Alright, it should work now. Stupid IE and it's stupid inability to handle a basic character. C'mon, it's just an apostrophe. You don't even have to spell the fuckin' word!

FUCK, PARAS!!! IT'S DOING IT AGAIN!!!

LOOK:

'''''''''''''''

Beck, as far as mp3 players go... the Lexar's actually pretty cool I guess (I like the built-in FM transmitter, but be careful; even Ngz' iTrip is kinda wonky. I'd suggest finding some consumer reviews on it). But also, that's assuming you're not going to want to have a lot of music with you at any one time. It doesn't have anywhere near the file capacity of the iPod, and using SD memory as removable media gets pretty damned costly pretty damned quick (as opposed to $4 minidiscs or even $11 for the 1GB HI MDs). While the iPod is a mass-storage device and the MD is a removable storage device, the Lexar instead seems to be representing the new wave in top-of-the-line mp3 players. I can't tell you what to buy, but I'd say think twice about the Lexar... but again that's just me. Apparently what I'm looking for in audio devices has very little to do with what the average consumer is looking for. And besides, you said you're looking for something that has qualities of both MDs and iPods... and the Lexar seems to fit.

Eric... hold up a sec here. I hate the internet for exactly this reason. I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. At first I thought you were serious when you said that the Network Walkman is Sony's iPod killer (and I was like "what the fuck!?") but now I'm not so sure you were serious. You were joking about that right? Kuz like... the network walkman is just a shitty iPod clone (granted it has a better battery, but it's gonna take a hell of alot more than that to overthrow the iPod empire).

And as for the SONY STORE... Even I can't really think of anything good about the Sony store... so I don't think it's gonna be pretty.

Hell, I bear no more allegiance to Sony than I do Apple. I personally think that Sony makes shitty electronics (unless you're willing to pay for their top-of-the-line models which are extravagantly priced). It's unfortunate that unless you go to Asia, you're not really gonna find a lot of comparable alternatives to Sony when you're shopping for MDs here.

Err, Microsoft Windows that is.

OoooOoo, score one post for moi.

Death to windows!

best nerd movie title ever, "SLQ of Rock"
thanks Chris.

Wow, that's pretty cool that the Lexar player has the FM Transmitter and Voice Recorder built in.

Ok, folks. I changed over the message board to a mySQL database. I think I have everything cleaned up and working. Pretty much the same rules as in October: test the limits if you want. If it breaks, let me know (I think that's what e-mail is for...)

I have a NetMD, it does it's job... I can't tell the difference between a 128 MP3/192 MP3/cd and I live with someone who has an iPod. Frankly I think some sort of a hybrid would be best. The MD is great on battery life, but sucks for disk space (I don't have the 1 gig version) and I like the removable media thing. The iPod has a built in rechargeable battery which unfortunately for AD gets worse over time. Both have pretty shitty software necessary for file transfer.

I'm looking at getting the Lexar LDP600 when my MD craps out.
It has the removable media (1 gig) plus the 512MB built in, plays MP3 and WAV files without converting to a different format. It doubles as a removable mass storage device. It has no software required, it shows up as a USB device and you just drop the files in there. Unfortunately it has the same battery style as the iPod, built in custom rechargable. But it also comes with all the bells and whistles (ie. FM transmitter) that are not available for the MD or cost an extra $50-$70 each for the iPod. It's also priced at $130 - $170 US which kicks the crap out of either the iPod or MD.
It probably doesn't have the features that Tay is looking for, but it fits just about everything I want... except the damn battery... but nothing is *perfect*

i'll save my real rebutal, and snide comments about the SONY STORE for later when i have more time.

the REAL Sony iPod killer / Sony's Network Walkman

Heh, funny I have something to comment on this conversation.

I'm surprized you didn't mention any of the specs Taylor or else you would have posted your ideas differently, or not at all. ;)

Relatively recently Sony release the Hi-MD to replace the NetMD. The new MDs are 1GB in size and can potentially hold 45hrs of music, depending on the level of compression you choose (and if you do use compression, the ATRAC3plus codec has been improved over ATRAC3 so you can have more music byte for byte). Alternatively, you can record in uncompressed PCM audio. The Hi-MDs also work as external USB drives as well, only question is can they be set to play music and transfer data at the same time (probably yes.) As for discs, a single disc costs 11$ and cheaper if you get them bundled. Battery life with the Hi-MDs is aproximately 25+ hours with a single alkaline (more if you use Ni-MH, with my NetMD I get 50+hrs on a single one.)

As for makers of MiniDisc players, Kenwood and Panasonic also make players but I have only seen a small handfull of them (and as far as I know, aren't available in North America) so effectively Sony's pretty much the only source.

And as far as listening to others' music collections, if I want to listen to the music you're listening to with MDs you just pop out the disc, hand it over and be on your way, something I have done on many occasions. With iPods (as far as I understand) there is no direct transfer from one to the other (this is possible with MDs, but must be done in real time ie. second for second so that doesn't provide much of an advantage) and I don't think too many people would be willing to trade a couple hundred dollar iPod to someone so they can listen to your music, I'd rather go for the $4 (for std MDs) option. As for transfering songs from computer iPods are limited to computers that have iTunes already installed. Hi-MDs/NetMDs also require computers have SonicStage installed, but can record using analogue/optical input as well.

The Hi-MD has made a potential iPod killer, but Sony has done very little do market the MD in general. The technology's been around since the early 90s and only recently has gained some popularity of a sort in North America (in Japan MDs are pretty much king over there)

Hi-MD
Pros: removeable data medium, direct recording in multiple formats (computer, analogue, optical), battery life (25+hrs), decent cost ($250-$600 CDN), can act as an external drive, upgradeable firmware, reverse compatability with NetMD, weight 3-4 oz, remote control standard on all players except one low end model, can use any "AA" battery as power source, preloads songs (aprox 6 minutes, good for battery, bad for shock resistance)
Cons: small disc capacity, very poor marketing, USB 1.1 transfer, requires external software, no additional features, small consumer base (I personally don't see that many more iPods than MD players actually), small display

iPod
Pros: large disc capacity, excellent marketing, USB 2.0/Firewire transfer, various PDA/daytimer functions, weight 6 oz, standard backlit display, large and easily viewable interface, can act as an external drive, fast battery charge, preloads songs (aprox 25 minutes, bad for battery, good for shock resistance), wide consumer appeal
Cons: expensive built-in battery, Cost ($430-$560 CDN), requires external software, can record only through additional microphone ($50 CDN), battery life (max 12hrs), can only use built-in battery

In my opinion, the major advantages of the Hi-MD are the battery "universality", recording ability (definitely comes in handy when u want to sleep through a lecture), portable drive ability, removable (and exchangeable) discs and cost. The biggest disadvantage would be the capacity of the discs themselves. Advantages for the iPod are large disc capacities, easy interface/display, portable drive ability. Major disadvantages would be the relatively high cost and the dependence on the short life built-in battery.

I once considered getting an iPod, but decided to buy a NetMD some time ago so I'm a bias towards the MD, but I believe that in the long run the MD is a better investment overall.