Pod People

Although I consider myself a technologically savvy person, hell, I still build my own gaming rigs and they last, at the minimum, three (3) years before UPGRADES are required, I will freely admit that I miss a thing or two here and there.

For instance, I just got into video creation and editing for DVDs in the last six (6) months, I completely avoided the CD stomp labeling fad, I've never loaded anything to YouTube, I don't twitter, digg, or blog daily.  I'm still waiting on GPS' to reach a price point I can stand, I've never stood in line for a game or a console, I just bought my first LCD TV, and although I've given them as gifts, given them away as prizes, and never said a bad word about them, I don't own a MP3 player and I don't listen to podcasts.

Well, let me rephrase that, until a few days ago I did not own an MP3 player and I didn't listen to podcasts.

I blame my eldest for the MP3 player.  On Sunday the 20th of April he asked me if I wanted to run errands with him.  He was driving so I said yes.  One of the things he was looking to do was to find a new MP3 player.  He found the perfect on at Wal-Mart, a Toshiba for about $60.  The only problem was they had none in stock and Newegg.com wanted $72ish for the same thing. 

So we took a trip north to Reading to see what Best Buy might have.

Firstly, on the whole, we were disappointed with Best Buy.  Wal-Mart had a larger selection and a better price range.  But, after almost an hour looking around, we stumbled, literally, into the Best Buy brand of MP3 players, the Insignia line.

Before our eye were three (3) initial selections:

Insignia black 2 Gig Sport - $80
Insignia black 4 Gig Sport - $80
Insignia black 4 Gig - $90

The difference between the sport and regular model?  Screen size.  All models were capable of video and my eldest was not in the least concerned with video so the obvious choice was the 4 gig sport black.  I mean, why pay more cash for a smaller unit?  Now, if the screen size was important to you and you are not of Scottish heritage like me, the extra $10 might not be important.  Though I wasn't sure what level of idiots were buying the 2 gig sport rather than the identical looking 4 gig sport. 

So, my son picks one up and then we start to walk away, a little annoyed that it took so long to find these and that they were nowhere near the other MP3 players.  But I stopped.  $80 for a 4 gig MP3 player?  That's not bad and haven't I been telling myself for the last 6+ months that I need to get an MP3 player so I can actually have time to listen to all the podcasts people keep asking me to review? So I join the herd and pick one up.  I poke around in the computer section, looking to pick up another Logitech Marble Mouse, my so looks at movies and games, and we are getting ready to go when my son wants to know if the MP3 player comes with headphones.  The packaging makes no mention of it, I am certain it does, but he asks a store employee just to make sure.  Yep, it comes with ear-buds and they suck.

Now, and this is classic, the clerk recommends a set inexpensive Sony clip on headphones.  The interesting things about these is that the speaker is turned 90 so that it sets against the tragus of the ear (look it up, I had to) and I bought a pair to keep with my laptop when I was visiting my dad in March.  I'd mentioned how much I liked them and why to my son and, like the ungrateful cur he is, he was very dismissive, insisting "they're all like that." 

Apparently not.

He declined to pick up a pair, I did not.  But, as we are looking for these headphones, which are not located near the MP3 players and we couldn't find for the better part of 30 minutes, we ran across the same 4 gig MP3 player in red for $10 less. Less than 30 seconds later we'd exchanged the one's we held for the $70 model.  I don't care about style, I do care about cash.

It took me about 30 minutes to get everything set up, to dump a bunch of music onto it and to realize that I’ll end up using it primarily to listen to all the podcasts I keep promising myself I will review, when I get time.

So, I plan to be much less informed for a bit about the world in general as I use my morning and evening commute to catch up on podcasts.  Look for these reviews soon.

Now, I have to find out, what else do I need to embrace to STILL be behind a generation or two?

Drop me a line and let me know.