Dell DJ Ditty now available
By Barb Dybwad 
posted September 16th 2005 6:55PM
posted September 16th 2005 6:55PM
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]
This is exactly the kind of innovation and sexy industrial design you can expect from Round Rock, TX. Simply beautiful. When I see a Ditty, I think I just gotta have one. Heh.
Look, I know that's never been the market Dell goes after. Slick design has always taken a back seat to inexpensive but soulless practicality.
That's fine for commodity products like PCs that remain mostly hidden under a desk. But for personal digital audio players, which for most of the market also double as highly-visible fashion accessories, that approach cannot succeed.
At least not at this price delta. Maybe for $50 I'll treat it as cheap, practical, and someting that does the job. But we know that price is not possible right now. So why bother? This thing is a waste of money and resources for both consumers and Dell itself. Likewise, it's an embarrasment for Dell and any potential purchasers.
But uninspired crap is about par for the course with Dell. (BTW, I have a Dell Latitude notebook. Compared to my wife's PowerBook, Dell is again crap).
Just viewed http://www.delditty.com as Jamie mentioned in #51. He couldn't be more correct. This pushes an inferior device into rarified territory: "Would Be Embarrassing To Own!"
The Dell Ditty would go great under the wheel of my car!
Speaking aboutpoor design. Has Apple solved the serious scratch problems on the Ipod Nano?
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000970060464/
Ipod's fall from its pedestal.
Now about the Dell???
Oh yes...and this:
http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_article.asp?id=13001&cid=3&cname=Technology
Jim: Yes, that scratchability sucks. It would prevent me from buying a nano. But the Ditty? No way. It sucks AND it blows. Do you work for Dell?
The funny part is...I actually own a Ipod Shuffle 512. Got it for free when I opened a charge card. Actually enjoy it very much..but wish it had a screen and a radio. I am still waiting to hear from first users of the Dell..not the theoretical guesses and bashing by non users that I've been reading here. No...I never worked for Dell.
Can someone who has actually tried the Dell post here. I would like to know how well it performs. How the ergonomics are (no guessing based upon pictures...thank you). How it sounds (what a silly question). How well it is constructed. Its actual battery life. How good the EQ settings are. I am tired of reading mindless ranting and guessing from one person after another ALL of whom have never even used the Dell for even a minute. What a waste of time reading only theoretical guessing.
I say Dell should go out of business now, and refund the money to the shareholders.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/23/ipod_nano_scratching/
Well...I have learned next to nothing about the Dell from the 'experts' in this forum. Just a bunch of meaningless name calling and incredibly childish assumptions. Yes..Dell's ad is misleading...except for that, nothing worthwhile in helping me make an informed decision.Can someone who has actually tried the Dell post here. I would like to know how well it performs. How the ergonomics are (no guessing based upon pictures...thank you). How it sounds (what a silly question). How well it is constructed. Its actual battery life. How good the EQ settings are. I am tired of reading mindless ranting and guessing from one person after another ALL of whom have never even used the Dell for even a minute. What a waste of time reading only theoretical silly guessing.
Read your comment, I agree. I was shopping for an ipod, hubby had acct with dell, so he got me the ditty about 8 months ago. NOT happy with it, bear with me, I'm not a techie so I cannot tell you numbers or tech info. Just the basic stuff. Difficult to operate settings button, poor design, too tiny. Will not hold charge when not operating. Listen for about 30 min, turn off and when I try to turn it on after a couple days of being off, it is dead. Sound is good if you use good headphones, not theirs. Such a hassel to contact and return, that I just kept it and smile when he sees me use it. I would not buy it if I had another chance. Good luck.
Just a thought Jim: Might the total absence of actual owners and users of the Ditty in these comments be the answer that you are looking for? If not, then why don't you seek your own answer by purchasing one? Return it if it doesn't meet your satisfaction. This here is a weblog, not Consumer Reports. You are likely to encounter some opinions here in the comments (and even in the articles themselves), possibly even ones that don't agree with yours. No one is obliged to prevent you from stammering and complaining (much less assist you) by filing a report for you when you call the people in this forum mindless and childish. You, conspicuously, are the only one here without a view on this thing, or the ability to form one (certainly, you have one on the iPod) and you defend this. If the responses here don't meet your criteria and are beneath you, then don't sink so low and respond. Take the high road and wait patiently for someone to answer your questions. It is my opinion that the Ditty is so thoroughly unremarkable that I may have overestimated when I said above that Dell could sell one dozen of them. Where are the legions of satisfied, enthusiastic Ditty owners to say otherwise? Or even owners with critiques to offer? This isn't an assumption, this is deductive reasoning formed after 62 comments here, in this narrow little sphere. Open call for Ditty users! Tell us what you think of it. Instead, Jim, you join us deviants with your sarcasm and the link-collecting efforts of a motivated Google user. Well done. That said, I hope you find the answers you're looking for. Best of luck to you.
I am sorry that I unrealistically expected to find useful information here about a specific product rather than this useless pointless banter. I suppose some people just enjoy writing about a product they have no interest in and have never tried nor plan to try. Makes for an interesting waste of time for the authors who enjoy childish name calling and/or simplistic brand bashing or brand extolling. Must be fun....because it surely has added nothing to a true discussion about the product at hand. Then again that obviously is not the purpose of the 'expert' posters.
O.K. Simple question. I would like an Ipod Shuffle (or slightly larger) type device with 512 KB or larger memory, that has a screen and a built in FM radio and that has an MSRP under $100. What suggestions do any of you have (besides the Dell)?
Here is an interesting unit. Comments?
http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/2005/08/mobiblu-dah1500i-review.php
It's easy to dismiss everyone's seemingly emotional responses here as "pointless" and "meaningless." But the fact of the matter is Apple creates products that evoke and provoke emotion. They excite people. They make people happy. They inspire loyalty.
Sure, Apple makes some people frustrated and baffled and jealous at all the excitement that surrounds their products. Sure Apple products have their share of problems and shortcomings. No product is perfect. Both Dell and Apple included.
But at least Apple products create excitement. At least they're inspired. At least they innovate. At least they try.
Dell does nothing of the sort. They crank out bland, tired crap that represents the worst of American product design -- of an American corporate culture that stifles creativity, and rewards mediocrity.
That's fine, but then to falsely represent the so-called value that they provide -- whether it's reliability of their computers, number of songs you can fit on a Ditty, or whatever -- is pathetic.
It makes people cross the line from indifference -- most of the world doesn't give a flying f*ck about the ditty, and let out a collective yawn with the product announcement -- to disgust.
So the desperate entreaties from Dell apologists for objective evaluation of the sh*tty ditty on its merits is pointless. Even if you could identify some sort of edge that the Ditty has in terms of sound quality, ergonomics, battery life, reliability, overall value, etc., nobody gives a f*ck. The advantages would be negligible relative to the coolness factor of the iPod line, and could never overcome the visceral and emotional attraction to Apple products.
And for many Apple loyalists, that's not just an irrational, mindless, gut reaction. Certainly no more mindless than the banal, vapid tripe produced by Dell. And certainly no more mindless than mechanically going over feature lists.
Creative MuVo TX FM has a 1Gigabyte model for around $130, has a screen, FM radio, voice recorder and a REMOVABLE battery. I owned one of those and it was pretty good, but an iPod nano is just so much cooler. I posted this to show you all just how uninspiring the Ditty is. It's not a great value, nor is a great design. Another mediocre turd from a has-been company.
ok, apple has been on top of the mp3s for a long time and they have gotten careless, imean come on ipod nano give me a brake if you are running down the stairs with it and drop it it will brake. ipod shuffel has no screen,cost 100 more dollars for 20 more songs. people are saying it is ulgy ok who cares its not like you will lok at it for your whole life!!! when kids use it(kids are 95% of who use ipods and what not)we use it on the bus and kids are bragging that their ipods can hold 7,000 songs, well some one needs to tell apple that i bet only like 3 people in the world know 7,000. i dont know about you but i am buying a dell dj ditty. plus my sister wanted an iod for chistmas but my parents said it cost too much so i told them about the dell poket dj and they got it for her and she loves it she thinks its better than an ipod and she will never lose it beacuse sheknows no one else has one. also when kids on my bus say i have 7,00 songs i say how much did that heap oh meatle and plastic cost? they say 350.00 dollars and i say thats what i thought and i laugh
oh guess who just looked at the dell djs......me you dummy. okay if i were dicideing between a ipod shuffel or a ditty i would choose the ditty of course you know that but has ipod been loyal to you back if you check out the rest of this website you wlle see that they have a very good deal. if you bought a dell dj you would get it for 199.99 and it can hold 9,900 songs!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats the price of a ipod shuffel and a nano and an ipod shuffel can hold 240 and a nano can hlod 2,000 song ha ha beat that apple!!!! no one is going to buy ipods any more because nobody is that rich
Questions for Adam: Do you type with your feet? "Be cool, stay in school!" More curiously... why does your family give and receive Christmas presents in September?
Jim: finally, a Ditty advocate.
metanaut yes i do type with my feet and its hard. it took a year to learn. and lastly stop being a smart ass we celabrate cristmas in december duh.
oh ya i forgot to say ditty rules and metanaut be cool dont do drugs
The Creative Zen Nano is an appealing alternative unit with very good reviews.
jim is a douchebag.
why would you pick fights in the comments of an engadget article? you must have a tiny penis.
jim: Craig, is that you?? Have you returned to Guide the blind?
Personally I prefer the DJ Ditty due to its compatiblity with Napster To Go and Yahoo On Demand.