Argosy MP-180 20GB MP3 Player $99.99 AR @ CompUSA (in-store only) Will work w/iTunes (mac). . .

[NewtonMP2100]

Argosy MP-180 20GB MP3 Player / Portable Hard Drive $99.99 AR plus tax @ CompUSA (in-store only)


I think this is a pretty good deal for a basic 20GB mp3 player. . .judge fer urself. . .

$199.99
-$80.00 Instant Savings (Valid: 3/19/2006 - 3/25/2006)
-$20.00 Mfr. Mail-in Rebate (Valid: 3/19/2006 - 3/25/2006)
$99.99 Price after instant & mail-in rebates

You can order online for pick-up instore.

I became aware of this deal due to another forum member here (not @ FW) so HOLLA' & credit goes out to him (he knows who he is).

People have reported. . .seems changing batteries is easy and some have wondered if the hard drive can be upgraded. . .


Even though it say Argosy, the name on it is INOi.

* High Speed External Storage Portable Solution
* Build-in High Speed USB 2.0 Bridge Adapter with an 1.8" 20GB Hard Disk
* CD Quality MP3 Play Back Function
* Build-in MP3 Decoder with Recharge able battery for 5 Hours Continuous Playtime
* USB Storage Device with Bus Powered Capability
* Low Power Consumption Design, Powered by USB 1.1 / 2.0 Bus Power
* Plug & Play and Hot Insertion / Removal Capability



Argosy MP-180 MP3 Player / Portable Hard Drive, 20GB


Archos driver that makes it show up in iTunes:

This Archos driver has been confirmed to make it show up in iTunes mac version ONLY (not iTunes for the PC) (still no guarantee that it will work.)

Archos driver that makes it show up in iTunes


Amazon reviews:

INOi MP-180 20GB HDD and MP3 Player @ amazon


Amazon.uk reviews:
ATMT STORM 1.8" 20GB MP3 Player @ amazon.uk


Epinions Review:
Epinions Review



Link to FW discussion (they are adding new info all the time)
FW discussion

[MacMagus]

Thanks for the Archos driver link!

I happen to have purchased one of those INOi players.

:-)

The player is very sweet. The sound quality is better than that on an RCA Lyra and not quite as good as on an iPod, but still quite good.

The thing has a bit of heft. About as big and heavy as a 1st gen iPod.

While the EQ presets are not very good, the flatline/Normal setting has remarkable fidelity, so I don't feel much desire to tweak it.

It is not impressive if you compare its features with an iPod, but if, like me, you've been using a 512MB flash player for the last few years, it's a huge improvement. And the fact that it works in OS 9 as well as OS X is a nice benefit -- I was concerned that when I moved to a higher capacity player I'd lose my ability to use it on the older Macs at work.

So far, the only things that annoy me are the lack of a decent case (although I hear that it will fit some iPod cases) and the cheap earphones.

[NewtonMP2100]

. . .check the FW thread. . .there is mention of possible cases. . .

[MacMagus]

I've been playing with the Archos plug-in.

The player comes up in iTunes as a playlist called INOI MP3.

First run takes a few seconds if you did like me and loaded the player before trying it with iTunes.

From that point on, dragging a playlist onto the INOI MP3 playlist will copy the files, BUT... It copies them in the iTunes Artist:Album:Track folder hierarchy, not into a single playlist folder so if you have a mix-list rather than an album-list, it's a PITA.

But it could save some time over going through the files and dropping them from the Finder.

For example, I just added a Podcasts folder to the player. From within iTunes, I drag a bunch of podcasts onto the INOI MP3 playlist and they're all moved onto the player, then I switch back to the Finder and drag the files into the Podcasts folder for play at my leisure.

I'm enjoying this thing. Can you tell?

:>

[NewtonMP2100]

sometimes stuff like this can be a hassle but still I find this very tempting. . .for the price. . .

Not all of us can afford an ipod. ..and this might be a nice substitute. . .


Keep reading the FW thread because it is being updated constantly and someone might come up with a solution or something else interesting. . .

[MacMagus]

I just discovered that I can drag from iTunes to the Finder to copy a file onto the player.

Unfortunately, 20GB is not nearly enough storage for me.


> sometimes stuff like this can be a hassle but still I find this very tempting. . .for the price.

You'd better check inventory if you're thinking about it. They seem to be selling out fast. I checked Sunday night and all of my local stores had them. By Monday afternoon the closest one with stock was a half-hour drive.


> Not all of us can afford an ipod. ..

I never particularly wanted an iPod. It's chained to iTunes and for the price, the fact that it can't play AIFF files is ridiculous.

I've been waiting to find a simple player like this. No bells and whistles, just a solid music player with lots of storage and a reasonable price.

...


Add another minor annoyance: The shuffle feature only randomizes tracks from your current play folder. It won't randomize playback from the whole collection.

But so far I haven't had any serious issues.

:::knock wood:::

[NewtonMP2100]

. . .the FW thread did mention upgrading the hard drive. . .might be an option. . .someone changed the battery. . .


All the compusa near me have them in stock. . .normally, I would have rushed out and got one. . .but trying to resist. . .need to be strong. . .

[MacMagus]

> normally, I would have rushed out and got one. . .but trying to resist. . .need to be strong. . .

'Know anyone who merits an expensive gift that you might conveniently try out first ...?

[NewtonMP2100]

. . .maybe. . .

I might just go and look it over @ the store. . .just look. . .

[MacMagus]

I checked this evening. Most iPod cases won't fit it.

There are some promising phone and camera cases. And It's possible that the XtremeMac iPod armband will work, but I wasn't allowed to take it out of the box to try it.