MP3 Players

KraftMayo · 16-September-04, 02:52 PM

Hey, my Zen XTRA recently crapped out. After alot of garbage from the dealer, I got the warranty issue resolved but want to purchase a new one from a more reputable source. I've got a 500 dollar budget and dont really care about video playback. I need 60gb minimum, but 80 would be best. Is there anything out there that's better than an XTRA in terms of quality and battery life and such?

lilbowser · 16-September-04, 05:33 PM

Go Get your self an ipod
it may not have the best battery life but it still gets like 10 hours and there is the battery atachment which powers your ipod off of 4 aa batterys and gives you anothe 22 hours of battery life

Jonny English · 16-September-04, 05:48 PM

I'd get something cheap like like a Hitachi DAP-38 ($30), a 100 stack of CDRs ($20), some 1/2 decent headphones ($30), 4 2,300mAh NiMH batteries & a charger ($20), and spend the rest on coke & a call girl

KraftMayo · 16-September-04, 06:16 PM

Wow, I didnt even think about whores. Here I am trying to find a portable music player, and what I really need is a hooker. Thanks.

ERAD Caz · 16-September-04, 06:28 PM

As lilbowser said, an iPod would be a good mp3 player. Although I don't think they make anything higher than 40gigs. IMO, for the 20gig models, the Creative Zen Touch looks better than the iPod, twice the battery power I believe. As for 60+ GB models, I don't even know where to find one of those.

Spectrum · 16-September-04, 06:32 PM

Get an older laptop.

aaronrkelly · 16-September-04, 06:40 PM

I got a new laptop and pretty much all I use it for is mp3s and the occasional moive (ripping not watching, laptop speakers suck azz)............it works but its not exactly handy.

godfoot · 16-September-04, 09:01 PM

http://www.archos.com/products/overview/gmini_220.html

Cyno01 · 16-September-04, 09:13 PM

Only +40GB MP3 players i know of are those Neuros ones. Kind of cool because they have a detachable flash player too. Plus built in FM transmitter and reciever and encoder. So you could play a file through the transmitter, recieve it through the radio and encode it into a file. Though that may cause an explosion that'll level the city... Frozen cpu has em, but you could probably find them for cheaper elsewhere.

KraftMayo · 16-September-04, 09:50 PM

I havent heard good things about the Neuros.

Does anyone know if there are supposed to be any advances in the technology in the next few months? I'm willing to wait if something great is supposed to happen.

Jonny English · 17-September-04, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KraftMayo


	Wow, I didnt even think about whores. Here I am trying to find a portable music player, and what I really need is a hooker. Thanks.

NP - glad I was able to set you straight

lilbowser · 17-September-04, 09:47 AM

There are lots of rumors that toshiba will be relising a new small 60 gb hard drive for the ipods hence 60 gb ipods

godfoot · 17-September-04, 09:52 AM

You could always get an older model that utilizes 2.5" HDDs and tear it open and replace the HDD. I saw a tutorial on that somewhere but can't remember where.

KraftMayo · 17-September-04, 10:30 AM

Yeah, I heard about the 60gb iPod rumors. Step two is figuring out when it will happen.

I thought about gutting a Zen XTRA, but I'm not sure if that would be cost effective. Let me know if you find the link.

godfoot · 17-September-04, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KraftMayo


	I thought about gutting a Zen XTRA, but I'm not sure if that would be cost effective. Let me know if you find the link.

Found it:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...1186572,00.asp

KraftMayo · 17-September-04, 11:06 AM

But do I have the cajones to hack up a 200 dollar mp3 player? Hmm.

unholy · 17-September-04, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KraftMayo


	But do I have the cajones to hack up a 200 dollar mp3 player? Hmm.

Well, from my own experience I can tell you this much. If you're afraid of voiding the warranty, don't be. Nomad Zen only comes with 3 months of coverage anyway. So, if it dies on you afterwards, you gotta pay for repairs anyway. You can always get one used, although then you'll probably have to replace the battery. Still, it's a nice little player, great sound.

Anyways, have a look at http://www.nomadness.net/, especially the articles section--there's a whole bunch of nice hardware hacks there.

KraftMayo · 17-September-04, 10:51 PM

Ok, so I just bought a Zen Xtra and an 80gb Fujitsu HD. All of the guides I can find are for hacking the original Zen. I know these devices are very dissimilar and from what i've read, the NX is also internally different from the Xtra. You wouldnt happen to have a link to a guide for the Xtra would you? Thanks.

unholy · 17-September-04, 11:25 PM

It seems that there just aren't any guides around. You will have to play this one by the ear. The internal construction may be a bit different than in the original Zen, but I would't expect drastic dissimilarities. In how many ways can you mount a HDD in a device this size, really? As long as you proceed cautiously (writing down what goes where, or, better yet, taking pictures along the way), you should be fine. It's just hard drive replacement, not nuclear physics, right?

Besides, maybe you'll get to be the first person ever to post a guide to HDD upgrade in Zen Xtra. Now, wouldn't that be cool?

KraftMayo · 18-September-04, 05:49 AM

Fun fun.... Thanks.

16-September-04, 02:52 PM		#1 (permalink)
KraftMayo Apex Techie II	MP3 Players Hey, my Zen XTRA recently crapped out. After alot of garbage from the dealer, I got the warranty issue resolved but want to purchase a new one from a more reputable source. I've got a 500 dollar budget and dont really care about video playback. I need 60gb minimum, but 80 would be best. Is there anything out there that's better than an XTRA in terms of quality and battery life and such? Last edited by KraftMayo; 16-September-04 at 03:01 PM..

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16-September-04, 05:33 PM		#2 (permalink)
lilbowser Apex Techie I	Go Get your self an ipod it may not have the best battery life but it still gets like 10 hours and there is the battery atachment which powers your ipod off of 4 aa batterys and gives you anothe 22 hours of battery life

16-September-04, 05:48 PM		#3 (permalink)
Jonny English Etiquette & English Gentleman	I'd get something cheap like like a Hitachi DAP-38 ($30), a 100 stack of CDRs ($20), some 1/2 decent headphones ($30), 4 2,300mAh NiMH batteries & a charger ($20), and spend the rest on coke & a call girl

16-September-04, 06:16 PM		#4 (permalink)
KraftMayo Apex Techie II	Wow, I didnt even think about whores. Here I am trying to find a portable music player, and what I really need is a hooker. Thanks.

16-September-04, 06:28 PM		#5 (permalink)
ERAD Caz Apex Master Tech	As lilbowser said, an iPod would be a good mp3 player. Although I don't think they make anything higher than 40gigs. IMO, for the 20gig models, the Creative Zen Touch looks better than the iPod, twice the battery power I believe. As for 60+ GB models, I don't even know where to find one of those.

16-September-04, 06:32 PM		#6 (permalink)
Spectrum Former GameApex Editor	Get an older laptop.

16-September-04, 06:40 PM		#7 (permalink)
aaronrkelly Apex Tech God	I got a new laptop and pretty much all I use it for is mp3s and the occasional moive (ripping not watching, laptop speakers suck azz)............it works but its not exactly handy.

16-September-04, 09:01 PM		#8 (permalink)
godfoot A George Orwell fan...sorta	http://www.archos.com/products/overview/gmini_220.html

16-September-04, 09:13 PM		#9 (permalink)
Cyno01 Apex Tech God	Only +40GB MP3 players i know of are those Neuros ones. Kind of cool because they have a detachable flash player too. Plus built in FM transmitter and reciever and encoder. So you could play a file through the transmitter, recieve it through the radio and encode it into a file. Though that may cause an explosion that'll level the city... Frozen cpu has em, but you could probably find them for cheaper elsewhere.

16-September-04, 09:50 PM		#10 (permalink)
KraftMayo Apex Techie II	I havent heard good things about the Neuros. Does anyone know if there are supposed to be any advances in the technology in the next few months? I'm willing to wait if something great is supposed to happen.

17-September-04, 09:47 AM		#12 (permalink)
lilbowser Apex Techie I	There are lots of rumors that toshiba will be relising a new small 60 gb hard drive for the ipods hence 60 gb ipods

17-September-04, 09:52 AM		#13 (permalink)
godfoot A George Orwell fan...sorta	You could always get an older model that utilizes 2.5" HDDs and tear it open and replace the HDD. I saw a tutorial on that somewhere but can't remember where.

17-September-04, 10:30 AM		#14 (permalink)
KraftMayo Apex Techie II	Yeah, I heard about the 60gb iPod rumors. Step two is figuring out when it will happen. I thought about gutting a Zen XTRA, but I'm not sure if that would be cost effective. Let me know if you find the link.

17-September-04, 11:06 AM		#16 (permalink)
KraftMayo Apex Techie II	But do I have the cajones to hack up a 200 dollar mp3 player? Hmm.

17-September-04, 10:51 PM		#18 (permalink)
KraftMayo Apex Techie II	Ok, so I just bought a Zen Xtra and an 80gb Fujitsu HD. All of the guides I can find are for hacking the original Zen. I know these devices are very dissimilar and from what i've read, the NX is also internally different from the Xtra. You wouldnt happen to have a link to a guide for the Xtra would you? Thanks.

17-September-04, 11:25 PM		#19 (permalink)
unholy Un-Hoe-ly	It seems that there just aren't any guides around. You will have to play this one by the ear. The internal construction may be a bit different than in the original Zen, but I would't expect drastic dissimilarities. In how many ways can you mount a HDD in a device this size, really? As long as you proceed cautiously (writing down what goes where, or, better yet, taking pictures along the way), you should be fine. It's just hard drive replacement, not nuclear physics, right? Besides, maybe you'll get to be the first person ever to post a guide to HDD upgrade in Zen Xtra. Now, wouldn't that be cool?

18-September-04, 05:49 AM		#20 (permalink)
KraftMayo Apex Techie II	Fun fun.... Thanks.