Rich's Tongfamily (Richtong.net add-on)

Ok, so many things to look at right now…here’s a list of what we’re in the market for right now:
* “iPod”:http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=161. Probably the 4G 20GB version. No VC can really invest in consumer products without having an ipod. They are their own universe right now. Man these these things *are* expensive. About 50% more expensive than non-Apple. For instance the 20GB 4G iPod is “$287”:http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=3293203&blsrt=1, but the 20GB Creative is “$215”:http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=3173505&blsrt=1. The differences are even more startling in the 40GB range. The Apple discounts are essentially zero, with the discounters selling for $13 off the list price, so you might as well get it from Apple.com directly.
* “iPod Photo”:http://www.crutchfield.com/S-eOjEjI7siFk/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=158150&I=47240GFOTO&search=ipod. Not quite out yet, these are a breathtaking $500 for 40GB and $600 for 60GB. So you pay a $100 premium for a 2.5″ color screen. Wow. Apple folks seems to love it, but the “Cnet”:http://reviews.cnet.com/Apple_iPod_Photo__60GB_/4852-6490_7-31201014.html?tag=box folks think it is way expensive for a small screen. For instance the iRiver PMP-120 is a 3.5″ screen but does weigh nearly 10 oz. and only has 20GB at $500.
* iPod “accessories”:http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=1669. The JBL speaker station, the Griffin “iTrip”:http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=930973&blsrt=1 FM transmitter, Altec-Lansing “InMotion”:http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=2298632&blsrt=1 and the “JBL Creature II 2.1”:http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=2002191/search=jbl%20creature speakers for at home a bunch of other cool things noted at the “iPod Lounge”:http://ipodlounge.com
* “Etymotic ER6”:http://headphone.com. These are in my humble opinion the great headphones I’ve ever used. Insanely expensive, but the sound quality is amazing. Headphone has them for just $107 right now.
* “Audible”:http://audible.com/. These guys do books on “tape” as it were. And, if you buy their service for a year, you get $100 off an iPod!
* iRiver “iHP-120”:http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=3&subTopicID=27&productID=9070280120. If you want something that is not an iPod but that enthusiastist love. I have an IRiver CD Player and I can attest they are the nerds dream. “Headroom”:http://headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=2&subTopicID=28 has a good reveiw of non-iPod players.
In scary caveat, 4G iPods appear to have some sort of “defect”:http://www.ipodlounge.com/articles_more.php?id=4776_0_8_0_M that iPodLounge is tracking. There is a strange whirring and noise at the start of each song. It is in over 40% of the iPods that iPodLounge users have bought, so it is no small deal.