Dell DJ Ditty now available

Hey, lookie — the Dell DJ Ditty is already available on the Dell website. That screen looks realllly tiny. You can pick one up for $99.

[Thanks, Tony and Ryan]

[Nelson @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

From the Web site:

"Slim design measuring 3.6 x 1.1 x .5 inches and weighing only 1.29 ounces"

[Ben @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

And from the Apple website:

"Only 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.27 inches and 1.5 ounces"

$100 more for 1.5GBs more, a color screen, plus the usability of iTunes? I'm not an Apple fanboy, but damn; Apple's doing something right. The Ditty looks like any other flash memory MP3 player. They'll have to price it way lower to make it attractive...

[leojsoap @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

that's kinda emasculating

dude, what kinda player is that?
-it's a Dell Ditty
what?
-a Dell Ditty
*snicker*
-I was drunk when I bought it! shaddup!

[King @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

#3, totally agree.

but this ditty is aiming at the iPod shuffle. so, little bit different market sect. in that sense...both sucked.

what dell should do, is using their supply-chain management to get some ditty/dirt cheap flash memory and upgrade their pocket DJ and make a nano knock off.

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

There she was just a-walkin' down the street,
singin' 'Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do'
Snappin' her fingers and shufflin' her feet,
singin' 'Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do'

[mark @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

walk away from the computer Mike...

[tRMP @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

i don't know anybody who would spend $100 for this.

[mouseman @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

I hate dell.

[jxj @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

And in the great Dell tradition the player looks cheaply made, poorly designed and well....basically like every other product they make.

PS Yes I do own a dell computer. And yes, I do regret purchasing it.

[kyle @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

wtf is that black cap on the end? it's not covering a usb thingy, because specs say this thing has mini-usb. it better not be the battery.

[Take2 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Would have been cooler if it came out a year ago. Behind the Nano, it's just ho-hum.

[Mick 0 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

The notable thing with this player is that it's PlaysForSure subscription compatible flash device for 99 bux - something a lot of us have been waiting for. Personally, I think it's not a bad deal.

[Warbles @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Damn, that screen is puny. 1 inch (diagonal) according to Dell. I wonder how useful that could be.

[Gleb Serbin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

I really dislike dell products. theyre second best at everything. dell sucks.

-gleb

P.S. did i mention i hate dell?

[IK @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

And in the great Dell tradition the player looks cheaply made, poorly designed and well....basically like every other product they make.

PS Yes I do own a dell computer. And yes, I do regret purchasing it.


I agree with you. The only good thing about dell that I like is that when my computer graphics card broke, they sent me a brand new top-of-the-line computer with an x850xtpe.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

It doesn't have a full sized USB port meaning it can't double as a USB keychain unless you happen to carry around a USB A to B cable.

I think that was 1 great feature of the shuffle and a few other flash DAPs, they can double as a USB keychain drive.

If I needed all the features, besides Napster2go, I would go for the Sandisk instead ... otherwise, for a basic simple DAP for running, an iPod shuffle would be fine.

[Einhanderkiller @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

If you can do a little social engineering, you can get 2 brand new 24" Ultrasharp Widecreen LCD's from Dell. =O

i r teh leet haxor

[kiddanger @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

puffy combs is gonna sue, and from what i hear he really needs the money rigth now.

[fierywater @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

I don't understand why the Apple elite are comparing this to the Nano. It's a Shuffle competitor, and I predict many people will choose it over the Shuffle because it actually has a screen.

That said, I still like the Shuffle better, but this isn't a completely inferior product by any means. I owned a Dell DJ once, and it was extremely reliable. I still like Apple's products better, but give credit where credit is due.

[Paul @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

I'm not sure what Dell is doing with their MP3 Players - they aren't bad - but their prices are a bit high.

I have a Dell PC, and with the discounts I couldnt touch another computer with the same specs without adding 500 bucks to the price. Their MP3 players however, are not so value based.

I've been very happy with my Dell Computers. They have all worked fine. I'll be the first to admit they're not as sexy and as elegant as anything else, but when I pay 1/2 the price I won't complain.

I'd buy an MP3 Player from them in a heartbeat if it were as competitively priced.

[tagbo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

okay, they cant be serious. the shuffle runs rings round this thing.
There IS one thing that dell makes that is number 1, and that's the axim 50v. vga screen 625 mhz processor, beautiful form factor... yeah, i own one... and a dell ultrasharp 18 inch lcd. .. besides those, i wont buy anything else dell... i had really bad experiences with 5 latitudes (shudder)

[Brad @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

to 20:

People are going to buy the shuffle over this hideous thing because 1) it's got iTunes and the iTMS and 2) it's an iPod.

[zip22 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

and
3) its got better sound quality (probably)

4) its smaller

5) it CAN act as a thumb drive

[sammy mazola jr @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

This *could* be an iPod killer.

If my name were 'iPod'.

And I somehow managed to wedge it down my throat until I choked to death.

[Bruce M. @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

This totally blows away the shuffle, and I think it will kill the Nano as well ... people are sick of buying Apple stuff just because of slick marketing ... Apple products are always over-hyped and under-featured. I can't wait for Dell to bury Apple!

P.S. the previous paragraph is a joke, but sadly seems to reflect the lingering opinion of the dwindling retard-class out there

[Jay @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

if it's not white or doesn't have an apple logo on it, it sucks. don't know why companies bother competing with the joke known as the shuffle. and the guy comparing this thing to the nano is an idiot. for $80 more than a 1gb shuffle, you can get a 2gig nano. what is your point? just a horrible cheap shot at dell i guess.

[Huey2k2 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

*Insert random Apple fanboy comment*

Seriously people, if you don't have something to say other then "OMG THE SHUFFLE IS SO MUCH BETTER!!!111one EVERYONE WISHES THEY WERE APPLE, I GIVE STEVE JOBS HEAD FOR IPOD'S" then don't bother posting here.

[Sledge Hammer @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Wow, what a cheesey, plasticky POC! This goes to show how many light years Apple's iPod is in front of the competition.

If I wanted a tiny mp3 with a screen I'd get the iPod nano, hands down!

Trust me, Dell couldn't sell their "Diddy" on a month full of Sundays!

[heliotropic @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

The black cap does cover the Male "A" type USB connecter and it can be used as a removable disk drive, and it supports DRM10 services (Napster To Go, etc).

It's competition for the Shuffle, and while it's not as pretty, it does what it's supposed to do.

[hall @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

it will be nice if the price is lower...

[John @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

And whats worse is the standard 90-DAY warranty. Even the iPod shuffle has an one year warranty by default.

[Homescoop @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

While Apple hits homeruns Dell (as far as mp3 players go) seem to stop at 2nd base.

Dell can't compete with Apple in the mp3 world.
Dell should forget trying to be another Apple or even Creative.

Dell should make ONE really good mp3 player and get it right. The 2nd gen Dell DJ was on the right path (it's much cooler in person) looks wise but again it needs to be finished off.

Dell should focus on making a good,reliable 30GB HDD based player w/ FM and AM radio,maybe a color LCD w/ basic photo viewing and maybe a line-in port. Add in some features like bookmarking (as found on the Zen micro) and radio recording. Make a HDD player with some of the features NOT found on an ipod and price a 30giger at like $275 alone or $200 when purchased w/ a Dell PC...which blows away the 20gig ipods at $299,as far as price/space.

Maybe soften/refine the look of the 2nd gen a bit (something Zen Sleek-ish looking) and maybe offer it in 3 colors -silver,black or pink. I like Creatives touch strip but w/ a little less sensativity. If Dell wants to still team w/ Creative then adopt the strip but again..finish it off and make it work right.

Simple...to the point...tremendous value...a complete product.

Forget pocket dj's and flash players and all the rest. Get ONE thing right...make it a hit and THEN maybe expand the product line. Gee,sorta like what Apple did.

Also...offer people a DELL mp3 player...stop playing catchup and do something different or forward thinking. I mean,instead of breaking new ground the Ditty,for example, isnt even on par with a 3 year old iriver flash. iriver did everything Dell Ditty is doing 3 years ago.

Oh,and develope some good,stable,simple but feature rich software. The battle is NOT among the units..its w/ the software and itunes is so far and away the best it's not even funny and until these folks take on and beat itunes they have no chance of beating the ipod.

[LCD @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

just wish dell wouldn't blast my speakers by shoving audio content down my throat when i click on their mp3 section of the corporate website. embedded audio playing as soon as a website loads is so contentpush1999 (frickin' annoying)

[WantSubscription @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

I am looking for a flash-based player to use with Y!Music Unlimited, for exercising and the like. This is the first one I've seen that fits the bill. Also, I like the idea of being able to see the song title that's playing. I would prefer it to have 1GB though. Maybe Dell will come out with a 1GB model. I don't own an MP3 player at all now. Y! Music Unlimited service is what's got me interested.

[Leviathan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

I'm looking for something like this. But still couldn't buy one. Almost all are same sh.t. I need something to carry in pocket (small), a storage device (at least 1gb), it must be convenient (USB) and more (fm/mp3). It must be from "good material". Not cheap plastic. Those companies really started to screw up under the term "cost management". (I don't think ipod shuffle is any better by the way).

[alex @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Does anyone know of a portable digital music player that has both an AM and FM tuner? If not, is it because there is no demand for AM? I'd like to be able to listen to the ballgame as well as music.
Thanks

[Dilby @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Hello,

I'm Dilby of http://www.dilby.com a news site. I want to comment on this DJ Ditty because companies ship me products often so I can talk about them later on, despite the fact that I run a news site not an electronics blog; I don't get it. Anyways, I have one and I want to say it's not worth your time. Dell is just another huge company trying to push the same crap to compete with Apple's MP3 market. So, it holds 100 more songs, big deal. Why even by the Shuffle or DJ Ditty? For many, just save three paychecks and get an iPod, it's worth the time and money. You'll have a device that you can use as a portable harddrive and a device that can store thousands of songs, not the mere one hundred. I have the whole second season of Family Guy on my iPod, plus a lot of programs in addition to 1800+ songs, 38 photos, and I still have about 6gig left. Get an iPod and don't fall into this electronic hype by Dell.

Thanks,
Trae aka Dilby
http://www.dilby.com - Dilby News Monitor

[Jamie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

It records twice the number of songs if you record them at half the quality (64 kbps WMA vs. 128 kbps AAC for the Shuffle).

Gee, Dell, that's a lot of moolah for an AM radio.

[Jim @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Firstly you cannot...repeat cannot compare the bit rate of one format to that of another !!!
Secondly, adding a screen, storing 100 more songs than the 512 Shuffle and adding a built in FM radio...all at the same price as the 512 Shuffle makes this a true competitor. Reviews here by those who have never seen, never touched, and never used the new Dell is merely rediculous anti Dell and/or pro Ipod speculation. This thread has so much useless speculation as to be absurd. It's just a 'I love Ipods' or 'I hate Dell'.

[Jim @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Firstly you cannot...repeat cannot compare the bit rate of one format to that of another !!!
Secondly, adding a screen, storing 100 more songs than the 512 Shuffle and adding a built in FM radio...all at the same price as the 512 Shuffle makes this a true competitor. Reviews here by those who have never seen, never touched, and never used the new Dell is merely rediculous anti Dell and/or pro Ipod speculation. This thread has so much useless speculation as to be absurd. It's just a 'I love Ipods' or 'I hate Dell'.

[jim @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Oh yes...if a revised Ipod Shuffle came out that had a screen, a built in FM tuner and held 100 more songs and sold at the same $99 price...we would be reading how Apple responded to the desires of the public and updated the Shuffle to include those items that the public said should be addded.

[Metanaut @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

This thing sucks. I think Daring Fireball has it right...

http://daringfireball.net/2005/09/ditty

Is there any doubt that this thing was designed by the janitor on the way out? Is there any doubt that this product, such as it is, will fade to irrelevance and out of memory, failing all hopes pinned on it as the iPod Shuffle killer? I'm no psychic, but I can tell you... this will sell a dozen. The Dell DJ Ditty makes me think of Anheuser-Busch's clumsy attempt at combining beer and energy drinks. No one wants it, but hey, the resources are plentiful enough to give it a half-assed effort, so why not try? This, nor the iPod Shuffle, weren't created for everybody. They were created for their respective markets. It would seem that the iPod Shuffle is the kind of product one would expect from Apple, while the Ditty is the type of product one would expect from Dell. I haven't read too much to dispute that here. And while they share the same price point, their markets are in fact different. The iPod Shuffle's market appreciates good design and clarity of purpose (you can operate it fully without looking at it) as well as good music. The Ditty seems to offer a crap implementation of a great many features. Hey, it has a radio. Great. I, and many others, think radio has nothing to offer in this state of the industry. Therefore, I don't have many demands beyond the customization of my music listening experience. Granted, that's just me, but apparently I'm not alone. Twice the songs? Dell's fine print is comparing 128kbps AAC to 64kbps WMA. I've heard 64kbps WMA and it really does sound like crap, comparatively speaking. Hell, go 8-bit and you can get even more in there. Consider this: FM radio is far lower quality audio than CD (around 32khz as compared to CD's 44.1khz). I can imagine Dell's marketing department making the "twice as many" claim possible by lowering the standard of audio files to match that of FM radio ("there's a radio in there! your audio files will sound just a good!"). If the Ditty appeal to you, then we'd have less in common.

If I had to choose between the Ditty and $99 gift certificate for Chocodiles, I'd take those twinkies even if I wasn't hungry.

[Jamie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

You can...repeat...can compare the bit rate of one format to that of another !!!

Well, at least your ears can.

[jim @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

I'd like to compliment you on your superbly researched, well thought out, objective and detailed evaluation of a unit that you have never touched, owned, tested or heard.

[Metanaut @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

jim: Yes, I have heard the underlying technology claim being offered by Dell... 64kbps WMA. Yes, they can be compared. That's a fairly low standard which Apple could use to claim: "Superior sound!"

Why would I bother testing it, Jim? It's not for me, by design. Thought that was clear. An opinion, not a review. Sorry to have provoked your sarcasm. I'm in a world of hurt now. But thanks for the kudos. With them, I can pick up the pieces and move on.

[jim @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Actually I had incorrectly assumed that you actually looked at the spechs (let alone tried the unit before commenting) that Dell provides on their website before trashing the unit.
Supported audio format:

MP3
Constant Bit Rate
Variable Bit Rate

WMA
DRM 9, 10 or PD-DRM & WM-DRM
Constant Bit Rate
Variable Bit Rate

Audible
The 64 bit rate was showing its maximum storage at the lowest quality.

[sean @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

go to http://dellditty.com

[Metanaut @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Um, Jim, regarding the WMA, the point I was making was about Dell's presentation of the specs, what they put out there to turn the heads of people. 200 songs in 512Mb is compelling. But there's a toll in the fine print. That point has occurred elsewhere in this thread. I never doubted that the Ditty could play an mp3. "That's awesome!" I take notice that Dell's marketing effort is doubling capacity by sacrificing audio. Additionally you said, rather arbitrarily (and without your coveted "research" no doubt), that one cannot compare different audio codecs. Compare purely by the numbers? No. I'll agree with you. The numbers won't directly correlate, so that'd be foolhardy. But by listening? There is a big difference. If you can't hear it, then respectfully, I ask... what headphones are you using? Dell is advocating crap audio.

Moving on... That it sucks is my opinion. Like I said above, it's my opinion that this thing wouldn't suit me... by design. It's hideous... the buttons are tiny and on the narrowest side of an already tiny device. I wouldn't want to have to look for them, or that ridiculous volume wheel. I don't need to stroke it to know this. I know that it doesn't appeal to me, specs aside, and told you why (a bit emphatically, granted...). You seem intimite with the thing... seems to be your music player of choice. If you haven't yet, then by all means... get one! You're right that I've never tried it. I never will. You're generating an entertaining arguement, though. Your comments #40-#42 prompted me to write. Shall we agree to disagree, or would you like to read to me the specs again?

[J.Y. @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

Dell answers the iPod shuffle with: A cigarette lighter form factor, and a hoodwink on capacity

A mocking photoshop comparison of Ditty vs. Shuffle, and flame (pun intended) on Dell for misleading comparison shoppers on capacity can be found at: http://www.jydesign.com/blog/2005/09/dell-answers-ipod-shuffle-with.html

[Jamie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:25AM]

This site really says it all, I think. It's Dell's idea of marketing to those wacky kids:

http://www.dellditty.com

Worst. Marketing. Ever.