I bought an iPod (I'm such a fool).

[MorePaul]

Sadly, millages may vary

 

both in terms of seamlessness of integration (using Audible brand content for instance requires an adaptive downloader, the formats recognized are still incomplete as are most players, iTunes doesn't handle mixed-style media such as longform spoken word AND music on the same system well) and if the integrated solution works (many a folk were...are? still facing the Windows services problem, I've had other -- unexplainable bugs...Apple QA is sadly uncommunicative... yeah - I got my class action battery, etc)

not to mention steering use style down a single "one size fits all" path (square pegs, square pegs, square square pegs...one size does not fit all)

 

To be honest, I see the iPod (yes, I own a couple and I too am OS fuid beyond theApple/MS wars) as tech maturity driven incremental..I mean the earlier smartmedia RIO players worked (I actually still use my 500 when the old Ipods don't or I want the swappability of an AA powered device) -- from, what '98 or so

 

don't get me wrong, not "apple bashing" -- they've done a hell of a marketing job, and the product is generally solid (though iTunes doesn't work nearly as well for me as I wish it did) NOR do I "Apple diefy" (that's just as silly to do)

 

it's a decently solid product, it has it's ups, it has its downs - and one hell of a marketing engine behind it (which also has it's up sides and down sides)

 

but in the end, it's a technology product with all that implies

 

let's just burn the damn soapbox shall we?

[Kiwiburger]

Well waddya know ... the problem was a rooted iPod after all.

 

Swapped it for a new one, and it worked right out of the box.

 

Happiness restored. I can tolerate iTunes for now.

 

I'd still like to be able to drag & drop files from within Windows Explorer and just have them play, but that's probably asking too much from Bill Gates' arch enemy.

 

Anapod appears to give that, should I need it. But it's not my iPod after all, and I don't want to listen to compressed audio if I can help it ...

 

Thanks for letting me vent (like you had a choice), and thank's for all the good advice and the insults.

[Base]

What you really want to get is one of these state-of-the-art players!!!!

 

 

[Kiwiburger]

Is that a lead-acid battery balanced on his head?!

 

Don't knock 1970's technology - that stuff was solid.

[HCarlH]

For about the same price or less, you could have bought a Lexar player which uses SD cards. You could have multiple cards...one for Rock, Jazz, etc.

 

A lot easier than those iPod Shuffle things. See the link below.

 

Lexar