What's your favorite MP3 player?

“I am about ready to get one of these babies. But which one? iPod Nano? regular iPod? Creative? Something else?

I'd like to use it for music while I run (yes, I have actually started to do that) and for podcasts and audiobooks and such as well. I'd like to bring it with me on the trail as I'm hoping to do some more solo trips this year. It will keep me occupied during rain time in the tent.

I'm interested in hearing what you have to say about iPods and the other brands and how they compare, etc.”

“#&%!$ ipod and MacCrap!”

“Ruby,
I bought a Phillips that also has a fm radio in it. I listen more to the radio than the songs on it..”

“I saw Apple brought out their iPhone now. Wow! I'd like to have a Zune because you can beam stuff between two of them and the charge lasts for 17 hours. Plus the screen's bigger than the iPod. Same price though, $250. I have a 1 gig SanDisk Sansa which is just a drag and drop type that takes no program to manage and is about $80 now. You can also buy a SD card to expand it's memory. One bad thing is that it puts all the songs and artists in alphabetical order no matter what ya do.

iPhone Unveiled”

“we are all ipoded out in this house.

nano: it's small, and light, and you can buy the runner addon. I like that.

the ipod video: I love that you can download movies, etc and watch them. [and it actually looks pretty good on the screen too]. It's pretty heavy though.

the scandisc sansa: my kid has that one, comes with radio, and you watch videos on it too.

I think the sansa would be my favorite if it would be more compatible with all the podcasting, etc.

the zune looks awesome too.

if I would be you I would wait until summer when they come out with the iphone.

dammit nigal. ;-P
last edited: 1/10/07 4:30:20 PM”

“i have the ipod shuffle, i like the small size - and the new one is even smaller and has a cool little clip built right in.

My kids are nano users. We're all pretty pleased.

sidenote - destructoboy (son) has not been able to destroy the nano yet - this is really quite amazing and he's had it almost a year!”

“There is no screen or read out on the Shuffle and Nano is there? How do you know where stuff is?”

“iPod Nano 4GB”

“I have a zune, it's superb, bigger screen than the ipod, and easier to use with a PC, plus you don't have to use crappy itunes. But it's a little big and heavy for running or to take on the trail.

My workout/backpacking/snowboarding player is the creative zen nano, tiny, and super light, weighs almost nothing, but obviously no screen, so no video.”

“

"#&%!$ ipod and MacCrap!"
bearmagnet;

Very constructive!”

“iPod <> Macintosh”

“I just got it and it weighs .7 ounces without the one AAA battery it requires. It's 1 GB, and has a voice recorder. The ear plugs are a bit over-sized, but you can rip music straight from your CD player if you want. It's the size of my thumb and will cost you $60-$80 bucks. Circuit City had it on sale on their website for $60 ($20 bucks off).”

“Oh, and it also has FM radio too. I will be taking it with me on a long-distance hike. I don't listen to music when I am hiking, but will be nice to store audio books and listen in my tent at night.”

“B-Son has the Nano and loves it. We all share an iPod - I think our entire family CD collection takes up about 10% of the disk space on it!

One sigificant difference between the regular iPod and Nano is that the iPod has something akin to a regular hard disk, whereas the Nano uses Flash memory (if this isn't exactly correct, I'm sure some techno geek will correct me). Basically, it's a lot easier to wreck the iPod (although both of ours are still intact).”

“Yes the nano uses flash, as does the creative zen nano, much better for jogging etc... anything involving it bouncing around than a player with a hard drive.”

“"#&%!$ ipod and MacCrap!"
bearmagnet;

Very constructive!”
nowslimmer
5:43:15 PM
1/10/07

Well, I could be more "constructive" and explain it all. But that would lead to a circular debate between me an several others on here. So I thought I would just drop my opinion and save my breath.

;)”

“Barbie has the Nano and loves it.”

“I had a Creative Nano Plus in 1 gig. The Creative Techs are worthless (or lazy)as I had problems with their software when I was running Windows ME. Switched to XP & it worked. The scrolling print was a little small for my aging eyes to read & it only held 250 (mp3) or 450 WMA songs. I liked that it used AAA batteries. I liked the FM radio which is handy for news & weather.

Picked up a San Disk Sensa with 4 gigs. The screen is much bigger & easy to read. It has a user replaceable battery but can only be charged from a USB computer port. It does have a memory slot so I can add memory at will. This has an FM radio as well.

THe music software RHAPSODY sucks & I'm looking for a better transfer software. My old creative software won't work with SanDisk.”

“My wife bought me a SONY network walkman last Christmas. That thing is almost completely unusable. Crazy that they'd sell a piece of crap like that.

So, last Christmas I also got some lotion for Christmas from Bath and Body Works. I took that back - not a lotion type guy - and got this little $30 MP3 player for free.

It's light and it has the little USB end that I just plug in. I can get hours of talk radio onto that thing really easy.

It's nice. Proprietary software and content, BTW, is the devil's work.
last edited: 1/10/07 5:59:04 PM”

“the shuffle has no screen, its pure random, which suits me fine for my use (running, exercise). The nano has a small screen and you can manage the playlist with it.”

“"I had a Creative Nano Plus in 1 gig. The Creative Techs are worthless (or lazy)as I had problems with their software when I was running Windows ME. Switched to XP & it worked."

catskhiker
4:30:35 PM
1/10/07

The really great thing about the creative zen nano, other than the super light weight, and that it runs on AAA, is that you don't need to use the software, it's drag and drop, as easy as can be.
last edited: 1/10/07 6:14:00 PM”

“I like my ipod, but not itunes. If you get an ipod, learn to use it as a hard drive, store files as mp3's and use something else (realplayer, winamp...)to record/store your music files.”

“why? I've been fine with itunes, but i'm hardly a poweruser.”

“it's just a pain to steal the songs via limewire, then add them to itunes. there got to be an easier way.

I mean I'm just saying...not that I would do that.

But itunes is better then RHAPSODY
last edited: 1/10/07 6:35:15 PM”

“bearmagnet - OK.”

“For those of you who purchase songs from a music service but don't want to deal with the protection scheme (ie you want to play it on another computer, or you want to add it to an mp3 player that doesn't play that format), and I'm only advocating this if you purchased and downloaded the song legally - Burn the song(s) to an Audio CD, then you can use Windows Media Player to rip it back to your computer as an unprotected mp3, now you can use it anywhere you want.”

“I don't like the fact that you are limited to one computer/one library, that the tunes can't be moved around. For that reason, I rip using Realplayer to mp3, then add to itunes library.”

“yeah, realplayer will do it to, and I'm sure some of the other music player software.”

“about limewire: I know it's a legal sharing program, but I received a phone call the other day from my friend, who needed help with here MP3 player. here player came with a copy of limewire on CD. She had no idea that it was illegal to download the songs. Yes, I have to admit she don't know much about computers, but I am sure she isn't the only one out there that don't have a clue.”

“Well, I could be more "constructive" and explain it all. But that would lead to a circular debate between me an several others on here. So I thought I would just drop my opinion and save my breath.

What he means nowslimmer is that he hates the iPod because Oprah won't give them to kids and he hates when he's put into a position that he has to try and explain away his Freudian fear of powerful women and why he can only deal with women when they are in the sexual reference.

















Heehee! Just kidding Bear.”

“I thought he was still on his honeymoon! So I tried to be nice, but I was looking for information.”

“why he can only deal with women when they are in the sexual reference.

That should be UNLESS they are in the sexual reference. Damn, I can't even troll anymore. LOL!”

“This podcast freak who also loves Books on Tape now uses an iPod Nano 2gig...I bought a refurbished one from Apple...I always buy refurbished iPods from Apple...the Shuffle I have is no good for podcases and audiobooks which is why I bought the Nano...I travel with a gadget I bought from either Magellen or Travel Smith that you plug into your cigarette lighter..it holds the Nano, recharges it and at the same time you can listen to it thorugh your car speakers; it runs off of one of the lower FM stations. I much prefer this to those wireless guys...I was always having to change FM stations and the sound was crap...I even found a charger that uses one AA battery and will recharge the Nano on the trail! Ain't THAT just too cool!”

“In a way all this makes me wonder how I've existed for so long without one of these devices.I guess it's that I don't want to monkey with them or even a cell phone.

I claim to backpack for the enjoyment, but it is really more like work, expecially with some of my ailments! However, I do experience joy, whenever I reach my daily destination.”

“just got it and it weighs .7 ounces without the one AAA battery it requires. It's 1 GB, and has a voice recorder. The ear plugs are a bit over-sized, but you can rip music straight from your CD player if you want. It's the size of my thumb and will cost you $60-$80 bucks. Circuit City had it on sale on their website for $60 ($20 bucks off).”
smokygirl
4:48:16 PM
1/10/07

Yeah that's what I have. Got it at WallyWorld. Doubles as a thumb drive if you need it to.
I've used the hell out of mine and it keeps going strong.”

“It's drag & drop on XP. Drag & Drop doesn't work on ME even though the box (& they) claimed it did.

The Creative (remote location college kid techs) seem to be the usual couldn't be bothered.”

“i just picked up a Transcend T-Sonic 610 for $70...I don't know what the weight is on this puppy but it's gotta be an oz. or less. It's got drag and drop technology, great for us less techy inclined. But the first site I tried, Napster, wouldn't work with it. Strike one.

oh yeah, it has a rechargable battery too, which i like
last edited: 1/11/07 7:16:42 AM”

“get the portable sattelite radio mp3 players. Same size as an ipod or smaller. You can listen to 200 stations of sattelite wherever, can hold a gig of music i think, and pul in AM/FM”

“The one I just got for free on my morning walk! 512 mbs, Can you believe I jsut found this thing? It works GREAT.

I jsut put some van morrison on it.”

“And you can burn sat radio too. How much do they cost though?”

“Good thread.
Backpacking gear related, as some take these on trips.”

“I like rechargeble batteries too, but it's hard to re-charge an MP3 in the "field". Some you might be able to with solar etc, but mine needs a USB port. Replacing an AAA battery in the field is much easier.

Also many MP3 players replaceble batteries are not user-replaceable which means you have to send them back to the factory. They can only take so many charges.”

“Smokygirl's deal sure does sound tempting.”

“The one I just got for free on my morning walk! 512 mbs, Can you believe I jsut found this thing? It works GREAT.

no i can't, where you taking your morning walk in walmart?”

“Good thread.
Backpacking gear related, as some take these on trips.”
StoveStomper

i agree, in fact i'd say that it's one of the best gear improvements of the last 10 years...i'm amazed that this thing that's the size of a pack of gum will hold over 90 CDs”

“hahaha thrifty, i found in in the grass by the bike path.”

“grass = shelf
bike path = isle 9”

“give her your name...she's thriftier


the sat radios are under 200 clams. I think they take AA's, play for up to 6 hours i think. and no earbuds, you have to wear an over the top headphone..and the antennea is built into the headloop”

“I always take mine backpacking. We listen to it all the way there and then I bust out my tiny speakers when we want some kewl tunes 'round the fire.”