My favorite podcast "MP3 Insider" has been killed off by the iPhone.
The writing seemed on the wall when Jasmine was reviewing iPhone Apps elsewhere on CNET a few episodes back.
I've listened to this podcast since the days of James Kim and Veronica Belmont (every geek's dream girl). I can't say that I've followed the "Buzz Out Load" podcast as closely. MP3 Insider will be sorely missed.
I wish Jasmin France and Donald Bell all the best in their future roles at CNET.
Showing posts with label Creative Zen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creative Zen. Show all posts
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
iPods Hidden Feature
There is a feature on iPods which I haven't found on any other MP3 Player. It is auto-bookmarking, something very handy for Podcasts or Audio books. (Actually it is only hidden because it is not advertised or shown on any menu).
Basically if you play anything and then pause and exit through the menu, when you next play that particular track it will start off where you left off, even if you have turned off the iPod in between. This is handy for me since I listen to multiple Podcasts, and often don't finish listening in iPod one session (quite often I get home before an episode of "Buzz Out Loud" finishes). I can then finish listening to it later. It also works for videos.
Before I get howls of protest from fans of other MP3 Players - apparently if you are listening to a track on most non-iPods and just turn the MP3 Player off without pausing first, it will resume when you turn the player on again - I got this tip from CNET's "MP3 Insider" Podcast, and have tested it on a Creative Zen V Plus. I also know that the Creative Zen Vision:M allows you to set bookmarks in audio tracks and videos. It is possible that the whole Creative line has this feature.
Now my disclaimer - although I own a couple of iPods, I also own or have owned 3 iRivers, 2 Creative Zens and even a Sandisk Sansa. So I would suggest that anyone in the market for an MP3 Player shouldn't just buy an iPod without checking what is available out there, and buy based on what their requirements are. The Portable Video/MP3 Player Reviews at CNET are a good starting point. Then there is dapreview.net and anythingbutipod
Basically if you play anything and then pause and exit through the menu, when you next play that particular track it will start off where you left off, even if you have turned off the iPod in between. This is handy for me since I listen to multiple Podcasts, and often don't finish listening in iPod one session (quite often I get home before an episode of "Buzz Out Loud" finishes). I can then finish listening to it later. It also works for videos.
Before I get howls of protest from fans of other MP3 Players - apparently if you are listening to a track on most non-iPods and just turn the MP3 Player off without pausing first, it will resume when you turn the player on again - I got this tip from CNET's "MP3 Insider" Podcast, and have tested it on a Creative Zen V Plus. I also know that the Creative Zen Vision:M allows you to set bookmarks in audio tracks and videos. It is possible that the whole Creative line has this feature.
Now my disclaimer - although I own a couple of iPods, I also own or have owned 3 iRivers, 2 Creative Zens and even a Sandisk Sansa. So I would suggest that anyone in the market for an MP3 Player shouldn't just buy an iPod without checking what is available out there, and buy based on what their requirements are. The Portable Video/MP3 Player Reviews at CNET are a good starting point. Then there is dapreview.net and anythingbutipod
Saturday, August 18, 2007
That old feeling
In news that makes you feel old, the Compact Disc format celebrated its 25th Anniversary on Friday. (see this MyWay News article).
This makes me feel especially old since I can remember buying vinyl records in the days before CDs. Since I'm not an audiophile, I can't say I miss the Vinyl records which had to be treated so carefully.
Now the CD is slowly being replaced by digital formats. Thinking about it, I don't often listen to CDs anymore, and the last two albums I bought were through iTunes, although I burned them to CD for backup. CDs bought before that have been mostly ripped into MP3 format - just a quick look on my main PC and I have somewhere over 100 full albums on my hard drive for selective syncing with my iPod Nano. On my main MP3 Player - a 30GB Creative Zen Vision:M - there are 188 Albums, and around 1800 tracks, although it is probably counting Podcasts as well.
As for data storage I've mostly stopped using the CD, and I mainly backup to an external hard drive or DVD. For files I want to carry around with me I use a 4GB USB flash drive.
This makes me feel especially old since I can remember buying vinyl records in the days before CDs. Since I'm not an audiophile, I can't say I miss the Vinyl records which had to be treated so carefully.
Now the CD is slowly being replaced by digital formats. Thinking about it, I don't often listen to CDs anymore, and the last two albums I bought were through iTunes, although I burned them to CD for backup. CDs bought before that have been mostly ripped into MP3 format - just a quick look on my main PC and I have somewhere over 100 full albums on my hard drive for selective syncing with my iPod Nano. On my main MP3 Player - a 30GB Creative Zen Vision:M - there are 188 Albums, and around 1800 tracks, although it is probably counting Podcasts as well.
As for data storage I've mostly stopped using the CD, and I mainly backup to an external hard drive or DVD. For files I want to carry around with me I use a 4GB USB flash drive.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Apple, buttons and fake Steve
Now I think I know why there are so few buttons on iPods and the iPhone. According to a number of sources (Slashdot and Free Mac Blog to name a few), Steve Jobs hates buttons. Even fake Steve Jobs ranted about a Washington Post Article about Steve and buttons.
Ah, that explains why iPods don't have FM radios, voice recording or line-in recording. Adding these features would require more buttons, as the click wheel is totally maxed out for the functions it performs. And more buttons would be a no-no.
Yet in some ways this minimalist design works. Sure I like the additional functionality of the Creative Zen V Plus - the ability to delete tracks on the devices as well as create and name playlists. But I can operate my iPod Nano with acupuncture needles protruding from my my hands and arms without causing myself a major injury.
Ah, that explains why iPods don't have FM radios, voice recording or line-in recording. Adding these features would require more buttons, as the click wheel is totally maxed out for the functions it performs. And more buttons would be a no-no.
Yet in some ways this minimalist design works. Sure I like the additional functionality of the Creative Zen V Plus - the ability to delete tracks on the devices as well as create and name playlists. But I can operate my iPod Nano with acupuncture needles protruding from my my hands and arms without causing myself a major injury.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
iGo cruisin'
On a recent cruise I took along the iGo Power Everywhere15 charger with "iTips" for most of my tech toys. It was really handy in a compact case (which comes with the unit) I had almost everything I needed to recharge one cellphone, one handheld gaming console, an MP3 Player and two handhelds. Separately their chargers would be five separate power cords, three of them including a large power block or large plug.
The way it works is that once you have bought the iGo power charger (and there are a number of options here depending on whether you want to charge a computer notebook or not, and whether you want to charge two devices at once), you then buy "iTips" for each of your devices. These run at about $10 each, and with careful research (the iGo website has a iTip finder) you can find some tips which work with more than one of your devices - I found one which I can use with both my Sony PSP and Creative Zen Vision:M MP3 Player. Although a number of other manufacturers have come out with similar solutions, I figured that the iGo tips would be easier to find. It also helped that RadioShack had the iGo Power Everywhere15 for $20 less than the iGo website, and my local store had a large selection of iTips. I could not find an iTip for my Tapwave Zodiac, but that was to be expected since it wasn't on the market long enough to get many accessories made for it. After the initial small investment in the iGo, the iTips are not that expensive - for example a charger for my wife's LG VX8300 cellphone (incidentally one of the top ten cellphones of last year according to CNET) costs around $30, which makes the cost of the iTip seem cheap.
The way it works is that once you have bought the iGo power charger (and there are a number of options here depending on whether you want to charge a computer notebook or not, and whether you want to charge two devices at once), you then buy "iTips" for each of your devices. These run at about $10 each, and with careful research (the iGo website has a iTip finder) you can find some tips which work with more than one of your devices - I found one which I can use with both my Sony PSP and Creative Zen Vision:M MP3 Player. Although a number of other manufacturers have come out with similar solutions, I figured that the iGo tips would be easier to find. It also helped that RadioShack had the iGo Power Everywhere15 for $20 less than the iGo website, and my local store had a large selection of iTips. I could not find an iTip for my Tapwave Zodiac, but that was to be expected since it wasn't on the market long enough to get many accessories made for it. After the initial small investment in the iGo, the iTips are not that expensive - for example a charger for my wife's LG VX8300 cellphone (incidentally one of the top ten cellphones of last year according to CNET) costs around $30, which makes the cost of the iTip seem cheap.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Top 5+ List of 2006
Okay, I know it is already 2007, and I should be looking forward, but:
At the end of 2005 and 2004 I wrote a list of the Top 10 tech products and have been thinking hard about whether to do one for 2006 or to do something different. The problem is that I've previously limited this list to products I've actually used or own, and had to limit (or pad) my list to ten items.
So here is my slightly different top 5+ list for 2006 (I still may repeat tech gadgets from previous years if they - or their updated versions - still are worthy of mention):
iPod Nano second generation - the 2nd generation improves on the original with a less scratch-prone anodized aluminum finish, brighter screen and double the capacity.
Creative Zen Vision:M - this MP3 Player with video capability outclasses the iPod Video with a 262,144 color screen and support for multiple video formats.
Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable) - there are even more games available now and some of the more recent ones have incredible graphics. Sony also continues to release firmware updates which add more and more features. Also, worldwide sales of the Sony PSP are more than Microsoft's Xbox 360.
Ubuntu Linux - Maybe I'm biased towards a product from a fellow (ex-)South African, but this free Linux distribution from Mark Shuttleworth's company is competing right up there with commercial Linux distributions. Although my main Operating System is Windows XP, I like to have a Linux distribution installed and handy. Right now Ubuntu Linux 6.06 LTS is it.
Mozilla Firefox browser - still my browser of choice. I'm slowly upgrading to version 2.0 (one machine at a time), while Mozilla still releases updates to version 1.5.x. Even with tabbed browsing, Internet Explorer 7 doesn't come close.
Honorable Mentions
Nintendo Wii - the gaming console Sony hoped the Sony Playstation 3 would be. The Wii makes gaming accessible to non-gamers, and is attractive as a second gaming console to gamers.
Giveaway of the Day website - I don't know how long this will still be around for, but it is a great idea. Mainly shareware software, the programs are available for download and free registration for one day. I've found some useful programs there. The catch - the software can only be registered in the 24 hour period, cannot be upgraded and doesn't have technical support.
VMWare Player and Server Even though Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 is now free, VMware still outclasses it with more powerful features
Dishonourable Mention
Motorola RAZR V3 cellphone - popular but flawed - the screen is impossible to read in daylight. If that and a slippery keypad is acceptable this isn't a bad phone.
At the end of 2005 and 2004 I wrote a list of the Top 10 tech products and have been thinking hard about whether to do one for 2006 or to do something different. The problem is that I've previously limited this list to products I've actually used or own, and had to limit (or pad) my list to ten items.
So here is my slightly different top 5+ list for 2006 (I still may repeat tech gadgets from previous years if they - or their updated versions - still are worthy of mention):
iPod Nano second generation - the 2nd generation improves on the original with a less scratch-prone anodized aluminum finish, brighter screen and double the capacity.
Creative Zen Vision:M - this MP3 Player with video capability outclasses the iPod Video with a 262,144 color screen and support for multiple video formats.
Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable) - there are even more games available now and some of the more recent ones have incredible graphics. Sony also continues to release firmware updates which add more and more features. Also, worldwide sales of the Sony PSP are more than Microsoft's Xbox 360.
Ubuntu Linux - Maybe I'm biased towards a product from a fellow (ex-)South African, but this free Linux distribution from Mark Shuttleworth's company is competing right up there with commercial Linux distributions. Although my main Operating System is Windows XP, I like to have a Linux distribution installed and handy. Right now Ubuntu Linux 6.06 LTS is it.
Mozilla Firefox browser - still my browser of choice. I'm slowly upgrading to version 2.0 (one machine at a time), while Mozilla still releases updates to version 1.5.x. Even with tabbed browsing, Internet Explorer 7 doesn't come close.
Honorable Mentions
Nintendo Wii - the gaming console Sony hoped the Sony Playstation 3 would be. The Wii makes gaming accessible to non-gamers, and is attractive as a second gaming console to gamers.
Giveaway of the Day website - I don't know how long this will still be around for, but it is a great idea. Mainly shareware software, the programs are available for download and free registration for one day. I've found some useful programs there. The catch - the software can only be registered in the 24 hour period, cannot be upgraded and doesn't have technical support.
VMWare Player and Server Even though Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 is now free, VMware still outclasses it with more powerful features
Dishonourable Mention
Motorola RAZR V3 cellphone - popular but flawed - the screen is impossible to read in daylight. If that and a slippery keypad is acceptable this isn't a bad phone.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Zen Plus?
I had just about decided that the second generation iPod Nano was the MP3 Player to top my Wish List, when I came across the Creative Zen V Plus. This tiny player is not much larger than a container of tic tac mints (see the first picture on page 3 of this excellent review on epiZENter.com or
alternate picture here)
It is shorter than the iPod Nano by almost an inch, but slightly wider and more than double the thickness. Like the Sandisk Sansa e200 series, the player features an FM tuner and video playback. The player has an excellent user-interface, which is licensed to Apple for their iPods. It is also loaded with useful features like creating multiple playlists on the player, renaming and deleting them. Files can also be deleted on board the player. Creative players are well known for superb sound quality.
There is also a plain Creative Zen V (no Plus) version, which doesn't have an FM tuner or video playback. This costs about $20 to $25 less than the Plus version. At present the Plus comes in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB versions, but an 8GB has been rumored and reported (on mp3newswire) and is even mentioned on the Creative Asian website, but is yet to be seen in the USA.
The Zen V Plus would really be a contender if it had a 8GB version available in the US, as the 4GB is around $180, some $20 cheaper than the 4GB Nano, so an 8GB version would be cheaper and more worthwhile.
alternate picture here)
It is shorter than the iPod Nano by almost an inch, but slightly wider and more than double the thickness. Like the Sandisk Sansa e200 series, the player features an FM tuner and video playback. The player has an excellent user-interface, which is licensed to Apple for their iPods. It is also loaded with useful features like creating multiple playlists on the player, renaming and deleting them. Files can also be deleted on board the player. Creative players are well known for superb sound quality.
There is also a plain Creative Zen V (no Plus) version, which doesn't have an FM tuner or video playback. This costs about $20 to $25 less than the Plus version. At present the Plus comes in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB versions, but an 8GB has been rumored and reported (on mp3newswire) and is even mentioned on the Creative Asian website, but is yet to be seen in the USA.
The Zen V Plus would really be a contender if it had a 8GB version available in the US, as the 4GB is around $180, some $20 cheaper than the 4GB Nano, so an 8GB version would be cheaper and more worthwhile.
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