Use an iPod as a USB drive ?

[Richard Gaskin]

Marian Petrides wrote:
> Better yet, if you can get academic pricing, you can get a 1GB iPod  
> Nano (stores and displays pictures as well as music) for $129.  And,  
> yes, I use my nano as a sneaker net at work all the time. Only  
> disadvantage to the nano is that it requires a separate cable which  
> might be a hassle for your son--I just keep a spare in my desk.

There are many alternatives to the iPod, most of which are less 
expensive and many have more features.  There may be qualitative 
differences in the firmware which affect sound quality, but when you're 
talking about MP3 these differences are at most negligible (headphones 
tend to play a bigger role in sound quality, and the popularity of 
third-party headphones in the Mac world suggests there's room for 
improvement on bundled headphones no matter which brand you buy).

As you noted, the requirement of carrying an additional cable can be a 
bit onerous for the person on the go, so I tend to prefer simpler form 
factors with the USB plug built into the housing, like these:

<http://www.memorysuppliers.com/cump3plwiusb.html>
<https://www.buymemory.com/products/products.asp?Package=MP3>

I have a unit from the first link, and while the company's fulfillment 
department is disappointing (yes, they sent it next-day, but only after 
sitting on the order for two business days first), I've been very happy 
with the unit itself.

Like so many others in the $100 range, one of the features I like most 
about my MP3 player/Flash drive is the built-in voice recorder.  While 
it's very common among non-Apple devices, nothing in the Apple line 
currently offers voice recording.

And if you're feeling ambitious and have a project which warrants it, 
you can get many MP3/Flash drive devices with custom logos on them, and 
some vendors also offer attractive gift packaging options for each unit.

--
  Richard Gaskin
  Managing Editor, revJournal
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