3 ms·

>I only need it for podcasts. I like dedicated hardware to reduce the temptation to connect to the world. the newer cell-phone-yet-unconnected Sony Walkmans ar

by serf 6y ago

>I only need it for podcasts. I like dedicated hardware to reduce the temptation to connect to the world. the newer cell-phone-yet-unconnected Sony Walkmans are pretty neat, and they have some nice DAC features. The price is steep, but not Apple steep.

bipson 6y ago
Hm, I don't know, the NW-E390 SERIES looks like it fulfills the requirements, if such a reduced functionality is acceptable to OP. Don't know what you could/should use on the software side though to manage the content... Life has changed a lot since I last used strictly offline devices, and not only for the better.
dalke 6y ago
Thanks for the pointer! I was put off by the Walkman when I read at https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00104669 https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00104669 that "The preinstalled Music player on the Walkman® media player doesn't support podcasts. If you want to play podcasts, use the Media Go™ software to transfer the audio file, then install an application from the Google Play™ store on your device that supports podcasts." Which means then figuring out that process. And I couldn't find people describing how they used a Walkman for listening to podcasts.
- izacus 6y ago
  I'm pretty sure you can just install Android podcasting app (any of them) and use them to download songs directly. At least on Android versions of the Walkmans.
  - dalke 6y ago
    "Which means then figuring out that process" means I have no experience with Android or the available apps. :S But it certainly is a nice looking device, and I like the homage to the tape cassette Walkman I had in the 1980s.
    - thebean11 6y ago
      Eh, if you're technical enough to be posting on hackernews I don't think it will take you more than 15 minutes to install a podcasting app and figure out the software
      - Godel_unicode 6y ago
        I think you're missing an important part of the use case. People who like iPods in particular are usually deep into "it just works" territory and have a visceral aversion to tinkering. It sounds like you have a pro-tinkering mindset, possibly subconsciously, and are discounting the degree to which some people hate tinkering with their personal setup.
        dalke 6y ago
        Yup. I don't like to tinker. Don't like to tweak. Don't like to configure. It should indeed "just work."
      - dalke 6y ago
        While I could make all sorts of technical points, like how HN's interface is little different from trn I used in the 1990s, or how I dislike tinkering (as Godel_unicode commented), I'll point out one that's not so technical. I am detail oriented, which contributes to the quality of the software I develop. That level of attention to detail extends to other areas. For example, I read all of the license agreements I'm told that I have to assent to. This makes it really hard for me to agree to all of the automatic software updates, which update the license agreement, so I disable updates until I have the time to read the new license. (As an aside, OmniGroup has the best proprietary license I've read, and I've commended them for it. And I've complained to ORCId that they claim their signup takes only seconds, which means they don't expect people to read their license.) So one reason I prefer FOSS is that I don't to read the #%^#$^ licenses. If I switch to the Android ecosystem, and sign up to Google's app store, I expect have to read pages of legalese - which I don't care to do. I understand that most people are not this way. I hope you understand that some people are not like you.
- polytely 6y ago
  Just download Podcast Addict, and subscribe to your favourite podcasts.

by serf 6y ago

bipson 6y ago

Hm, I don't know, the NW-E390 SERIES looks like it fulfills the requirements, if such a reduced functionality is acceptable to OP. Don't know what you could/should use on the software side though to manage the content... Life has changed a lot since I last used strictly offline devices, and not only for the better.

dalke 6y ago

Thanks for the pointer! I was put off by the Walkman when I read at https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00104669 https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00104669 that "The preinstalled Music player on the Walkman® media player doesn't support podcasts. If you want to play podcasts, use the Media Go™ software to transfer the audio file, then install an application from the Google Play™ store on your device that supports podcasts." Which means then figuring out that process. And I couldn't find people describing how they used a Walkman for listening to podcasts.

izacus 6y ago
I'm pretty sure you can just install Android podcasting app (any of them) and use them to download songs directly. At least on Android versions of the Walkmans.
- dalke 6y ago
  "Which means then figuring out that process" means I have no experience with Android or the available apps. :S But it certainly is a nice looking device, and I like the homage to the tape cassette Walkman I had in the 1980s.
  - thebean11 6y ago
    Eh, if you're technical enough to be posting on hackernews I don't think it will take you more than 15 minutes to install a podcasting app and figure out the software
    - Godel_unicode 6y ago
      I think you're missing an important part of the use case. People who like iPods in particular are usually deep into "it just works" territory and have a visceral aversion to tinkering. It sounds like you have a pro-tinkering mindset, possibly subconsciously, and are discounting the degree to which some people hate tinkering with their personal setup.
      - dalke 6y ago
        Yup. I don't like to tinker. Don't like to tweak. Don't like to configure. It should indeed "just work."
    - dalke 6y ago
      While I could make all sorts of technical points, like how HN's interface is little different from trn I used in the 1990s, or how I dislike tinkering (as Godel_unicode commented), I'll point out one that's not so technical. I am detail oriented, which contributes to the quality of the software I develop. That level of attention to detail extends to other areas. For example, I read all of the license agreements I'm told that I have to assent to. This makes it really hard for me to agree to all of the automatic software updates, which update the license agreement, so I disable updates until I have the time to read the new license. (As an aside, OmniGroup has the best proprietary license I've read, and I've commended them for it. And I've complained to ORCId that they claim their signup takes only seconds, which means they don't expect people to read their license.) So one reason I prefer FOSS is that I don't to read the #%^#$^ licenses. If I switch to the Android ecosystem, and sign up to Google's app store, I expect have to read pages of legalese - which I don't care to do. I understand that most people are not this way. I hope you understand that some people are not like you.
polytely 6y ago
Just download Podcast Addict, and subscribe to your favourite podcasts.