I'm going to talk about flash mp3 players now. I am officially a solid state convert and would like everyone to buy one so I can try them out.
I just bought the new
Sony NW-E107 for $100. Here's my run down in case you want to learn about flash players. If you hate tech toys, you better get out now.
Like:
1. Price. The current average ebay price on this is a hot deal. Most 1GB flash players cost $150+.
2. Size. The diameter is about the width of an iPod. In the middle, where the battery inserts, it's about as thick as my 20 GB 2nd gen iPod. Thinner everywhere else. Based strictly on portability, I'm planning on taking this everywhere and relegating my iPod to home and car use only.
3. Replaceable battery. Most people prefer irreplaceable internal batteries in mp3 players, but I think they're a scam. When they die, you can't do much else except throw the whole thing away. A small convenience at the expense of longevity is not what I want in pricey electronics. I'll use my rechargeable AAA's thank you. Sony claims 70 hours of battery life, which probably means actual use battery life is about half that.
4. User interface. Not entirely intuitive, but is pretty simple to use after you learn it. The folder system is easy to navigate and the shuffle/repeat functions are varied for such a small player.
5. Backlit display. Pretty much all current flash players have this except that piece of crap Shuffle. (sorry if you own a Shuffle or your mom does or something) The display here is an efficient single line scrolling type.
6. Flash memory. I can't speak for everyone else, but I treat my iPod like a baby out of fear of screwing up the hard drive. I've had fun twirling the NW-E107 around like a lasso from the headphone jack.
7. Aesthetics and feel. Has a nice ergonomic feel and it looks much better in person compared to that picture on the web site. Extremely light, less than an ounce without the battery. It has a plastic casing, so it doesn't look as nice as the most expensive players.
Questionable:
1. Sound quality. Noticeably worse than my iPod if I'm paying attention in a side by side comparison, but still adequate. I don't know how this compares with other flash players, but it should be fine for active portable use. Slightly bassier, which might be better for most of the music I listen to.
Dislike:
1. Software. SonicStage, the included software, is horrible. Forces you to organize folders by album or playlist. It's also difficult to sync with hard drive folders, which is how I prefer to do it. Keep in mind that I hate iTunes even more, though plenty of other people seem to love it. In my estimation, if you buy an mp3 player from a company that also sells music, you are guaranteed to be forced to use a crappy file transfer method.
2. Transfer rate. Connects to the computer via USB 1.1, so the transfer rate is slow.
Despite the compromises in sound quality and terrible software, at current ebay or used prices, this is by far the best valued flash player on the market. Any other 1 GB player of comparable size and quality is going to cost at least $50 more. I wouldn't buy it for the listed $150. If it wasn't for the hot price, I would have bought the
Creative player, which has voice/line-in recording, supports drag-and-drop file transfers, and probably sounds slightly better. In fact, if this drops in price, I may sell the Sony and buy this still. I also briefly considered the
NW-E407, which I think is the coolest looking mp3 player ever. Unfortunately, it would also have many of the same disadvantages of the Sony player I bought, plus it has a built in battery and costs $80 more. I guess if you are of the GB/dollar school of thought, these are all terrible deals compared to hard drive based players, but I have been sold on the convenience and worry free nature of flash.
Yay for smaller is better!
I know nobody really cares about American Idol anymore, but Nadia getting voted off tonight was utterly ridiculous. The worst injustice that's ever happened on that show.
Junior Senior - "Itch U Can't Skratch"Apparently they've decided to only release this song in Denmark. God knows why. This might be my favorite single of the past few months, though there isn't much I can think to say about it. Abandoning guitars, it looks as though they've chosen to lean away from the straight ahead danceable indie rock of their past work and adopt more of a vibrant 70's cartoon sensibility. Despite that, "Itch U Can't Skratch" is still quite distinctly Junior Senior and maintains all the fun and energy of the previous singles. Junior and Senior do sound like the most unlikely of vocal tag teams, but there's plenty of mileage left in that gimmick and it continues to add to the charm. Of course after naming their debut
D-d-don't Don't Stop The Beat, they're dutifully obliged to defend their king of the stuttered lyric crown. And they do. "So hey boys so hey girl girl whatcha gonna do-do-do for the na-na-nation!" Haha, what fun! Perfect way to usher in the summer.
