i bought a new mp3 player today. it should arrive mid-next week. i’m really excited with this thing. I’m in the ‘anythingbutipod‘ pool of consumers, so I settled for a Clix from iRiver.
I spend around 6-8 hours a week travelling on subways, and while most people who travel listening to mp3 players are simply listening to pop music or music in general, I’m much-more looking forward to listening to those BBC radio broadcasts, podcasts and lectures from the Walker Art Center and other podcasts from artists, art institutions, etc. and other archived audio programs that I don’t otherwise have the opportunity to listen to when I’m busy in my own studio and need to focus. I have to travel, so I figure its time to multitask my commute and my cultural excitement (of course, I am also of the belief that it’s not a good thing to be plugged in all the time, especially when walking on the streets – you can’t hear anything around you! you’re vulnerable and unaware! but when sitting on a subway seat for 40 minutes, I’ll make an exception).
Additionally, this player which only measures 2.7â€? x 1.8â€? x .6â€?, can also view basic .txt files, has a built-in FM tuner, can view standard image formats such as JPEGs, has a mic for voice-recording, and also plays movies at 320×240, and can run for 25 hours on a full charge. So we’ll see if it is simply another device to consume time, or if I can find a way to put its hardware to applicable use and create some work from its functions and capabilities.