Ok so maybe this sub-note should really be a topic for another forum, but I didn't want to cross post, and things made in my above post would be relevant. I also need to get a new cell phone, as my battery charger doesn't work anymore, the usb port, speaker, etc (on my Motorola Ming (A1200) are all kaput, my touch screen is all screwed, etc. I'll also want to get a data plan, which is partially why I'm leaning toward getting the T-Mobile G1 (it has a lot of features I like as well, as well as the physical qwerty keyboard which is an absolute requirement. Lack of at least 16GB of built-in memory is not nice, though, as is the use of a MicroSDHC slot, when I know there are smaller pvp's with full size SDHC slots. (having the slot is better, though, than having none at all).
Now here's the thing. I can't afford to get both of them simlutaneously - I have to choose one OR the other. Maximum total price would be about $250-300 or so, not including monthly fees for cell phone service (which would be capped around $60, and must include unlimited data usage with HTML (and if possible Flash) web browsing.)
So should I get the Cowon O2, and do without a cell phone for a while (probably a few months or longer), or should I get a cell phone, and do without the music player for a while? (Although, if the G1 supports music playback, playlists, etc, that might take some of the sting out of not having an O2 just yet.) I just have yet to find a cell phone that has ALL the features of the G1, iPhone, O2, etc, combined, while still having a significantly lower price than the combined price of the separate items.
Hi. My 16GB ZEN has finally bit the dust (I think). I broke the LCD screen several months ago, but was still able to listen to music on it, but now it won't power on at all in spite of having been plugged in to charge, so now it's time to replace it.
I've been looking off and on the last few months, and a few I'm considering are the 16GB (or 32GB) Creative Zen X-Fi, 16GB (or 32GB) Cowon O2, or 16GB Cowon D2+. One thing I didn't like about the ZEN was the fact that you couldn't integrate media on the SD card with media on the built-in memory on the playlists. Also, when playing VBR files and seeking forward/backward in a song, it would seek extremely inaccurately - for example if after listening to a song for 1:50, and I wanted to skip ahead to, say, 2:05, I hold forward to skip past the section I want to skip, and it would actually skip BACKWARDS to maybe 0:10, although the time display would show that I had skipped forward. (For that reason alone, I have quit encoding VBR mp3s. When I can find a way to have time display, seek, etc, work accurately on every software and hardware player that has ever been made, then I'll reconsider using VBR.)
So what should I look for? If I go with the ZEN X-Fi, would I be assured that the screen is built tougher than the one on the ZEN? I had this happen to it after being in my pocket, and I don't want it to happen to my next one, even though it is likely to experience rougher treatment.
I like the SD card integration on the Cowon D2+, but the 4000 file limit and the need to convert most videos is a deal breaker.
I'm leaning toward the Cowon O2, but the apparent lack of sd card integration with internal memory is giving me pause. I like a lot of other things about it, though, but considering a few things that some reviewers have complained about, I'd like to physically try one before I actually buy it. Lack of Wi-Fi, DRM support, line-in recording are not deal breakers for me. It'd be nice to be able to have native support for the .MOV (H.264 Quicktime) movies from my Canon SX10 IS.
The iPod Touch is out of the question due to price and lack of an SD slot.
What should I look for? The Cowon O2 is at the top of the list, and is IMO the right price vs features vs capacity, but is there another one I should look at? A couple requirements are at least 16GB of built-in memory and a SDHC (NOT Micro!) card slot. Also at this time a HDD-based player is out of the question because I don't think it could survive very many 5-foot drops (or throws) to the floor while it's operating.
A note about my aversion to microSDHC slots: A 16GB MicroSDHC is $52.49, or $3.28/GB. (All prices are for the cheapest in category from NewEgg, and do not include tax or shipping.) An 8GB MicroSDHC is $17.75, or $2.22/GB. I have yet to hear of any player that has dual (or triple or quad) MicroSDHC slots. On the other hand, a 16GB SDHC is $29.99, or $1.87/GB, which is cheaper per GB than the 8GB MicroSDHC, or the 8GB SDHC, which is $16.49, or $2.06/GB. It's not until you get up to 32GB with SDHC that the price/GB curve goes the wrong way - it's $78.99, or $2.47/GB. When higher capacities come out in the future, I expect the trend for SDHC being cheaper at the high capacites than same-size MicroSDHC to continue. Otherwise, I would consider getting a player like the SanDisk Sansa View.
Also, when I get a protective case for whatever player I get, the controls and display MUST be fully operational/visible while the player is inside the case.
Any suggestions? Should I get the 16GB or 32GB O2, or is there a firmware update for the D2+ that removes the file limit and adds support for all the formats that the O2 natively (or preferably Winamp, Windows Media Player, Quicktime, etc, combined with plugins) supports?

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