nomad zen nx vs. phlips hdd100

[dat]

I've come to the conclusion that I'm definitely going to purchase a hdd based mp3 player. However, I'd like to get certain features.

- halfway decent battery life (10-12+ hours)
- acts as a regular attached hdd (just drag and drop)
- doesn't suck
- sounds good
- small / lightweight
- doesn't break the bank.
- doesn't suck

I've narrowed it down to the zen nx and the hdd100. The zen nx is apparently supposed to start shipping next month (august) and who knows when the hdd100 is going to ship.

noone seems to know the exact msrp (or even a close range) of the philips hdd100, whereas the zen nx looks like its going to cost $250 USD for the 20 gig model.

does anyone know if either player will act as a regular attached hdd (that doesn't require 3rd party software)?

I don't think i'll consider the hdd100 if its over the $300 pricetag. i'm just not sure if i'll get enough use out of it to justify spending so much money.

So, i'd really like to hear the pros / cons of each and how the compare to eachother if possible.

[IronSerif]

I'm kind of excited about the new Zen NX model, even though I already have a 3rd Gen iPod.

But the price for the new Zen is definitely nice. I'm not too familliar about the hdd100 by Philips.

But theoretically, when the device is attached, yes it should act as a regular external drive; without any extra 3rd party software.

The iPod is a great device as well, but you will definitely NOT get the 10+ hours of battery life that you are looking for.

[JediPoo]

iRiver's iHP-100 is the only decent 'drag and drop' hard drive based mp3 player I have heard of. I don't think the hdd100 is 'drag and drop' I must admit I have only ever tried the 20gb first generation zen and wasn't impressed with the firmware. It was ok but not perfect. Ther were quite a few limits on what you could do with it but the zen nx or even the newest 60gb zen has firmware that looks like it might solve those problems.

I am currently trying to decide on weather to get a hdd100, an iRiver iHP-100 or a zen nx. Or maybe an ipod but they are a bit too expensive for my taste.

iRiver and hdd100are edging into the lead on the best of the newest of hard drive mp3 players imo.

[Unregistered]

The Zen NX will require additional software to be used as a hard drive. However, if it's cheper than the Phlips HDD100, just use the leftover money to buy a small USB flash drive and carry the software around on that. It'll be a little extra work, but worth it to save some money. I've been extremely happy with my Zen and would recommend it to anyone.

[techfreak]

From what I am reaading in the Philips HDD forum, the HDD is having a ton of issues with lock-ups and other stupid stuff. I would spend my money on the Nomad. Creative has been producing hard drive jukeboxes for a while and probably have most of the issues ironed out.