Anything but an iPod

As a firm believer that iPod freaks are…well…freaks, I’m so very glad I stumbled onto a site called Anything but iPod.

Now don’t get me wrong – I’ve owned a first-generation iPod Shuffle (gave it away) and have looked at the 80gb iPod with video and such, but when it comes down to it there are some problems I have with the iPod in general:

1. you basically have to use iTunes to use it, and I don’t like iTunes because:
   1. the way it handles album folders is crap, I like my own way to do it
   2. AAC-formatted doesn’t play on most other devices
2. iPods won’t sync on more than one computer
3. DRM is rife on it, and I don’t like DRM
4. you can’t replace the battery on your own unless you want to void your warranty and take up soldering (which I wouldn’t mind doing but 99% of iPod owners won’t do this)
5. you have to replace the battery about once a year
6. those stupid proprietary plugs, so you can’t charge an iPod with anything but an iPod charging cord
7. no radio included, and EVERY other MP3 player out there includes an FM radio
8. and possibly most of all, everyone and their freakin’ mother (literally) has an iPod. I actually know a guy who bought the current top of the line 80gb iPod just because ‘there’s no other choices’

So I’m glad I have a Creative Zen Micro, old school, without color screen and with a 4gb hard drive. I’d like to upgrade it but really, it does the job for me and I don’t need something to show off pictures, because my N95 does the job for that. Bigger screen, and it can take the pictures and play music as well. In fact, if I don’t want to take my Zen with me I just listen to music on my phone – I put in a 2gb Micro SD card and can fit it with a 4gb card if I wanted.

First thing I did on the Anthtingbutipod.com site? Click the link on the right for the Zen. First post I looked at? How to upgrade the micro hard drive to a 16gb Compact Flash (CF) card.

Super. Sweet.

Step-by-step instructions, with pictures, parts lists and firmware file links. Can’t beat it!

Looks like I have another project to put on my ‘to-do’ list.