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Hey Strateon,
You're correct in saying that the Clip doesn't support folder browsing... I think it's a feature that is less commonly used these days in MP3 players... at least new ones I don't think there's an alternative firmware, but you aren't the only one who's asked for folder browsing.
That being said, you shouldn't have so hard of a time editing tags. It should be an easy thing to do, and would solve your problem... as you could all add an Album tag to them called "Podcasts," for example... making them easy to find.
Are you on Windows? Try this to easily edit ID3 tags: http://www.softpointer.com/AudioShell.htm
There's a lot of other programs out there, but this one looks pretty good. I'm on Mac right now, so I can't test it ;)
Good luck. I think you'll find that once you get your music tagged for your mom, she'll love it. My girlfriend has one and she loves it.
Pete
Categories: Sansa Clip / Clip +
I've owned six mp3 players and they ALL had folder browsing, so I was simply shocked to discover that Sansa Clip doesn't have it. That makes it absolutely useless to me, I bought it for my mom specifically to play audiobooks and podcasts - of the 10 I've tried so far, 9 will not play in the proper order. I thought she would simply have to drag and drop a folder onto the player - now I've spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how to batch edit id3 tags using id3tagit, and gave up. Is there any alternative firmware that supports folder browsing? I'd be willing to sacrifice functions like radio recording or flac support just to be able to browse my audiobook collection properly without dicking about with the tags. If not I'll just have to return the damned thing and buy something else.
- member since: 01/02/2008
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Well that's the thing, it's me who's going to have to do all the tagging now. I've spent an hour and figured how to work id3tagit, but for my mom, even dragging and dropping a folder onto the player on her own will be a big achievement. She'll just end up not using it because she'll always have to ask me to format and upload the next book for her onto the player. I specifically wanted to get an MSC compatible player to make things as straightforward as possible for her - why on earth have msc and then not be able to display folders?
Thanks for your answer though, at least I won't be looking now for something that isn't there. Looks like I'll just have to buy another player. Shame, the clip had all the other boxes ticked, but this one is really a show-stopper for me.
- member since: 01/02/2008
- rank: 12 of 10638
- 3 articles authored
- 10 forum threads started
- 61 comments
I'm curious as to which one you will choose. I don't even know of any "big name" players out there that support folder browsing. I've been using Sansa/Apple products for so long now that I forgot folder browsing even exists... but then again, I'm a total geek and pretty obsessive about tagging my music / organizing it / etc.
Maybe it's worth it for you to search around for a program that will auto-tag her downloaded podcasts easily. I'm sure something like that exists... iTunes does it, so another program out there must! That would solve your problem.
Also... what about a program that easily applies the same tag to multiple files? If you can teach her to transfer files, she could certainly learn to tag them. Don't underestimate her ability to learn electronics... I've taught some of the biggest Luddites you'll ever meet to at least know enough to be dangerous :)
It's just a shame 'cause the Clip is such an awesome player. No matter which way you go, I hope you find a solution that works for both you and her.
Pete
Now that I've tried to find a fix for this problem I have noticed quite a few reviews specifically pointing out that the clip doesn't support folder browsing, which tells me that the lack of this basic feature in a player is not such a common thing. Don't know about apple, I've always found their wares to be overhyped and overpriced, so never used them, although I did have to buy my brother a nano because he kept badgering me for it. But the fact remains that while all my other players allowed be to drag and drop my music as is, this one requires me to go get a piece of software and then spend time tagging my whole library. This library is already structured in my windows folders the way I like it, why force me to rearrange the whole thing? I was honestly shocked, to me it was like buying a new car and discovering there's no steering wheel in it, just touch panels of fancy voice commands. They may be the way forward but can I have my old steering wheel please as an option? The developers take the time to add features like ogg support which nine out of ten people will never ever use, yet they cripple the player by omitting this basic folder functionality which non-apple users like me have come to expect. You are right about the clip being a great player in all other respects. I have spent several hours researching before I decided to buy the clip. And now that I've toyed with it for a few hours there's really nothing I would change about it other than folders support (well, maybe a slightly bigger battery, even at the expense of size - my old iriver gives me 50 hours out of an AA battery, so 15 hours is a bit of a step down, but still perfectly decent for a rechargeable). I just wish someone came up with unofficial firmware that gives me folders instead if this "sort my genre" nonsense.
- member since: 01/02/2008
- rank: 12 of 10638
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I agree - it doesn't seem sensible to omit the browse by folder feature, since that feature is built into most OS's anyway.
I wonder if at some point Sansa could integrate it as a "switchable" option in the firmware, depending on whether your preference is to browse by folders or by tags. That would be the best of both worlds.
I must mention that OGG and other formats will, in my opinion, continue to grow in popularity as open source and other Linux based offerings in portable devices, netbooks, and PC's become more widely used. In fact, I read an article just today about how open source is estimated to get more popular in the current cost-cutting economy. But you're right... right now, 9 out of ten people won't care or even know what OGG is!
I just remembered something, too - speaking of open source. It won't help you with the Clip, but I figured I'd share this anyway:
http://www.rockbox.org/
This is a firmware replacement for all kinds of devices from iRiver, Apple, Sansa, and others... although the Clip is not supported, sadly. Maybe they will sometime in the future, could be something worth watching!
- member since: 12/11/2007
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From what I just read... SanDisk's firmware developers are working on adding this option via a future firmware update as we speak. Whether or not it will make it in the next one hasn't been said...
So maybe there is hope.
- member since: 01/02/2008
- rank: 12 of 10638
- 3 articles authored
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- 61 comments
In addition, I found via Rockbox.org that the Sansa Clip has a working version of the Rockbox firmware available. It's still in a "pre-alpha" type state, meaning it's not yet suitable for daily use... but it means it's a work in progress!
- member since: 12/11/2007
- rank: 8 of 10638
- 26 articles authored
- 40 blog entries posted
- 73 forum threads started
- 383 comments
- member since: 01/02/2008
- rank: 12 of 10638
- 3 articles authored
- 10 forum threads started
- 61 comments
I thought it was, I can swear that I saw it available on the site... they must hide it because I can't seem to find it now.
Here's a link to all the pre-development ports of Rockbox along with current releases:
http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/TargetStatus#Pre_Development_Ports
I apologize if I was just seeing things, but I swear I saw it there...
Strateon, if you're looking for a simple drag and drop player, something simple your mother can use, I'd look at one of the Sony Walkman or Samsung mp3 players. They all get rave reviews by users on Amazon, Newegg and Best Buy. Their build and sound quality is also superb; I've checked them at Best Buy. They're both MTP (sync with Windows Media Player) and MSC (folder browsing/drag and drop) compatible.
Other great players are those made by a foreign company called iriver, particularly the iriver Clix. It's available at Amazon as well, along with some NYC based electronics stores like B&H and J&R.
But an ipod nano is also a pretty good solution; itunes is pretty easy to use, and if I recall, can be connected in Mass Storage mode.
Same here. I bought the sansa clip for my girlfriend who is totally not geek (and does'nt know about ID3 Tags at all). I was shocked that the player does not support folder browsing and that it is sorting files randomly...
Every now and then i got to clean up the ID3-Tag mess my girlfried did on her mp3 files which she wants to copy onto her player. (She:"I sorted my mp3 files just the way i want it. (*Folder sorting of cause*) Please copy them to my sansa kthxbaibai Me:"But you gotta edit ID3..." She:*gone* Me: -_-'
Seriously, it can't be that difficult to implement folder browsing... People are asking for it for several month. That's not really customer-friendly. :/
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