MP3 player suggestions

[emm]

My husband would like an MP3 player.  He likes to listen to music as he walks to work.  He's worn out 3 CD players so he really will use it if I can manage to buy the right one.  I've been researching them and have a basic understanding of how they work.  Just wondering if any of you have any suggestions for "must have" features, features that don't have much value for you, etc.  Also, any suggestions for brands or models would be appreciated. 

I've been looking at RCA Lyra, iPod (expensive), SanDisk, Diamond and Creative Zen; all 1 GB.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks, emm

[Teresa]

We have two ipods - one for DD and the other for DH.  They both use them all the time and we've had no problems.  I never thought I'd want one, but suddenly I do.  I'm going to order the biggest (capacity wise) nano for DD and take her Mini for me.  She probably needs a full size one, but she doesn't want one.  She uses hers in the car - we currently have a cassette tape thing that goes in the car player and attaches the ipod to it.  I've decided that I really love that idea because I'm not limited to just the 6 cd's the player will hold.  It's way too hard to change cd's unless the car is parked at home.  An Ipod will let me have an awful lot of choice.

I know the Ipods are more expensive than other players, but they all use the same software and same file format which makes changing players so easy.  All the other players use different software and there are several different file formats out there. 

[emm]

Thanks Teresa, that's good information, I appreciate your input.  I just heard on the radio today that iPod has 70% of the market cornered - they didn't say which market but their popularity must mean something.

I looked at the iTunes store this evening, there's certainly a lot of music to choose from there and the prices are reasonable.  We have a large CD collection at home and it looks fairly simple to transfer the CD's onto the iPod.

Getting closer to buying something.........
Thanks again, emm

[Teresa]

It absolutely couldn't be easier to load cd's.  DH has hundreds of cds and he hired my youngest to do it for him for 50 cents each (he's cheap!!).  Nobody showed her how, she just went to it.  I don't know that they are the best, but since there are so many out there it's easy.  It's easy to move files from one computer to the next (had to do that when DD#1's puter got replaced).  It's easy to get songs online - which we do if DD only wants one song off an album and we get audio books online too.  It's easy to share from DD's Ipod to her Dad's.  It's easy to upgrade - just plug the new Ipod into the old computer.  And it's easy to handle the music - the itunes software sorts it anyway you like.

They are more expensive than a lot of the others, but so far we haven't replaced any, just upgraded and added.

[Sean]

I bought one a couple years ago that has 512 Mb of storage but also had a built in FM tuner. I used the FM radio feature more than the MP3 player so the storage space wasn't an issue.

My new cell phone has an MP3 player and I have stopped using the small MP3 player and just use the phone now. It's an amazing phone too, it's a camera, video recorder, voice recorder, you can email, surf the internet, watch TV, Play MP3's, it has voice recognition and several other options I dont even know how to use yet.

There is a mini disk slot on the side so you can increase the memory for storage. I bought a 1 gigabyte card on eBay for $20.00 including shipping and now have more music on my phone than I have time to listen to in a day.

I would suggest if you are looking for am MP3 player with only 1 gig of space, try eBay first and look for the generic ones with the built in FM tuner. They work just as well as the Ipod's and are much less expensive.

Cheers,
Sean

[-Greg-]

House full of Ipods for us (4).. My original 2002 5g ipod died this year though, this is the first problem I ever had. Teresa is correct as well, itunes has come along way, it is super easy to download/transfer/shop etc. If you do end up with an ipod, this site has tons of information, along with reviews of all accessories..

http://www.ilounge.com/

[EagleEye]

Allow me to chirp in here.
I would like to get my 16 yr old daughter an Ipod for xmas, but where do I start? It has got to be not too much $, but enough storage. (I know just enough to get me in trouble)

Steve

[JohnInFlorida]

Easy solution ... ask her best friend, she'll tell you exactly what "THE REQUIRED" model is ...

Keep Smilin'
John 

[EagleEye]

Why didn't I think of that?
Perfect solution.
Thanks,
Actually she'd kill me, but she is 17

Steve

[Teresa]

I got DD#1 the 4 gig mini and she's outgrown it - she's behind all the other kids, so my guess is that isn't going to be big enough for your daughter either.  The 8 gig nano is the same price as the 30 gig full size so DD decided that she was going to go for the storage size as opposed to the cool size & shape of the nano . . . . smart girl!  I get her old Mini which will hold enough to keep me happy for a while (1000 songs).  If it lasts long enough, I'll get a big one and let DD#2 have the mini . . . .

[emm]

Thanks for the input folks.  Spent a little bit of time looking at MP3 players in stores today.  There's certainly a range out there.  Some that look to have pretty much the same features as another brand can be quite different in price.  That may just be name brand recognition, I'm not sure.  Trying to figure out if some brands really are more reliable than others.  Sales people are mostly pushing iPods in the stores that carry them.  Ebay is full of the things.  Think you have to have a good idea of what you want before going there.  Hope to make a decision soon.  emm

[LeeAnne151]

Can someone please explain to me what a MP3 actually is? I have no clue. I know an Ipod plays them and I've heard of Itunes too but don't what they are. I do not have children to teach me.

[JohnInFlorida]

Here you go, LeeAnne ...Wikipedia to the rescue!   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3

After you look at the article you'll probably decide it's way TMI,  when in fact it's like a car, you don't need to know how to build it to drive it. From that point of view, MP3 is a way of recording audio files that sounds "good enough" while taking up a WHOLE LOT LESS storage space/memory than that same audio before it's compressed to the MP3 format. And that's it in a nutshell.

Keep Smilin'
John 

[LeeAnne151]

Thanks

[emm]

Thanks for the help everyone.  Thought I should let you know that I decided on an iPod Nano, 2GB and my husband is out of this world thrilled with it!     Doesn't come with much in the way of written instructions which I hate but of course clicking on the "help" button when it is hooked up to the computer provides the necessary information.  Was quite easy to put music from our CD's onto it.  Some of the albums are listed on the iPod with the recording studio's name instead of the album name.  Haven't looked to see why that might be yet.

I chose the iPod because although it was more expensive than the other brands I think it will be easier for my technically challenged husband to use.  Don't have to sort your music before you put it on the iPod and the screen is big enough for him to read without a magnifying glass.    emm

[Teresa]

emm - there is a get info function that will get the info about the album online - you get to it by hitting the left button on your mouse while the song/songs are highlighted - if it doesn't change the name of the album when it gets the info, then highlight all the songs on the album and hit the get info again and just type in the correct name of the album, and it will change the name on all the songs.

You're going to love your new nano!!!