Singapore Web DesignerShopping for a new portable media player » AEN—Designer & Consultant

Just got my new portable media player with Vivi from Sim Lim Square yesterday. It is the latest 2nd Generation iPod Nano 2GB. I absolutely love it!

I didn’t get the 4GB or 8GB models because firstly, I don’t like the colors of the 4GB models and the 8GB model is overkill for me, though I really dig the black. So it’s the silver one for me.

There were lots of other portables which cried for my attention, including iPod imitations from China, known as MP4 players and the hideous Creative Zen. The trip to Sim Lim Square looking for a player really opened up my eyes to how many iPod Nano imitations there are. Chinese MP4/MTV Players usually refers to Digital audio players or Portable Media Players, most commonly manufactured in China. These players are capable of displaying images, videos, and text files. Although commonly called MP4 players, they have little to do with the MP4/M4A/M4V audio and video files.

I got the above images online. Some of the ones I saw in Sim Lim Square looks exactly like the real deal. These imitations are usually in 2GB models sold at S$69 to $79. Surprisingly, some of the shops are only selling these imitations and not genuine iPod Nanos while most have both on sale. As Vivi and I walked the whole complex, we came across many who appear to be Chinese nationals purchasing these imitations. There are a few customers who looked like Singaporeans.

As a fan of Apple products and a designer, I would never put my cash on such things, no matter how tempting the price might be. You never know the quality of these imitations and I am absolutely sure they don’t play music as well as genuine ones.

While imitations are an absolutely no-go, there are competitor products that offer me alternate choices. Some of them did make my decision waver. One of them is the Sony NW A-800.

It definitely looks cool. I can’t compare it to the iPod as it is another form of cool. In the end, I decided not to go for his one as it looks too much like a phone and the price is too expensive.

The other one which was recommended to me was the Samsung YP-K3, which Dot GUI interface resembled the LG Chocolat phone’s. It was definitely better than the iPod Nano spec-wise. It’s slimmer, has longer playback, shorter transfer times and a bigger OLED display, it still doesn’t attracts me. The more I look at it the more I feel it’s a rip-off of the iPod Nano and LG Chocolat. I don’t hate Samsung. They design decent products but this is just not pretty.

Enough of nice phones. Here’s the ugly one.

It’s fatter and ugly. The interface looks too much like a rip-off of Apple’s. Looks at this comparison.

Agree now? Even the graphics on their promotional websites look similar. Take for example the “long playback/battery life” battery icon used in Creative’s site and Apple’s. Very similar?

Conclusion

I’m glad I made the right choice by purchasing an iPod Nano. I have been using it for a day and I really like the interface a lot. Not just the interface software but the entire interaction experience with the click wheel and hardware. The iPod nano is definitely another fine example of excellent Apple design.

If you don’t feel like spending or are broke at the moment, DT has some iLove but iPoor Tishirts for sale at designsojourn.com.