Registered: Aug 2000
Location: The Matrix
Posts: 718

I am dying to get an mp3 player but I don't know what to get. Do I buy a Module for my Visor Prism or do I buy a stand alone MP3 player. I've seen a buch of reviews on the stand alone players but not much on the two player for the Visor by Good and Innogear.

Is an MP3 player module worth it?

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-Mikedemo
It's all about how you spend the money.

Registered: Nov 2000
Location:
Posts: 12

Mp3 & Visor

I have my Prism with me most of the time and I initially questioned whether to invest in an MP3 spring board player. I questioned the expense, but ultimately chose the Innogear MiniJam because of the expandability up to 128MB and the flash memory on the unit.

I keep Peanut Reader and ebooks on the MiniJam along with music. This is a great combination when flying to be able to listen to some of my favorite notes and read books, email, etc all with my Visor.

I don't think you can beat the all in one package. I'm anxious for Visorphone to provide service in my area so I can get rid of yet another stand alone single purpose device.

MiniJam also has handy buttons to fast forward, increase or decrease volume, or stop playing independent of the Visor interface. I like that.

The only downside is the length of time it takes to transfer songs to the unit which can take as long as 30 minutes for 64MB. I've heard that the Soundsgood MP3 player loads music much faster; however, you do not get the added flash memory or expansion possibility for 128MB.

Botton line: I'm real happy with my MP3 player for my Visor and find it much more convenient than carrying multiple single purpose devices.

Registered: Nov 2000
Location:
Posts: 714

I do not own a Springboard MP3 Player, but I do own a standalone.

I'd say if your looking for convergance and symplicity go for the Springboard module. It features everything a normal player has plus because of the larger screen can feature more detailed info like ID3 tags and I hear SoundGood has a decent equalizer thingy not to mention fast speed.

If you are looking at cost or perhaps have another springboard module that is more important than an MP3 player and you would rather have in at all times then get a standalone. If you are looking at value it may even be more cost effective to get a CD-Based player.

Personally I am waiting for a SoundsGood to come out with a 128mb version to make it worthwhile for me to replace my Rio 500. The cost for a MiniJam w/ 128mb is just to great for me right now. Hopefully the new Intel player will lead all the players into releasing 128mb soon.

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Registered: Dec 2000
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Posts: 24

I bought the SoundsGood player, and I like it. I rip at 96bps, and I can get 90 minutes on the player. It only takes about 5 minutes to totally change what's on the player, so I don't miss the expandability of MiniJam. (Besides, I tend to get in a rut and play the same songs over and over and over again.)

However, if I had it to do over again, I would have gotten a standalone. SoundsGood drains the batteries in nothing flat. I don't know what batteries they used to get 10 hours continuous play. After about 90 minutes, my meter is down to less than half. Yes, it comes back after I stop the player, but I don't think I could use it for more than 2-2/12 hours, even with a brand-new set, without getting the low battery warning. I'm getting the EnergyClip, which allows it to be played outside of Visor. Of course, once I do that, I'm effectively back to a standalone, and an expensive one at that.

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 219

I enjoy listening to music with my MiniJam while reading e-book or playing games on my Prism. I got 64MB MiniJam+ an additional 32 MB card. Having an MP3 player + PDA in one is really nice. But I don't necessarily recommend MiniJam over Soundgood because of frustrations I experienced with software updates. Also I was dissapointed in that I can use only MiniJam's 2MB flush memory as an additional storage for apps other than music(Innogear is supposed to update software to unable storing stuff on MMC, but I'm not holding my breath). Well, I got over it, and am enjoying listening to music. I love my MiniJam, even the form factor!

If you want expandability & hardware buttons on the module, MiniJam is the answer. But if you want standard module size & fast load, probably Soundgood would be better. I'd search this board and read VC review & others' opinion.

[Edited by Taki on 01-22-2001 at 07:45 PM]

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Taki
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Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Petersburg, AK
Posts: 131

standalone? module?

Take a few minutes to think about how you will use it. I wanted something that would save me space when flying (I live on an island) so I didn't really consider buying a standalone. In fact I didn't even think about buying an mp3 player until the springboards were announced. I use mine when occasionally riding my bike to work or walking down to my wife's office for lunch. I agree with "Juli" above that the battery drain can be terrible. I'll probably eventually get the energy clip (Hon - if you read this it would make a great birthday present!) for times when I want to listen to it for more than a few songs at a time. I'm sure you can read a bunch of comparisons between the minijam and soundsgood here. So consider the elements that are most important to you - perhaps size, weight, capacity, expandability, price, etc. But in the end I bought the Handspring because of that cool module slot. Heck I own a great GPS and now that Magellan is coming out with a module I'm thinking - "OOOh I want that!" Have fun choosing!

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: The Matrix
Posts: 718

I have chosen

Well I decided and got the SoundsGood Audio Player for my Prism. I needed the faster transfers more than ram, because when I am about to head to work or head home, I can quickly transfer my new songs and run like heck to catch my train . I am certain the Innogear is great too and I may get that one as well (I still have my VDX).

SoundsGood impressed me with the controls, and it even gives me options for the LED button to dim, bright and turn off (saves battery) The impact on battery is yet to be tested by me but on my first try with it I was blasting it and was down to 80% and end of my trip and that includes reading AvantGo or playing a game like "Vexed". If they had come out with 128MB instead of 64MB, it would have scored a ten in my book!!! Well maybe 9 (its a pricey little bugger).

My hour and a half train ride just got easier. With Avantgo and my mp3 module, I almost look forward to my commute . . . well almost

Thanks for all your help people.

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-Mikedemo
It's all about how you spend the money.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 3

I love my SoundsGood. It's great for travel used in the Visor. I also bought the Good battery clip thing and I have used it around the house when there is no need to fire up my VDX. So it's like having a Visor MP3 player and a standalone as well.

At 128 kps you can just about get a whole CDs worth of music on it and it takes less than 4 minutes on my machine to load.

PLUS, I wound up getting it for $200 at Staples after I used a coupon I had, coupled with the mail in rebate.

:^)

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: The Matrix
Posts: 718

First real world test of SoundsGood AudioPlayer

Got up this morning and prepared my fully charged Visor Prism. Turned on the PC and synced up AvantGo through my cable modem (so it took less than a minute), then synced just about 64MB of music on my SoundsGood AudioPlayer (like in 4 minutes man!!). I was anxious to see how much power drain would occur while browsing & listening to music.

I got on the train and started to use my Prism. With my power at a 100%, I decided to crank up the volume to 4 bars. It sounds great! I also set my screen brightness between 10 to 20% knowing the screen is a power hog.

The device ran for a little over an hour and I was certain it ate a good amount of power especially because of the high volume setting and reading New York Times, VisorCentral, Yahoo and ZDNET To Go (via AvantGo). After arriving at my office, I took a look at the power status by holding the up button and touching battery symbol at top of screen with my stylus (Prism only), and was pleasantly surprised to find it at 90%. Wow that is impressive.

With Fast transfers and low battery consumption this baby is sweet. I still think that if they came out with a 128MB version at the current price or a little more (and I mean like 30 bucks more) it would be a perfect 10.

Yeah I paid a premium for it but I love my Visor Prism even more now. It was worth it for me and that�s what really counts people!!

PS: Can anyone tell me the impact the players have on non-recharable Visors? ie: Solo, VDX, VPL.


[Edited by mikedemo on 01-24-2001 at 11:15 AM]

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-Mikedemo
It's all about how you spend the money.

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Petersburg, AK
Posts: 131

soundsgood effect on non-rechargables

I bought a bulk pack of AAA's from Costco just before the new year. They're almost gone now. My wife just got a blue deluxe so it is time to invest in one of the integrated rechargable options. I was using rechargable batteries but was dissatisfied with their performance.

Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Midwest
Posts: 232

Re: soundsgood effect on non-rechargables

quote:

---

Originally posted by zieak
I bought a bulk pack of AAA's from Costco just before the new year. They're almost gone now. My wife just got a blue deluxe so it is time to invest in one of the integrated rechargable options. I was using rechargable batteries but was dissatisfied with their performance.

---

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Midwest
Posts: 232

You can find the Battery Manager at:

http://www.realgoods.com/shop/shop3...&ts=1050194

I have one and highly recommend it.

Dave

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location: East Coast, USA
Posts: 134

back on track to mp3 players, i have had my rio pmp300 (a legacy product now) and i absolutely love it.. i got it a while before i knew about handspring, so i didn't have to decide between stand alone or springboard. i can say that is hasn't failed me and i am still cranking out great music (especially with the help of an extra 32mb smartmedia card.) the 64mb combined holds a descent amount of music, but when i got the unit, i got it for a great price of $100, and the 32mb mem at a pricey $100 mb. this was a while back, and mem. prices have dropped significantly (just check amazon or ebay). now, the pmp300 is limited in features but has just about everything i would use on a daily basis, except usb (the serial is not unbearably slow, but, well, yeah it is..) i can say that i am happy with the rio and you should consider that line, unless you are really leaning towards a springboard mp3. some benefits would definately be the larger screen, more mem. at this point, and being able to carry one device around.

good luck

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brandon
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Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 2

My two cents worth

I use my Soundsgood on a daily basis while I commute 30 minutes by bus to and from work. I could easily have bought a stand-alone, but I get these 2 primary benefits:

* One device to carry (or lose, or get stolen) instead of two.
* One device to "reload" in the morning before I leave home. Since I ride the bus, I read the latest NYTimes (via AvantGo) while I listen to the tunes. In this respect, the MiniJam probably would not have worked since it loads SO slowly (and their software stinks, too). Having the EnergyClip is a nice addition, since it allows me to work in the yard or go for a jog without hauling around the PDA.

"Benefits" that haven't really mattered to me:
Any MP3 Springboard:
* Big screen. You're listening to music, not watching MTV

MiniJam:
* "Can store other data on the MMC cards". No you can't. Someday you might. All you get now is 2 MB extra RAM. Woopee

The biggest detriment to Soundsgood is the lack of Mac support. I have never used a Mac, but I can see why a lot of Handspring users are upset that this product is Windows only.

-- adenoid
(Hey, it's only my opinion)

Registered: May 2000
Location: Cleveland, Ohio 44067
Posts: 242

Size Really Does Matter!

I got the Sounds Good and love it. I didn't want the extra size of the MiniJam and I wouldn't want to carry around the extra cards to get extra songs anyway. Because I can transfer so fast, the same music doesn't stay on my player too long anyway.

The biggest deal is size, I have a beautiful Vaja case (which I highly recommend!!!) and I couldn't keep a MiniJam in the Springboard Slot...and aint no way I am givin up the Vaja!!!

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 27

After about 6 months of deliberation between the MiniJam and the SoundsGood, I went with the Nomad II MG. Here's why:

The MiniJam has good memory expansion and Mac compatibility but the download time is way to long (I can only imagine how long it would take to tranfer 128MB of music!).

The SoundsGood was going to be my choice because I figured that I could get by with a little less than and hour of music, the transfer rate was fast, and it was a flush fit. However, Good Tech. does not and has no plans (I e-mailed them) to support Mac OS. I would have had to buy VPC (add $150-$180) and have no expandability. So, with disgruntlement, I had to choose a standalone MP3 player.

The Nomad II MG has 64MB base memory and can be expanded to 192MB. It looks nice, has fast transfer rates, is Mac compatible, includes an FM tuner and voice recording, comes with rechargable batteries, and is about the same price as the 64MB MiniJam or SoundsGood. I would have bought the SoundsGood Energy Clip (+$40) anyways since I want to use the player when I go to the gym.

If I had a PC or had other applications that I wanted to run using W98 (to justify buying VPC), I would have bought the SoundsGood.

As of yet, there aren't any springboards that I really have to have. A backup module would be nice, but I sync every day. The Eyemodule is crap compared to my Mavica (and it's not even a high end DC). The 8MB module is too expensive for what you get. I don't have any need for wireless internet or a even a regular modem. I'm beginning to think that I should have bought a Palm Vx! The only module that I'm considering now is the Geode or the Magellan GPS for the mapping capability. Even then, I would get a Garmin ETrex for outdoor use since it is rugged and water resistant. While I might bring my VDX backpacking (that's how much I like the thing!), I wouldn't want to use it for a GPS when it's raining one of those Sierra storms, get dust in it, or drop it on the granite at Yosemite or Kings Canyon or Mammoth.

I'm still praying for Springboards that I will go nuts over.

p

[Edited by prometheus on 01-25-2001 at 01:28 PM]

Registered: Nov 2000
Location:
Posts: 61

You know, I really think an MP3 player is not the ideal springboard for most people. The modules are not that much smaller than many MP3 players on the market, so that isn't that big of a selling point. And they do drain the batteries on the Visor, which may contain critical information for many. Plus jogging with a $450 Prism seems foolish to me, so that's a no-go. And the argument that you only have "one" device isn't that good either. I have a Minstrel, Eyemodule, Backup Module, ect to carry around, and an MP3 player would be another "device" in my opinion. What about the Rio-type device for instance? It is $160 with 32mb or RAM, is expandable to 320MB I beleive, and is far more durable than any Visor. My feeling is for most people a MP3 player would be better as a stand-alone unit. The Visor doesn't need and can't be all things combined. For instance, if I had a stand-alone unit, I could cruise the web mith my Minstrel while listening to MP3's on the train. This is a much more flexible situation. I would say, don't get a module just because it is a module, do we want everything we own to plug into our Visors? Say, our electric razors? Just to have only "one" device? How rational is that?

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location:
Posts: 11

Actually the Springboard MP3 players can be better than a stand alone MP3 player cause with the on screen display you can

* See all the id tags (artist, album, etc.) and perhaps in the future you can see the lyrics. I heard that MP4 will have album pictures and be a bit smaller than MP3 so you can also probably see pictures too in the future (can't on stand alone as the display is tiny).
* Touch screen display
* SoundsGood and Minijam are in color (stand alone is tiny display and grey scale only
* Graphics - the Minijam has skins to change the interface and if you touch the S in SoundsGood when playing music you get a wave form which they might expand on in the future
* The SoundsGood has a time slider! If you convert a CD book to MP3 or something else long then you can take your finger or stylus and zip right to the point in the track. Can't do that either with a stand alone
* Only one port on your computer (uses cradle)- standalone will take up another port like serial or USB or parallel.
* The prices may drop soon on these. SoundsGood rebate ends soon who knows? Gotta be competitive on pricing. Check 'SoundsGood Rocks' user posting.
* Really fast transfrer rates (SoundsGood only). SoundsGood tranfers 250kbps but many standalone players even USB are still 100kbps

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: The Matrix
Posts: 718

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brajesh108
My feeling is for most people a MP3 player would be better as a stand-alone unit. The Visor doesn't need and can't be all things combined. For instance, if I had a stand-alone unit, I could cruise the web mith my Minstrel while listening to MP3's on the train. This is a much more flexible situation. I would say, don't get a module just because it is a module, do we want everything we own to plug into our Visors? Say, our electric razors? Just to have only "one" device? How rational is that?

---

I don't have Minstrel. I really love my SoundsGood Audio Player(just needs 64 more megs). I listen to my music and read my AvantGo on my train ride. All on one device!!! It does make a difference on a crowded NY train.

Hopefully Palm and other makers will include mp3 playback built in already. Thats my wish.

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-Mikedemo
It's all about how you spend the money.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Posts: 57

MP3 is better as a stand-alone

I honestly don't understand all the hype about an MP3 player for the Visor. I own a Visor and a Compaq Ipaq MP3 player. The Ipaq is about 3/4 the size of a pack of cigarettes, so it is very small and fits easily into a pocket. Why would anyone want to lug around the Visor to listen to MP3? I could understand if you are on a train on your way to work, but lets say you're at the gym or jogging. I'll take my Ipaq any day.

The Visor with an MP3 module is too bulky for me. Besides the MP3 springboard are more $$ than most stand-alone players.

If you ask me the MP3 springboards are overpriced gimicks that I personally would not waste my money on. That's just my opinion....