Read-Only iPods
It’s the only PDA that’s never let me down, but it’s also the only PDA I’ve owned where I fish it out of your [sic] pocket, do some clicking and scrolling, tell my dentist that I am indeed free that day and time…and then write the particulars down on a Post-It stuck to the back of the device.
And, for the record, I think the Belkin Media Reader sounds great.
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Huh? There were announcements yesterday? Guess I was distracted by the the ballgame...
(sighs while staring off into the distance...)
Ok, back to reality. Having not seen or touched the Belkin media reader, the one thing that woulda been cool was if it had it's own Dock Connector. That way, it could also act as a plain old media reader (albeit over FireWire instead of USB). Then you could eliminate another device hanging off your USB chain (and cluttering your desk).
I started watching at the bottom of the 8th...guess that was a mistake.
Interesting idea about the dock connector, but when you actually have your Mac with you, I like the convenience of just plugging in the camera itself.
I generally have access to my laptop when shooting enough photos to fill up m 256mb memory card, so the media reader isn't immensely appealing to me. But perhaps moreso because the iPod attaches rather strangely. Why wasn't it designed with a pocket-like slot to slip the iPod into?
Lee - if I had to guess, it's might have something to do with different iPods having different depths - the 30 Gig is deeper that ten 10 and 15s. Somebody told me they thought the 40 was deeper than the 30, but I haven't checked it myself.
I know my iPod came with instructions for "installing" the Dock connector into a Dock to account for the different depths. Guess that's meant for people who buy additional Docks.
It looks like Belkin tried this with their battery pack, but it is held in place by a suction cup.
Michael - Yeah, I tend to think plugging the camera in makes more sense, but some folks feel that standalone readers are faster. My dad seems to go back and forth on which approach he prefers (though he's just going by feeling - I doubt he even gives the speed issue a second thought). It just seems that a $100 media reader should be able to replace devices that start at $15 a pop
I don't have the various media card specs handy, but might a FireWire connection provide a speed increase over a USB connection?
Eric: You're right about the speeds. I didn't previously give them much thought because my camera is only 2 megapixels, so USB is plenty fast. This weekend I played with my dad's high-resolution camera--what a difference.
