Compare Prices on the Apple Computer iPod and other iPods and non-iPod Digital Music Players

September 22nd 2005

Are you in the market for an iPod?  There are several manufacturers and types.  Lets start out with the original Apple Computer models.  The iPod shuffles start at $99.99 and comes with 512 MB of flash memory.  This will allow up to 12 hours of playback and 120 songs. 

Apple offers another configuration for the shuffle. With 1GB of flash memory the Shuffle can store 240 songs.  The playback time is the same because they have the same battery: 12 hours.   They will also play MP3s, WAV files and audiobooks.  This model should set you back $129.

With the new one-click slider, you can listen to your tunes in the order you loaded them, or mix things up with shuffle mode. The circular control pad also lets you pause, skip or repeat a track. 

The Shuffles integrate a USB battery which is charged automatically while synching to your computer.  This iPod will charge in about 4 hours or choose a faster 80% charge that only takes two hours. 

The new Apple Nano with color backlit LCD display can hold up to 500 songs.  The Nano features a 2GB flash drive.  Unlike a hard drive, the flash-drive has no moving parts.  The battery will allow up to 14 hours of play.  The Nano is tiny, 62% smaller than the iPod mini.  The Nano can be purchased in black or white colors and will set you back $199. 

The 4GB Nano also comes in Black or White colors.  The battery limits you to 14 hours of playback, but the extra memory size will give you double the number of songs to choose from: 1000 total.  This model will set you back $249.

The Apple mini iPod has a built in 6GB hard drive.  You will be able to store 1500 songs with 18 hours of playback time.  Because the mini uses a hard drive it is larger in size than the newer Nano.  Like the Nano, it includes a Click Wheel for easy navigation.  The mini is both USB and FireWire compatible.  It will set you back $249 also.

If you really need a large capacity non iPod music player consider the Sony NW-HD1 Hard Drive Digital Music Player.  It holds up to 30,000 songs in it’s 20 GB hard drive. It will allow up to 30 hours of playback time with a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery.  It automatically converts MP3, WMA, WAV files to the Sony ATRAC3 or ATRAC3plus format.  The Sony will likely set you back $400.

HP also offers an iPod with a 40GB hard drive.  It will store up to 10,000 songs. The HP also features a click wheel for easy navigation. The HP supports both USB and Firewire for quick music transfer.  This model will include the software for both PC and Apple.  The HP iPod will set you back at least $350.

The last iPod for review is the iPod phone made by Motorola.  The Rokr (pronounced rocker) comes with Cingular Wireless service and retails for $500.  It includes a VGA camera with 4X zoom incorporating both flash and video recording.  It is Bluetooth capable for voice calls.

If you sign up for a 2 year contract you can get the phone for about $250.  A major drawback is that it does not incorporate the Click-Wheel.  The phone can store up to 100 songs, but you must still download them from your computer. Wouldn’t it make sense to be able to download them directly into your phone?  Maybe someday.

By Dan Wilson
Best Syndication Staff Writer

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