Ipod Cord

Is it true the ipod video (fifth gen ipod) will hold a charge for up to 20 hours? Let’s see!

First of all the legal fine print on Apple’s iPod page explicitly refers to the 60 Gb iPod Video only being able to play (hold a charge in the battery) up to 20 hours. I would bet with all of its legal woes on the horizon this claim from Apple that the “new iPod boasts up to 20 hours of battery life, five hours more than before” is legally valid in a controlled test environment.

But consumers don’t live in a controlled test environment, which is why I would not be surprised if your new ipod video (fifth gen ipod) will NOT hold a charge for 20 hours.

The legal keyword here is “up to”. So even if the battery lasts an hour Apple is legally covered!

On the new 5th Generation iPod battery performance has to now be measured with: music playback, photo playback, and video playback (on iPod screen or through a TV).

Apple claims that the new 30GB iPod will play music for 14 hours, photo and music slideshows for 3 hours, and iPod on-screen video for 2 hours. In a iLounge test they found that the new iPod Video played music for 15 hours and 30 minutes, photo slideshows for 2 hours and 32 minutes, on-iPod video for 2 hours and 10 minutes, and iPod-to-TV video for 3 hours and 10 minutes.

Apple also claims that the new 60GB iPod will play music for 20 hours, photo and music slideshows for 4 hours, and video for 3 hours. Again in In a iLounge test they found that the new iPod Video played music for 19 hours, 50 minutes, but exceeded Apple’s photo and video claims, playing a music photo slideshow for 4 hours, 47 minutes, iPod-screen video for 3 hours, 23 minutes, and on-TV video for a hefty 5 hours and 24 minutes.

But everyone may experience slightly different battery life play times. For example here is a situation from a user quoted from the Apple fourms:

“It is clear that when you use the click wheel a lot, you assume that your battery life gets smaller quickly. I had a problem with my ipod 5G 30Gb battery life : Firstly, I charged it (as soon as i received it) until the plug icon appeared on the screen (1h 30mn) . Then I listened music ’til it was fully discharged. The battery life was approximately 8hrs. Then, this battery life decreased to 5hrs last day. I called Applecare ; the guy told me to restore my ipod, then to let it discharge fully, and to refill it for 4 hrs even if the plug icon appear on the ipod screen. After that, I synchronized ipod to itunes and let it play allnight long to see the battery life now. It played music with default settings during 15hrs ’til it shut down. These are the Apple specifications for that ipod. My problem wasn’t the battery, but the battery life calibration, which has not been done as it should.”

The reality is all batteries including batteries designed specifically for iPods (regardless of generation) have a certain amount of capacity and once the full amount of the capacity has been used then your battery will stop working. This is the normal function of battery designs.

In fact consider this taken from Apple iPod Warranty Care: “Your one year warranty includes replacement coverage for a defective battery. You can extend your coverage to two years with AppleCare Protection Plan. During the second year, Apple will replace the battery if it drops below 50% of its original capacity. If it is out of warranty, Apple offers a battery replacement for $59, plus $6.95 shipping. Apple disposes your battery in an environmentally-friendly manner.” So basically Apple is correctly telling you that your battery will die with time and use. No questions about that; and that Apple is telling you that your battery replacement plan will cost you a total of $59, plus $6.95 shipping. Folks: Before you pay that amount go to BatteryShip.com and replace your battery for far less!

The admittance by Apple that your ipod battery will dies is based on real limitations of the battery’s internal design.

Before I discuss the limitations of the battery’s internal design there are external limitations that reduce the playtime of your iPod Video - personal usage. Yes running your iPod Video, even under normal usage, will reduce your iPod Video’s playtime. Personal usage has way too many variables to describe here but in short - the way you use your iPod will determine, in part, how long your iPod battery will last.

Now on to the techincal internal battery design limitations…

Battery Capacity

The more the better (and more expensive), however there are a number technical limiations that force the iPod Video battery to cap off at where it is at.

A key requirement to know is the necessary battery capacity and runtime. This will define the overall physical size of the battery. Apple chose to ignore this rule and due to its desire to make the iPod as small as possible forced battery manufacturers to comply to the physical space limitations first instead of the runtime specifications. It traded capacity for space.

Capacity and runtime is measured in Amperes. Amps - or A - is an abbreviation of Ampere, a 19th century French scientist who was a pioneer in electricity research. Amps measure the volume of electrons passing through a wire in a one second. The electrical current is measured in amperes, where 1 ampere is the flow of 62,000,000,000,000,000,000 electrons per second!

Amp hours - or Ah - measures capacity. Amp hours is what is ultimately important to consumers as it is the capacity or amp hours that tells us how long we can expect a battery to deliver a charge before it runs out. As with all metric measurements, Amps can be divided into smaller (or larger) units by adding a prefix, in this case by adding an “m” to the amp hour we are renaming the amp hour to milli amp hour: mAh; (1Ah = 1000 mAh).

In addition when we consider the design capacity we must determine the chemical needed to insure that the necessary runtime will be met. Lithium is used because of its electrochemical properties. Lithium is part of the alkali family of metals a group of highly reactive metals. Li reacts steadily with water. In addition the per unit volume of lithium packs the greatest energy density and weight available for this grouping of reactive metals.

iPod batteries that have a chemistry design of either lithium ion or lithium polymer will over time regardless of usage will experience power loss to the point of non-functioning. In fact contained within your ipod battery is a design and chemistry make-up that impacts your battery life far more than your usage activity and there is no amount of conditioning you can do to prevent the ultimate power loss of your ipod battery.

Here is another situation from a user quoted from the Apple fourms:

“Recently, my iPod battery didnt seem to be lasting anywheres near 18 hours, so I tested it, and after about 4 hours the meter was still 3/4 of the way full, so i did the math and figure it was fine. My question is though, is it normal for the iPod to loose quite a bit of battery power without turning it on, because i lost about 1/8 of the life without using it for the past two days.”

The reason why this occurred is due to elevated self-discharge as we will see below but let’s first continue on our discussion.

We know that batteries are rated by their voltage, their mAh, and of course the chemicals contained within. These three technical facts about your battery give some insight into the actual life of (energy stored within) your battery. But the length of time an ipod battery can operate is not linear to the amount of energy stored in the battery.

In fact their are four ongoing problems with your ipod battery that affects performance and the extended battery life of your ipod. They are: declining capacity, increasing internal resistance, elevated self-discharge, and premature voltage cut-off on discharge.

These are more complex issues that are beyond user control and are wholly contained within your ipod battery and within your ipod itself! As we will see these issues (declining capacity, increasing internal resistance, elevated self-discharge, and premature voltage cut-off on discharge) do more to cause iPod Battery Degradation and iPod Power Loss than your typical iPod owner could ever do.

Declining Capacity

Declining capacity is when the amount of charge a battery can hold gradually decreases due to usage, aging, and with some chemistry, lack of maintenance. iPod batteries are specified to deliver about 100 percent capacity when new but after usage and aging and lack of conditioning a pda battery’s capacity will drop. This is normal. If you are using an ipod battery (or any lithium-ion or lithium-polymer battery) when your battery’s capacity reaches 60% to 70% the pda battery will need to be replaced. Standard industry practice will warranty a battery above 80%. Below 80% typically means you have used the practical life of a battery. Thus the threshold by which a battery can be returned under warranty is typically 80%.

Loss of Charge Acceptance

The loss of charge acceptance of the Li ion/polymer batteries is due to cell oxidation. Cell oxidation is when the cells of the battery lose their electrons. This is a normal process of the battery charge creation process. In fact every time you use your ipod battery a loss of charge acceptance occurs (the charge loss allows your battery to power your ipod). Capacity loss is permanent. Li ion/polymer batteries cannot be restored with cycling or any other external means. The capacity loss is permanent because the metals used in the cells run for a specific time only and are being consumed during their service life.

Internal Resistance

Internal resistance, known as impedance, determines the performance and runtime of a battery. It is a measure of opposition to a sinusoidal electric current. A high internal resistance curtails the flow of energy from the battery to a pda device. The aging of the battery cells contributes, primarily, to the increase in resistance, not usage. Expect a typical life span of a Li ion/polymer battery to be one to three years, whether it is used or not. The internal resistance of the Li ion batteries cannot be improved with cycling (recharging). Cell oxidation, which causes high resistance, is non-reversible and is the ultimate cause of battery failure (energy may still be present in the battery, but it can no longer be delivered due to poor conductivity).

Elevated Self-Discharge

All batteries have an inherent self-discharge. The self-discharge on nickel-based batteries is 10 to 15 percent of its capacity in the first 24 hours after charge, followed by 10 to 15 percent every month thereafter. Li ion battery’s self-discharges about five percent in the first 24 hours and one to two percent thereafter. At higher temperatures, the self-discharge on all battery chemistries increases. The self-discharge of a battery increases with age and usage. Once a battery exhibits high self-discharge, little can be done to reverse the effect.

Premature Voltage Cut-Off

Some iPods do not fully utilize the low-end voltage spectrum of an ipod battery. The ipod device itself cuts off before the designated end-of-discharge voltage is reached and battery power remains unused. For example, a ipod that is powered with a single-cell Li ion battery and is designed to cut-off at 3.7V may actually cut-off at 3.3V. Obviously the full potential of the battery and the device is lost (not utilized). Why? It could be something with elevated internal resistance and iPod operations at warm ambient temperatures. iPods that load the battery with current bursts are more receptive to premature voltage cut-off than analog equipment. High cut-off voltage is mostly equipment related, not battery.

So to sum up will your iPod Video play up to 20 hours - yes. Will it play for 20 hours straight - more than likely - no. So what do you do - accept it or don’t buy the iPod.

About the Author:

Dan Hagopian of Batteryship.com authored this article. http://www.Batteryship.com offers PDA Battery Replacement Kits with tools and instructions for iPod battery, iPAQ battery, Clie battery, Palm Battery, Axim battery, Treos, and Blackberries

Popularity: 96% [?]

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

The iPod Ice Link Plus adapter comes in 4 available designs:

1) Dock Cable: Ideal for a quick, easy and flexible installation in any car’s glove box. Simply route the cable from the back of your radio to the inside of your glove box. This hides the wire and results in a secure and integrated docking station for your iPod. While connected to the Dock Cable, your iPod keeps charging ensuring you have full battery capacity (ready to play) when you leave your car.

2) Active Cradle: This mounts and integrates with your dash giving you safe and convenient access to your iPod. Furthermore, it can be released in seconds for optimum security. While in the Active Cradle your iPod keeps charging ensuring it remains fully charged.

3) FM Modulator: As No.2 above you get all the benefits of the Active Cradle but operation is via the actual iPod controls as opposed to the using your radio and steering controls (where fitted) as in options 1 and 2 above. The FM Modulator is 100% Legal in the UK and not to be confused with inferior illegal FM transmitters.

4) Auxiliary: As No.2 above, you get all the benefits of the Active Cradle. However, operation is via the actual iPod controls as opposed to using your radio and steering controls (where fitted) as in option 1 and 2 above.

Option 3 is ideal if:

1) If you can’t find an available Ice Link Plus adapter in the Aftermarket & Factory iPod options.
2) Your changer port is being used by another device (such as a CD Changer).
3) Your radio does not have CD changer controls.
4) You are driving a leased car or classic.

About the Author:

Do yourself a favor, then. Get your iPod Ice Link Plus Adapter here.

If you want to read more visit this site: car-audio-products-and-accessories.com and read more on ipod car integration kits.

Chimezirim Odimba writes for CarAudioPlus.

Popularity: 100% [?]

The new Apple iPod nano V3 is a mid-range iPod portable media player introduced by Apple Inc. on September 7, 2005. It comes with combined features of both the iPod shuffle and iPod classic. Came out mainly with an intention of replacing the iPod mini, the ipod has attractive features and characteristics that are really stunning and mind-blowing. It took around nine months for Apple to complete the design of the nano v3. The Apple iPod nano V3 comes with flash memory but has a miniaturized version of the color screen and click wheel that existed on the iPod classic. The battery and other internal parts are also much smaller than mini.

The iPod nano V3 works with iTunes on Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows. It is capable of connecting through the same proprietary dock connector as the third-generation iPod, the fourth-generation iPod, and the iPod mini, with the help of a USB 2.0 port on the user’s computer. Although it uses the same connection as Apple’s FireWire iPod Cable and it can also charge its battery over FireWire, the iPod nano does not support synchronizing over a FireWire connection. The nano V3 has attractive features including a stop watch and a multiple time zone clock function. It also has a combination lock feature that makes use of the click wheel for locking the iPod, and serving to secure the user’s calendar and contact information. This is also the first iPod that includes a new lyrics screen, modifiable using iTunes.

The Apple iPod nano V3 does not synchronize or connect over FireWire. It comes with a size of 1.6 in (40 mm) wide, 3.5 in (90 mm) long, 0.27 in (6.9 mm) thick and weighing1.5 ounces (42 grams) making it too small and comfortable to hold in hand. This model has a battery life is up to 14 hours.

About the Author:

Apple iPod Nano V3 Black

Alice Erin is an Expert Author. He has written good quality articles on Apple iPod Nano V3 Green Have a look at Mobile Phones with iPod 160GB

Popularity: 98% [?]

Software

iPod Capabilities include playing:

1. MP3 audio file formats.

2. WAV audio file formats.

3.M4A / AAC LC audio file formats.

4. Protected AAC audio file formats.

5. AIFF audio file formats.

6. Audible audiobook audio file formats and

7. Apple Lossless audio file formats.

iPod capabilities of the 5th generation version plays .m4v and .mp4 MPEG-4 video file formats.

Microsoft Windows version of iTunes can transcode regular non copy-protected WMA files to an iPod supported format. WMA files with copy protection cannot be played in iTunes or be copied to an iPod.

What I do not like about the iPod is the inability to play some other formats, in particular the Ogg Vorbis and FLAC formats. MIDI files cannot be played on iPods as well, but can be converted into a compatible audio file format by choosing the “advanced” menu on iTunes.

Apple has designed the iPod to work with the iTunes media library software, which lets you manage your music libraries on your computer and on your iPod. iTunes can automatically synchronize your iPod with specific playlists or with the entire contents of a music library each time you connect your iPod to a host computer.

You can also set a rating (out of 5 stars) on any song, and can synchronize that information to an iTunes music library. iTunes lacks the ability to transfer songs from iPod to computer because of legality issues.

However, several third-party programs exist that provide music synchronization facilities similar to iTunes, but also offer the ability to copy music from iPod back to your host computer. Notable examples include vPod and the Ml iPod plugin for Winamp.

iTunes Music Store

The iTunes Music Store (iTMS) is an online music store run by Apple and accessed via iTunes. It was introduced on 28 April, 2003 and sells individual songs relatively easily and cheaply (e.g. 0.99 USD, 0.99 Euro, 0.79 GBP).

iPod’s are the only portable music player that can play the purchased music, and this exclusiveness has

helped the store become the dominant online music service.

The purchased audio files use the AAC format with added encryption. The encryption is based on FairPlay Digital Rights Management (DRM) system. Up to five authorized computers and an unlimited amount of iPods can play the files.

Burning the files onto an audio CD removes the Digital Rights Management (DRM), at a cost of reduced quality when re-compressed from one lossy format to another.

iPods cannot play music files encrypted with other rival Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies,

such as Microsoft’s protected WMA or RealNetworks’ Helix-DRM.

Hardware

iPod capabilities was to connect it to a user’s computer to update songs and recharge its battery solely through FireWire originally. It could also be charged by connecting it to a small power adapter which are shipped for free with several of the first generation iPod’s.

The now standard dock connector was not added until the 3rd generation in April 2003, allowing users

the option of using FireWire or USB to make data transfers, although the device could still not be charged by USB and the USB cable was not included.

Most PC’s don’t have FireWire ports so this move effectively opened the Windows market to iPod, although USB only Windows users had to keep their FireWire cables to plug into the wall adapter.

The dock connector also made it possible to transfer data, sound, and power back and forth to iPod accesories, which created an explosive market of devices that has been extremely profitable for third parties such as Belkin and Griffin. The resulting myriad of connecting devices is still one of iPod’s greatest strengths over its competititors.

iPod capabilities of the 4th generation version could be charged with USB, and eventually Apple started shipping iPods with USB cables instead of one’s with FireWire. Many Macs shipped before 2004 had only USB 1.1, which has a transfer speed of 11 Mbit/s, as opposed to FireWire’s 400 and USB 2.0’s 480.

Although none of these actually transfers at these exact rates, USB 1.1 is much slower than the other two, and for some USB 1.1 may simply be unusable for transferring music collections to fill a 40 GB iPod. Later introductions has continued to lessen iPod’s reliance on FireWire.

iPod Shuffle, released in January 2005, plugs directly into a USB port, without a dock connector and has no Firewire support. The iPod Nano, released in September 2005, uses a dock connector that allows a FireWire cable to be plugged in to charge the device, but not to transfer data. With the 5th generation iPod, Apple dropped all support for data transfer over Firewire to any model iPod.

Like the Nano, the 5th generation iPod’s dock connector will accept a FireWire cable and can draw power from it, but only the USB connection, not the one with FireWire, will support data transfer - a message stating this appears on the iPod screen.

This has drawn some criticism from the Mac community, since FireWire has been a standard feature on Apple Macs for many years, while USB 2.0 support was only added in October 2003.

The first three generations of iPod used two ARM 7TDMI-derived CPUs running at 90 MHz, while later models have variable speed chips which run at a peak of 80 MHz to save battery life.

The iPod use 1.8 inch (46 mm) ATA hard drives (with a proprietary connector) made by Toshiba and the iPod Mini uses one-inch Compact Flash microdrive hard drives made by Hitachi. It has a 32 MiB flash ROM chip which contains a bootloader, a program that tells the device to load the operating system from another medium (in this case, the hard drive).

All iPods, except for the 60 GB 5th generation version, has 32 MiB of RAM, a portion of which holds the OS loaded from the firmware and the vast majority of which serves to cache songs loaded from the hard drive.

For example, an iPod could spin the hard disk up once and copy about 30 MiB of upcoming songs on a playlist into RAM, thus saving power by not having the drive spin up for each song. (The 60 GB fifth-generation iPod holds 64 MiB of RAM, to further extend battery life.)

iPod was originally introduced with a black and white display but no current model uses one. iPod Photo (an addition to the functionality of the 4th generation iPod released in late 2004) introduced a color screen, while iPod shuffle (released January 2005) has no screen at all.

When iPod Mini was replaced with iPod Nano it received a colour screen (and photo capabilty) and starting with the 5th generation all full size iPods have color screens and photo capability.

About the Author:

Here is a link in reference to this article iPod Capabilities

Popularity: 96% [?]

Apple iPod Classic plays music files in various formats like AAC, eAAC, MP4, AIFF, WAV and audible audiobook.

The iPod Classic is a portable music device that can store thousands of songs and videos in a single musical gadget. It comes in various shapes and sizes to provide variety of functionalities like music in different formats, TV programs and shows, games and video clips. The portable iPod Classic offers 160 GB of memory for storing varied collection of music; user can store up to 40,000 songs in this iPod. Classic plays music files in various formats like AAC, eAAC, MP4, AIFF, WAV and audible audiobook. It allows the user to watch pictures in varied image file formats like JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF and PNG.

Apple iPod Classic is the technically upgraded version. It is a portable media player designed and delivered by Apple Inc. to cater to the needs of tech savvy music lovers world wide. It was launched in 2001, since then this high profile gadget has changed the way the world listens to music. Well, with the innovative and advanced technology, it appeals to the user with its unique features of internal hard drive and photo viewer. Its weighs only 5.7 grams and measures 4.1×2.4×0.53 inches, which can be easily carried in anyone’s pocket.

With a wide collection of songs in the iPod, it also offers 200 hours of video, making a rocking audio-video combination! The lithium ion battery in its offers play back time of 40 hours. The iPod classic allows the user to enjoy iTunes software for better listening experience. With this i-Tune software, user can transfer music files to this for maintaining the best collection. For playing and transferring music, video, games and photos from PC to iPod, the presence of iTune software is essential.

About the Author:
Apple iPod Classic
Alice Erin is an Expert Author. He has written good quality articles on Mobile Phone Deals Have a look at Cheap Laptops

Popularity: 98% [?]

The new iPod nano from Apple Inc. is a portable media player that resulted in a revolution in the field of music. It is the mid-range model in the iPod family. The first generation model was launched on September 7, 2005 combining the features of both the iPod shuffle and iPod classic. Apple launched this product with an intention of replacing the iPod mini which was discontinued on the same day. The replacement of the mini was a big surprise for the Apple-related websites even though there were rumours about a new flash memory-based iPod, there was no prior notice of the popular mini being discontinued.

The development work on the design of the Apple iPod nano began only nine months before its launch date. The nano uses flash memory, but with a miniaturised version of the display screen and “click wheel” found on the iPod classic. The screen of the nano also shares the same resolution as the classic. The battery and other internal parts are also in reduced size compared to the mini.

The nano works with iTunes on the Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows. It connects to the computer via the same proprietary dock connector as the third-generation iPod, the fourth-generation iPod, and the iPod mini, using USB 2.0 connectivity. The iPod nano comes with a stop watch and a multiple time zone clock function. There also exist combination lock features that make use of the click wheel to lock the iPod, and serves to secure the user’s calendar and contact information. The Apple iPod nano uses general-purpose integrated circuits (IC) instead of smaller, low cost custom developed chips, in order to reduce time-to-market. This design helps in increasing the number of electronic components and increases the cost.

About the Author:

Adam Caitlin is expert author of Telecommunication industry, who writes on mobile phones, cheap laptops and apple ipod nano

Popularity: 96% [?]

If you own or even if you do not own an Ipod, this question must surely come to your mind sometime or the other. Everyone wants to know how does an ipod work? What is the technique and logic behind the Ipod? How do Ipods work? Do they work the same way other mp3 and mp4 players work? Do they work like your pc?

Ok, so lets have a sneak peek into How does an Ipod work?

Yes, the Ipod works like your personal computer upto some extent. You can download or put data (songs, pics, etc.) onto your Ipod the way you do it in your pc. The data gets stored into the Ipod hard disk. The user can recall the data whenever he or she wishes. The Ipod is basically designed to read mp3 files related to music. The Ipod can carry hundreds and thousands of songs depending on its model. It all gets stored into the memory like the computer.

The songs in your pc in Itunes software are transferred to your Ipod through a USB cable.

The Ipod works on battery.

The Ipod battery is quite different from other batteries. It cannot be removed from the Ipod by its users. It is rechargable.

Many Ipods have a click wheel.

The click wheel is a set of buttons which work by the touch of your fingers. The Ipod’s click wheel has captative sensing. It works because of the conducive capacity of your skin. There are four buttons on the click wheel which include the play and pause button, the back and forward button button and the menu button.

Now you know how do ipods works. Share it with your friends and show them that you’re a techie.

About the Author:

If you want more such cool facts and info about the Ipod like who invented the Ipod, visit HowToIpod Blog

HowToIpod How To’s and fun facts about your Ipod

Popularity: 96% [?]

Reading Ipod Touch ebooks is the new wave of the future. With the public release of this new personal device, the Ipod Touch has taken the world by storm. The latest generation of Ipods came to be due to the successful launch of the Iphone. The spawn child of the Iphone, the Ipod Touch has all the capabilities of the Apple Iphone without the phone portion. Getting to know your device is key for your personal enjoyment.

The Ipod Touch has the capability to download music, movies, videos, ebooks, photos and more. The beautiful screen with a very top notch display area suits all users for any personal entertainment. Apples ingenuity with the way everything is viewed has a nice touch. Watching movies and videos come with high resolution. You can browse the world wide web with any wi-fi connection available. This feature alone makes the device a must have. Unlike cell phone devices that has a small viewing area and most phones can only read text, the Iphone Touch can view a web page the way a web page is viewed online. This feature was made due to Apple owning the online Safari browser. The other great feature is this device has a touch screen interface. When rubbing or tapping the view screen, users are able to manipulate any screen view possible. This feature alone makes reading ebooks or surfing online, very productive.

There are standard features like most personal devices that come with this player. Contact list, maps, clock, calculator, Youtube viewing, wi-fi capability and Safari browser are some features that come standard. The trick to this player is loading the Ipod to your liking. The software lets you separate your music, movies and ebook files. Getting album and ebook covers is easy to figure out and makes your player very easy to find any files. So load up Ipod Touch ebooks, movies, music, videos, games, software and more. You and your Ipod Touch will love you for it.

About the Author:

Visit us at http://www.ipodfreetouch.com to find out more about downloading ebooks and more today.

Popularity: 90% [?]

Saving money is what it’s all about. But most customers will only buy what everyone else buys and look no further - the new “in” thing, or what they are most comfortable with and have been for 20 years or so! Some prospective customers will look nonchalantly through the flyers and ads, either in the newspapers or browsing through the Internet, checking to see what is the latest thing out for music listening. And almost everyone has heard of the iPod through some avenue or another. Most of us would like to hear something nice, something that is reliable, and looks good - don’t we?

Creative Labs new unbelievably tiny Zen Nano Plus is quickly arriving on the footsteps of its successful predecessors - the Zen Touch and the Zen Sleek. What Creative Labs is moving toward is a smaller, yet more compact top-of-the-line MP3 player, for individuals who do not require a lot of storage room for their music library. The Zen Nano Plus 512MB, or 1GB, is beginning to look as if it were taking on the iPod Shuffle. The Nano Plus comes with all the extra tools that make Creative Labs’ MP3 players stand out from the others. Above all else, the FM radio with recording capability puts it in the elite categories of digital music players. Most people like to have the freedom to be able to record their favorite radio programs, while having the incredible choice of listening to podcasts, songs, and audio books.

The Creative Zen Nano Plus is packaged with earbuds, an armband, a neck strap, mini-USB cord, line-in cord, non-rechargeable AAA battery, and organization software. It includes MP3/WMA/WMA(protected) playback, MP3 encoding up to 16-kbps from the line-in, on-the-fly playlist creation, five graphic equalizer settings, and automatic synchronization software. For recording, the built-in microphone picks up sounds from clear across the room, so it can be used almost anywhere: schools, lectures, work, etc. so obviously, the Zen Nano Plus is an absolute workhorse compared to some other brands that are out, such as the iPod Shuffle. According to the DigitalTrends review, the earbuds testing the Zen Nano Plus were much better than that of the iPod, due to better range and clarity. Tested headphones were the Koss KSC-75s, Sennheiser HD580s, and the Etymotic Er-6i.

As far as durability, the Creative Zen Nano Plus seems to be a bit more durable than the iPod Shuffle, with a weight of the iPod Shuffle at .78 ounces, and the Zen Nano Plus at .80 ounces. Also, the Nano Plus will allow a person to record from a CD without the use of a computer. All you have to do is supply the music - oh yes, and the money to buy it! How good can it get!!

About the Author:

Check out http://www.mp3playertop.com/ for more articles on phillips mp3 players and creative zen mp3 player..

Popularity: 81% [?]

Have you just bought, or are you ready to go out and buy a new iPod but are concerned about the type of headphones that come with your device? You’re not alone in your concern. Many people fear that the complimentary set accompanying their device will not be up to par with the musical quality they hope to attain from their headphones. The bad news is it is possible that your cute little earbuds are not the quality pair you’d hoped for. However, there is good news accompanying the bad, which is you can find a great pair of iPod headphones amidst the dozens of varieties available. So let’s look at the basics of these phones, as well as the reason it isn’t a bad idea to consider buying a new pair.

IPod Headphones

Just to set the record straight; there are iPod earbuds and then there are iPod headphones. The earbuds are typically what come as a complimentary gift with the device. Most likely, the sound quality is decent, but not great, and they are only good for people who don’t exactly want great sound but instead want to hear something coming from the device to keep them company.

The headphones, however, don’t come with the device unless you add them as a part of your package (the earbuds will still come with the device too, most likely). Buying a pair of headphones means you are intending on hearing a great sound come out of your iPod, not just noise. The people who go the extra mile to buy the headphones are usually picky and want to choose the best ones on the market, either in their price range, or overall.

If you don’t like your complimentary pair of earbuds that come with the device, many would suggest you pitch them (or give them to a younger person who doesn’t care as much about quality) then buy a quality pair. There are tons of manufacturers who create all kinds of unique iPod headphones, including those that can be controlled right from the headset. So let’s look further at the many ways you can now enjoy your new device and the music that comes out of it.

Wireless

Buying wireless iPod headphones are great if you are a person who loves to get out an exercise. Why, you ask? Well, think about it; if you are a gym rat who can’t help but do 4-5 days a week in one of the many sweat factories around the country, you are probably one who needs to keep music with you to keep you company. Carrying your iPod works great if you’re walking on the treadmill because you don’t have to move around at all (that is, unless you’re breaking your neck to take a peek at the hot body that just walked by). But once you start moving around to different equipment, you may be required to twist and turn or make sudden movements. After a while, the strain of your movement can either pull the headphones out of the jack, or worse, tug on the cord until it shorts out.

Another reason wireless phones are great is that they allow you to sit your device down in one place in the house while you move around independently. I know that the iPod is convenient in that it is smaller and isn’t much of a hassle to carry with you, but when you get to your destination, you still need to clip it to your body somehow and then make sure to not make sudden movements to avoid straining the cord. For example, if you want to vacuum your home, or mop the floor, you have to twist and turn to reach hidden corners. If you have on your wireless headset, you are able to avoid pulling on the cord.

Noise Cancelling

If you’ve never heard of noise cancelling headphones, it’s possible you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past year. These cool headsets are all the rage among music lovers because of their ability to improve sound quality, even with a lower volume. The headphones are a part of a new technology that reduces ambient noise by the speaker and eventually produces what is called destructive interference. The interference (in this case, not a bad thing) brings about a very clear sound that is so perfect that you don’t have to turn up your volume to hear the pin that dropped in the studio during the recording your favorite song.

Many people are finding that these noise cancelling iPod headphones are a great alternative to their complimentary earbuds, and are quickly becoming one of the more popular choices among headphone junkies.

IPod Headphones Popular Brands

Now that we’ve talked about a few choices that will assist with headset functionality, let’s look at a few of the more popular headphone brands.

Logitech - Logitech has headphones that come in standard and wireless, some designed especially for your iPod. The special version they created for your device are Bluetooth-enabled (wireless and able to communicate via infrared technology) and have integrated controls that allow you to manage volume, change songs, and stop the player. They have internal, rechargeable batteries and are said to put out a much better sound quality than the complimentary earbuds.

Bose - While they definitely have a bulkier look than the Logitech phones, the Bose TriPorts are still rather light and are said to be top-of-the-line in their price range and perfect for use with your new device, or even with a home stereo. Since they are high-end noise-cancelling phones they will definitely give you the sound quality you’re looking for from you iPod. However, they are probably not the best choice for exercising or cleaning up around the house, as they don’t allow you to maneuver as much, and they cancel out noises you may need to hear around you. These are recommended instead for long flights where you need to tune out an annoying baby or chattering couple.

There are many more brands of iPod headphones out there to consider; you simply need to do a little more research to find them. But the good news is, you don’t have to ever be concerned that there are none out there for you. You can rest assured that as long as there is a device in existence, there will be more companies creating great iPod headphones to match.

About the Author:

Jeffrey Meier of Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.NoiseFreeHeadphones.com offers quality IPod Headphones at http://www.noisefreeheadphones.com/ipod_headphones.htm2

Popularity: 72% [?]