Category Archives: iPod sports armbands

The future of MP3 Players

Posted on by
1

One question that hangs in the balance right now is which way are MP3 players going to go?

This may not be as simple or complex a question as it seems. It has a lot to do with your decision of which model to go for and what player to support. The current hegemony of iPod may make this question totally redundant but their proprietary iTunes download music format does raise questions about supporting models for buying music that are totally anti-competitive and tend to pin the buyer down to one or two formats and a  general inability to use their music files the way they want to.

Microsoft’s Zune player has promised not to go down that path, thus allowing buyers the freedom to choose how they listen to their music, who they buy it from and with whom they choose to share.

Apart from format the other question is wireless integration and hands-free kits adoption. MP3 players which can be integrated in the increasing range of wireless home entertainment networks (and here Zune has a jump on the iPod) stand a better chance of acting as ultra-portable mega-useful entertainment devices.

So is there anything you can do to future proof your MP3 purchase? Well, it really depends on the amount of money you are spending. If you’re spending on a budget you are a little trapped to upgrades as MP3 players degrade (particularly the Flash-based models) and models and features change fast.

Spend a little more however and here the choices become wider. You then get to choose the format you want to be bound to (are you happy being tied to iTunes for the rest of your listening life?) the flexibility you have in terms of accessories and interlinking with network devices that range from laptops to wireless home networks and portable PCs.

In a sense your choice of MP3 player whether it is a Rio, MSI, Zen , Sony, Zune or iPod will go some way towards determining the future of music downloads and MP3 devices in general.

So choose carefully. Think at length and when you do make a decision make sure you understand that your purchase is making history.

Ready for high-quality, low-cost iPod accessories and MP3 Players? Check out:

Are you ready to find cheap computer accessories?

Would you like unlocked cell phones?

Ready to find best priced iPod Accessories?

We have some excellent quality Bluetooth Headsets

Top-quality, competitively priced MP3 Players

Headsets, Keyboards & Mice

Handy iPod tips: iPods and PCs

Posted on by
Reply

Here is a dilemma, there are two iPods in the family and just one PC. What do you do? It’s easy enough to synchronize both iPods with just one computer, as long as both iPod users are happy accessing the same music library or the same set of playlists. But that can get hard to manage, especially if you’re manually updating the iPod or adding new music that you’d like to keep separate.

In most cases, the easiest way to keep discrete libraries for syncing both iPods is to create a separate user account for each person who uses an iPod with the computer. The Insider Secrets video shows the steps for doing this using Mac OS X; here’s how to create a separate user and share music under Windows XP.

First, click Start > Control Panel > User Accounts (Start > Settings > Control Panel if you use the Classic view). Click “Create a new account,” and follow the instructions.

Windows XP kindly provides a shared folder that already includes a directory called Shared Music (find it under C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents). The easiest thing to do is to copy all the music on your computer into this folder so that all users can access it. Then the lucky owner of the new iPod can pick and choose what music to include in his or her iTunes Library. From the new account, in iTunes, click File > Add Folder To Library, and copy over whatever music you want (make sure to check the box next to “Copy files to iTunes music folder” when adding to library, under Advanced in the Preferences dialog box, so that iTunes doesn’t consolidate the files for the music library).

Now both users can share all or part of the same library, add new music whenever necessary, and automatically update their iPods without the hassle of manually sifting through a large shared library.

Ready for high-quality, low-cost iPod accessories? Check out:

Are you ready to find cheap computer accessories?

Would you like unlocked cell phones?

Ready to find best priced iPod Accessories?

We have some excellent quality Bluetooth Headsets

Top-quality, competitively priced MP3 Players

Headsets, Keyboards & Mice

Battery life on your MP3 player

Posted on by
2

For most manufacturers, the perfect scenario requires that you play only MP3s encoded at 128Kbps; you’re wearing bundled earbuds; your volume level is at about 50 to 75 percent; the backlight of your screen turns off automatically within 5 to 10 seconds; your equalizer setting is flat or normal; there are no DSP settings (such as the iPod’s Sound Check) enabled; you listen to your music in one, maybe two sessions; and if applicable, you don’t view any photos or videos. Given that these conditions are rarely ever met in the real world, you’ll never achieve the number x in “up to x hours.”

That’s OK. If battery life is your primary concern -and it may be for world travelers- then you’ll naturally go with a player that has at least 20 hours of rated battery life per charge or AA (or AAA) battery, as stated in the player specifications. This figure is rarely ever left out of specs, by the way. The best hard drive-based players last more than 20 hours-such as the Sony NW-HD5 and the Cowon iAudio X5L; the best flash players- such as anything from Sony, Samsung’s YP-T6, and iRiver’s T10- last more than 40 hours.

You may read MP3 player reviews to verify battery life. Factors such as sound quality, features, format compatibility, and looks may overshadow battery life, but when your player runs out of juice, it doesn’t really matter which features it has or how good it sounds.

In the real world, there are plenty of factors that will help drain your battery much quicker than you’d like. For example, while the iPod’s 14-hour audio-only rating is acceptable (the first iPods had 8 to 9 hours per charge), you’d ever get that many hours, and in fact, the average is probably less than 8 hours. It’s not that the battery is dying prematurely; rather, most people use it with the screen on and browse photos, as well as watch an occasional video and they crank the volume up, all of which drains juice faster than you can say ‘recharge’.

Adding to the battery drain is users’ tendency to use big headphones, which draw serious juice and therefore increase noise and distortion

Those who belong to subscription services such as Napster or Rhapsody have it worse. Music rented from these services arrive in the WMA DRM 10 format, and it takes extra processing power to ensure that the licenses making the tracks work are still valid and match up to the device itself. Heavy DRM not only slows down an MP3 player but also sucks the very life out of them. Take, for instance, the critically acclaimed Creative Zen Vision:M, with a rated battery life of up to 14 hours for audio and 4 hours for video. CNET tested it at nearly 16 hours, with MP3s – impressive indeed. Upon playing back only WMA subscription tracks, the Vision:M scored at just more than 12 hours. That’s a loss of almost 4 hours, and you haven’t even turned the backlight on yet.

So when you go for your MP3 check out not just what the functions are but how long the battery is likely to last.

Are you ready to find cheap computer accessories?

Would you like unlocked cell phones?

Ready to find best priced iPod Accessories?

We have some excellent quality Bluetooth Headsets

Top-quality, competitively priced MP3 Players

Headsets, Keyboards & Mice

What to look for in an MP3 Player

Posted on by
Reply

Buying an MP3 player without knowing how much memory it has is like buying car without knowing how many people can fit inside. Memory can make or break an MP3 player. Generally, more memory is better, but it’s more complicated than that. The most expensive part of flash memory players is the flash memory itself. So if you know that you’re only going to use the player for half an hour at a time (if, for instance, that’s how long your commute or workout lasts), 250MB is enough. However, we recommend looking for a flash memory player with at least 500MB of onboard memory and an expandability slot so that you can add more memory if things change. Of course, at Thriftycomputer, we are just like you. We want cool equipment that works seamlessly with our PCs and laptops and does not cost the earth. Our SanDisk Sansa MP3 Player prices will blow you away, so just take a look and see just how competitive we are.

Connection
MP3 CD players are the only portable audio players that don’t need to be connected to your computer in order to load songs onto memory. The basic rule of thumb is that if you have Windows 98 or above or a nonbeige Macintosh (beige Macs don’t have USB), you should choose a player that uses the USB port, which will make those crucial file transfers faster. For the fastest possible file transfers to a hard drrive-based MP3 player, look for USB 2.0 or FireWire. Just be sure to buy the appropriate adapter card, because only new Macs currently come with FireWire installed as a standard component.

Sound quality
With a few notable exceptions, all of the players that we’ve reviewed have decent sound. Any aural limitations tend to have more to do with the inherent limitations of the MP3 codec rather than one player’s rendering. Still, you should never buy an audio player with a signal-to-noise ratio of less than 85dB.

Software
Watch out for proprietary DRM software, which is usually found on devices from large, established corporations such as Sony, Panasonic, or Toshiba. These schemes can require the creation an encrypted copy of every song that you want to put on the player, making the companies’ generally beautifully designed hardware ugly to use.

Are you ready to find cheap computer accessories?

Would you like unlocked cell phones?

Ready to find best priced iPod Accessories?

We have some excellent quality Bluetooth Headsets

Top-quality, competitively priced MP3 Players

Headsets, Keyboards & Mice

Accessorizing your iPod

Posted on by
1

Long-time Apple iBook users have watched the explosive popularity of the iPod with glee. Finally, the rest of the world is getting a taste of the simplicity, dependability, and fun Apple users have been enjoying all along. Although there are many different portable audio players on the market that match or even exceed the iPod on some features not many have hit upon the iPod’s near-perfect combination of utility, style and seamless interface. For many, the iPod has become more than just a portable music device — it’s become a lifestyle.

As the public’s love affair with the iPod continues to grow, the number of accessories designed for it also increases at a phenomenal rate. While some are standard portable audio player accessories that have just been given an iPod restyling, many are new items, specifically created for the iPod. Out of the plentitude of “iproducts” out there, here are a few we’ve spotted that can help you get more out of your iPod.

The iPod at home – Making the computer connection
When using the iPod at home, usually it’s linked to a computer. One of the iPod’s strengths is its complete integration with the iTunes® computer program (in either its PC or Mac® incarnation). This makes transferring and managing music a pleasure rather than a chore.

Although the iPod can just lie flat on the table next to the computer, many users use the Apple iPod Dock. It securely holds the iPod upright for better display, and takes up less space on the desk. The iPod plugs into the dock’s base, and through it can be connected to the computer via FireWire or USB. Through that connection you can simultaneously transfer data, and recharge the iPod’s battery. Apple provides a dock with its 40GB Click Wheel iPod, but if you have a 20GB, 15GB or an iPod mini, you’ll have to purchase one separately.

Accessories for your iPod:

Griffin RoadTrip FM Transmitter & Auto Charger
Perfect for the road warrior or the executive on the move the Griffin Technology RoadTrip FM Transmitter and Auto Charger and Cradle for iPod combines a high-powered FM transmitter, an iPod auto charger, and a convenient iPod cradle in one package.

Kensington Digital FM Transmitter and Auto Charger for iPod
This all-in-one model lets you blast your iPod songs, audiobooks, and podcasts through your car stereo using the FM radio. Charge your iPod while using its push-button technology to enjoy its on-board music library in your car.

Speck Active Sport Armband for iPod
Essential equipment for the athlete on the move who cannot be parted from his music collection. This is one cool iPod Accessory you simply cannot do without.

Speck ActiveSport iPod nano Armband
If you’re agonizing whether your iPod Nano will be perfect in a gym environment then the Speck ActiveSport iPod Nano armband is the perfect solution for you.

Are you ready to find cheap computer accessories?

Would you like unlocked cell phones?

Ready to find best priced iPod Accessories?

We have some excellent quality Bluetooth Headsets

Top-quality, competitively priced MP3 Players

Headsets, Keyboards & Mice