-Official MobyMemory Poll-

Audience:  To all Nokia 6230 and iPod owners

Nokia 6230 Vs iPod ?  (Which is better: please discuss..)

Let's hear the PROs and CONs from actual 6230 owners and iPod owners..

Webmaster: (I will start this off as i have both Nokia 6230, and a 20Gb Apple iPod.)

Battery Life:

The Nokia 6230 has a better battery life than iPod when in standby. My iPod battery drains in about 2-3 days pretty much flat, when switched off. The Nokia will last much longer even when switched on in standby, and it takes calls too whilst doing it! Battery life is definitely the weak point on the iPod.

Size:

Nokia 6230 wins hands down. No matter how small the iPod gets, it still doesn't get smaller than a single device, rather than 2 devices. Assuming you have your mobile with you anyway most/all of the time, 1 device will be better than 2 devices for most people.

Nokia 6230 at 97grams.

mini iPod - 102grams / iPod - 160grams + (Other mobile)

Ease of use:

Apple iPod has the advantage as Apple iTunes is nice'n'simple to use on the PC and MAC. you can also buy and download tracks straight from iTunes online (UK and US), which works seamlessly.

Nokia Audio Manager is OK for straight CD-ripping, but other tools from the likes of dBpowerAMP.com are more powerful and quicker to use (especially for converting your exisitng digital music library) for use on Nokia 6230.

Also, a memory card reader is needed to make transferring files to MMC card easier and quicker with the Nokia 6230.

Sound Quality:

Out-of-the-box, the iPod is slightly better, but they are both very good especially when playing .AAC format tracks.

The small difference between the 2 is probably down to the supplied h'phones are better with the iPod than the Nokia's (and because encoding used on iPod will usually be higher as you have more room to play with).

NB. Mind, check out Marco's post about the POP-Headphone adapter for the Nokia 6230, that lets you use your better quality h'phones with it.nice.

Looks:

The iPod is already universally acknowledged as a design classic. A legend in its own lifetime. No other music player has really got close to that level of street-cred and style desirability.

The Nokia 6230 is no 'ugly mug'. Available in sharp'n'dark graphite, or Clean-cut'n'bright white. This is traditional Nokia 'candy-bar' styling at its best.

Cost:

iPod - That beauty and style factor comes at a price..

mini iPod (4Gb)	£200 (when released) [Official Retail]
15Gb iPod	£250
20Gb iPod	£300
40Gb iPod	£400

With contract:   Nokia 6230 = FREE (big moby spenders out there can get a free upgrade with your operator!)

Without contract:  Nokia 6230 = £300+..

Plus a decent-sized MMC - (256mb MobyMemory MMC - £38 up to 1Gb MMC- £185).

Nokia 6230 wins handsdown if you use your mobile for >£25 month (and can get a free upgrade..)

Storage:

The iPod comes in different flavours with hard-drive ranging from 4gb (mini) to the 40gb monster. What this means for most people is that an iPod can store their whole music collection. period. (10,000+ tracks at a high bit-rate - 192kbps+ aac)

The Nokia 6230 works with MMC memory cards - but not all brands are compatible like MobyMemory MMC  - from 32mb up to 1Gb in size (we supply the bigger sizes: 128mb-1Gb).

In reality this means a Nokia 6230 can store about: 35hours of music (or around 50 albums) on 1Gb (when encoded as 64kbps AAC) or around 18hours on 512mb. This may not be your complete music collection, but for most people it is enough for at least 1 month or 2 of listening before you want to swap some of the tracks around with your PC. Good enough i reckon.

Bottom-line: On a desert-island for year or more:- iPod storage is best (assuming a power supply to re-charge those batteries!).

For every day listening, with swapping your music with your PC every other month, Nokia 6230 storage capacity is fine with a big MMC.

Integrated Functions Vs Separates:

Some people like the isolation of an iPod, you are in your own music world, and you don;t even have to hear your mobile ring if you don't want to.

Of course, with an integrated single device like the Nokia 6230, the phone call will cut over your music and let you take the call. It only resumes playback when you are finished on the call. Hard to beat for convenience.

Conclusion:

Nokia 6230 is a real-music player contender, and has to be taken seriously (especially when partnered by a big MobyMemory MMC ).

Prediction: It could be the dark-horse that challenges the iPod's crown for the 'world's biggest-selling music device' .

 (Just like Camera phones are now outselling digital cameras..)

Please [agree] / [disagree]: let us know your thoughts.. we will produce a poll after few weeks.

Nice post with some good points but what about the most important factor when buying a personal music player.........£££££Cost. I havent checked up on Ipod prices for a while but last time I did they were mega bucks. In contrast you can get the 6230 for nothin with a contract!!!

Im still waiting on my 6230. Wouldnt even consider an Ipod now!

Good point Path,

i will add a Cost section to main post..

OK here are some prices of Ipod's

Bought New:

15GB = £229
20GB = £259.95
40GB = £334.95
Mini 4GB = £219 - £289

Second hand (from eBay):

15GB = £190
20GB = £230 - £240
40GB = £300
Mini 4GB = £180 - £200

Cost of my 6230 = £40 on O2
You get it free on other networks though!!

I agree, I'm considering selling my creative jukebox - 40gb and buying a 1gb mmc to put all my music on. The 6230 is studier than the jukebx, smaller and a bit lighter, tho I always have my phone so I'd be saving the weight there!

the 6230 is better!

its a fone as well as being able to store 100's of songs/pics (with the right mmc)

the ipod is v.sexy tho!!!!! lol

eskimo

Ive dl nokia multimedia conveter and can now xfer my films to gp3, the i pod doesnt even come close.   Do u agree?

I was looking into buying a new phone and an ipod mini. Then I decided to get the 6230 so that I can kill two birds with one stone.

The ipod is good in that its meant to do one job properly, but after playing with my nokia and if I can get all the bits and bobs I need and update the headphone socket then I'm sorted. Its a bit long winded transfering to the phone, but then again it will piss off all the k700 owners I know who completely slate the 6230!