DO you guys think the Nike Plus gadget is worthwhile, or just a gimmick? I have a 20GB Ipod that is apparently unsuitable for running because of it’s hard drive and I prefer to ward off boredom running with music in my ears. I am considering the Nano only because of the Nike Plus. I need all the motivation I can get to go out and run as I am a natural biker. On the other hand I was looking at other mp3 players as I am somewhat dissatisfied with my Ipod experience. In particular I found a Sony player here that looks like it might be a good alternative, with more functionality. I am not sure how much of my Itunes library I would lose by switching to the SOny player.
I should preface my statements by saying I have 3 years of college in computer science and an average+ degree of computer literacy.
I haven’t been able to get any of them to work well, consistently. Not I-Pod, not the Sony PSP which alledgedly has some MP3 usability- none of them.
I considered buying a Sony MP3 player when I gave up on I-Pods but when I couldn’t transfer files from my SonySonic desktop music software to my PSP (I think I have to buy their media manager software…) then I gave up on the whole project.
My laptop is my MP3 player, but I can;t take that on runs with me obviously…
I’d go even lower tech. The fewer the buttons and gadget, the less there is to break. iPod shuffle is cheap, tiny, and carries enough music for super-long workouts. With a flash-based memory, there are no drive options.
I use it when I run outdoors…I’ll just put it in a plastic ziplock bag to ward of off the sweat.
Tom,
You tried the Nano-Nike+ combo and couldn’t get it to work? I’ve seen several good reviews but haven’t gone to the nike store here to try it. I feel like I may be forcing a solution when I want to run in Asics anyway…oh well.
I have had several MP3 players, Nano, Sony, and a RIO. I LOVE my Nano…wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have the Nike+…it is actually pretty darn acurate. I ran our 2 mile PT test route and it came out at 1.97…good enough for me. I don’t think you can go wrong with the IPod and the Nike+.
I have no complaints with the nano. The Nike+ has two problems for me:
-
There is some sort of design flaw that greatly reduces the output level of the music, while not reducing the level of the “voice” that gives you periodic updates. Hence, the music is at a level that is difficult to hear unless it is near silent around me, while the “voice” is painfully loud. Maybe they have a fix for that now, I don’t know, but not as up October when I gave up using it.
-
The calibration is rather crude. You run a mile or whatever and tell it when you are done. If your not happy with the result (ie, you note it is measuring short for example) I don’t know of any way to make a manual adjustment…not that I’ve looked. It also seems to be a less sophisticated accelerometer package than you would get with a FitSense or Polar…if you calibrate at 7 min/mile pace and then do a run at 9 min/mile, it seems to measure long in my case. Also note that there is no on-off switch or batter replacement, so you don’t want to keep it attached to your shoes when just kicking around.
On the other hand, if you already have a nano I think it’s a pretty cool little gadget for the money. Neat that it tracks your workout and gives you most of the features of a $200 running computer for $30 or whatever. You don’t need the nike+ shoes, just any way to mount it to your shoe that keeps is secure. I put a strip of duct tape over it and tucked it between my shoestrings and tongue. Just don’t expect pinpoint accurracy from the thing.
Thanks Matthew and Dan. The more I hear the less I want to spend the $180 or so needed for this project. I can use the dollars towards the Lucero or Guru I am thinking about.
Also, I don’t know anything about that particular sony model, but you can count on a couple of things with sony…relatively good hardware…and really really bad human interface. The software that comes with their players is not up to par with iTunes by a wide margin. Your hard drive based iPod is suitable for running up until the point it stops working, so if you were going to replace it with a nano may as well us it until it stops. Of course without Nike+ you don’t get Lance Armstrong saying “congratulations…that was your longest run so far!” If you run the same routes all the time, Nike+ won’t tell you anything a decent stopwatch can’t also.
I would say that the Nike+ is the single item that has increased my running this year.
I brought it on a whim since it was so cheap and it has encouraged me to run further and more frequently than anything else I own.
The Sony is nice and small but the combination of Nike+, Ipod and all the other accessories that you can get for the iPod makes it easy to reckon the iPod combo.
I don’t wear Nike shoes but I put the transmitter into a key pocket on my shoes and that worked fine. I just got the Marware sports relay and that has a purpose built holder for the transmitter which makes it even easier.
If you decide to switch - if you set your iTunes up to store everything as MP3’s then you will have no trouble switching. If you left it as the default file format you will need to download one of the shareware apps to convert everything back to MP3.
Edit: Just noticed in the latest version of iTunes that they have a convert to MP3 option on one of the menus - so you don’t even need a shareware app to convert back to MP3 if you need to.
You can run in shoe you want with the Nike+. Several company’s make after market carriers for this system. Basically a shoe wallet in smaller size.
Some thoughts on the Ipod/Nike+, and responses to the thread in general…
-
The Nano is great, period. The only reason to get a non-Apple MP3 player is to make a personal statement of dislike for Apple’s monopoly. This may change in the future, but right now there is nothing on the market that can compete with the package of ergonomics, features, software, and aftermarket support that is the foundation of Apple’s market domination.
-
The Nike + is fun, and works well. It isn’t 100% accurate, but what the heck do people expect? Accuracy compares very favorably to my Polar system, and is better than the GPS systems I have used, given that I mostly run trails, and these tend to lose coverage in the trees on my local trails.
-
The Nike + will work with any shoes. I duct taped it to the tongue of my Adidas shoes…
-
If you had trouble with an Ipod, forget using anything else - everything even close to comparable will have a more clunky user interface. If you have “3 years of college in computer science and an average+ degree of computer literacy” and can’t get an Ipod to work, you need to let us know what college that was so we can warn others away (you also have a skewed view of what constitutes computer literacy, which I would define largely as the ability to operate this type of device, btw…)
-
The Sony MP3 players suck. Seriously. Forget what they look like on paper, try navigating their software, porting music over to them, or buying aftermarket accessories. Yuck.
-
You can transfer any tunes you have on your Ipod to a non-Apple device, but it may be a giant pain in the ass; it depends on the format you used to save them, and what DRM you have to deal with.
.
Fredly,
Have you tried a Sony player like the one I posted the link to? I am quite annoyed by the inconsistency and lack of reliability with my 20G 4th gen Ipod. On the one hand, I loved my Apple 2c, love my Power Mac and DID love my Ipod. On the other hand Apple’s lack of responsibility dealing wih Ipod isues make me unusually pissed off. I am thinking very hard about whether I’d want to give them another $150 of my money. All the Sony products I own have held up to years of use and still provide me enjoyment. I’ve got a nine year old 53" Sony tv, a four year old 5MP digicam, an ORIGINAL Sony Walkman, a PS2 and other things I am forgetting. Sony means quality to me. Apple used to.
I have no reliability issues with either Apple or Sony so for me that isn’t a factor. My son had an iPod that did have a hard drive crash, but I took it into a Apple Store and they replaced it immediately.
I think the main hassle is going to be iTunes vs Sonic Stage. If you are a confident computer user, then you should be able to get used to either pretty quickly.
You seem set on the Sony - it looks nice and it will probably be a perfectly good unit. I don’t think you will be disappointed with either.
Sure, I had a Sony mp3 player. I gave it away, and then that person have it away… Lather, rinse, repeat.
For every mp3 player Sony sells, apple sells what? 100? 500? Do the math, and tell me what brand you are going to hear more bad stories about… The incredibly small quantity of these stories relative to the saturation of the product should tell you. Something!
But, hey… Don’t let me dissuade you. Go ahead and buy that audio betamax…
;
I’m looking for quality, not sarcasm Mr Fredly.
Sarcasm? Not really. I think the analogy is completely apt. Any non-Apple MP3 player is doomed to commercial failure until a viable alternative to I-tunes is created.
I-Tunes is the definitive killer Ap. Whatever you buy now, if it isn’t I-Tunes compatible, it’s audio Betamax and doomed to failure - and that means, you, Sony.
Bear in mind that I’m not saying that the Apple DRM is going to win the DRM format war, just that nothing else that is available now is going to, and you can be 100% sure that if AAC does lose, the sheer numbers of those effected will mandate a format conversion solution
If you think the Betamax comparison is sarcasm, you need to do more research.
.
The only reason to get a non-Apple MP3 player is to make a personal statement of dislike for Apple’s monopoly.
This may be the main reason, but certainly not the only reason.
I, for one, have an iPod and it has been a source of much frustration to me that I cannot use it in conjunction with NetLibrary to check out audio library books. My library is affiliated with this service, as are many public libraries, and it is also affiliated with Recorded Books. The problem is that it is all WAV format, which is not compatible with the iPod.
I like my iPod, and have found it easy to use, durable and highly functional. But if I had it to do over again, I would have gotten an MP3 player that can utilize the WAV format.
Bernie
"The problem is that it is all WAV format, which is not compatible with the iPod. "
You do realize that WAV files are completely impractical for mobile use, right? The reason library services use WAV is because it is (typically) raw audio data in PCM format; archival quality, lossless stuff… but huge. This is like complaining that you can’t play reel to reel tape on your cassette deck.
- and, big deal! There are about 1000 WAV to MP3 conversion programs available…
Here you go…
Free, even!
.
.
So Fredly, money talks.
I found a new in box ipod Nano 2G for $100 today, and bought it. Hope it works better than the 20G.