D2, Nano, Touch Comparison - Help appreciated!

[vix4711]

Hi all,
I'm on the hunt for a media player for my boyfriend for his birthday, and have come across a bit of a selection - sadly I've got no idea which would be considered the 'best', so I'm relying on your thoughts & ideas.

Out of everything available, I've narrowed the list down to;
iPod Touch
iPod Nano
Cowon D2

His ideal player is the Archos Internet Tablet 5 with 3G (sorry if that's not quite right, I think it's the new one due towards the end of the year), but at the moment he's just after one for carrying around in his pocket.

He's got a macbook and a desktop PC, so OS isn't a restriction. We were looking at both iPods today and he seemed torn between the two. I know what sort of differences there are (capacity, size, wi-fi enabled etc), but would you recommend one over the other?

He seems rather taken with the Cowon D2 too, but we haven't had a chance to play around with that one. Is it pocket-friendly? Is it easy to switch between songs etc without taking it out of your pocket (unlike the Touch)?

Are there any problems with any of them that you've discovered, or inversely, any rather good points?

I've heard bad things about the iPod's sound quality, but I have a Classic and haven't really noticed anything, although I'm not the most attentive listener ever - although my boyfriend has used it once or twice as well, and hasn't commented on it. Does the Cowon D2 have noticably better sound quality when compared to the iPod, and what sort of headphones do you need to be able to notice the difference? Would it really matter if it's just being used to travel around university etc? I don't think he messes around with any of the EQ settings etc, it's just left at default.

Also, as far as I know, one of the biggest pros for him about the Touch is the calendar feature, and being able to edit it directly on the iPod itself. Does the Cowon have a calendar feature that you can sync with Outlook, or something similar? And can you just read it, or can you edit it as well, directly on the player itself?

One last question - sorry! The wireless the Touch uses - is it secure at all? Just connecting to our wireless network at home, I've seen a few unsecured 'phone' connections pop up recently - are they commonly unsecured like this, or does the Touch come with any built-in security (for emailing etc)? If not, how easy is it for someone to gain access to it from elsewhere?

Apologies if these are all rather stupid questions, but I'm really at a bit of a loss now, and I can't exactly go to him for help. I also don't want to talk to the people in store, because the only people who know a great deal about the iPods are the guys in the Apple store, who are going to work their butts off to sell me an iPod. As far as I know, the Cowon D2 isn't easily available over here in-store, so I highly doubt there will be anyone who can tell me a great deal about it.

Lastly, these are the prices of the players over here in the UK (along with the sizes he's after - I know the bigger the better, but I'm pretty sure he'd be happy with about 4GB, as he doesn't have a huge music collection and doesn't seem to mind swapping the music over every now and then if need be)

Cowon D2 4GB - $200-$220 (without SD card)
iPod Touch 8GB - $266
iPod Nano 8GB - $170

Thanks so much in advance! Any help is greatly appreciated!

[The DarkSide]

Welcome to ABI>>> This section of the forum will allow you to do a side-by-side comparison of the players you've listed: http://anythingbutipod.com/compare/

[no9]

If I was the boyfriend and got a D2 for my birthday I don't know how long boyfriend status would last before being upgraded to fiance. Seriously though I would take a long look at the D2 because the expandability of the memory, sound quality, and the fact that you can set it to hold and use the top buttons to track up and track down, makes it one of the better players ever made. With how small and cheap SD cards are now it makes the D2 very appealing. For carrying in a pocket I would get a leather wallet style case. Happy Hunting

[curiouswonderer]

hmm...in this case, i think its really a matter of whether he wants form over function.

the D2 trumps the ipod touch in everyway, except it doesn't look as cool (and of course, all the apps and games. "super monkey balls", anyone?)...

in the end, it all boils down to what he needs, you should ask him about it (subtlely, of course) =)

[JK98]

You left out one very important detail, that the D2 can navigate by folders or by tags.

The original poster should consider that ipods only navigate by tags. Navigating by tags can be a pain if there is a large amount of music in the player, or if the tags aren't perfect. With folder navigation, you have control over the song heirarchy. If you ever used an ipod, think of how finding a song on it is vs finding a song on your pc(sorted by you by folders).

[curiouswonderer]

yea but thats what i'm saying...

the D2 has better functionality than an ipod would, BUT the ipod touch looks sexier and has more of a WOW factor. all goes back to form or function?

and btw, there are buttons on the D2, which you can program to be next song, so technically yes, it is easier to switch songs without taking it out of your pocket. and its the same size as a sansa fuze (which is just abit longer than the fat ipod nano), but twice as thick (almost like a psp slim). so i guess it is quite pocketable.

[vix4711]

Thanks for the speedy response!

Do you know if there is a noticable difference in sound quality between the Touch and the D2 on default settings? Or does that depend heavily on your headphones and how you adjust the EQ settings?
Also, does it have a calender function that can be edited directly on the player, rather than having to sync it with Outlook (or something similar) every time you want to edit an entry?

Thanks in advance!

(The folder/tag function isn't really a problem, because he only rips from CDs and makes sure the tags are perfect beforehand. Thanks for pointing it out though, it's a rather nice feature that I hadn't realised! He is very into functionality, but other than the folder/tag system, what other functions bring the D2 out above the iPods?)

[JK98]

Folder browsing isn't just for those who don't have their tags in order. Navigating by folders allows so much more freedom in file organization, and if there are many songs, it might make it much easier to find specific songs.

[vix4711]

Thanks for the response ^_^

I've also been looking the Archos 605 Wi-Fi (4GB Flash ver.) - does anyone know if this is pocket-sized? And would it be a decent alternative, or are the others better?

Also, are hard-drive players as safe to carry around as flash players? Or would flash be more recommended for keeping in your pocket?

[curiouswonderer]

flash would be best, because since it has no moving parts, shaking it around in your pockets wont hurt them...the archos, for me, is a tad too big in terms of pocketability.

the D2 sound quality is much better than ipod touch, it's one of the best in terms of audio...

as for the calender thing, i dont know, because i personally dont own one, i just read alot of gadget sites (like this one) =P

[The DarkSide]

The D2 SQ is the best on the market - period. I own the D2, Sony A829, the ipod touch and mini - only the Sony players come close to my D2. the D2 allows folder & ID3 browsind, it DOESN'T sync w/outlook. It's a portable music/media player, NOT a PDA. It also plays videos beautifully - 16.7mil color screen and all!!! As for the Archos, it has a great, huge screen, but it's still too buggy, and the batt life is atrociuos (12hrs music, 4hrs video). The D2 is rated @52hrs music, 10hrs video. I can honestly say it comes pretty close to those numbers. Using a memory card lessens those figures. But, if you still getting 40/7 hrs of playtime, who really can complain (a few on this site WILL complain - I guarantee that)? Of all listed the D2 is the best. Once your guy tries it - he's yours FOREVER!!! Buy me a 16gb model and I'd do your housecleaning for LIFE!!!

[curiouswonderer]

is D2 still the best compared to dolby surround sound!?! lol jokes...

all joking aside, if he's more about function then get the D2, no questions asked. Only thing the touch got over it is the apps (which you have to PAY for, btw)

I, on the other hand, am superficial and shallow. I want my stuff to look sexy and have awesome performance as well, thats why i bought a P2 as opposed to a D2 =P

[no9]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

-Buy me a 16gb model and I'd do your housecleaning for LIFE!!!

That is a bold statement! You'd better be ready to make that deal. It's on it's way so I'll expect you in MI thursdays for the rest of my life And if you kill me you still have to clean my house(it's a pretty good selling point)

[vix4711]

Thanks for the responses again! I'm leaning towards the D2 at the moment, but I've got yet another question..

I read somewhere that the D2 has file limits, as in, it can hold up to so many GB, but only a maximum of 3,000 files (or something like that). Is this true?

Also, is it possible to change the default blue menu skin?

[curiouswonderer]

not sure about the limit, but the skin can be changed cuz the D2 supports flash =)

[no9]

It's 4,000 onboard and 4,000 SD card total of 8,000 files but thats music and video not pictures. I had 10,000 pics on mine

[The DarkSide]

Basically , the question I'd ask of you is this: Does your significant other have their music ripped at a very low bitrate, like 64kbps? If not, then the issue of file limits really shouldn't be an issue. 4000 on the internal & 4000 on the external is quite a lot of files. no9 was kind enough to test the file limits on his player, so we realized the limit is most likely placed on music, not pictures and such. Da' MAN!!!!

[no9]

Between The Darkside and I we have probably owned or used over a hundred players, and I know we both have great respect for the Cowon D2. It really gives you alot of options You can change the UI, you can go from 4gb to 48gb total memory, and it has plenty of support via the net for further customization. Mine has a dictionary, and soon probably a toned down version of wikipedia. I should have stood in line the day this player came out just to be the first to get it

[kratonator]

The D2 is very customizable. This is a great place to find themes, skins and flash apps. Go for the D2.

[vix4711]

Thanks so much to everyone for your help, I'm very grateful