Rug Burn Junky on 7/11/2009 at 19:25

---

Thing is, everyone has "MP3" in their minds as the killer app for the iPhone, when it really isn't. Just about every modern smartphone works just fine as an MP3 player, and has for years (I've used my phone as my day2day mp3 player since about 2005 with the old Sony Ericsson P910, and before that on my PDA). Certain of them do it a little better than others, but not to an amount to justify the price. Any Blackberry is a perfectly serviceable MP3 player if all you need is to listen to something on your morning commute.

The iPhones are about so much more than that, as are the equivalents from Google and Blackberry. They're about applications, and all of the other things you can run while you're out and about. This makes a huge difference for me, but that's a lifestyle thing - for other people all of the added features are useless. If you're just worried about MP3's don't stress and get a cheap media phone. But if you're really invested in mobile e-mail, txting, microblogging, facebook, GPS, fantasy sports, etc. you get one of these so you're always connected.

It is now, motherfucker!

My Blackberry died in July/August. Most of the keys have been wonky for months, and the trackball itself stopped pressing down in August, necessitating the use of alternate buttons (except in my weather app, which only used the ball, and was therefor stuck taunting me with the weather in Miami for three months). It was hell, and I almost bit the bullet and bought an iPhone immediately.

Of course, right around this time, reports on the Moto Sholes (the project name for what became the Droid) started leaking out, and I knew exactly what my choice was going to be, just had to wait for it. I've only had it a day, bu the Droid is absolutely comparable to the iPhone. It's awesome, and does just about everything I need, and seems to do it pretty well (Google maps is the biggest value add as far as I'm concerned, location based searching is so clutch in a city like NY, and, I would imagine, London). If you want an "App-phone," the Droid versus the Storm versus the iPhone really comes down to a matter of preference. I personally can't stand itunes, and while I like Blackberry - I've had three in the past 3 years - I know how I like to tinker, so open dev, plus the robust Google Maps, on Android was an easy choice.

Like I said, day to day, I use my phone for music. I've had an iPod since 2005, and I've never carried it regularly - to me a big dedicated mp3 player is better for other uses. I have a dock in every room, had integrated controls in my car and a wrist remote for skiing. In short, for activities where I KNOW I'll need music it works so much better, but I can't justify the pocket space to dedicate to it when I'm on the train around town. It is nice to have a separate media device, but to me they serve an entirely different purpose.

caffeinatedzombeh on 7/11/2009 at 20:36

---

On the a44 at midnightish stood next to (http://zombeh.dyndns.org/~steve/fronty/b5.jpg) this

Kolya on 8/11/2009 at 13:01

---

Japan?

Aja on 8/11/2009 at 19:49

---

The thing about the iphone is that it's an absolutely wonderful music player. I bought the 16gb 3GS, assuming I'd only put a few albums on it. But now I'm wishing I'd saved for the 32. In most any other mp3 players, I suppose a 600mhz processor and 256mb of RAM would be unnecessary. But since it's there anyway you might as well take advantage, and the result is the only DPA I've ever used that has absolutely *zero* lag. No pause while the album art queues up, no hard-drive spinning, and fast forward and rewind are instantaneous. Flipping through albums with your finger is more responsive than any touch wheel/pad, and unlike ipods, the album art is displayed properly, full screen. It's not as though any of these features are crucial, but when combined the overall experience is so smooth and fast that it's simply more satisfying to use.

Aja on 8/11/2009 at 21:51

---

Actually I was trying to get across that the lack of lag is the real perk. Most DAP firmware (Zune, ipod, and Karma are the three I've used) feels fragile to me—queue up enough songs too fast, change the track too many times, and you'll either stall it or crash it outright. The iphone is a pleasure to use because it just doesn't have this problem. The music player portion feels absolutely solid.

Also I forgot to mention: the volume buttons on the side are well-implemented: they function even if the phone is locked, which means you can use it jogging, adjusting the volume without having to fiddle with the touchscreen.

The phone isn't perfect by any means—and I could go into detail—but the OP seemed especially interested in its MP3 capabilities. So while I'm sure they aren't leagues ahead of the iphone's peers, they're still better than any standalone DAP I've owned.