----- My Pod Buddy -----

It’s only fitting I review my Ipod here since I purchased it partially with my Epinions credits. After seeing the Ipod up close I finally decided I needed (needed? I guess desired is a better term) to have one of my own. Since I didn’t feel like paying full retail price at my local Apple store, I decided to buy a used model on Ebay. The next choice was what size to get. You can find used full-size Ipods in many storage sizes, the most popular are 10gb, 15gb, 20gb, and 30gb. The all-new Ipod Mini is only available with 4gb storage. The largest Ipod available is currently 40gb, which will hold 10,000 songs. Since I didn’t need anywhere near that much storage, I decided to go with the 20gb model.

After shopping around for a bit, I found my 3rd generation 20GB for $300 including shipping. My Ipod was unscratched and in perfect condition. The original owner also included one Iskin and a Griffin Technologies Itrip, which are worth about $45. Inside the cleverly designed box I found the Ipod unit, firewire music transfer/charging cable, power pack, two carrying cases, desktop dock for stationary charging, and Apple earbud headphones.

----- Using the Ipod -----

As I turned the unit on for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised by the clarity of the screen. I didn’t know what to expect, but the display made text easy to read even at indirect angles. The contrast is adjustable for your personal preference, and a very bright backlight is available at the push of a button. The largest control is the round jog-dial in the lower center of the unit. This doesn’t actually spin like older Ipods, which means there are fewer moving parts to break. It senses your finger pressure and all you have to do is lightly brush your hand clockwise to scroll up and counterclockwise to scroll down. This is also the volume controller and FF/RW control. The four main buttons on the faceplate are Menu, Play/Pause, Track Backwards and Track Forwards. To turn the unit off just hold down the Play button for about 4 seconds. To enable the backlight for a short period of time press the Menu button for about 4 sec. On top of the Ipod is a little slider switch that activates the keylock function. When this is enabled you won’t be able to change volume or select any buttons, but it works great for dropping in your pocket while exercising.. Otherwise you’ll end up jumping tracks and turning the unit on and off randomly.

Transferring songs from my Apple Powerbook to the Ipod couldn’t be any easier thanks to Apple’s excellent Itunes program. After the Ipod is plugged in using either the firewire cable or dock, a notice pops up on your desktop and lets you know a new device has been connected. It then asks if you’d like to replace the files currently on the Ipod with your music library. If you say yes, all music files are deleted and you whole Itunes library (including playlists) is copied to the Ipod.

NOTE: No matter what computer you plug your Ipod into, you can’t copy songs from one library of music to another. If your Ipod has songs from your laptop and you plug it into your desktop, you have to erase your laptop songs to load the songs from your desktop library. This is Apple’s way of preventing the massive amount of piracy that would occur if you could copy 5,000 songs with a mouse click. Of course there are programs out there such as Ipod Decloak which allow you to do the aforementioned file sharing. The obvious disclaimer to these software programs is that you can ONLY use them to move music between computers you own personally… nudge-nudge wink-wink.

After your library is already loaded on the Ipod, subsequent docking sessions only charge the battery. If your Ipod is either docked or plugged into a cable and Itunes is started, the software will sync your Ipod with your Itunes library. All new songs added to Itunes and any modified or new playlists will be copied in a mirror image on your Ipod. If you don’t have enough room to copy all the songs, a warning message will pop up and let you know.

Battery Life is not as good as advertised, especially if the screen backlighting is on. If you just use headphones, leave the volume about 70%, and turn the keylock on, you’ll get about 6 hours of use. I have an accessory called the I-trip which allows me to broadcast whatever the Ipod is playing on any FM signal. It has a very short range, but works well enough that I use it quite a bit. With the I-Trip activated my battery life drops to 4-5 hours. Overall this isn’t a problem for me, since I can charge my unit almost anywhere. I have my dock charging station hooked up to my desktop, my charging cable goes in my laptop bag, and I have a 12V DC charger in my SUV. If you’re going to be out running or walking for more than 5 hours, I commend you… but it’s unlikely you’ll have that problem very often.

The included Apple earbuds are somewhat comfortable, but I’ve always had trouble with my ears becoming sore after repeated use. I can only stand about 2 hours with the Apple earbuds, then I need to pop them out for awhile. Sound quality is good, but as expected bass is almost nonexistent. Treble quality is great, and vocals come through crisp and clear. The only real trouble is a tendency to distort and higher volumes and poor bass quality. I’m currently using a set of $10 Sony Sports behind-the-ear earbuds which have slightly better bass quality and are much more comfortable. I can get about 4 hours of listening out of them before my ears become sore, which is a definite improvement over the Apple ‘buds. There is currently a new version of Apple’s earbuds which retail for around $50. I haven’t tried them myself, but I’m sure the sound quality has been improved. I would definitely recommend high quality full-size headphones for maximum listening quality, but when using the Ipod primarily for sports (like I do), you’ll want the smallest headphones possible.

----- I Tunes -----

Ah yes, the 2nd biggest reason to get an Ipod is the incredible online I Tunes library. While other folks are still downloading music illegally and hoping not to get caught, I’m happily finding every single song I want with the online I Tunes database. Since I don’t want to have a million $0.99 charges on my credit card, I just go to Target and buy an I Tunes gift card. Target stores are official Ipod supporters, and carry not only the Ipod units but also chargers, accessories, and gift cards. I Tunes gift cards are available in $15 increments, and you simply enter the code on the back to credit your account with $15. This allows you to buy 15 songs, or if you buy a whole album you can even get a better deal. Usually in a 14-song album, you’ll save about $3.00. I’ve purchased about 50 songs so far, and it’s been a great way to get those elusive singles without forking out cash to buy the whole album.

If your computer crashes, your purchases are safe. Simply log into I Tunes online and sync your computer with your purchase record. Any songs not in your library are instantly downloaded. You can also use songs purchased on I Tunes on up to three different computers. You also can obviously make hard copies on CDs to play in the car, or just use your Ipod. Weekly newsletters highlight upcoming releases and new talent,
and a free song-of-the-week is available for download.

----- Backup Capabilities -----

The other great thing you can use an Ipod for is to backup crucial data. When I reinstalled Apple OSX 10.3 I used my Ipod as a hard drive. I moved all my pictures and Excell sheets there, also my Word docs and other files I wanted to recover. Once the install was done, I simply moved them back to my hard drive! A great tool and guaranteed peace of mind.

----- Bottom Line -----

In my opinion, the Ipod is more than just a gadget, it’s just as useful as a PDA or other electronic data manager. The contacts book is useful to keep track of your contacts when on the road, especially since you can sync it with your desktop. Email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, and other info all in the palm of your hand. You can use your Ipod as a digital voice recorder with the purchase of Apple's microphone kit. Buying the photo card reader allows you to import photos directly from several common digital camera formats into your Ipod. This allows you to dump photos while out on the road and frees your memory to take more pictures.

As a portable music player, the combination of subtle good looks, excellent control design, and large storage space make the 20GB Ipod a great choice. I currently have about 2,200 songs on my Ipod, which leaves room for about 2,800 more. I have a feeling I won’t need to upgrade anytime soon. If you need a portable MP3 solution and don’t mind paying a bit more than the competition, you can’t go wrong with the Apple Ipod.


Related links:

Apple iPod Photo 40GB
iSkin EVO for 3rd Generation iPods
Belkin iPod Auto Kit DC Charger
Belkin Cassette Adapter
Griffin Technology iTrip FM Transmitter
Apple Powerbook G4 17"

Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!
Openroad


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 300
Recommended for: Athletes - Lightweight and Portable, Perfect for the Gym