Tuesday, July 25, 2006
And the winner is ...
After a bit more window-shopping, both in brick-and-mortar and online stores, I've actually made a decision on the new MP3 player.
It's a bit of a surprise call. First clue is that the device itself is the same weight and a tiny bit bigger than my outgoing iPod, so not the lightest or smallest - but it's got way more functionality.
In the end I went for a PDA - no hard drive inside to get shaken up again. No navi either but I have a portable device already. No GSM functionality, as I just didn't want to spend the extra money - a couple hundred Euro, while trade-in options for my 8-month-old Razr were laughable... and I like it.
I narrowed it down to a spec that went as follows:
Minimum RAM 32MB, minimum ROM 128MB (thanks for this checklist, Microsoft) Wireless LAN (although it's only B, it'll do)
Bluetooth (as my notebook and the Razr both have it, may as well use it) Windows Mobile 5 for the mobile office functionality
Screen resolution of 480 x 640 pixels (cheaper models have a 240 x 320 display)
So when it came to buying, here's what happened.
In the stores there was an overwhelming selection of MP3 players but a disappointing choice of PDAs and although I know people steal the stylii, it would have been nice to have a touchy, feely play, even if there were strings attached.
Online: A lot of price comparison shops and lots of old models, not even at trouser-dropping prices. I did some extensive searching via Kelkoo and Geizhals, two price comparison sites.
I was just about to buy a nicely-specced Acer device when I saw a banner ad for Dell, and wondered ... way back when, I actually attended the Comdex where the Axim brand was launched, I think it was the last-ever Comdex.
The winner: This Axim, which meets all the spec requirements. What really sealed the deal was that they had a special offer on a 1GB SD card for ?1 (just one, unfortunately), and they offered a special 10 percent discount on the gross price (not that big a deal since it takes in the SD card), possibly because I kept clicking to-and-fro on the options to get the price and spec I wanted. Total damage: ?410. Delivery: 7 days but maybe they'll surprise me.
Now I have to start compiling my first 1GB of "must have" tunes.
It's a bit of a surprise call. First clue is that the device itself is the same weight and a tiny bit bigger than my outgoing iPod, so not the lightest or smallest - but it's got way more functionality.
In the end I went for a PDA - no hard drive inside to get shaken up again. No navi either but I have a portable device already. No GSM functionality, as I just didn't want to spend the extra money - a couple hundred Euro, while trade-in options for my 8-month-old Razr were laughable... and I like it.
I narrowed it down to a spec that went as follows:
So when it came to buying, here's what happened.
In the stores there was an overwhelming selection of MP3 players but a disappointing choice of PDAs and although I know people steal the stylii, it would have been nice to have a touchy, feely play, even if there were strings attached.
Online: A lot of price comparison shops and lots of old models, not even at trouser-dropping prices. I did some extensive searching via Kelkoo and Geizhals, two price comparison sites.
I was just about to buy a nicely-specced Acer device when I saw a banner ad for Dell, and wondered ... way back when, I actually attended the Comdex where the Axim brand was launched, I think it was the last-ever Comdex.
The winner: This Axim, which meets all the spec requirements. What really sealed the deal was that they had a special offer on a 1GB SD card for ?1 (just one, unfortunately), and they offered a special 10 percent discount on the gross price (not that big a deal since it takes in the SD card), possibly because I kept clicking to-and-fro on the options to get the price and spec I wanted. Total damage: ?410. Delivery: 7 days but maybe they'll surprise me.
Now I have to start compiling my first 1GB of "must have" tunes.
# posted by Nesjo : 17:14
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