iTunes required with an iPod?

[delfuhd]

I'm thinking about joining everyone else on this planet and getting an iPod. I have a 256meg player but that holds max 70 songs, which frankly doesn't really work for me... One gripe though, is that I want nothing to do with iTunes. WMP works just fine for me playing music. So do I Need iTunes if I get an iPod? Can I just use a USB cord to transfer the music? None of my friends know enough about computers to answer this question. Thanks for any help!

[tanalasta]

You don't necessarily require iTunes to work with your iPod. However, it is recommended (and once you get used to it, it's not a bad interface).

I'm not aware of a plug-in that allows you to transfer music over with WMP. It isn't possible.

However, there are plug-ins that allow you to sync with your iPod using winamp. Search google or better yet, www.ipodlounge.com has everything you ever want to know about using an iPod.

The problem with transfering music using only the USB cable is that you'll be transferring the files to the iPod HDD but that the iPod won't read them. The iPod stores, sorts and reads music in it's own structured, hidden folders, which are accessed via the plugins or iTunes. The easiest way to navigate through music is to use iTunes to correctly tag, organise and transfer your songs.

Now, you do realise ... you can do exactly what I do. Use iTunes to transfer/sort music onto your iPod. And WMP to play anything on your desktop/laptop. You can have both at the same time. :)

[Kowalski]

yes, you can transfer files and use the ipod as an external harddrive, but in a limited way.
you have to use itunes to copy mp3 files and listen them. you cant listen a mp3 file if you just copy the file from the computer to the device directly

[delfuhd]

Thanks for the replies. My current mp3 player comes with a program for transfering files, but it's just a complete mess. You've gotten me to warm up to iTunes, and i like the idea of simply using it to transfer songs. Just another quick question though, is iTunes one of those messy programs? By that I mean is it like Real 1 Player, that floods itself with ads and is just annoying to deal with?

[emuelle1]

I don't think iTunes is bloatware. You're right about Real Player. A friend of mine referred me to Real Alternative, which served me well on my last Windows install. I'll have to find it again, I believe it's on Sourceforge.

[Janak Parekh]

you have to use itunes to copy mp3 files and listen them.
No, you do not. It is correct to say you need a program to copy the file over and update the iPod's DB, but there are third-party programs that do this as well. ephPod (http://www.ephpod.com/), Anapod Explorer (http://www.redchairsoftware.com/anapod/), ml_ipod for Winamp (http://www.mlipod.com/index.php), etc. Of the three, if you want an Explorer-like drag-and-drop experience, Anapod will provide the closest, but it's not free.

You've gotten me to warm up to iTunes, and i like the idea of simply using it to transfer songs. Just another quick question though, is iTunes one of those messy programs? By that I mean is it like Real 1 Player, that floods itself with ads and is just annoying to deal with?
It's certainly a large program, but I wouldn't call it bloated. In fact, I find I like it as my jukebox program, so I've stopped using WMP or Winamp. (Ironically, RealPlayer is much much cleaner now than it used to be, and it supports iPod management too, but I don't think I'd ever use it for that.)

Do note that the iPod only works with MP3, AAC and a few other formats, but not WMA. If you have a huge investment in WMA, you'll either have to convert it (iTunes can convert non-DRMed WMA automatically) or consider a different player. Some other players support playing from arbitrary folders that are dragged-and-dropped from Explorer. If you feel strongly about that, you might want to take a look at iRiver's (www.iriver.com) products for example; they've got some very cool devices.

Me, I like the automatic management iTunes provides. Here's one killer feature: if you need to correct the title on a track, you just do so in iTunes (it supports ID3 editing), plug the iPod in, and if it's set to automatic sync (configurable if you don't want it), it will update, automatically, just that one track. You don't need to keep track of which files to copy or not; it just handles it for you. I was very much a "manual file management" person, but iTunes has converted me. ;) You can even configure iTunes to keep your folders organized, which I do. (I do believe that feature is turned off by default.)

(One last suggestion: you can download iTunes and play with it for free, even if you don't have an iPod, if you want to see how it works. Obviously, you won't see the syncing features.)

--janak

[Sven Johannsen]

Nobody else brought it up, so I will. What's wrong with your 2215 and a 1 or 2G CF card and maybe a battery extension of some sort?

[delfuhd]

Nobody else brought it up, so I will. What's wrong with your 2215 and a 1 or 2G CF card and maybe a battery extension of some sort?

I actually do have a program that emulates an iPod on my h2215, and I have a 1 gig CF Card. It's a great novelty, but I can't really imagine myself carrying my 2215 around wherever I go, and having to keep the whole display screen exposed so I can change the songs. I usually use it if I'm in a relaxed area, like riding in a car or doing something not involving much activity.



Do note that the iPod only works with MP3, AAC and a few other formats, but not WMA. If you have a huge investment in WMA, you'll either have to convert it

My only investment in windows media player is it's ability to play. I try to stay away fromt he wma format as a matter of fact, as it's quite lossy and even the "lossless" wma format isn't the best format. My only gripe is having yet another large program installed to do a simple task. I think first I will try a third party app like anapod or ml_ipod, and if that doesn't work I will bite the bullet and go with iTunes. That is, if I end up purchasing an iPod (which will pretty much be the case).

[Kowalski]

Nobody else brought it up, so I will. What's wrong with your 2215 and a 1 or 2G CF card and maybe a battery extension of some sort?

i totally agree with you, with the same money, you can buy a 4 GB CF card, and have an awesome mp3 player. ipod is a very nice device, the ability to use the device as an external harddrive is very nice, and this is the reason we are using ipod in our company, but a pda with a large memory card is a better alternative IMO

[Janak Parekh]

I actually do have a program that emulates an iPod on my h2215, and I have a 1 gig CF Card. It's a great novelty, but I can't really imagine myself carrying my 2215 around wherever I go, and having to keep the whole display screen exposed so I can change the songs. I usually use it if I'm in a relaxed area, like riding in a car or doing something not involving much activity.
This was also part of my motivation to get the iPod. There's the remote control capability; you don't have to whip it out and open the case every time, which makes for awkward operation. Of course, it depends on how much one listens to music. I think the Pocket PC is great for casual listening, but I use my iPod two or three times a day, every day, during my commute, and it serves well for that.

My only investment in windows media player is it's ability to play. I try to stay away fromt he wma format as a matter of fact, as it's quite lossy and even the "lossless" wma format isn't the best format. My only gripe is having yet another large program installed to do a simple task. I think first I will try a third party app like anapod or ml_ipod, and if that doesn't work I will bite the bullet and go with iTunes. That is, if I end up purchasing an iPod (which will pretty much be the case).
Your call -- certainly take a look at the programs and see what works. I think Anapod has a trial if you really want the Explorer drag-and-drop. iTunes is certainly not a small program, but in the modern day and age of computers it's not exactly going to fill up a hard drive either.

As for lossy formats, WMA is generally considered a little better than MP3, so unless you're using WAV or somesuch, I wouldn't use that as a criterion for format choice. I can understand not using WMA (or AAC) from a lock-in perspective, though.

--janak

[Sven Johannsen]

I actually do have a program that emulates an iPod on my h2215, and I have a 1 gig CF Card. It's a great novelty, but I can't really imagine myself carrying my 2215 around wherever I go, and having to keep the whole display screen exposed so I can change the songs. I usually use it if I'm in a relaxed area, like riding in a car or doing something not involving much activity.

You don't. You can map most everything you need to do to buttons. Up/down volume, skip forward and back track on the d-pad, shut off screen on the action button, etc. You have to touch the i-pod to do that stuff too. You'll wind up always carrying one or the other and sometimes both. They aren't that different in size.

first I will try a third party app like anapod or ml_ipod, With those choices, it sounds like you just want an iPod and are trying to convince yourself you need one. There are lots of third party players that do a bang up job on the PPC, BetaPlayer, PocketMusic, etc.

[Janak Parekh]

You have to touch the i-pod to do that stuff too.
Again, not if you have the remote control. ;) I miss the Pocket PCs that used to; didn't an ancient Toshiba -- the e570 or somesuch -- come with one?

With those choices, it sounds like you just want an iPod and are trying to convince yourself you need one. There are lots of third party players that do a bang up job on the PPC, BetaPlayer, PocketMusic, etc.
Well, the iPod is actually quite a bit smaller, and since it doesn't have a touch screen, you don't necessarily need a case to protect that. That said, a major differentiator is the capacity. If one has 1-2GB of music, the iPod is way overkill and most likely not worth it. Me, I have ~ 25GB now, and I'm very glad I don't need to resync it daily.

--janak

[delfuhd]

You don't. You can map most everything you need to do to buttons. Up/down volume, skip forward and back track on the d-pad, shut off screen on the action button, etc. You have to touch the i-pod to do that stuff too. You'll wind up always carrying one or the other and sometimes both. They aren't that different in size.

With those choices, it sounds like you just want an iPod and are trying to convince yourself you need one. There are lots of third party players that do a bang up job on the PPC, BetaPlayer, PocketMusic, etc.

As I said in my first post, I have a standalone mp3 player, but it doesn't have enough memory to be completely useful. Only 256 meg. Sure, there are liots of music playing programs for pocket pc, and I have a bunch as well. It's just that I spent $400+ on my pocket pc and all of the expansion cards/programs that I have on it, so if I were to lose it, not only would I lose a 400 dollar investment, but I would also lose important data and other files. An ipod mini (which is what I want to get) is under 200 dollars, and doesn't have as much personal value as my pocket pc. Also, as Janak said, there is no delicate touch screen to worry about.

And, I have about 3.33 gigs of music that I listen to on a regular occasion, which works more than perfectly with the 4 gig ipod mini capacity.

[jbachandouris]

I hate to point this out, but is using an Ipaq for music ever going to match the battery life of a stand alone player?

Personally, I would prefer more than a few hours battery life. For those of you using your Ipaq for music, what kind of battery life are you getting?

[delfuhd]

I hate to point this out, but is using an Ipaq for music ever going to match the battery life of a stand alone player?

Personally, I would prefer more than a few hours battery life. For those of you using your Ipaq for music, what kind of battery life are you getting?

Well I don't think I've listened to music on my iPAQ for more than ~30 minutes. I do, however, use my CD player and obsolete mp3 player to listen to music the majority of the day

I'm sure I could get a good 6-8 hours or so out of my battery if I just listened to music with it. But for me, I only use it to listen to music when I'm going somewhere and I'm already bringing my ipaq, and the travel time isnt more than 20 minutes. Or if I'm just relaxing somwhere doing something on my ppc. Otherwise, I bring a cd player so I have more selection.

[Darius Wey]

Personally, I would prefer more than a few hours battery life. For those of you using your Ipaq for music, what kind of battery life are you getting?

With the screen off, you can easily get around eight hours or more, which is good for a day's worth of music. :)

[jbachandouris]

Awesome. Thats good to hear! I need to try this out.

Apple is tempting me though...color screens, same price...

[Janak Parekh]

With the screen off, you can easily get around eight hours or more, which is good for a day's worth of music. :)
The key to consider here is that the Pocket PC is using flash memory, which has very little power drain, so the main drain when you use your Pocket PC for playback is CPU.

Note that this runtime will vary, depending on what battery size you use, whether or not you use a Pocket PC Phone, etc.

--janak

[Darius Wey]

Note that this runtime will vary, depending on what battery size you use, whether or not you use a Pocket PC Phone, etc.

Of course. My old h1940 used to get about 6 hours. I like to use my Pocket PC as a media player, but still have enough battery power to let me use my Pocket PC as a PDA for the rest of the day. If I'm not satisfied, there's always the iPod. :lol: