Quantcast

4gb flash players....anyone use?

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
dfinn said:
ok smarty pants, how much are they? Probably about $20 for the very cheapest batteries and recharger out there? I haven't bought any since I was a kid with a R/C car.
You can get a pretty decent set of NiMH AAA batteries and a charger with both a wall and car adapter for $20 from Staples.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
dfinn said:
ok smarty pants, how much are they? Probably about $20 for the very cheapest batteries and recharger out there? I haven't bought any since I was a kid with a R/C car.
Absolutely not. I can get 6 AA, two AAA, and a charger for $20. And these are 2100mAh AAs.

Get with the program, n00B. ;)
 

oly

skin cooker for the hive
Dec 6, 2001
5,118
6
Witness relocation housing
As much as I've used my player so far I really should get some rechargeables. Im just trying ones that work in the charger I already have. If I had to plug in and recharge my player every time it was dead I would be so annoyed!! I like the fact i can pick up a battery anywhere....

My only gripe so far with the sandisk player is that some artists get entered into the database under multiple entries. So if I want to listen to all my tool on on random, I cant... withought some sort of list or tweak. Ihis isnt for all music though, maybe 3-4 bands out of the 30 or so I have on my player on any given time. im sure its something about the naming convention of the WMA files...

Overall im glad I decided to get the sansa over the nano....
 

dfinn

Turbo Monkey
Jul 24, 2003
2,129
0
SL, UT
it's still an added cost that people should be figuring into the price if they are planning to do a fair comparision. And do those batteries that you get for so cheap last forever? I know battery technology has improved but I remember rechargeables loosing their capacity over time and eventually getting to the point where they were useless.
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
dfinn said:
And do those batteries that you get for so cheap last forever?
But Apple just has a pristine reputation for their batteries lasting forever, eh? ;)

I agree that it should be factored into the cost, but that's a tradeoff - on the one hand, you have a added expense of the batteries. On the other hand, you have the added convenience of taking normal batteries.

And the $20 increase still doesn't bring it to the price of the Nano.
 

oly

skin cooker for the hive
Dec 6, 2001
5,118
6
Witness relocation housing
dfinn said:
it's still an added cost that people should be figuring into the price if they are planning to do a fair comparision. And do those batteries that you get for so cheap last forever? I know battery technology has improved but I remember rechargeables loosing their capacity over time and eventually getting to the point where they were useless.
And you think the Internal rechargables last forever too? I think when your nano battery starts to loose its life, i think it is alot more to replace than the 4pack of AAA rechargables you can score anywhere.,...
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
binary visions said:
But Apple just has a pristine reputation for their batteries lasting forever, eh? ;)

I agree that it should be factored into the cost, but that's a tradeoff - on the one hand, you have a added expense of the batteries. On the other hand, you have the added convenience of taking normal batteries.

And the $20 increase still doesn't bring it to the price of the Nano.
Not to mention I can use the AAAs in my remote controls and the AAs in the 14,000 toys my kids have that require batteries. :dead:
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
oly said:
My only gripe so far with the sandisk player is that some artists get entered into the database under multiple entries. So if I want to listen to all my tool on on random, I cant... withought some sort of list or tweak.
it's weird that it happens w/ a band like Tool. check yr mp3 tags; this happens w/ my Squeezebox, so i have to be consistent when tagging. otherwise, i could end up w/ different "artists" like:

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and Bad Seeds
Nick Cave
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
dfinn said:
it's still an added cost that people should be figuring into the price if they are planning to do a fair comparision. And do those batteries that you get for so cheap last forever? I know battery technology has improved but I remember rechargeables loosing their capacity over time and eventually getting to the point where they were useless.
Dude. Your argument for internal (proprietary) batteries does *not* hold water. They're likely the same technology as the standard size rechargables. Have you priced a Nano replacement battery? I'd bet it's more than a standard rechargable battery.
 

dfinn

Turbo Monkey
Jul 24, 2003
2,129
0
SL, UT
I am almost postive that they are not the same technology as off the shelf rechargeable batteries that you would pick up at walmart.

Ebay is littered with replacement ipod batteries for $10. I would be willing to bet that if we compared an ipod using it's built in battery to some other mp3 player using AAA rechargeables that the mp3 player using the AAA's would go through more of them over an extended period of time. What do I know though, I'm no battery expert.
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
SkaredShtles said:
They're likely the same technology as the standard size rechargables.
Actually, they're probably not. Standard rechargable batteries are NiMH, most integrated rechargable batteries on devices like that are lithium.

Lithium batteries do resist developing a memory longer than NiMH batteries do, but good NiMH batteries last a damn long time.

I would say the life of the device (through standard obsolescence of electronics) is probably short enough that it's not worth worrying about.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
dfinn said:
I am almost postive that they are not the same technology as off the shelf rechargeable batteries that you would pick up at walmart.

Ebay is littered with replacement ipod batteries for $10. I would be willing to bet that if we compared an ipod using it's built in battery to some other mp3 player using AAA rechargeables that the mp3 player using the AAA's would go through more of them over an extended period of time. What do I know though, I'm no battery expert.
You're right. The Lithium batteries in the iPod are different than the Nimh "standard" rechargables. I personally would prefer the convenience and flexibility of having a "standard" sized battery that could be used in different devices.

Either way, I think the battery cost is a non-issue.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
binary visions said:
<snip>

I would say the life of the device (through standard obsolescence of electronics) is probably short enough that it's not worth worrying about.
This is a good argument for using a standard sized battery. When the item is obsolete you can use the battery in your kid's noisy toy. :dead:
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,092
1,132
NC
SkaredShtles said:
This is a good argument for using a standard sized battery. When the item is obsolete you can use the battery in your kid's noisy toy. :dead:
Or you can not have kids and use the battery in your next MP3 player ;)
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
binary visions said:
Or you can not have kids and use the battery in your next MP3 player ;)
Whatever. :eviltongu

Think about it, though - standard portable flash card for storage, standard size batteries......... it just makes sense.

Of course - I'll probably have one of those personal MP3 players for the first time in the 2020's. :rolleyes:
 

dfinn

Turbo Monkey
Jul 24, 2003
2,129
0
SL, UT
SkaredShtles said:
This is a good argument for using a standard sized battery. When the item is obsolete you can use the battery in your kid's noisy toy. :dead:
That's assuming that the batteries outlast the device. No one really answered my question, for those of you using rechargeables are they living long lives with full capacities?
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
dfinn said:
That's assuming that the batteries outlast the device. No one really answered my question, for those of you using rechargeables are they living long lives with full capacities?
I've got a crapload of rechargable batteries. I don't have a tester, so I can't really answer the full capacity question, but they're all still functioning. The 2100mAh ones are definitely superior to my older 1600mAh ones.
 

profro

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2002
5,617
314
Walden Ridge
I bought the Sansa 4gb version after my second Creative Micro Zen bit the dust. The Sansa almost feels like an empty peice of plastic compared to the weight of a hard drive unit like the Ipod or Zen. I figured that the hard drive type wasn't going to last in my jeans pocket while I ride. I've never crashed on it, but apparently they just aren't holding up. So lets hope the flash drive is the answer. One plus to the flash drive is the instantaneous track play. I hated the delay on my Zen whe fast forwarding songs. With the Sansa its immediate.