iPhone 3GS from AT&T. Free ShippingThe long and the short--Ask the Editors
iLuv iEA15 adapter
MP3 Mailbox Monday has had quite the hiatus, so I've selected a healthy mishmash of questions that should satisfy the span of curiosity about recent (and not-so-recent) goings on in the digital audio domain. For example, do you have to replace your headphones to get integrated iPod controls? Plus, what's the deal with the iPod and subscription music? And of course, what is sure to be an age-old question: which is better, the Zune or the iPod? Oh, and yes...one other thing, too. Read on.
Q: I was wondering if you could recommend any second-gen iPod Touch headphone remote adapters that I can use with my current earbuds (Shure SE210s). Ideally, it would have the same functionality as Apple's headphones (play/pause, skip forward/backward, volume control, and a built in mic). I love the Shures and would prefer not to get a new pair of 'buds just to get remote-control functionality.--Tyson, via e-mail
A: Absolutely. Check out the iLuv iEA15 adapter. It will only set you back about $15 and offers all the functionality you're after. (Buy.) Another option is the Griffin SmartTalk, which costs $19.99.
Zune HD is great for music.
Q: I wanted to ask you whether the music I could get from a Zune Pass can be imported to iTunes, and then be played on a third-gen iPod Touch.--Adrian, via e-mail
A: No, it cannot. The iPod is not compatible with the music rental model. Similarly, the Zune Pass is only directly compatible with the Zune. Other subscription services, such as Napster To Go and Rhapsody To Go, can be used with a variety of non-iPod and non-Zune devices, such as the Sony Walkman line and the Creative Zen line.
Q: Which is the better player, the iPod Touch or the Zune HD?--Anonymous, via e-mail
iPod Touch: a top chioce for podcasts
A: My opinion is that it really depends on what you're using it for. If you want an app powerhouse with plenty of gaming capability and a larger screen for video viewing, go with the Touch. If you want a top notch MP3 player with excellent sound quality and some compelling extras, go with the Zune HD.
Q: I am looking for a player to replace my Ibiza Rhapsody. The only thing I don't like about it is the battery life, but I still need a player that can sync and download podcast over any Wi-Fi hotspot.--Benton, via e-mail
A: There are two players that will satisfy that need, and unfortunately they're both quite pricey: the iPod Touch and the Sony X-Series Walkman.
For more than five years, Jasmine France has covered a variety of tech products for CNET--from scanners to keyboards to GPS devices--but she's happiest where she is now: sitting atop a pile of MP3 players, "testing" every music service known to man, and jamming a variety of earbuds in every shape and color into her absurdly small ears. E-mail Jasmine.
Donald Bell is an electronic musician, a veteran record store employee, and a fearless hardware hacker. He's also CNET's Senior Editor for MP3 and digital audio.
Jasmine France is CNET's resident digital audio doyenne, writing and editing product reviews, crave blogs, and feature stories on all things MP3. And if you need advice on headphones, she's your girl.
Keep the great articles coming!
-
by j3pr0x
October 14, 2009 6:04 AM PDT
- I hate to say this but you're wrong, Jasmine (or rather, the person who put this caption: "iPod Touch: a top chioce for podcasts." Try the Zune desktop application and you'll see what I'm talking about. The Zune podcast interface makes more sense. The "page" is divided into three areas: on the left is a grid of podcast icons, in the middle is a list of episodes of the selected podcast, and on the right-most column is information about the selected episode of the selected podcast. On the top part of the right-most column is the ever-present search box where you can search for a podcast (or whatever you're looking for-artist name, podcast series, song title, etc.) and on the bottom are buttons to unsubscribe or adjust settings (sync to device settings, download frequency, episode counts, etc.). If you don't find the podcast series in the Marketplace, you can always click the "Add a podcast button" on the bottom of the left-hand column and type (or copy & paste) the XML link. The bottom line is that downloading, syncing, and even playing podcasts is far superior than iTunes nonsensical interface.
-
Like this
Reply to this comment
-
-
-
by jj2me
October 16, 2009 10:35 AM PDT
- I have a Zune but never had an iPod (but do use iTunes for other players), so I may be wrong. But I thought a big difference in the iTunes vs. Zune Software for podcasts is control of the quantity of podcasts downloaded to your PC. This is important if you subscribe to a lot of podcasts and have a limit to the PC hard drive space where they're loaded.
-
Like this
-
-
by j3pr0x
October 17, 2009 8:04 AM PDT
- @jj2me:
-
Like this
-
(7 Comments)iTunes *always* downloads episodes (it does for me), while Zune Software only downloads as many episodes as you specified (default 5). The advantage to the Zune Software's approach is that you don't get a bloat of podcasts on your PC. (Though if you don't listen to a podcast subscription for a long time, the older podcasts may disappear from the hosting site, in which case iTunes retrieved them for you back when they were fresh, while the Zune Software is now unable to get those older episodes for you.)
Nope, the Zune app podcast download settings are from "0-All" episodes so it does download ALL podcast episodes if you set it to. This also means that it maintains podcast episodes if you set it to keep all episodes, regardless of server content.