Rating: 
Summary: Great Player
Review: The Ipod is a great MP3 player. The organization of the files is done on your computer and you can then download the files onto your Ipod. The sound is good, being all digital it never ever skips. I love the shuffle all mode, where your player basically becomes a jukebox and plays thousands of songs in any order, you can also shuffle by artist or album.I did not give it 5 stars because of the battery life. The specs say that it is 8 hours in continuous play but it's not true, the longest mine has lasted is 6 hours. The other problem is that when you download songs on to it, the batteries are used a lot faster and they die after an hour, so if you think that you can just upload all your songs at once, think again, you'll have to do it in 20+ different times. If you use the same volume level option for all the songs, the transfer is quite slow and you can only download about 60 songs in an hour. Otherwise it is a good product, the design is really slick, compact and very light. I wish the base booster was of better quality though. If you have a PC, you'll need to get a cable converter for it to connect to your computer.
Rating:
Summary: Best MP3 player out there (if you're not on a budget)...
Review: I've been listening to MP3's on portable players since the Diamond 32MB. I'm an absolute music junkie and use these players to get me to (and keep me in) the gym everyday. The iPod (of which I've owned 2 previous models) is hands down the best portable on the market. What should be of concern to those in the market for this player are two things: 1. Price to Value: This is a 20GB player, your average song size is somewhere near 3MB at 128kbps playback quality (very good for headphones), that means this little guy can hold somewhere near 7,000 songs!!!! If you have even half that many tracks I'll bet the RIAA is staking your house out right now (look for snipers on your neighbors roof). I have the 10GB player (but i've bought a 20GB and a 40GB for friends) and it's way more than enough for my songs. Also, keep in mind that although the difference isn't huge, there is a noticable weight increase as you go up in GB size. 2. Battery life: You may not be aware of this, but there is some consumer litigation going on between iPod users and Apple. They claim that the battery on the iPod is engineered to die within 1.5 years (and they don't replace). The battery on my 5GB player died before 1 year. When that happened, I took it back to my computer retailer and they gave me full credit towards the purchase of an upgrade. Well, when I went in to buy another player as a gift, turns out that program has been discontinued. I'll bet it's because these things were coming back so much for that reason. There is an interesting article on Popular Science that shows you how to change the battery (not for engineering neophytes or anyone that doesn't want to void the warranty), and even a reference in that article of a service that'll do it for you. So, if you're rich, consider the 20 or 40GB, a year and a half of high quality enjoyment may be enough. If your like most everyone though, consider the much lower priced 5 or 10GB. Once you're an owner, check out the Apple owned iTunes site (this sounds like a commercial but...). They work phenomenal together. I have a PC, if you do to, make sure you buy the PC version. Also, it's much easier if your PC has a Firewire port (kind of like a USB port but wider and shorter). If it doesn't, and you're not computer savvy, you might want to avoid iPod (as painful as that is to say) because you'll have to get a special card for insertion into your computer (not that easy to do). Daily use is great. The keys themselves are heat sensitive, which is cool (no pun..), but can be a pain when you get the song you want, go to put in your pants, and accidently touch a key. Other than that, flawless. Very intuitive buttons, very intuitive menu, and beautiful looks. Well, hope this was helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: iPod #2 - Second Verse, Better than the First
Review: January 2002. My first iPod, the chunky yet funky 5GB model, arrived at my doorstep. One FireWire connection later, and I was set. It was cool, it was new, it worked, and I loved it. Amazon reviewers at the time reported similar experiences. "Eye-catching". "Conversation piece". "Innovative". "The best MP3 player they'd ever seen/heard/had." "Love at first sync". From then on out, I was one of its devotees. Riding the #1 bus in Seattle, walking through Pike Place Market, sitting at my desk at work, or pounding away at my iMac, my iPod was never a headphone cord-length away. If being a Mac + iPod owner was a religious experience, I'd been transformed into a pulpit preacher. Rare enough when a tech purchase works consistently, rarer still when it becomes part of your lifestyle. Flash forward to February 2004. New iPod incarnations and generations have sprung forth. 10GB models, 15GB models, PC compatibility, heck- they even sell these things at Target now. 20GB models, 40GB models. Long story short, the 20GB model has replaced my aging 5GB model. A sleeker design, enhanced functions, a dock, a spiffy remote, and some snazzy backlighting are all welcome additions to the package. It still catches glances, it still begs questions from the uninitiated, it's still part of my lifestyle. Sure it holds much more music- never a bad thing. But the best part: it's still an iPod. They didn't fix what wasn't broken. All the character of the original, and it's only gotten better. Think beer, people have hundreds of preferences. Think ice cream, everyone has their favorite flavor. Think computers, people use Microsoft products on a global scale; they love their Macs. Think MP3 players, there's only one. The iPod.
Rating:
Summary: Best MP3 Player
Review: This has got to be the coolest looking Mp3 player ever, and with the funtionality to match it's cool looks. My only gripe is that it is not compatible with the WMA format, but I will gladly use a converter just to have this player.
Rating:
Summary: STILL UP AND RUNNING
Review: I've had the IPOD for about 2 months now and have not had any problems with it like other ignorant peeps. I love the IPOD. My collection is growing so fast. I'm up to 2600 songs with 12 gigs left to go. If you own an IPOD, you have to get the JBL Creature Speakers. It just makes you appreciate your IPOD even more. I don't understand how anyone would not like this MASTERPIECE. But yet,there are so many unjustified complaints about the IPOD. To complain about not being able to make a playlist without the computer is just nitpicky to me. Then to complain about losing position of what song you were listening to after synching, is just dumb to me... What, You don't know what song you were listening to? Come on now... Yea, the IPOD does not come with a FM transmitter, so what... The sound is not that great with it anyways. Just use the cassette adapter for the car like I do, it works great. Also, Yes the battery life is not the greatest, but I haven't had any problems with it. The backlight is a nice feature, but you shouldn't use it all the time. Of course the battery will run out if you leave backlight on, DUH!! I bought the car charger so i don't have a problem with the battery running low. So if you're in the market for an MP3 player, don't let these minor complaints prevent you from buying the IPOD. You're only missing out if you don't buy it..
Rating:
Summary: Interesting gadget!
Review: Two days ago after I returned my old kind of iPod to CompUSA, I got the new 20GB iPod. It's thinner and lightweight than the old kind. The 4 buttons (play/pause, menu, previous, next) can glow in the dark with the backlight on. But the batteries only lasts 8 hours. After I got the new 20GB iPod, I went home and unpacked it. I installed the iPod software and when I connected my iPod to my computer, all the songs in the iTunes is put in my iPod. This I browse the artist by boy/girl, that means I will have 2 groups of artists. This will be my way of grouping the artists. On my old iPod, I browse by the artists by highlighting Browse and select Artist on the browse menu. The dock is really nice, and I will buy the double-sided tape to mount the dock on the table. The new functions on the iPod is the alarm clock, view your notes, and play the music quiz game on the iPod. I don't use the alarm clock often on my iPod is because I use my cell phone as a alarm clock. When I listen to a song, I could see the lyrics while listening to the current music, because this iPod can store notes on it.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but could be better
Review: By now we all know what the iPod is and what it does - but just in case you don't, it's a device similar to what the walkman was 20 years ago that plays music from an internal hard drive instead of a cassette tape. You can currently get an iPod in 3 different sizes, 15, 20, or 40 gigabyte hard drives (not including the new mini iPod which holds 4 gigs). It will play several different file formats, not just mp3s. You can play full quality (16-bit) wav or AIFF files, as well as AAC or Audible files. The unit can also be used as a standalone hard drive. This is all controlled from a simple touch-sensitive interface that allows you to scroll through your songs in a very organized way - either by song name, artist name, album name, or according to your own playlists. You will control the songs uploaded into the iPod from a computer, either a Mac or a PC, and Apple limits you in your ability to upload a song from an iPod onto someone else's computer (i.e. it knows which computer is yours). This is to prevent illegal file sharing. It works well in general, and will hold thousands of songs. The exact number it will hold depends upon the quality of the files you import into it. I have the 15 GB model, and I mostly use full quality AIFFs or the highest quality MP3s and I've barely gone over halfway. By the time I fill the thing up, I'm sure they'll have something else for me to buy. There. Now that's out of the way I can get on with the opinion side of things. It's an overall great product that has helped revolutionize the way we listen to music, some of it good, some bad. Most of my complaints about the iPod center around its lack of features, rather than current features that don't function properly. The unit seems to offer very little compared with the technology that's available today. Why isn't the screen in color? Why doesn't it offer more PDA-like features? These are incredibly inexpensive features to install and would make it a far more valuable piece of equipment. Why doesn't it communicate wirelessly with Airport systems? Why isn't there an easier way to manage playlists from within the iPod itself, not just from a computer? Why isn't there a touch screen/stylus interface for even easier, less cumbersome usage? With all the technology coming to life today, the iPod seems to be remarkably less than what it could be. I also find the problem of non-sharing between computers to be annoying. While I appreciate and agree that such elements should be controlled, cars still drive over 70 miles per hour - we leave it to the consumer to decide not to speed and break the law. Apple shouldn't decide for us. I'm a songwriter and I store song ideas in my iPod to take to writing sessions. The problem? When I want to leave a copy with a co-writer for him to work on, I can't because the iPod won't let me transfer a song to a computer that isn't mine. Here is a completely legal transaction being blocked by Apple's stringency. It can be very annoying. I'm looking forward to what Apple does in the future with this device. Hopefully they'll make it more functional, incorporating the current and inexpensive technology available right now.
Rating:
Summary: Great Product
Review: This player is so sweet. Beautiful design, intuitive interface, great interaction with iTunes on the computer. It has changed my life in the way I deal with music. Once in a while you are given the chance to own the Best Product Of Its Kind at present in the world. This is one of those times. Other players are cheaper but they are not the best. It is worth it to me to pay just a little bit more and be able to be happy that I have the best. Especially when it is a product that I use every day like this one. To the reviewer that was trying to reboot his ipod by sliding the hold button back and forth. This is not normally something you have to do but if you do, all you have to do is press and hold the menu and play buttons simultaneously when the device is paused. You really should read the very short and simple manual before you complain.
Rating:
Summary: Being careful
Review: I had looked at Ipods for a long time and decided to finally get one. I bought one and when I opened it, I noticed it was only set for firewire. Therefore, I immediately had to go out and spend money on a firewire card to use it. If they would have told me this before hand, I could have bought it before. Otherwise the product is a very nice MP3 player and if you need an MP3 player and Palm Pilot, I would suggest getting this.
Rating: 
Summary: Piece o'crap
Review: Can I give this zero stars? This thing is garbage. It crashes all the time. Apple thinks they're so freakin' clever and give us this stupid gadget and no on/off switch. Supposedly, you just hold play to shut it off. Fat lot of good that does, because the cheap piece of $h!t will drain anyway and then freeze again. For another oh-so-clever interface, try and find a reboot button. Oh, you have to slide the hold button back and forth. Well, I've done this about 2500 times and it STILL doesn't work. This is the most poorly made consumer product I have ever had the misfortune of buying. Get anything else. Even humming or whistling a tune is more reliable than this crash-happy paperweight. STAY AWAY, FAR FAR AWAY!!!! Oh, and for that arrogant Apple user who told Windows users to quit complaining and buy a MAC, he needs to get a grip. Apple understands that they're not gonna stay afloat on their tiny piece of driftwood if they have to rely on the 12 or so people in the world who are Mac-Owners as their sole source of business. So they suckered us in with an inferior product that they promise is compatible. Just go away, Apple, and take your cheap a$$ toy products with you.
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