iPod Killing

Firstly, I cant beleive i havent posted for this long. Quick update : I am on vacation back home in Bangalore, India after some unadulterated fun in Belgium/Netherlands, something i shall blog about later. Watching U2 Live in Amsterdam was an integral part of all this. But now onto some immediate intelligent, opinionated yet on-the-whole unbiased blogging on this Digital Audio Player frenzy.

I have decided to buy the Cowon iAudio X5L (20GB) . A mean slick gadget.

The decision comes after numerous hours of thorough online research. I was determined to break through the protective high reputation shell the iPod seemingly has. Name the website, ive been there.

It has everything the iPod has, same size and weight, but it has SHIT Loads more for the same price, so I said why not investigate? Then i got to understand it a whole lot more from User and professional reviews and boy was i convinced.

Extras that it has for the same price..
1. FM tuner & recorder direct to mp3
2. Video playback
3. Line in port, to record anythin u want
4. Inbuilt mic for voice or sound recording
5. Triple the battery life of the iPod - 35 hrs on the X5L vs 12 hrs
6. Better outer coating that is scratch resistent
7. Unique look and design - non sterotypical
8. More sound formats supported
9. USB on the go function - directly copy pics from ur digicam
10. Txt files can be displayed
11. 260,000 Colors compared to some 65000 on the iPod
12. Sound equalizer with more Bass options, preset EQ options, higher signal to noise ratio ..... all in all.... meaning much better output of sound. Apple still hasnt dared to release its sound ratings... any guesses why? Hmmmm. My research however showed that the iPod has one of the worst sound outputs of all players.
13. Easier firmware software upgrade to fix any bugs - Apple is too proprietry in this aspect and the operating system cannot be updated
14. Drag and drop feature from your computer folders... this keeps it super simple. You dont need to use any crappy iTunes,etc
15. Faster USB 2.0 tranfer. Tests showed you can transfer at 12 MB per secodn comparted to a 8MBps of the iPod
16. Completely customisable on many fronts (including the background screen to a pic. of your choice)

Blown you away already? :) There are many more little features that i havent mentioned, but they are small tweaks that make the overall experience a lot better.

Now why shouldnt someone buy the iAudio
1. You need to attach an extra dock at the base for charging, USB transfer, Line-in and Line-out. This comes with the package, but there are chances that you might lose it, then ur slightly screwed. However, a new part costs just $9 and available all over.
2. You cant play music and see pics at the same time.
3. You need to convert video files to another compressed format to watch it. Obviosuly an advantage as this lowers file size.
4. You pay extra for an outer leather casing
5. It doesnt support the new wave of audiobooks
6. The sorting of folders by autosynching in artists,genres,title,etc is not possible. This will be fixed by a firmware upgrade to be released this month, as will many other lil bugs.
7. It is complicated to handle at the start. But like they say, this is not for your grandmother (mocking the iPod) ..... the owner needs to read the manual before using it. After a week of usage it'll obviously become natural to you.

Now other models I researched, here are their names and main flaws that eliminate them.

1. iRiver HS 320 - much heavier and bigger, firmware support is poor, no USB on the Go, no playlist on the go
2. iRiver HS 10 - missing some features and reports on its intuitive handling nature are really bad. But this would be my second option after the iAudio, it has everything else in a sexy wholesome package.
3. Archos Gmini 400 - Its battery life is only 10 hours, some key music features are missing, but is the best Personal Video Player to buy, Almost Same Price.
4. Archos Gmini X200 - You gotta see this one on www.archos.com, it is a small brilliant device that has a 20 GB capacity, but its not colour and doesnt have many key features mentioned above. ITs much cheaper though.
5. Sony NW-HD5 - The display sux, everything else about this kicks ass.
6. Creative Zen Touch - Good price but bulky and poor display.
7. Samsung, Toshiba, Gateway, others - All randomly good in their own ways, but none have the kickass all in one package.

Finally, I dont entirely hate the iPod, coz here are 10 reasons why you should have it :

1. The best intuitive design in the market
2. No manual reading needed, just plug in and you'll understand..
3. It has the cool factor attached. Join the "cool" club.
4. No one will bother you with curious questions about your player
5. It has more innovative Add-ons than the others (the others decided to put it all in the device itself :P )
6. It has ID3 compatibility and its easier to find a song
7. It apparently starts up quicker

I cant find more... but you know the obvious good things about it, which every other player has as well. Basically, my conclusion after all this is that it does the job.

Thats about all we have time for at the moment, another long posting is due with all my adventures over the past 4 weeks or so. Comments on this posting are sure welcome :)