record a move you did in a game and show others. You also can't capture funny moments when you need a camera or camcorder with an iPod but I can :p and still have space for my other music, videos, photos, games and apps.

Remember this...space is nothing without the technology to back it.

[zackepceo]

The iPod will plug into any computer with support for USB mass storage and work exactly like an external hard drive. No dock required.

Your lack of hearing makes me sad.

As for the black and white screens, they're bearable. The one on the 3rd generation is a lot better than the screen on all the other models, however. The Mini's screen is pretty good (but small). The iPod Photo's screen is gorgeous, and the price and thinkness will come down in time for Q2/Q3 2005.

[JAmerican]

The iPod will plug into any computer with support for USB mass storage and work exactly like an external hard drive. No dock required.

Your lack of hearing makes me sad.

As for the black and white screens, they're bearable. The one on the 3rd generation is a lot better than the screen on all the other models, however. The Mini's screen is pretty good (but small). The iPod Photo's screen is gorgeous, and the price and thinkness will come down in time for Q2/Q3 2005.

I'm sorry if I like to confirm things seeing as I fear a lot of different things. So you are telling me you want to carry a hard drive around the place and not be able to access anything except for music tracks. That's really nice. Looks like I should start carrying my 120GB hard drive to school and connect it to my school's PC.

Remember this...space is nothing without the technology to back it. I love the space but I rather conserve space and use lower memory and enjoy myself then be bored to death listening to music all day.

Both devices have CONS and PROS. My device has low memory and your device has no color screen, video support, camera support, photo support, internet support, no bluetooth. The list goes on and on and both devices cost about the same. Heck, my cost me $315.

JAmerican

[zackepceo]

Wait. Are you trying to compare a PDA to a dedicated MP3 player? I think this is the point where the iPod hating gets absurd, people.

[JackAxe]

The UX is a great PDA, it's just not a good audio player when compared to an iPod. Dedication as Zack put it really makes a difference. It's why a Clié is also a very poor video player when compare to something like an Arhcos. But for an all in one unit it's a great device to carry around. But like I mentioned I generally have my Powerbook with me and it pretty much put my Clié out of bussiness. And browsing the web at 320x480 isn't something I find enjoyable. But it is a "look at what I can" do factor. :D

And until you've used the iPod wheel, you'll never know how great it is for music. ;)

The reason you can't tell the difference between 64k and 192k is because you are using a PDA with an inferior DSP for digtial audio playback. ;) I don't have sonic ears, I have a better device for playing back digital audio. On an iPod you can here a very clear difference. I can clearly here the oscillation that is caused by compression, even on 192k. The lowest I'll go is 320 AAC, because 320 MP3 still has compression artifacts. Even when I was using my crap $50 earbuds from Sony, I could here a big difference in quality. :) I have the storage space, so lossless is my preffered format. :)

You're not understanding what a Mass Storage device is; The iPod is a portable HD, it can be plugged into any PC or Mac without the need of a driver. You can then copy anything you want to it, movies, pics, program or whatever. You could even use it as a Photoshop swap file. Or copy mp3's directly to it an then play them back through a program like WinAmp if you wanted.

Err. The iPod has offered a color display since summer and it does have support for photos; :p (Some dork even made it play movies with the control wheel.)
http://www.apple.com/ipodphoto/

I read an article from i,Cringley talking about Apple getting into video downloading. If this is the case, they probably offer a video player/iPod this year. And I'm definatley going to get one. Mainly because it would use H.264 which offers vastly bettter compression to quality ratio then any other format on the market. It's 4x better then MPEG4. It's one of the main reasons the Mini was probably released. H.264 propaganda. (http://www.apple.com/macosx/tiger/quicktime.html) I like ot share this over and over. :D

Both devices are cool, but also serve completely different purposes.

<]=)

[zackepceo]

H.264 will make mass HDTV feasable.

[JAmerican]

Both devices are cool, but also serve completely different purposes.
<]=)

I agree.

BTW, I have tried the iPod and since I haven't used it for too long, I was confused on how to find a song quickly on my friend's device.

JAmerican

[JackAxe]

Took me about a half hour to get used to it, but now it's all I like.

Where did you get your UX for $315? That's a price I would gladly pay.

<]=)

[JAmerican]

E-lectronicsforless.com - But they only sell UX40 - non-WiFi version

JAmerican

[Homie S]

H.264 will make mass HDTV feasable.

Explain please.

[zackepceo]

The HDTV that people broadcast now is ultra-compressed MPEG2 poo. H.264 is about 8 times smaller than MPEG2, and will provide much better quality at that size. UHDTV should be around the same idea when it emerges around the turn of the decade.

[JackAxe]

That's a great price. :) I'm just a little hesitant because of the refurbished thing.

I bet you that the cable companies will just quadruple the amount of channels, so instead of providing a great image for HDTV, they'll still compress the hell out of it just to accomadate the extra channels. ;)

<]=)

[zackepceo]

They can only pump out so many channels before they're forced to up the quality..

[JackAxe]

Yep. And when H.265 is released or something like that. They'll probably just increase the amount of channels again keeping the quality at the obliterated level. :)

<]=)

[zackepceo]

Obliterate! :p

[Gizmo]

I just read this article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6865772/) which states that the Shuffle does not support Apple Lossless. WTF? Now I'm having second thoughts. What to do? What to do? :confused:

[SamuraiCatJB]

I just read this article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6865772/) which states that the Shuffle does not support Apple Lossless. WTF? Now I'm having second thoughts. What to do? What to do? :confused:

not surprising at all. With only 1gig, you would limit your song playing capability significantly. If you want lossless, jump to a hard-drive based iPod you will like more space if you are using lossless format.

[JAmerican]

That's a great price. :) I'm just a little hesitant because of the refurbished thing.
<]=)

Ok, but in my opinion. Refurb is better. Its been checked over twice instead of once, whatever problem that was there is gone which lessens the chance of something else happening and mine came brand new.

If you buy a new device, your really paying hundreds more for the box because as you can see below, I have everything a brand-new UX has except the box.

Look...
http://www.jamerican.net/1src/ux40_1.jpg

http://www.jamerican.net/1src/ux40_2.jpg

Plus I have a 3 Year warrenty from the same company I bought the refurb.

JAmerican

[JAmerican]

My new toy...
Aiptek DV4500

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0001GT30Q.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0001GT30Q.01.PT03._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

PROS:
It is a MP3 player, Flash Drive, Voice Recorder, Video Recorder and Player, 4MP Camera, Web Cam all in one. Look at the pics. It even has a speaker :D

CONS:
Up to 512MB SD Card,
Small screen

JAmerican

[Gizmo]

not surprising at all. With only 1gig, you would limit your song playing capability significantly. If you want lossless, jump to a hard-drive based iPod you will like more space if you are using lossless format.
I first became interested in the Shuffle after reading JackAxe praise of the Lossless format. :) I do find it surprising that the Shuffle does not support it. Why should Apple dictate how many songs I may or may not want to have on my Shuffle? I don't know enough about the technology to know if it would add to the cost, but I wouldn't think so. It should still offer the option. In my case, I only need to have about an hour of music on it at a time anyway.

Don't get me wrong. I am still going to consider the Shuffle. :) I really like the size and the fact that it doubles as a mass storage device. But now I'm going to wait to compare the sound quality first-hand to other models. Although, as hard as they are to come by, that could be a while. :(

[zackepceo]

I think JA has some sort of a fetish for all-in-one devices that don't do anything in particular very well.

[JAmerican]

I think JA has some sort of a fetish for all-in-one devices that don't do anything in particular very well.

You should research what 4MP means because it is high quality. BTW my toy only cost $88 =D.

Pic from Aiptek DV4500.
http://jamerican.net/1src/dv4500.JPG

JAmerican

[zackepceo]

No, 4MP means that it gets images with 4 megapixels. Megapixel count does NOT equal quality. Just compare a $199 Gateway 5MP camera and a $999 Canon 5MP SLR. Not only do they use completely different technology, the cheap high-MP cameras almost all the time do the infernal and interpolate to, in your case, 4MP. If that thingy was truely 4MP, then it could shoot video at 4MP, a feat that can only be rivalled by *very* expensive video cameras. But I'm sure that it's better than your UX45's camera.

[JAmerican]

No, 4MP means that it gets images with 4 megapixels. Megapixel count does NOT equal quality. Just compare a $199 Gateway 5MP camera and a $999 Canon 5MP SLR. Not only do they use completely different technology, the cheap high-MP cameras almost all the time do the infernal and interpolate to, in your case, 4MP. If that thingy was truely 4MP, then it could shoot video at 4MP, a feat that can only be rivalled by *very* expensive video cameras. But I'm sure that it's better than your UX45's camera.

Why does everyone think something must be expensive to be good??? If I get a refurb device, it is automatically bad because its parts were exchanged. So what. When you have a kidney, or heart and you exchange it for a good one. Are you now bad because you have parts that didn't exist within you. How about a computer. How about if my video card goes bad and I change it, does that make my pc refurb? You guys are too obsessed with expensive and brand new things. In a time like this, if you live in the US, you should be saving money, not giving it away to big corporations. One more thing, parts are put together to create a device, so a part placed inside a brand new device might make it defective as much as a refurb because they are the same thing.

JAmerican

[SamuraiCatJB]

no, his comment had nothing to do with being a refurb. There are many ways to process an image, sensors have various levels of sensativities to color, and to light, different filtering mechanisms, and different combinatoral merge algorithms to reproduce color. Each is slightly different. However, he forgots that quality is in the eye of the beholder. You may not be going for digital pictures to compete at the fair, in which case if your blue response is off by 2.5% or red off by 1.8% no one will care.

Congradulations on getting what you want for you. I would not buy it. I still notice and cringe at the slight variations in my 5mp Nikon and it is considered a decent sensor. I am hoping we will reach 10mp by the time I am ready to buy, or perhaps save up enough to go fully SLR. I am beginning to think I need a professional series camera just because I cannot handle the noise on any low to semi-pro level. I may even go refurb. I don't have a problem with refurbished, I do, however, need much higher quality sensors for the kind of pictures I want. I even would like improvements in HDR photography that I haven't seen yet.

I would love a camera, that when put on a tripod, could take an exposure bracketed photo, and produce a 128bit color image. That just hasn't occured except in software.

[JackAxe]

I first became interested in the Shuffle after reading JackAxe praise of the Lossless format. :) I do find it surprising that the Shuffle does not support it. Why should Apple dictate how many songs I may or may not want to have on my Shuffle? I don't know enough about the technology to know if it would add to the cost, but I wouldn't think so. It should still offer the option. In my case, I only need to have about an hour of music on it at a time anyway.

Don't get me wrong. I am still going to consider the Shuffle. :) I really like the size and the fact that it doubles as a mass storage device. But now I'm going to wait to compare the sound quality first-hand to other models. Although, as hard as they are to come by, that could be a while. :(

Bummer. :( I would say if you have a local Apple store to check one out. AAC 320 has no compression artifacts. And even though most of my music is Lossless now, I still have a few tracks that I've been to lazy to update, since AL was only introduced last year. :o Those tracks sound excellent, so I haven't bee in a hurry to re-import them. I love lossless, because I have the storage for it and I know I'm not missing any nuance that was inteded to be heard by the artist. :)

You can download iTunes and encode your music to 320 AAC as a test. :)

<]=)

[zackepceo]

Why does everyone think something must be expensive to be good??? If I get a refurb device, it is automatically bad because its parts were exchanged. So what. When you have a kidney, or heart and you exchange it for a good one. Are you now bad because you have parts that didn't exist within you. How about a computer. How about if my video card goes bad and I change it, does that make my pc refurb? You guys are too obsessed with expensive and brand new things. In a time like this, if you live in the US, you should be saving money, not giving it away to big corporations. One more thing, parts are put together to create a device, so a part placed inside a brand new device might make it defective as much as a refurb because they are the same thing.

JAmerican
As Jack said, I never said that inexpensive is bad. It's just that exceptions to the rule of you get what you pay for are few and far in between. As long as you are happy is what matters, though.