Does this MP3 player work with OS X???

[vollspacken]

I know that some people might want to lock me in the basement and torture me to death for considering to buy a non-Apple MP3 player, but anyways...

I'm seriously thinking about buying one of these new keyring MP3 players from Philips (the one with the strap remote).

the only problem is that the product homepage does only mention the data transfer between PCs and the device. I know that PC can also mean "anything that has a USB-port", but I want to be on the safe site, since I don't think that any salesperson at one of the big home-electronics chains here in Germany has any clue what a Mac is (nor what OS X is...). I also don't want to order it online without knowing whether it will work on my tiBook.

- does anyone here own one of them or can anyone tell me if it works with OS X? It says: "No drivers required," but will it work on a Mac?

o.k., 128MB isn't big, not expandable, and it might be overpriced, but it's small and I don't need more right now (the 10gig iPod is EUR 399,- over here in Germany). I only need something to replace my walkman for the way from my appartment to university by bike...

thanks
vSpacken

 

[vollspacken]

sorry, it does work with OS X...

I should read the spec-sheet before I post...

but still, the spec sheet says that the player uses the Musicmatch software to transfer the music. so does the device work as a MP3 player on OS X or does it just behave like removable USB-media (floppy replacement) but without playing MP3s?

confusion-confusion...

vSpacken

 

[AngryAngel]

Yes, it is OS X compatible if it says no drivers required. It will use the USB Mass Storage Device Driver.

The problem you will have (which I have with my Oracom ORC200) is that when you copy files with resource forks using the Finder onto a volume which is not HFS or HFS+, it will copy the resource fork into a file called "_whateverthefilewascalled". This is so that when you back-up to non-Mac volumes, and copy back to the Mac, the Mac will find the resource fork and everything is ok.

However, this means the MP3 player will have twice as many files/tracks, and will probably try to play the resource fork files (as they end in .mp3 still).

In the case of the ORC200, it causes a pause of roughly 20 seconds as it tries to look for MP3 data in the resource fork file. You can get around this by erasing the resource forks by doing a copy from the command line (using the cp command-you don't even have to copy it straight to the drive; copying it to a different directory on your HD will strip the files of resource forks and you can then use the finder to copy the stripped files).

Alternatively, if the player has a track-by-trak erase function, the "_" prefixed files will appear in that listing, and you can erase them from there.

Hope this helps.

I wish Apple would support synching from iTunes to any mass storage drive....

EDIT:

I didn't see your second post before replying. If it HAS to use Musicmatch to sync, then it is using some form of hidden directory, and you may have a problem with OS X. My Oracom has a Directory called Music, in which you can put the mp3's you want it to play. The Phillips ones may have a similar system, and Musicmatch may just put the files in a veiwable directory.

 

[vollspacken]

thank you so much, AngryAngel...

that was exactly the information I was looking for.

thanks
vSpacken

 

[Hes Nikke]

yes

not that it means anything, but on the TV ad, the guy pulls it out of his TiBook - and then walks away, leaving the TiBook on his front porch!