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< Esato Forum Index > Sony Ericsson / Sony > General > Walkman phone vs. Apple iPod, a *civilized* discussion Bookmark topic

M3 is on the pc, I don't know if there is a mac version. Sorry
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Posted: 2007-04-06 22:43:23
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Just so you know how open-minded I am

I sold my iPod! I'm now using my W810 for everything. I even stripped out the iPod adapter and holder from my car, and put in the same for my W810.



I still feel the iPod has a slight edge in sound quality, a greater advantage in usability, and is the clear winner in desktop-device integration. However, the W810 can be made to sound better with the right headphones; music and playlist management can be accomplished right on the W810, independently of a computer; and the W810 works universally on any Mac or PC, since over USB it appears as a mounted drive, allowing music drag'n'drop. (And SyncTunes makes iTunes integration bearable.)

2 things I miss from the iPod that would make the app better: (1) an "Albums" menu option at the top level, since I actually listen to my music this way at times; (2) more acceleration when scrolling through music, something the iPod click-wheel does extremely well.

As I said, no device is perfect, with one's weaknesses being the other's strengths. And the door is still open in the future for a Cybershot phone + iPod Nano...

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Posted: 2007-04-10 17:40:20
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I've also discarded dedicated mp3 players for my phone.

Just a few days ago I travelled on 4 hour road journey in someone else's car, using a portable tunecast fm transmitter and my hpm-70, still a very workable combination (though not as convenient as my in-car fm-transmitter and mmc-60 cable). The tunecast transmitter ran for the whole time on two rechargeable AAA batteries.

At the end of the day my phone still had very respectable battery.

I also regularly cycle or use public transport and here it just can't be beaten. There is no way I will go back to carrying an mp3 player AND a phone, it's just too pointless when your phone can play perfectly good music anyway.
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Posted: 2007-04-11 01:41:46
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Er, you listen to music while cycling?


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Posted: 2007-04-11 19:42:10
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sure why not You see I'm not one of those people that can only listen to music if megabass is doing it's best to destroy the speaker cones, so I can still hear what's going on around me.


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Posted: 2007-04-12 01:34:27
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Hey Max, i hope you use open-air type earphones while cycling or walking. Or better yet, use external speakers. You know, minimize the risk!
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Posted: 2007-04-12 07:34:41
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My personal experience (comparing against 80 GB video iPod):

iPod Positives:

* Accessories. Tons and tons and tons of accessories.

* Screen. Amazing, especially on a long flight (where cellphones are banned) you can use the iPod and watch movies. A lot of airlines provide inline power for iPods. I have even heard rumors that airlines are now allowing you to plug your iPods into their entertainment systems

iPod Negatives:

* iTunes. Only freakin' compatible with iTunes. Never liked it, probably never will. Why is it that other media players can work with any software under the sun, but with the ipod, one must use itunes or some other "hack" (ie, if you are running Linux). Also the fact that the music is DRM laced doesn't sit well with me (although I am quite aware of ways around the DRM issue).

* Portability/usability. You cannot use your ipod as a backup device for your music. If you have enough music + movies to fill an 80 GB iPod; you would probably think that should something happen to your computer, you would be able to retrieve those back. Nope. Can't do -- unless you use some other third party "hack". Not true with other players.

* No easy way to share music with others. Have two people with iPods? Can't share the music. Hell, even the Zune can do that.

Phone Positives:

* One device, does it all. Music, movies, phones, contacts, WiFi, etc.

* DRM not so much an issue

* Compatible with most computing devices

* Sharing not a problem (legal issues aside)

Phone Negatives:

* Compromise in music quality (its a phone, after all)

* Storage space

* Screen can be a problem, if you are a movie buff like I am.

* Not always easy to convert files to correct format.

In the end, I use the iPod only when traveling (which is a frequent thing for me), and my phone everyday
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Posted: 2007-04-12 08:09:12
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Tbh, the Ipod looks nice and is in fact a great way to listen to music.

But i do not have an I pod because i think its a waste of money. I have Enough space on my w850 for a lot of music and video's. So i do not need it.

And for the people who have like 80 gigs of mp3 etc that they listen too every day, buy one, use it and have fun. Quality is great and it looks nice.
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Posted: 2007-04-12 10:12:02
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These are very good points which seemed to have been completely overlooked. Lets elaborate.


Portability is better
The whole portable music experience is enhanced by the above features.

With high-speed networks springing up and features like TrackID it doesn't matter where you are you'll nearly always be able to identify and download a tune on impulse. This is a huge plus in my eyes as you're not restricted from enjoying the music you already have stored. Good for online music companies - extra revenue - and good for the end-user and good for artists. You could only achieve this with an iPod if you carried a laptop with you.

Stereo Wireless Bluetooth (A2DP)
You can buy headphones now that are completely wireless - hows that for neat.

This is a huge step forward when you think about it because before this concept, our way of listening to portable music hadn't change since the very first cassette Walkmans, 30 years ago!! Plus with the price of wireless headphones coming down (£17.99 is the cheapest I seen), then this can only become more popular. Will wired headphones soon become old-fashioned?

We can now also stream music to our or anyone elses in-car radios or home music systems.

Sharing music

Swapping tunes with your mates either my memory stick or bluetooth. Simple and fun. Its social and and free. How many things can you say that about!


All in all its a difficult discussion because rather than this being a iPod versus Walkman Phone discussion its more of a debate about lifestyle.

iPod users stack up tunes and then go out for the day to enjoy music, the quality is better and iPods look better.

Walkman Phone only users love the convenience. They probably can't be bothered remembering where they left their ipod when they're late leaving for work/school/college in the morning. Keys, wallet/bag, phone, thats it lets go.

Being able to listen to music on their phone is a huge bonus - they still want to be able to make and receive calls and texts and check BBCNews all on the one device while listening to music or radio on their phone.

Its a lifestyle thing.
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Posted: 2007-04-12 11:14:21
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Interesting to hear how much some people hate the Ipod.

I have a 4th generation 40GB Ipod (no video or pics) but then again I dont need or want that. It houses my entire music collection so is great for holidays, or extended trips away.

I also have the W880i with 1GB, now this is fantastic for running, trips on the train to meet people for nights out, and music on the table when outside in beer gardens.

Ipod for when I'm on holiday sat on a beach or skiing etc when I dont my phone with me. And then the phone for times when I need to be contactable and would like to listen to music.

The Ipod and Walkman phone serve 2 very different functions for me.


Jamo
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Posted: 2007-04-12 12:18:15
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