http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/oh right.. Napster blows!]]>Jun 29th 2006 10:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 29th 2006 10:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 29th 2006 10:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 29th 2006 10:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 29th 2006 10:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
MindSmack.com]]>Jun 29th 2006 10:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 29th 2006 11:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 29th 2006 11:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/No? Because I have.
It's way better than iTunes and here's why.

No matter what online music store you flock to, the audio will never be "your's" no matter if you buy it or have it temporarily downloaded through a subscription. All DRM files suck especially if you can only play them on one brand of DAP. I would much rather have temporary DRM files. The thought of keeping any files that aren't fully mine to do what I please just gets me mad as hell. I'd rather just accept that in five years, I still would have way more songs than the subscription fees equal out to. And who knows, by then maybe a service will be available where you have a subscription and at the end of the subscription you'll be able to have full rights to as many songs as you would have had if you'd bought them originally. I think this is a feasible idea because that service would instantly become the most popular and they wouldn't really be losing any money at all...

I am much happier with Napster than any other service I've tried (Rhapsody-too many bugs, Yahoo-crappy looking, too small a library, iTunes-too small library, no subscription). It's like Kazaa except you pay a monthly fee, have a clean conscience, and don't have to spend hours of your life correcting some jackass's bad spelling of "Nervana." Not to mention the radio service that you can navigate through, playlists on the go, etc. The rest of my family has ipods and it's no contest as to who's DAP/music service combo owns more.

]]>Jun 29th 2006 11:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 29th 2006 11:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
Hell, I can get a 1GB MP3 player at Fry's for less than $50 (Shuffle Clone), so why bother with a player that's $230? Sure, you get a fill of music, but most of us would likely to have enough content to fill the thing 40 times over.

It's a decent starter's kit for those that are just getting into the day, but nothing more.]]>Jun 29th 2006 11:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Yes. I tried Napsturd.
If your idea of enjoying music is simply based on attrition, the any subscription model will look appealing. Heck, I have Netflix. but Netflix has the EXPECTATION that you'll watch the movie only once. However, music is not about attrition to most, it's about what speaks to them on a personal level and listening over and over.
If you believe DRM is a bad thing, how about a company that erases your files once you stop subscribing to them. Now THAT'S restriction!]]>Jun 30th 2006 12:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 30th 2006 12:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
I recently left yahoo. Even though Yahoo is the cheapest subscription service, I found it to be buggy. After several occasions of having to re-download my music for it to work, I ditched the service for URGE. I would recommend Napster or URGE and if you haven't tried WMP11 you should download it and check it out. It's a huge improvement over WMP10 and blows away everything else out there including Itunes. ]]>Jun 30th 2006 12:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 30th 2006 1:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11297_7-6518467-2.html?tag=arw . You can check the facts on cnet, paste and copy the link then click on compare all services.]]>Jun 30th 2006 3:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
The 1GB player was gone a year ago. Smarten up jackasses. :)]]>Jun 30th 2006 6:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
"Featuring more than 3 million songs"
http://www.apple.com/itunes/music/

itunes has the biggest library.

tom,
"pod batteries eventually go dead and then what? you have to buy the music (or steal it) to listen."
I'm not sure what you are saying. that doesn't really make any sense.


]]>Jun 30th 2006 7:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
"Just get the one year subscription, get the player, never use their service. 1gb player for $50. Not bad."

You do know napster is subscription based, meaning at the end of the year, you'll probably have paid for a Nano alone?

Its nice, but lets see it without a subscription.]]>Jun 30th 2006 7:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/ @Jeffler

"You do know napster is subscription based, meaning at the end of the year, you'll probably have paid for a Nano alone?"

Well, actually I'd say it sounds like at the end of one year you will have paid the price of a Nano with no music, and gotten an equivalent player and access to 2million+ songs. That's gotta appeal to some people.

As for which service is better...bah...most mainstream music sucks these days anyway. I buy the odd CD here and there when I find something I like, rip it myself, play it through winamp and upload it onto my iRiver.

Well...maybe I make with the 'Yo-ho-ho' every now and again, but if any of these services ever offer such eclectic music as that of 'Wolfstone', I just might be willing to bite the bullet and go legit...

After all, I can easily strip the DRM off in a number of ways anyway...


It's too bad Napster didn't come out with this bundle earlier in the game. While the iPod is probably a good product (never used one...wouldn't really know) it was the Apple name that really fueld it's success such that the Apple name now has a permanent connection to online/digital music. In fact, I can only think of one other name that ever had THAT strong a connection in peoples minds to downloadable music...NAPSTER.

Of course that was actually evil, deviant, red headed misfit step child, pirate Napster of old. Not the DOT .COM has been run subscription service of today. But the name HAD power. But I think THAT power is largely spent.

'Right place, right time' really can make all the difference... ]]>Jun 30th 2006 7:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/The Napster looks the business, but I'll be sticking with my Archos Av340 for the time being.]]>Jun 30th 2006 7:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 30th 2006 8:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 30th 2006 8:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 30th 2006 9:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
napster is great for new songs and such. the numa numa song? i didn't have to buy that for 99 cents. i got it off napster, no additional cost, and was able to play it the few times i wanted it.

napster's pretty good. Most people don't listen to songs forever and ever. tastes change.

if you're going to subscribe, might as well get the player anyways. for 50 bucks, it looks pretty good.


]]>Jun 30th 2006 10:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
http://www.applian.com/replay-music/index.php?src=RMsite

]]>Jun 30th 2006 10:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
I don't know where you got the idea that you can't listen to Napster songs over and over again. I know I sure do. With a passion my friend. In fact, about %80 of what I listen to is DLed from subscription services. I can finally download all the 90s alternative rock that I couldn't get when I was a kid because I didn't have a job. And it's all the sweeter knowing I didn't have to pay a boatload for them.

And I don't know where people got the idea that Napster "erases you're files." They simply don't restore the rights to the files you already have downloaded, rendering them temporarily useless. So, if you want to switch music services you won't even have to redownload all your songs. Once you add them to the new service's library and play them, the rights will be restored (I pulled this maneuver when switching from Rhapsody to Napster).

The only two means of buying music that I consider worthwhile are either getting the CD that has no DRM (utter freedom) or a subscription service that let's me listen to every song I can imagine while introducing me to new artists while I wait to buy the CD.]]>Jun 30th 2006 10:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 30th 2006 11:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 30th 2006 12:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 30th 2006 1:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jun 30th 2006 1:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
I like the client better than Yahoo! and I don't trust RealPlayer further than I can spit, but really, any subscription service is worth the price. If I had to BUY every single track I listened to (or already have on MP3), I think I'd be out about $20,000.

It's definitely true that you don't own the music, but you don't need to own it. All you want to do is listen to it. I see Napster as a music player with the music built in, and all subscription services are fundamentally the same.

Also, for the record, I'm a digital music producer and a webdeveloper, so this is hardly an unqualified opinion.

Cheers,

-Alan]]>Jun 30th 2006 5:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Also why are people saying you can not replay songs or you can only a limited amount of times. I'm listening to Axel F right now on repeat and have listened to it 8 times (man that song gets me pumped up).
Can someone who says that napster sucks explain why they think that? What is it about Napster that makes it suck? I here people say this but I never hear any reasons, it makes me not respect their opinion.]]>Jun 30th 2006 8:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
]]>Jun 30th 2006 9:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jul 1st 2006 11:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Jul 5th 2006 11:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/Aug 11th 2006 10:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/
My wife already had the subscription, so I got the player to replace an old iRiver 128mb. It's nice, but I can't get any video converted to the right format for it. The user's guide says what format you need your video in and then says "There are video conversion programs that can be found online if your video content is not in this format." I found one review that said ImTOO MPEG Encoder would produce the right format, but when I tried it the video was garbled on the device and it eventually locked up while trying to play it.

Also, it won't connect up to Napster's software on my PC. Aparently, you need SP2 installed even though it doesn't say so anywhere. I have an e-mail outstanding with Napster about this. It connects fine to my wife's PC, which does have SP2. And I can copy ripped CD tracks and other songs from my PC as a mass storage device.

Bottom line, you get what you pay for, and I'm fine with that.]]>Aug 19th 2006 11:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/http://www.engadget.com/2006/06/29/hands-on-with-napsters-new-1gb-player/]]>Jan 31st 2007 9:01PM