Well, I did it. I bit the bullet and purchased my first real iPod – a new 2GB Shuffle. Of course I've had an MP3 player for a few years – a 256 kb Rio SU40. It is still working great, and has the added benefits of a voice recorder and not relying on proprietary software. However, 256 kb just isn't enough anymore, and the Shuffle small, cute and just clips right to your shirt (or wherever).
The main reason that I'd avoided the Apple iPod at all was due to the proprietary nature of the device, the fact that the user had to have and use iTunes to get music onto and off of the player. Well, now there are a lot of alternatives available, including Media Monkey for Windows and Rhythm Box for Linux, among others (here is a good list of 10 iTunes alternatives ). However, since I wasn't using anything to organize my music anyway, just relying on the good-old-fashioned Windows file manager, I decided to go ahead and learn how to use iTunes. And, I'm ashamed to say, I kind of like it! I successfully imported my music, registered and synchronized my new Shuffle, and got music onto it. I even got a little crazy and subscribed to a few Podcasts.
The real test came when I wanted to add tunes from Ubuntu (Linux). However, Rhythm Box did a great job – it recognized my iPod, and allowed me to just drag and drop files onto it. And these tunes were even playable! However, when I switched back to Windows, I was not able to see those music files from iTunes.... Still, I'm so far very pleased with my new music player.
The main reason that I'd avoided the Apple iPod at all was due to the proprietary nature of the device, the fact that the user had to have and use iTunes to get music onto and off of the player. Well, now there are a lot of alternatives available, including Media Monkey for Windows and Rhythm Box for Linux, among others (here is a good list of 10 iTunes alternatives ). However, since I wasn't using anything to organize my music anyway, just relying on the good-old-fashioned Windows file manager, I decided to go ahead and learn how to use iTunes. And, I'm ashamed to say, I kind of like it! I successfully imported my music, registered and synchronized my new Shuffle, and got music onto it. I even got a little crazy and subscribed to a few Podcasts.
The real test came when I wanted to add tunes from Ubuntu (Linux). However, Rhythm Box did a great job – it recognized my iPod, and allowed me to just drag and drop files onto it. And these tunes were even playable! However, when I switched back to Windows, I was not able to see those music files from iTunes.... Still, I'm so far very pleased with my new music player.
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