How much can I expect Fuze to cost in Europe (Portugal), how much Euros?
Some folks are reporting problems with FLAC level 8 or any other level than not (0). Is it true? I have FLAC files at level 8, am I going to be able to play them without having slower seeks and skippings occasionally or constantly?
How many hours can Fuze play FLACs.
Does FLAC level interfere with the battery, consuming more battery as if in level 8, but not so much in level 0?
Can it play FLAC with 600x600 / 350kb average embedded album art, or will it choke? If not, could be the art displayed being folder.jpg
It depends where you buy it. In the US for example, a 4 GB Fuze can vary anywhere from around $50 to around $110. The Fuze is not like ipods which have fixed prices.
I have no idea. I don’t use FLAC. For me the most important thing is getting the most battery life, and that seems to occur using mp3 files.
3)Typical battery life for the Fuze is around 20 hours not using the equilizer, and having the screen brightness and screen time set to a low value. For FLAC my guess would be around 30% less run time, so I guess something like 14 hours of typical usage.
Choosing a bitrate invilves the compromise between quality and size. The best way to choose a bitrate is to do some experiments with your favorite music and see what is satisfactory for you. This will also depend on how much music you have and how much storage you have. It will also depend on the quality of your headphones, your hearing, and the type of music you use. Those who put a 16 GB or 8 GB card in their Fuze mostly tend to choose a higher bitrate, while those using the Fuze without supplemental memory tend to choose a lower bitrate.
"It makes me smile everytime you mention battery life now JK98. I just had to put that out there!! "
I am trying to imagine what your smile looks like.
So you read all my rants in the product recommendation page for a AA battery powered mp3 player, or at least one that uses any inexpensive easily swappable battery? :smileyvery-happy:
I bought a Lenmar Powerport Mini lion battery pack recently at Radio Shack on sale for just $10. It is just slightly larger than the Clip+(a bit wider). It has a 650 mah lion battery. It charged my Fuze battery from 21% to 84%(so I guess it would give around 12 hours of additional run time on the Fuze) and should provide around 1.2 full charges on my Clip+. At least if I keep this charged and carry this with my player, I don’t have to worry as much about running out of power. An external battery isn’t an ideal solution though, just a workaround.
The Tekkeon MP1800 battery pack at around $35 looks interesting. It has a 4,000 mah battery but is around 4x the size of the Powerport mini. I might eventually get one of these. I guess this could charge the Fuze battery over 4 full charges, or the Clip+ battery over 7 full charges.
If you only have one digital copy of music in your archive, it should be FLAC.
But for portable use–which is probably through less than great headphones in less than quiet places–high-bitrate mp3 should be good enough. Test yourself whether you can hear the difference between v2 and v0 through your actual playback equipment.
"It makes me smile everytime you mention battery life now JK98. I just had to put that out there!! "
I am trying to imagine what your smile looks like.
So you read all my rants in the product recommendation page for a AA battery powered mp3 player, or at least one that uses any inexpensive easily swappable battery? :smileyvery-happy:
I bought a Lenmar Powerport Mini lion battery pack recently at Radio Shack on sale for just $10. It is just slightly larger than the Clip+(a bit wider). It has a 650 mah lion battery. It charged my Fuze battery from 21% to 84%(so I guess it would give around 12 hours of additional run time on the Fuze) and should provide around 1.2 full charges on my Clip+. At least if I keep this charged and carry this with my player, I don’t have to worry as much about running out of power. An external battery isn’t an ideal solution though, just a workaround.
The Tekkeon MP1800 battery pack at around $35 looks interesting. It has a 4,000 mah battery but is around 4x the size of the Powerport mini. I might eventually get one of these. I guess this could charge the Fuze battery over 4 full charges, or the Clip+ battery over 7 full charges.
I think I read some here and some at ABI. As my mum would say, I’m not laughing at you I’m laughing with you. I’m not as committed to it as you (lol), but I do have a battery pack too although unfortunately I never remember to take it anywhere. It was originally part of a solar charger (we don’t get enough sun in the UK for it to be worthwhile). Instead I carry one of my older clips (the 4gb V1 I think), which means:
If I do somehow manage to run out of power (which is unusual as I only use the clip+ to and from work and use mp3) I have it to listen to
If the clip+ somehow malfunctions I have it to listen to
If I completely forget the clip+ (even though I actually have it written on a note on the door) I can still listen to music.
Unfortunately the first time I forgot it I didn’t have a spare set of headphones (d’oh). So yeah I’ve realised I see where you’re coming from. Although still unsure about the retro screen idea and lord knows I would never remember to change a battery if it was a removable one. (I also just realised I carry spare batteries for both my phones)
The reviews of the Datexx AA USB power bank on Amazon say it doesn’t have a voltage regulator. The Tekkeon MP1550 seems like a much better device as it has a voltage regulator. The MP1550 also can charge nimh rechargeable batteries placed in it. I have the MP1550, and have been using it only with nimh batteries. It works great with them. I would advise against using alkaline batteries with it though unless you are desperate, as alkaline batteries have high internal resistance, and more than half the power in them is wasted as heat when they are forced to put out power at a high rate. The MP1550 puts out 5V at 800 ma, so it will charge much faster than a 500 ma USB ac adapter.
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