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XPlay

XPlay

List Price: $29.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The original solution for old iPod on Windows 98SE
Review: Note: The new iPod has both Mac and Windows support.

I like XPlay. It does what it says and it does it well. You can even use it to update the firmware on your iPod -- just like you can with a Mac. The only thing it's missing is an MP3 encoder to rip CDs directly. You'll need separate ripping software.

But that's a small inconvenience when you consider XPlay takes something that is Mac-only and makes it work seamlessly with your PC.

Pros:
Makes the old Mac-only iPod work with FireWire enabled Win98 and WinME PCs
A good plug-n-play solution for iPod and Windows
You can use your iPod with a Mac, too!
Allows you to manage music collections
Edits ID3 tags
Creates playlists

Cons:
No CD ripper to make MP3s
You need FireWire (IEEE 1394, iLink) on your PC (you may need to buy a FireWire card or a 4-6 pin adapter cable)
Apple has released iTunes for Win2K and WinXP as a free download
The new iPod has both Mac and Windows support built in

The bottom line is you can download iTunes for Win2K and WinXP for free. But, if you have a Windows 98 or ME PC, XPlay is a good solution that is much less expensive than a new Windows license.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: great product
Review: this is a great product if you accidentally bought an ipod for mac and want to make it work with windows, or if you just are at a friend's house and want to make your ipod work with his windows machine.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nice, but not if you have 20Gb
Review: This is a great product which not only allows you to use a Mac-version iPod on a PC, but its very friendly Explorer-like interface is great for Windows-version iPods as well. I've been using XPlay since its beta versions, and its interface is simply brilliant.

One MAJOR caveat: it is EXTREMELY S-L-O-W with the 20Gb iPod. IF YOU HAVE A 20GB IPOD, DO NOT BUY THIS!!! Check ... & wait until an update is released to fix this MAJOR speed problem. Slow = many minutes instead of seconds to sync tracks. If you have a 10 or 5Gb model, XPlay is highly recommended, however. If you have a 20Gb, check out ephpod instead.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I love it!
Review: XPlay works flawlessly on my computer. File transfers are quick and reliable, and it allows you to back up files as well as transfer MP3's. It automatically syncs with MP3's on your computer, which makes transfer a breeze - you just plug it in, let the files transfer, then unplug it, and you're done. There's also a dedicated support team who will help you if you run into problems. PC + iPod + XPlay = the perfect combination!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Quality product by a dedicated group of developers
Review: [UPDATED 3/17/03]

If you doubted XPlay before, you should take a second look. Mediafour just released v1.1 and it's vastly improved over v1.0. Lots of new features, and the performance increases alone significant!

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I've been following XPlay since before their first "preview" release. Once Apple announced the new iPods in July, I knew it was time. I thought I should wait for the PC version to ensure a smooth operation between this expensive device and my PC, but I also wanted to be able to use my iPod on a Mac should I buy one in the future.

So I finally settled on the new 10gb Mac version of the iPod, and a copy of XPlay. So far it's fantastic. It was easy to setup and the interface is clean and efficient. I had no trouble copy nearly a thousand mp3's to my iPod at a fast pace. I look forward to future updates and the continued dedicated support of the MediaFour developers. Their forums are most helpful to their users. I would recommend this software to anyone with a PC and an iPod.

Enjoy!


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