iPod or portable HD - some questions

[eric]

note: origianlly posted in this thread, but i don't think it's going to get the answers there

i may have to break down and get an ipod (a HD model, not flash).
so, as a perpetual die-hard non-ipod user who's prefered sandisk and creative products, i've got a few questions...

mainly what i want to do is have a portable hard drive full of music that i can play at home or at work. i want it in simple folder format (in genres, not albums) so i can just drag whatever i want to the media player of choice, and browse the ipod as if it were just any other HD.

as i understand from this thread, if i use the HD mode of an ipod i should have no issues just going back and forth between my work pc and my mac at home, right?

if i do this, if i can do this, will it be just as easy to use for use when not connected to a mac or pc? i mean, if i don't use itunes, will the ipod still just find any mp3 files anywhere on it and make them as easy to access as if i were using itunes?

maybe i'd just be better off (and get more space for the buck) going with a simple 2.5" 80-100Gb HD in an enclosure. but then i'd lose the ability to play "on the road."

 

[thermidor]

If you're a non-iPod user, why do you "prefer" Creative? I've had both and the Creatives aren't bad products but for me it's decaff vs espresso.

However, in this example I'm not actually sure the iPod will be best for you. You're going to be paying a premium for the iPod but not using the features. I have to say I'm not convinced your iPod will play files that are stored outside iTunes (ie in the hdd "bit") but somebody else will probably have tried it, or know a workaround.

IMHO Apple products are best used as Apple intended; you could do what you say but it's a bit like spending a lot of money on a thoroughbred racehorse then using it to haul a dray. You can mould it to your will but it's never gonna be very happy about it.

How about looking for an MP3 player which will take USB pen drives - ie just a header unit with no storage - and then plugging an external hard drive into it? Best of both worlds, although you need to have some way of powering it on the road.

 

[thermidor]

Another thought: are you aware of this article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61675

I'm a big iTunes fan so if I wanted to do this, I'd be looking at using iTunes anyway.

 

[eric]

well, i want to have external storage available to two computers. having the unit play all on it's own is a bonus.

i also don't want to load itunes on my work computer. i want to use WMP, and just access the HD as i do any other folders on the computer. i may also just use the ipod itself (while charging via usb, if that's possible without itunes on the computer) with external speakers or headphones attached directly to the ipod.

the article hints at this, but i'm not convinced.

i guess i could just manage the library off my macbook and not have it at all at work and then just use the music external to the computer. i'd just need to dedicate a lot of space on my HD to the library.
if i did this, will an ipod charge on a computer that does not have itunes (but does have usb 2.0)?



oh, and the preference? every creative and sandisk player i've had has had an FM tuner and FM/voice recorder. these are pretty important features to me, but since i already have a sandisk player, i can use that if i want to listen to the radio while out and about. and when i'm on the computer i can access my two favorte stations online.

 

[gilesjuk]

You can pick up an PATA 120GB 2.5 inch drive for £50 or so, an enclosure for £10-20. That's a nice cheap expandable external hard disk which requires no drivers.

Of course if you want to play music without a PC you get an MP3 player.

 

[NanoBite]

note: origianlly posted in this thread, but i don't think it's going to get the answers there

i may have to break down and get an ipod (a HD model, not flash).
so, as a perpetual die-hard non-ipod user who's prefered sandisk and creative products, i've got a few questions...

mainly what i want to do is have a portable hard drive full of music that i can play at home or at work. i want it in simple folder format (in genres, not albums) so i can just drag whatever i want to the media player of choice, and browse the ipod as if it were just any other HD.

as i understand from this thread, if i use the HD mode of an ipod i should have no issues just going back and forth between my work pc and my mac at home, right?

if i do this, if i can do this, will it be just as easy to use for use when not connected to a mac or pc? i mean, if i don't use itunes, will the ipod still just find any mp3 files anywhere on it and make them as easy to access as if i were using itunes?

maybe i'd just be better off (and get more space for the buck) going with a simple 2.5" 80-100Gb HD in an enclosure. but then i'd lose the ability to play "on the road."

Does this link offer any insight to your question?

 

[eric]

You can pick up an PATA 120GB 2.5 inch drive for £50 or so, an enclosure for £10-20. That's a nice cheap expandable external hard disk which requires no drivers.

Of course if you want to play music without a PC you get an MP3 player.

yeah, uh... i said that in the first post. i know those are my options, i was asking a few specific thing about the ipod.


pulse... wow! that's a little complex.