e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

[culater33]

e.Digital has released a revolutionary "twin" of Apple's iPod. The Odyssey 1000 is a 20 GB MP3 player that resembles the iPod. The Odyssey 1000 is compatible with both PCs and Macs, includes an FM radio, USB 2.0 connectivity, and a built-in microphone. The device should be released this fall for US$249. That is, only if Apple Legal doesn't get in touch with the company first. Thanks to O'Grady's PowerPage for the link.


USER COMMENTS 13 comment(s)
From "Coming to America" (10:49am EST Wed Jul 24 2002)
"They have the Golden Arches... WE have the Golden Arks!"
- by Cleo McDowell
Price correction (12:56pm EST Wed Jul 24 2002)
The price is $349, not $249.

http://www.macslash.org/article.pl?
sid=02/07/22/2017221 - by Macdude
to IPOD OR ODyessy (1:56pm EST Wed Jul 24 2002)
DOes it have updatable firmwear ???
DOes it have firewire, no just usb2

THe ipod is not just a mp3 player

theres so much you can do with it
- by THE YOKE
Apple should have... (3:53pm EST Wed Jul 24 2002)
...released the iPOD to be compatible with both Mac AND PC in the first place. With their whole 'Switch' campaign, it would have made sense to sell a PC user an iPOD that they can use on their PC AND on the Mac they're supposed to 'Switch' to once they realize that Apple products are so much more ________ . Instead, if you get a Mac you have to get another iPOD! - by mickeygeek
Apple legal? (3:56pm EST Wed Jul 24 2002)
Look, you can't patent a tin box, I like to see Apple try and whine about copyright infringement on this one. Asside from the fact that the odyssey is a box, and silver shouldn't be enough for Apple to get their knickers in a twist. The only thing Apple may have legal standing on is the GUI of the device.

As for the iPod doing so much more? Like what? Have upgradeable firmware (like 90% of all mp3 players), and USB 2.0 is faster then firewire. Most hard drive based mp3 players can be used as an external storage device too. - by Topher
usb 2.0 vs firewire... (6:13pm EST Wed Jul 24 2002)
has been debated many a times before. on paper, usb2 is supposed to be faster than firewire. so far, real world tests served only to otherwise.

although i doubt apple could sue the company for copying the looks of the ipod, it doesn't take away from the fact that the odessey is a knockoff. i wouldn't buy one for that reason alone.

also, if apple sues against copying of the gui and wins, then the odessey will lose one of the great things about the ipod--it's simplicity of use (assuming it copied the ipod's easy-to-use gui). - by pismeov
AGAIN! (7:10am EST Thu Jul 25 2002)
It shouldn't really come as a suprise that yet again the industry leader in product design is the target for visionless designers to crib from.

If that was my design work that had been half inched I'd be the first in the line to send their oddyssey on a one way ticket up their ass.

Looking at the item it does bear remarkable resemblence to the iPod in more than a few ways. In that there's a great deal to shameful of. If the Mac is so crap why copy it, I'm sure that there are designers out there that could give Apple's industrial design unit a run for it's money and come up with original and inspirational work.

e.Digital, if u are listening, get a fucking life. Do it on your own merits. The spec seems good so why not create something that deserves comments rather than a product that just takes thepiss. - by spacca
PRAT! or PILLOCK u decide. (7:14am EST Thu Jul 25 2002)

Jim Collier, President and COO of e.Digital said, "It combines an elegant, world class industrial design from Digitalway’s award-winning engineering team-"

who's he fucking kidding? World class my ass, I suppose if they did vacuum cleaners they'd look like a Dyson! - by spacca
get yoked (10:32am EST Thu Jul 25 2002)
I'm sure it has the Odyssey's firmware can be updated. I have an iPod now and love it, but what do you mean there is so much you can do with an iPod? This thing and Archos' mp3 player has a microphone for real-time mp3 encoding. - by interactive
hey mickeygeek (12:16pm EST Thu Jul 25 2002)
You can use an iPod with windows now.

to interactive

The iPod is and external hard drive that you can even load an OS on and boot off of it if you need to for starters.
- by MacMurphy
Off topic (2:19pm EST Thu Jul 25 2002)
But what the hey it never is on topic. Where would I get a replacement DVD drive for a G4 tower? (AGP graphics model, software decoding) Apple doesn't list replacement parts anywhere on their website I could find and I don't know if a standard PC drive would work. I imagine a few eyebrows got raised just about now. - by Ziwiwiwiwiwiwiwiwiwi
This just shows... (3:20pm EST Thu Jul 25 2002)
why Apple is slowly but surely dying. Half the performance, twice the price.

Sure firewire is better, but there's no excuse for not having a mic or FM tuner on the iPod, and there is little justification for the original prices. The 5Gb should've debut at 299 and should now be less than 250. Even now their prices are on the wrong side of too high.

And if we move to their computers, the situation is even worse. Want a consumer machine, Ok, Apple will charge you a prosumer price and still give you an 18 month out of date spec.

Want a professional machine? For twice as much money, Apple will sell you a machine that can almost keep up to wintel box when using velocity engine and absolutely gets blown out of the water by even $1000us PC's on tasks that don't use velocity engine. Truly pathetic performance at the prices Apple charges.

- by Apple is dying
Apple is dying (5:35pm EST Thu Jul 25 2002)
the last part about a $1,000 PC is what i have been saying. Also, if it is a knockoff, why does it have stuff apple ipods do not have? - by Warplex

http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2002Jul/bma20020724015567.htm
culater