[Discuss] MP3 Players

[Adam Parkin]

Patrick wrote:
> Oh well.  I've been using old, slow hardware and a dialup
> connection for a while now, so I'm pretty good at saving long
> jobs for when I'll be away from the keyboard anyway.

LOL.  Yeah (maybe this doesn't apply to you), but it's annoying when 
you're about to go for that morning jog and your warmup time is spent 
looking at "Please wait...". =;->

>> well, crappy (although it is a step up in many ways from the iPod 
>> Shuffle I used to use).
> 
> Well, until Lionel's post it still looked pretty good to me.

Oh don't get me wrong, the Shuffle is great for some people (it's 
perfect for my wife for example), but I just like having a display, a 
radio, voice recorder, freedom from having to use special software like 
iTunes (I know there are FOSS alternatives, but it's still special 
software), etc.  I'm actually quite hard to please when it comes to MP3 
players.

> Hmm.  Guess you'd see some delay with any self-indexing player.
> Times probably vary though, depending on the model and how many
> tracks it needs to chew on.

Yeah I think you're right.

>> It's also 
>> remarkably stupid in regards to track ordering (it plays all selected 
>> tracks in alphabetical order, rather than by track #).
> 
> I random-shuffle mine anyway.  A surprise in every box!  :-)

Actually it's funny, I had originally wrote in this message that the RCA 
I have has no shuffle option.  Then while playing around with it to look 
up the model number I discovered it by accident. :p

Before I give the impression that the RCA is total crap, it does have 
some very nice features which I do use and like:

- voice recording - it is surprising how handy this is
- Very nice small LCD screen (can't remember the resolution of it, but 
pictures are actually fairly clear on it for such a small screen).
- decent battery life (although not as good as the iPod Shuffle, but 
this isn't surprising as the RCA has a small LCD screen whereas the 
shuffle had no display)
- great radio reception (although I haven't managed to figure out how to 
save radio stations as presents - which really doesn't matter as I only 
ever listen to 91.3 The Zone).
- Good capacity (2GB), enough for a good amount of MP3's and still have 
some room for documents.
- It also has the ability to playback video on it which is more of a 
"for laughs" than anything else given that the screen is roughly 0.75" 
square. :)  It's good for watching things like the Daily Show where the 
sound is more important than the image.

And BTW I finally looked up the model number for those interested (since 
I've done such a great job of selling it, LOL): RCA MC2602A.

-- 
--
Adam Parkin
E-mail: pzelnip at gmail.com
Blog: http://pzelnip.blogspot.com/
----------------------
A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely
rearranging their prejudices.
	-- William James