MP-3 Players

mamboqueen

mamboqueen

Well-Known Member
Okay; I'm technologically challenged and I *hate* reading manuals, so I'd like your input on a good, easy-to-use MP-3 player. I don't need 500 hours of songs, but I like the idea of being able to have multple song lists and/or a way of categorizing the songs. I want something with excellent sound and is easy to use while on a treadmill, etc. Other than that, I haven't really thought much about features.

I know the IPOD is supposed to be fantastic, but I don't really have $300 to spend right now.

Thanks in advance.
 
Santa-mother-in-law is bringing out my Christmas MP3 player in January, so I can't give you first-hand advice... yet.

My husband and I (mostly my technogeek husband) did a lot of research on MP3 players, based upon what options I wanted (I did want 15 gazillion hours of music, LOL) and we narrowed the options down to the iPod mini and the Zen Micro. Ultimately we ordered the Zen Micro. It just seemed like it suited my desires more than the iPod mini. The iPod has more accessories 'n stuff to go along with it (for now - I'm sure Creative Labs will come out with plenty of accessories for the Zen soon enough). But you have to use their software/format for the music. You can use other stuff, but you have to put it thru their software first to convert it to their MP3 format (something or other, dh explained all this to me and I'm afraid I didn't assimilate it very well.) It's just an additional step in order to get the music to my ears. The Zen Micro has an additional gig of memory, too.

Ask me again after the middle of January and I'll let you know how I like it. Here is an article on circuitcity.com that might be helpful.
 
the trouble with the ipod is that the batteries can't be replaced. They are rechargable.. but that only lasts a year or less.

So then you have to pay ANOTHER $60 to have them replaced! ugg!

There are a lot of good mp3 players on the market. If you want to jog with them, don't go for the hdd, go for the media card. Otherwise, the HDD ones have significantly more capacity.
 
If you want to get an mp3 player, anything under ~$150 is an utter waste of money - cheaply made and/or with too little storage. Thus, your options include a 256MB->1GB flash player for 150 - 250, and at the top of that range you run right into the ipod mini - a little over 250, and its hard-drive based competitors, for maybe 20-50 dollars less.

If ease of use is your priority, be warned that most flash players aren't in the same league with the ipod. Aside from more confusing controls, you have to exercise greater care in how you digitize your CDs (i.e. you don't want to rip them at 320kbps if you own a 256 mb player), you don't have the option to just move most of your library to the device and forget about it...

In other words, you are sacrificing a lot of user-friendliness (which, as you say, is important to you) to save 50-100$. IMHO, this isn't sensible.

I own both a flash player and an ipod. Now, I am quite a techno-geek, and user-friendliness to me has never been a priority. However, I do appreciate good interface design, and in my experience, Apple is just about the only company who does it (mostly) right.
 
So why all the hype about the ipod this year? The advertising makes it look like the best thing since sliced bread. Is it really all that great?
 
Well, now I have plenty of research to do, thanks!! I will check out the ones you have listed. I know the IPOD is THE one to beat, but aside from the price, I think it's a little big (if that makes sense at all).
 
Well, at the point the hype is mostly self-sustaining. Everyone either has one or wants one. It's very impressive, really, for something that one needs to plug into a computer to gain a universal recognition, to become a fashion symbol, etc.

The reason is simple: iPod is an incredibly well-designed product. Its competitors are finally starting to catch up to it, but it took 3 years (!) 3 years for computer gadgetry might as well be 20. Sure, if you look objectively, the iPod's not that much different. Except for 3 years of being a top-notch music player with a huge market share.

Competing devices are trying to trump the iPod in terms of functionality. They include things like the FM radio, a wider support of audio file types... But that's about it. The majority of users don't care about these. No other device will beat the iPod in terms of ease of use and interface design.

Yeah, it's not without problems. Battery life sucks. There's no FM radio (matters a lot to me.) I have issues with some choices the UI designers made. And in fact, the only reason I keep it now is to be able to DJ on the go: as a music player, I'm using a pack-of-gum sized 1GB flash player which also functions as a radio, voice recorder, and a USB drive. Cheaper than the iPod, too.

But the reason I'm raving about the iPod is that there is quite a dearth of truly well-designed products in the computer/consumer electronics business. Everyone's just churning out buggy crap to specifications of the marketing departments, with no time to fully develop and polish the product, because in 6 months it's going to be obsolete.

The iPod/iTunes/iTunes music store combination is practically unrivaled in all of consumer electronics/digital devices industry.
 
Another plus about the Ipod (which I just got for Xmas, woo!) is the storage size. The one I got has 20Gig of storage! :shock: A lot bigger than my 256Meg MP3 player that I was using!

Anyway, I haven't tried it out enough to say any more, but I was wondering what everyone's fav websites are for downloading music. My sister loves Itunes, for example, and I know Buy.com has downloadable music as well.
 
tj said:
Another plus about the Ipod (which I just got for Xmas, woo!) is the storage size. The one I got has 20Gig of storage! :shock:
Click to expand...

So, in simple terms :wink: how many salsa songs does that equate to :wink: :lol:
 
Bob said:
even YOU couldn't dance them all in a night. I suspect you would give it a go, though :P
Click to expand...

:shock: Are you challenging me? Are you prepared to be my "partner in crime" in the attempt :twisted: :lol:


PS. You didn't say whether it had to be the whole song or the first 10 seconds of the song arranged as a medley :wink: :lol:
 
A challenge! you're on!

(hmm, I suspect I should learn to salsa before I take this bet. How would you feel about 15 hours of the basic turn? :D )
 
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