Gardening

When the mini-disc format (md) was invented inside 1995, it was viewed while the unwanted stepchild of the cd. However with the explosion of the mp3 digital format inside recent years, the md has just now set up a permanent niche inside portable electronics.

Thanks to the ipod, mp3 players get dominated the industry, but i calm had to make an informed decision before dropping the coin for a next-generation portable player. I spent about a month doing research on what worked best for my needs. My girlfriend bought a 20gb ipod a few months since and i loved Sony MZ-NF520D Net MD next trying it out. However, i was not comfortable spending $300-400 on one myself, especially next finding out some of the ipod’s dark secrets: 1) the internal battery only lasts 10-18 months and is non-replacable /non-serviceable. 2) you get to send the unit back to apple to replace the battery, which cost $100 plus shipping. 3) if don’t get an ibook or an apple computer at home, don’t bother buying an ipod…windows and ipods are not very fond of each other, try one on your pc and you may get tempted to put the sledge hammer to it. 4) if you drop an ipod on a hard surface, you just burned a few hundred dollars on the spot. Once dropped, it never works quite the same again. The ipod’s sleek but delicate chassis and non-shock absorbent hd casing are a recipe for disaster. 5) the ipod has become a yuppie status symbol inside san francisco, so by principle alone, i will not buy one.

Since buying an ipod was no longer an option, i looked high and low for an alternative. I wanted three features above all else: affordable price point, compact size, and satisfactory music capacity. I discovered that all the 20-40gb ipod clones (iriver, lyra, nomad, etc.) Are too expensive and too much of a liability if damaged. In addition, i only wanted a device for working out or when i am using public transit for work. 20-40gb will fit my entire music library but i will never need to use all of that capacity all the time-so i went to the other end of the rainbow: smaller flash-memory players

I loved the portability of flash media players but the capacity is the direct opposite of the giga-players. Smaller players usually hold 128 or 256mb of memory (a couple of newer models are inside the 0.5-1gb range). This is not enough memory to hold enough music without worrying about when to switch flash cards. Also, flash memory is very pricey, so what you save on the player, you will spend on the memory. You’re better off spending the money on a high-capacity unit.

I finally looked into sony’s md player line while a alternative to hd-based players and am very pleased with the information that i found, so i bought the mznf520d at a local shop. It was a great decision. I get summarized the pros and cons below

Please visit A superb alternative to theo- ipod and other mp3 players for more content.