SmartDisk Flash Trax XT advice please (1 Viewer)

Does anyone know whether the "SmartDisk Flash Trax XT" is what I need to be able to play the "IDentify" (complete library of Bird Song) range of Bird Song/Calls with Dave Gosney?

Just to help a little to give an idea of what I want: I would need one that had inbuilt speakers, an LCD viewer and was small and portable; one that played MP3s etc. Roughly transferred as an iPod I think, except that I'm not knowledgeable about iPods.

Apparently I need a player that has a colour screen and can display 'album art' (e.g. latest iPod and iPod Nano) so I will also see a picture of the bird while the song, call or commentary is playing.

If all the above makes sense, is there anyone to advise my husband & I?

Very many thanks for all information.

Sue.

Hi Sue,
If you go to www.birdguides.com/products/iDentify/players.asp

it list the players suitable for IDentify.

An Ipod video model looks suitable for your needs, but there are cheaper

options available.

Hope this helps.

Regards Charles

Hi Charles and thanks very much indeed for your reply.

Thanks for the link, though I'd already been there last night after seeing it advertised in the BirdGuides newsletter.

I don't mind a cheaper version at all so long as it will play the "IDentify" AND we can download our Compact Flash memory cards when we're on holiday. Any ideas of other ones? I'm not entirely sure that I know what they're talking about on the web sites. Plus they don't mention the down (or is it up?) loading of memory cards, only that they'll take hundreds of photos, but I believe that's from PC's, am I right?

Thanks again for your help.

A perplexed Sue.

Hi Sue

I own a flashtrax and I have used it play bird song but never had the Identify software. However as this is on CD, just put in your cd and transfer the file to music folder in the flashtrax and I am sure it will bring up the image and play the call. However have to advise you that the flashtrax lcd could be sharper but you can bring up a full lcd size image and also zoom in. But have a word with Birdguides.

This Identify software does not take up much room so plenty of space to download from CF memory cards, if you get an adapter will also do SD cards.

Hi Robert,

Thanks so very much for your advice and I've certainly taken on board what you say about the fact that the Flashtrax could be sharper. I've just checked it out on web sites and not seen great reviews about it there either! So I think I will do as you suggest and get in touch with BirdGuides to get their views.

Very many thanks indeed.

Sue.

Sue Wright said:

Does anyone know whether the "SmartDisk Flash Trax XT" is what I need to be able to play the "IDentify" (complete library of Bird Song) range of Bird Song/Calls with Dave Gosney?

Just to help a little to give an idea of what I want: I would need one that had inbuilt speakers, an LCD viewer and was small and portable; one that played MP3s etc. Roughly transferred as an iPod I think, except that I'm not knowledgeable about iPods.

Apparently I need a player that has a colour screen and can display 'album art' (e.g. latest iPod and iPod Nano) so I will also see a picture of the bird while the song, call or commentary is playing.

If all the above makes sense, is there anyone to advise my husband & I?

Very many thanks for all information.

Sue.

Click to expand...

Hello Sue,
can't comment on IDentify software; I have the old Flashtrax, small and portable ... IQ of the screen is not bad and Audio quality is good enough (although internal speaker is not powerful enough to playback birds' calls if needed), but I doubt that this device can play SIMULTANEOUSLY audio and image files, perhaps newer versions can, so just check before buying it ... that said, you can download as many CF cards as you wish, depending on the device's capacity (mine is 30Gb), but just know that the process can be quite slow for a 2 Gb card as mine
Cheers,
Max

Hi Max,

Thanks very much indeed for your valuable input also. To be honest, with what you've said and the reviews I've seen I think I'll leave them alone. Also Max, it's very difficult to get advice on them here, as whenever my husband asks PC World, Dixons, Maplins, Comet etc they seem totally bewildered when he asks for anything relating to portable storage, let alone the 3 together!

We saw an Archos Gmini 400 20GB pocket multimedia/games player for sale on Amazon, very good reviews too, but they only appear to have second hand ones for sale! It's not easy, but I hope we'll get there soon?!

Thanks again for all your help Max. BTW, have just realised what IQ means Image Quality! You put that on a comment of my Snipe photo in the comp last month and it's puzzled me since then!:brains:

Thanks a lot, Sue.

Sue Wright said:

BTW, have just realised what IQ means Image Quality! You put that on a comment of my Snipe photo in the comp last month and it's puzzled me since then!:brains:

Thanks a lot, Sue.

Click to expand...

:'D
PS Hi Sue,
you're welcome, but I didn't mean to put you off on the Flashtrax :h?: ... it's not a bad choice
One last thing: if you plan to buy a second-hand device, just check battery life - spare batteries may be very expensive, especially if the device model is out of production (as mine is :-C )

No worries Max,

Having read some of the reviews put us off them a bit anyway, so it's not just you. Thanks for the tip on the batteries too. Though 2nd hand!! You never know what might be on there already!!!:eek!: Then again..........!

Thanks again Max, much appreciated advice there.

Sue.

Hi Sue
I have just acquired the flashtrax XT 80 gb and have used Identify for a few months. I have managed to load the identify software on to the flashtrax and play the song with no pictures (mind you they are pretty poor on my ipod ) main problem i have not managed to overcome so far is actually finding the individual bird to play as the number of characters visible on the flashtrax screen is limited and identify uses long numerical file names before the actual bird name

Hi Simon,

Thanks a lot for your input. If the Identify doesn't work properly, or the macine doesn't play it properly, then it really doesn't seem much point in getting either at present to my mind.

I've gone from really looking forward to getting one to now almost having gone off the idea completely. I've just done an e-mail to BirdGuides anyway and think I'll still get in touch with them and see what they say. Fingers crossed.

Any more help would still be greatly appreciated about any that WILL play IDentify and enable us to put our photos on when we're away. Not a lot to ask you'd think, but......................!

Thanks Simon, I really appreciate your comments.

Sue.

iPods are easy to use and set up is great with the free iTunes download. Basically you connect your iPod to the computer, manage the songs/recordings via iTune's and then sync the two automatically. An iPod Nano would work great in any of the available sizes would have more than enough memory for your birdsong plus any of your personal music you'd like to load on it. The songs are all organized into any folders or "playlists" of your choosing. For external spearkers Hands down the best Speakers I've seen and used for this exact purpose are some speakers manufactured by LG. They are the MSP-101, MSP-200, or "portable stereo speakers" they fold up and connect to an iPod or cell phone with a 3' long cable. They are Very Loud if need be, the volume can be controlled via the iPod or on the new model (MSP-200) also on the speakers. They have an internal re-chargable battery with on off switch, LED charge indicators etc. The great part about them is they are so small, in a folding design they are about the same size as a small flip cellular phone. Really really awesome speakers, not great for bass response obviously, but perfect for bird song/calls.

Search for them at Cellular phone stores such as Verizon Wireless. I got mine on sale for 20 dollars but they retail for about 50 u.s. dollars. Worth the price tho, perfect field speakers.