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Handhelds Hardware Entertainment

First Portable Media Centers Hit Store Shelves 280

Posted by timothy from the gotta-keep-the-zendo-open dept.
An anonymous reader writes "After months of speculation and hype, the first Portable Media Center based on Microsoft's 'Windows Mobile software for Portable Media Centers' has finally hit store shelves. The Zen Portable Media Center, from Creative Labs, is now available at Best Buy and Fry's Electronics, priced under $500. That money basically buys a 3.8-inch color LCD screen, ultra-fast USB 2.0 port to transfer video, music, and digital photos from your PC, and an internal 20 GB hard drive."
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First Portable Media Centers Hit Store Shelves More

First Portable Media Centers Hit Store Shelves

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  • I have one, I'm impressed. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jrj102 ( 87650 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:01PM (#10143805) Homepage
    I have one (don't ask) and I'm really quite impressed with it. While it won't replace my iPod for music use, I really think that the video/tv functionality would be fantastic for someone who commutes to work on a bus or ferry every day.

    The UI is clean and easy to use, and the sync works great. I also like that it is easy to configure the system to transcode (in the background) all of your content to lower quality in order to optimize space utilization.

    These are actually surprisingly good tools. There's a good review here [winsupersite.com].

    I will say, however, that if I had not gotten one for free (again, don't ask) then I don't think I would have been willing to pay $500 for one. When they either get down into the $350 range, or have MUCH higher capacities at the $500 price point perhaps.

    • Re:I have one, I'm impressed. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by FlipmodePlaya ( 719010 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:03PM (#10143831) Journal
      What dissapoints me is that it only holds 20B. Larger models are definitely needed. 20GB will fit my music collection just fine, but when I start putting movies on it I'm going to need a bit more. Hell, there are people who buy 80GB players _just_ for music.
      • Music you repeat over and over but tv and movies you would probabaly delete. Fill it in the weekend with downloaded/recorded stuff, watch over the week then whipe clean and upload the next batch.

        20gb is not gigantic but it helps keep the price sane and is more then enough for 20 high quality movies or a shit load of tv captures.

      • What dissapoints me is that it only holds 20B. Larger models are definitely needed. 20GB will fit my music collection just fine, but when I start putting movies on it I'm going to need a bit more. Hell, there are people who buy 80GB players _just_ for music.

        Yeah, but how many people with 80GB mp3 players really listen to 80GB worth of music over the course of a week/month/year? The only person I know with a 40GB iPod listens to the same worn out dance albums from 1998 over and over and over and over . The
    • I really think that the video/tv functionality would be fantastic for someone who commutes to work on a bus or ferry every day.
      Heh, that is probably the only real market for it(that and for parents who want to keep their kids silent on long trips). Is this a big enough audience to make a profit on? Music only devices appeal to a much broader range of people. You can listen to music while walking around town, or in your car. Let's hope people aren't watching video while doing either of these activitie

      • Re:I have one, I'm impressed. (Score:4, Insightful)

        by FlipmodePlaya ( 719010 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:14PM (#10143948) Journal
        I don't know, I imagine the market is at least as big as the market for the Gameboy, and that's done alright.
      • I really think that the video/tv functionality would be fantastic for someone who commutes to work on a bus or ferry every day. Heh, that is probably the only real market for it(that and for parents who want to keep their kids silent on long trips). Is this a big enough audience to make a profit on? Many people in the Eastern U.S. take commuter trains. Bay Area, too. And Europe, and Asia. Most of America drives to work, yes, but there's a huge market for commuters in other places. And of course there'
      • I really think that the video/tv functionality would be fantastic for someone who commutes to work on a bus or ferry every day.

        Heh, that is probably the only real market for it(that and for parents who want to keep their kids silent on long trips). Is this a big enough audience to make a profit on?

        Many people in the Eastern U.S. take commuter trains. Bay Area, too. And Europe, and Asia. Most of America drives to work, yes, but there's a huge market for commuters in other places. And of course there's
    • so, umm, how'd you get it? ; )
    • I have one (don't ask) ... I will say, however, that if I had not gotten one for free (again, don't ask)

      I know how he got it. He sold his soul to Bill Gates, and got 15 of his friends to do the same. Then Microsoft sent him a free one. He didn't even have to pay shipping.

      You can get your own for free to. Just go to:
      http://www.freemediacenter.com?referer_id=6587412 [freemediacenter.com]
    • (don't ask)
      (again, don't ask)

      I must, I must! I've already dispatched Mondo...
    • Can you directly attach a digital camera to it? Belkin has an adapter for ipods that allow you to move photos from camera --> adapter --> ipod = no laptop necessary on vacation. I am hoping someone can get to camera --> device where device plays mp3, etc.
    • Just what one wants to do. Convert FLAC to 64kbps so that I can listen with AM broadcast quality on my $500 toy, so that I can store 9000 tunes. Someone sure likes to twist those values.

  • Hmm... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by robslimo ( 587196 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:01PM (#10143807) Homepage Journal
    What manner of DRM has been built in?

  • If it drops to the under $300 price point (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Marxist Hacker 42 ( 638312 ) * <seebert42@gmail.com> on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:03PM (#10143829) Homepage Journal
    Which it will eventually- I think I just found a MUCH better solution to kid-in-the-car-on-a-long-trip boredom.
    • or whatever is coming out in the future. I'm sure it will cost you a lot less then $300. In fact, you could get one for each kid, and still save money. Plus you don't have to worry too much when (and not if) your kid drops it. :-)
    • For $300 you could buy a small video LCD, a used Xbox, and a bigger hard drive to put in said Xbox. Hack the Xbox and bango! It plays all the video formats, it plays classic games through emulation (There's a ton of emulators that have been ported to it) and of course, it plays Xbox games. Admittedly it's almost as large as a piece of luggage, but you are going in the car right? There's room.
    • Or shift to audiobooks. Eyes out the window, minds on harry potter or whatever they like most. The kilometers just fly by. And the kids never seem to get tired of listening to the same book over and over, either. Make your car stereo an mp3-capable cd player and you've got 6 hours or more of audio per cd.

      The gizmo geek in me keeps glancing hungrily at these things, but then I remember how much I *like* my kids staring out the window rather than at a screen while we're driving.

  • Yes, but, (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:03PM (#10143830)
    does it<Me Ducks>
    whew, close call.

    run lin*whack*

  • First? Not by a long shot. (Score:4, Informative)

    by twifosp ( 532320 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:04PM (#10143832)
    http://www.archos.com Archos has been at this for well over a year.
    • mod up.

      it might be the first for a device based on "Microsoft's 'Windows Mobile software for Portable Media Centers'" though. maybe that's a plus, dunno really.
    • It's the first based on Microsoft's 'Windows Mobile software for Portable Media Centers'.
    • Archos has had lower-case "portable media centers" on the market for over a year, but this is the first "Portable Media Center" -- as in, a satellite device compatible with Windows XP Media Center.

      I happen to run XP MCE at home, and I like it quite a lot, but I don't want a pocket video player that's tethered to it or to Windows Media Player 10. I'm much more likely to end up purchasing the brand-new Archos Gmini 400, which was officially released about a week ago and should have a street price around $35

  • Very kewl. (Score:4, Funny)

    by Freston Youseff ( 628628 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:04PM (#10143843) Homepage Journal
    This is the coolest thing in the way of personal entertainment that I have ever seen in my life aside from unmentional bedroom activities involving myself in a dark room with a glow-in-the-dark prophylactic. The future is indeed a bright one.

  • Hmmm (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Auckerman ( 223266 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:06PM (#10143860)
    I honestly don't understand the reasoning behind these products. These are marketed and designed for use from the point of view people WANT to carry movies and photos around with them. Sucessful portable devices don't get in the way when they are not being AND are so simple to intereact with that one doesn't think about using them.

    These look like little more than toys for people who buy things because they are new. Novelty, nothing less, especially at that price, useability, and size.

    • Re:Hmmm (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Shadow Wrought ( 586631 )
      I agree, and must say that the whole point is somewhat lost on me. What's wrong with actually taking in your surroundings? Or talking to people? Isn't having access to movies, tv shows, etc. at home enough? Do we really need to be able to watch a movie at any given moment? I realize that this is not exactly the "geek" party line, but at some point do we really need to bring everything with us?
      • I am looking at 6 if not more plane trips in the next month for some multi-hop trips. The airplane is kinda ok, but there's only so much of "taking in of your surroundings" you can do at an airport, having shown up two hours early for the security check, that you can do.

        So yeah, after the first five minutes, I am damn glad to have a magazine or seven and some games on my phone on hand. These devices don't fit my other needs -- I travel with a subnotebook so I can also surf and mail besides just watch movie
        • I am looking at 6 if not more plane trips in the next month for some multi-hop trips. ... I travel with a subnotebook ... so I wouldn't buy one

          In short, people in your position of being in the potential market are rare, and are already served by thier laptop/notebook pcs.
        • Plane trips can be tedious, but airports are immensely fun for people watching. Especially because of all the new secuirty and folks having to scramble to make their plane after a hour wait for the wand. I usually just bring a paperback tho', its small, light, and the battery only runs out if I fall asleep;-)

          On a WTMI note, I also happen to love the smell of jet fuel. Airports are fun just for that alone. That plus watching 500,000lbs accelerate to 150+ kts and take off is a pretty awesome sight as we

      • Re:Hmmm (Score:3, Insightful)

        by huchida ( 764848 )
        I agree, and must say that the whole point is somewhat lost on me. What's wrong with actually taking in your surroundings? Or talking to people? Isn't having access to movies, tv shows, etc. at home enough? Do we really need to be able to watch a movie at any given moment? I realize that this is not exactly the "geek" party line, but at some point do we really need to bring everything with us?

        Nice rant, but you're out of touch with reality. When you're backpacking through Europe you should chat it up and
    • I fly a few times a month and I've been noticing more and more folks carrying portable DVD players with them. They're below the $200 price point at my local Target and Costco.

      What's interesting is it's not the folks up in First and Business with them (where I'm sitting ;-) but it's the huddled masses back in steerage. Typically they're used as electonic pacifiers/babysitters. Anything that can keep a child from screaming/running around on an airplane is a Good Thing (how I miss those days when there was a

  • Wait Til Version 3 (Score:4, Funny)

    by slipnslidemaster ( 516759 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:07PM (#10143869)
    After months of speculation and hype, the first Portable Media Center based on Microsoft's "Windows Mobile software for Portable Media Centers" has finally hit store shelves. The Zen Portable Media Center, from Creative Labs, is now available at Best Buy and Fry's Electronics, priced under $500.

    Service Pack 1 released 15 minutes later...

  • more formats (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Coneasfast ( 690509 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:07PM (#10143877)
    I would have preferred something that would support more formats, such as xvid, ogg vorbis, etc.

    divx would be nice too, but there would be a licensing issue.

    • Actually, all of the DivX movies (including some that I didn't expect, ahem...) were automatically transfered to the device, and play perfectly. (They were transcoded in the background to WMV, with no DRM.)
      • Right, so it can't play DIVX. That's a bit disappointing for something which claims to play "media"... 99% of my "media" is in DIVX and XVID format.
        • Boy, what part of "Actually, all of the DivX movies (including some that I didn't expect, ahem...) were automatically transfered to the device, and play perfectly. (They were transcoded in the background to WMV, with no DRM.)" didn't you understand?

          He says the DivX movies transfered over and play perfectly.

          Just to be clear, once on the device they are WMV files, but they converted automatically. So where's the problem?

  • Naming (Score:3, Interesting)

    by MikeMacK ( 788889 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:07PM (#10143879)
    Interesting that they call it the "Zen", since Zen teaches inner contemplation and quiet listening to oneself and body, not MP3s.

  • bah, schoopsed. (Score:5, Funny)

    by physicsphairy ( 720718 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:09PM (#10143898)
    ultra-fast USB 2.0 port to transfer video

    Dang it, I knew I should have waited on buying the mediocre-speed USB 2.0 port version. Now all my friends will be laughing at me because they have the ultra-fast version.

  • It's a flop (Score:4, Interesting)

    by prostoalex ( 308614 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:10PM (#10143905) Homepage Journal
    So it has a color screen, sound volume control, all sorts of DRM support and costs almost $500? And I have no keyboard, no networking, no generic applications, it's just like a portable DVD player, but there's no DVD slot, just digital link?

    Well, for $600 I can get this low-end laptop running Windows XP Home [walmart.com] with wireless networking, 40 gig drive and DVD slot, which is capable of doing so much more, which pretty much includes all the options available in PMC.

    For $300 the PMC might be interesting. For $100 it would be a hot seller. But $500? Give me a break.

    • Re:It's a flop (Score:3, Informative)

      by TheSpoom ( 715771 ) *
      I would note here that anyone who buys a PC at Wal-Mart is BEGGING for trouble. We have sections here called Wal-Mart "blitzes" that deal with the multiple issues with the computers we sell at Wal-Mart, the reason being that Wal-Mart demands the lowest prices of all the retailers we sell to, and thus we have to use our lowest-end components in these PCs.

    • What a tard (Score:3, Informative)

      by SmallFurryCreature ( 593017 )
      Try fitting a laptop in your pocket. This thing you can hold in your hand while waiting on the platform, good luck with a laptop. This thing can be dropped in your pocket or in your bag in a second. Good luck doing that with laptop. It has a far simpler cpu meaning it will run far less hot.

      It is a fraction of the weight.

      You basiclly wanted to show how smart you are eh. Oooh you can buy a totally different device for 100 dollars more so it is crap. Kinda like saying a mercedes is bad car since for a few th

    • Re:It's a flop (Score:3, Informative)

      by buck_wild ( 447801 )
      My Compaq PDA has all of these features except that all your fles are stored on external memory. In addition, I can connect to the network due to it's built-in WiFi capability so I can manage my calendar, my email, browse websites I've saved and make cellphone calls.

      Oh, and it's also ~$500.
      • My Dell Axim X5 doesn't have enough guts to do full length movies, but worked for short video clips, pictures, MP3, wireless connectivity, GPS and what not.

        I mean, how many movies do you have to watch on that thing to justify $500 spent?

  • I will buy one.. (Score:2, Interesting)

    by jmcmunn ( 307798 )
    ..I will buy one when it has a video line in and I can hook it to my TV and record shows to it for the road. I think it would be awesome to tape the late show every night and then watch it on the commute to work.

    I know, I can probably record it on my ReplayTV and then get it onto my PC and then onto the device, but I want it in one step!
    • The Archos AV4xx series is a handheld PVR. Have it record your favorite shows directly on the device --direct to Divx-- and watch them on your commute. Hell, it even includes a remote.

      Also, the Archos 3xx series supports recording video directly to the device however they don't have the fancy PVR-style features.

  • Ugh! It runs Windows! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by FunWithHeadlines ( 644929 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:13PM (#10143945) Homepage
    All right, all right, I know, of course it does...consider the source. But it's so overkill for a device like this (not to mention that unnecessary complexity introduces bug situations and security vulnerabilities). Look at the iPod. Did Apple port a stripped down OS X for it, or even a Darwin framework? No, of course not. It's an entertainment device, so it gets its own custom OS that fits just right. It's the same philosophy that Palm has with its handhelds -- don't overload it with junk, just provide what you need and no more.

    Microsoft always wants to extend Windows even into areas where it does not belong. A handheld running Windows? What on earth for? Now this too? No thanks. Give me a Palm, give me an iPod, give me a simple tool that works well and elegantly.

    • Did Apple port a stripped down OS X for it, or even a Darwin framework?

      They tried! Then they threw up their hands and hired an outside company, Pixo, to write the software for them. Otherwise it would have been another Copeland/Pink/Taligent disaster.
    • I would like to point out that NT 4.0 and Win95/98 ran great on "old" PCs anywhere from a DX4/100 to a Pentium 166 or Pentium 200 (non-MMX with smaller caches). Since you can buy a Palm Pilot with a 400Mhz XScale processor, it wouldn't seme unwise to leverage the already stable core of Windows and its stable support for mime types (hacked as it is around file-name extensions) rather than develop a brand new OS.

      It's akin to using X11 on the Zaurus. Would you argue that is bloat, and that they should writ

    • Re:Ugh! It runs Windows! (Score:4, Insightful)

      by l0ungeb0y ( 442022 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:56PM (#10144320) Homepage Journal
      "Microsoft always wants to extend Windows even into areas where it does not belong."

      Yet when ./ posts about of Linux on a wristwatch et al people tend to root and cheer. Personally, I agree with your sentiment. A large scale general purpose OS can only consume more than it's share of scarce resources on a micro-device.
      However, in the future as computational power and memory resources grow ever smaller, the amount of bloat for the OS may matter less. For all we know, we'll see sixth generation "portable media centers" capable of playing DoomIII of course the display will look like crap on the holographic emitter and controlling the gameplay with hand gestures will be a chore, I'm sure it will be a hit for the hardcore game enthusiest ;)
    • A handheld running Windows? What on earth for?

      Be grateful for it!
      Could you think of any better way to make it crackable?

    • Re:Ugh! It runs Windows! (Score:5, Interesting)

      by revmoo ( 652952 ) <[slashdot] [at] [meep.ws]> on Thursday September 02, 2004 @08:45PM (#10145343) Homepage Journal
      Microsoft always wants to extend Windows even into areas where it does not belong.

      AMEN. Try having windows on your cellphone. It's absolutely miserable to deal with(work phone, otherwise I'd toss it in a heartbeat). Even simple tasks like dialing a phone number are long, arduous processes that involve re-keying often because I enter numbers too fast for the system to keep up. It's like having all the annoying problems of running windows on a low-end PC with none of the benefit.

      Don't get me wrong, it's nice having so many features in my phone(email/instant messaging/etc), but couldn't they have at least left the core features like dialing ALONE? :(

  • How much does the license cost? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by foniksonik ( 573572 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:17PM (#10143981) Homepage Journal
    My question here is how much of that price tag reflects the license tax to Microsoft? The hardware can't cost more than $150 by itself even at retail prices... even the LCD doesn't justify it. The software itself also doesn't justify the price... maybe another $100 for that so.... IMHO the license is half or more of the purchase price there. Surely the market can come up with a better or comperable offering for much less...I'm not buyin' it, figuratively or literally.

    • My question here is how much of that price tag reflects the license tax to Microsoft? The hardware can't cost more than $150 by itself even at retail prices... even the LCD doesn't justify it. The software itself also doesn't justify the price... maybe another $100 for that so.... IMHO the license is half or more of the purchase price there. Surely the market can come up with a better or comperable offering for much less...I'm not buyin' it, figuratively or literally.

      I don't understand the constant atte

      • "I don't understand the constant attempt to add up the cost of parts and try to attribute it to the price."

        Lots of us are PC geeks, and seeing as how it's simple to put your own together... It's rather easy to see how the DIY-crowd would climb onto that thought train.

        Or is it just me?

  • If you want portable media ... (Score:5, Informative)

    by LilMikey ( 615759 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:19PM (#10143998) Homepage
    there are a number of superior devices readily available:

    Archos AV3xx
    Archos AV4xx
    iRiver PMP-1xx
    RCA Lyra 27xx

    All of the above at LEAST play mpeg 4 video. Most can record Audio, some video, and one is ever a PVR. Educate thyself, consumer.

    And if you're a linux nut, I believe both the Archos and iRiver are Linux based however neither appear hacked to any great degree.

  • iRiver (Score:3, Informative)

    by tr33limbz ( 722239 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:25PM (#10144051) Homepage
    Gizmodo linked to http://pmw.sorobangeeks.com/news_51.html [sorobangeeks.com] about an iRiver portable media player. It doesn't look like the same as the one pictured in TFA. On a lighter note, I just can't see shelling out for any of these damned expensive gadgets.

    • Re:iRiver (Score:3, Informative)

      by LilMikey ( 615759 )
      The iRiver is the PMP-120. It's linux based with a 20 gig hdd and, if memory serves, and FM tuner built in. It's an impressive little player. More stylish than the Zen or Archos' and plays almost any format you can throw at it. No video recording capabilities though :(
  • I wonder if this version has the same problems as the other Jukebox models. There were many problems connecting to PC that used the nForce onboard USB 1.0 and Firewire ports.

  • Huge Problem - No Tuner (Score:5, Insightful)

    by BRock97 ( 17460 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:32PM (#10144123) Homepage
    Here's my beef; you will need an external PC to get any sort of video what so ever.

    I would have thought it would be as simple as:
    • Hook up device to cable
    • Schedule recording
    • Watch
    Instead, you have to:
    • Hook up your computer to cable
    • Go to your PC and schedule a show
    • Once it is done, have the software crunch the video to be transfered to the device
    • Hook up the device to the computer
    • Transfer the video over to the device
    • Watch
    How much more would it have cost to include a tuner with the unit?! Based on a post above, the unit can do video compression. So, until that happens, I am not too interested in the device as there are too many hurdles to jump to get out the door.

  • Irony (Score:3, Insightful)

    by GoClick ( 775762 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:53PM (#10144289)
    Anyone else think it's ironic or perhaps moronic to call a *media* device Zen?

    Sheesh, Zen is about as big of a buz word these days as I dunno some kinda crazy buz word.

    I'm pretty sure most people don't really even know what Zen is, and if they did, they'd wonder why people call stuff Zen. It has nothing to do with motorcycle riding.
  • So I have wanted a portable video player for a long time. I would LOVE to constantly be able to have some of my anime collection with me, or a couple downloaded movies or tv shows.

    The big problem is that with so many groups out there releasing things, their settings and codecs etc. are fairly varied.

    Which portable player out there can handle divX 5.0 (and be upgradeable to newer versions), Xvid, handle codec upgrades, etc? This is the feature that will make or break buying one of these for me.

  • so does my mobile phone (Score:3, Interesting)

    by pbjones ( 315127 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @05:59PM (#10144361)
    my mobile does most of this but the screen is smaller...
  • it had to be said, and it prolly already has been, but here it is again, the age old question. Will Linux run on it? I'm guessing not straight away as not many would know how these babies run yet. But i would assume it would use some pretty standard parts, so at least some of the most essential drivers are already completed. All one would have to do is tie it all together... Hard? Easy? Moderate? I'd love one of these. I was adamit my next house would be networked with thin clients in every room, also actin
    • I've just seen a picture. What a load of shit. Who's going to buy this crap?

      What i would like is linux tablet support or linux support for some device where the entire computer is inside the monitor. Kinda like Apples new iMac, but smaller still. Smaller as in bulkiness. Like a laptop, but not that expensive. Is there such a device?

  • In 1997 I purchased a Newton 2100, hoping I could do on-the-go audio recording / editing by getting a PCMCIA card that had a SPDIF port (so I could plug in a digital microphone as well as an external DAT), get the RAM up to the point where I could edit digital audio of at least a few minutes in length, and actually find some version of Peak / Spark / etc. that would run on the little beastie. None of these things were meant to be, and I ended up using it as a PDA only.

    These days, the palmtops and such a

  • Be careful : Misleading label ... (Score:4, Informative)

    by Fantasio ( 800086 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @06:53PM (#10144745)
    This is not a Creative product (...with Microsoft software), it's a hardware extension of Microsoft WMP 10 (...built by Creative).

    The list of System Requirements says it all.

    I'll buy this kind of device only if it is recognized as a Mass Storage Device when plugged on the USB port, not if I have to go through WMP to use it.

  • I bought a Dell Axim a30 Pocket PC a couple of weeks ago.
    It does lots of things, Bluetooth and WiFi, for around $300.
    A really nice piece of hardware, especially for the price.

    I want to like it, but you know, it's got that 20% brain-damage-ness
    of Microsoft that makes it fall short of being a satisfying fetish device:

    Convoluted menus, syncing with too many options to set, WiFi that
    won't connect without poking at it, remnants of applications that are
    left after uninstalling, crashes, install files that are se
  • Shoplifters, start your engines.

  • I just bought one (Score:5, Interesting)

    by DougDew ( 94589 ) on Thursday September 02, 2004 @11:33PM (#10146279)
    A couple of hours ago I exchanged my new fourth generation 40GB iPod for one of these units.

    I loved my iPod, but it was unstable and locked up repeatedly. It was my second such iPod to do so. My first such iPod was one that I had bought only two weeks ago. I exchanged the first iPod for the second iPod because after only one day of use the first iPod had begun locking up. Many thanks to Best Buy for living up to their 30 day return policy.

    Anyway, with regard to the Zen PMC, my initial impressions are mixed:

    1. The unit is very large and bulky compared to an iPod. In fact, the unit is large enough that you'll have to wear very loose-fitting pants in order to carry the unit in your pocket. And the unit is too heavy to carry in your hand for a long period of time.

    2. Installation of the battery is needlessly hazardous to the unit and is needlessly annoying. Before installing the battery, you must adjust a tiny, delicate on/off within the battery compartment to the "on" position using whatever small tool that you might have sitting nearby. If you're not careful you could *easily* break the switch by pushing too hard on it. Also, if you don't have a small tool (e.g. a jeweler's screwdriver) sitting nearby then you're not even going to be able to start using your unit. I was fortunate as after a few minutes of scrounging around I was able to find a jeweler's screwdriver. Had I not found a tool I would have been pretty pissed off. My iPod didn't require any such silliness.

    3. The unit's buttons have a cheap feel to them. The "Back" button not only feels cheap, but is too far recessed into the casing to be easily used.

    4. The top (user facing) half of the unit is made of glossy black plastic and therefore shows fingerprints a lot. Within a few seconds of being handled the unit no longer looks new.

    5. (Completly subjective) The unit completely lacks the sexy, cool appearance of an iPod. If I were a Mac user (I'm a Windows and Linux user), I'd probably say that the PMC is to an iPod as a generic Wintel desktop box is to a Mac G5 desktop box.

    6. The directions claim that you should charge the battery for *sixteen* hours before first use. Sixteen hours is a long time to wait before taking a new toy for a walk.

    7. The unit's UI is very easy to figure out. Mostly that's because...

    8. ...the unit seems to be dummed down to the point that it doesn't do very much besides play songs and movies. Given that the unit is running Windows CE.NET (v4.2 I think) I expected the unit to be loaded with PIM applications and such. But, there don't seem to be any such applications. The iPod provides such things as tasks, calender and notes viewing applications. I had expected the PMC to be more functional than the iPod, not less.

    9. Windows Media Player 10 is required in order to synchronize the PMC with your PC. Without getting very far at all I got so annoyed with WMP 10 that I decided to post these comments. WMP 10 is bad in several ways. First, WMP 10 is still in beta. That's right. In order to get music onto your new $500 PMC, you're going to have to use beta software. Thanks Microsoft. And this is not just any beta software. This is software that installs a bunch of DRM stuff onto your computer. In fact, there are several steps in the installation procedure where you encounter DRM-related dialog boxes. These dialog boxes explain things such as the fact that the installer connects to Microsoft's servers to register your computer with Microsoft so Microsoft can assign your machine some sort DRM ticket. Depending upon how you feel about DRM, you might not be too happy about any of this.

    10. Using WMP 10 to synchronize with the PMC seems to be broken. I keep telling it to synchronize and it keeps pretending that it is, but it isn't. I have about 16GB of songs to synchronize. With my iPod, I had the process of synchronization completed in less than an hour. I just plugged in my iPod to the cradle and everything just worked. With the PMC

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