Questions About New Clip Zip

@kmk_01kmk wrote:

 

Thanks for clarifying - this would be an important factor for me!  As long as it’s a *standard* connector I can buy at any random electronics store I’m happy, although I have about 10 mini-USB cables and no micro cables to date…

Yeah its standard.  Mini USB is being replaced with Micro USB, so going forward you probably won’t see many devices with Mini connectors.  

the clip on the zip has been redesigned. it is not removable but it is stronger than the clip on the clip+ .

thats a bit of a tounge twister. 

I use my Clip+ for listening to podcasts only.

  1. Are the way podcasts organized still based on the ALBUM id3 tag? I always use a custom ALBUM tag to separate the podcasts, then under each ‘album’ there will be several episodes. On the Clip+, right after selecting podcasts, you see all of the ‘albums’, then select one to see the episodes. Does it still work the same way on the Clip Zip?

  2. The Clip+ had a bug regarding using the bookmarked positions in a podcast. Say you have two episodes in a certain podcast. You play the second one half way through then stop. The bookmark is recorded behind the scenes. Then you play the first one all the way through. At the end it jumps to the second episode, at your previous spot. However, the time starts counting from 00:00 instead of the bookmark position. If you just keep listening all the way to the end, it’s not a problem. The problem only occurs if you interrupt playback and a new bookmark is created. The playback starts from the bookmark, but the timer does not. When you next stop the playback, it will record the TIMER’s position, effectively losing your real playback position. Can someone with a Zip try this out and see if it’s still happening?

@drlucky wrote:

the clip on the zip has been redesigned. it is not removable but it is stronger than the clip on the clip+ . 

That’s great to hear.  SanDisk is getting clip (with a lower case “c”) technology down!  The Clip Zip’s clip certainly looks solid. 

As to the micro connector:  there are inexpensive nifty mini => micro USB adapters around.   How about $1.08 shipped, off of eBay?  (I plan on getting a few.)   http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-USB-Micro-USB-Adapter-Data-Charger-Converter-5-/260768831661?_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D5%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D2314448810242572875

@color43 wrote:

I use my Clip+ for listening to podcasts only.

 

  1. Are the way podcasts organized still based on the ALBUM id3 tag? I always use a custom ALBUM tag to separate the podcasts, then under each ‘album’ there will be several episodes. On the Clip+, right after selecting podcasts, you see all of the ‘albums’, then select one to see the episodes. Does it still work the same way on the Clip Zip?

 

  1. The Clip+ had a bug regarding using the bookmarked positions in a podcast. Say you have two episodes in a certain podcast. You play the second one half way through then stop. The bookmark is recorded behind the scenes. Then you play the first one all the way through. At the end it jumps to the second episode, at your previous spot. However, the time starts counting from 00:00 instead of the bookmark position. If you just keep listening all the way to the end, it’s not a problem. The problem only occurs if you interrupt playback and a new bookmark is created. The playback starts from the bookmark, but the timer does not. When you next stop the playback, it will record the TIMER’s position, effectively losing your real playback position. Can someone with a Zip try this out and see if it’s still happening?

I can only speak to #1 as I dont bookmark podcasts. It is based on Tags so your method should work fine. The way you have outlined is exactly how it works.

I can update you on #2.  The graphic interface has undergone a facelift with the new Clip Zip.  You select Books > Podcasts > then you will see your podcasts listed like “albums”, nicely separated.  An individual bookmark is stored for each podcast episode, so you can click forward / back between episodes, and it will automatically resume within each podcsat at the last played point.

If you pull up the episode list, it’s a little different; you will, upon opening the episode, get the handy option to start from the beginning, or resume playback right where you were last time.

This option is nice of you’d like to start the episode from scratch.

Another change is that the time elapsed / time remaining displays when in audiobooks or podcasts, making it easier to locate the desired spot.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

If you  have an album of podcasts and press rewind, will the rewind be continous to the previous file?

No, unfortunately.  With podcasts , a brief press of the back or forward button will bring you to the next or previous podcast episode.  Holding the “rewind” button stops at the beginning of the currently loaded file.

I like having the device run back from the end of the previous file.  The e200 firmware does this with podcasts, I like it best that way.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

Oh well Hopefully these things will be addressed later. Hopeffully there will be a number of firmware updates. The Clip+ had so few updates compared to the original Clip.

@jk98 wrote:

Oh well Hopefully these things will be addressed later. Hopeffully there will be a number of firmware updates. The Clip+ had so few updates compared to the original Clip.

It really didn’t need as many, I don’t think… perhaps because the developers had learned a lot during the life cycle of the original Clip.

I do think, having “lived through” the original Clip years, that continued development of firmware, adding new options and features and perfecting/tweaking others, while still fixing bugs, adds to the excitement of a player and extends its marketing life and popularity, it seems to me–would love to see SanDisk adopting that approach here. 

What about replay gain? Is everything the same as the Clip+ in that area?

@color43 wrote:

What about replay gain? Is everything the same as the Clip+ in that area?

It works just fine for me with my foobar-scanned files.

Can you leave the display on when it is plugged into an external power source?

I suppose you could but I leave it set the same when its plugged in as it is disconnected.

Does Clip Zip still scans for files after usb unplugging? Eg i copy 5000 tracks, should I wait 15 mins like it’s predecesors?

@icsterm wrote:

Does Clip Zip still scans for files after usb unplugging? Eg i copy 5000 tracks, should I wait 15 mins like it’s predecesors?

Clip Zip now loaded with MP3’s, 6.96GB on the internal, 14.8GB on a class 2 16GB card. Still flies through menus, and the refresh time just now was 2:53.6…two minutes, fifty-three point six seconds. Of course, YMMV with regards to the refresh time, depending on your tagging practices. That is 2,685 songs, average bitrate of the lot is 233kbps. 

 The same tracks on the Clip+ results in a refresh time of 3:20.8…three minutes, twenty point eight seconds.

What does the screen look like when playing podcasts?

Now that the Clip Zip allows customizing the menu, the next step is to allow customization of what the screen displays and how large each item is displayed. 

Answering what I know your question is :wink: , with podcasts, there is a progress bar and then below that and to the left, the time elapsed, and to the right, the time remaining. No reason, although the space is tight, why this couldn’t likewise be done on the music what’s playing screen (along with the current track no./total track no. info.) in a firmware upgrade, especially if people ask for it here–SanDisk listens!   :wink:

It was decided that the time displays were important for podasts, and I have to agree with that.  As for music, with the current display, there is a progress bar, but no time display.

With Rhapsody enabled on the device, song ratings will display below the progress bar.

Personally, I think it’s time to make use of the center-button display function as with the previous Clips, allowing a rotation between track time / ratings / the progress bar, et cetera.  The best of all worlds, actually.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy: