What's your favorite MP3 player?

“Thanks for all the knowledge/opinions imparted thus far. Soon after I posted this I was unable to get online again to respond.


I like the idea of being able to charge up again "in the field" as well as being able to get radio. I'll have to reread this thread some more I think to narrow my choices down. I think I'm leaning toward the Creative Zen thingy.”

“Don't hate thrifty :)

Your just jeolous!
I put all my Doors cd's on it and I'[m listening at work.”

“Well, the search is over for me. This morning the boys gave me a birthday present from Jon. It's a 30G iPod. I'm so lucky!”

“I always took an FM radio hiking. REALLY liked it. Rock for the hard climbs, classical for the scenery. Reception would fade or change stations in fringe areas. Went FM digital which worked for many years. Have Sat radio in my car & home. Was thinking about portable Sat radio hiking when I got a cheap MP3 player. Worked great w/ no fade in reception. Also had FM (for weather/news) which picked up great in the high elevations. Now, I have a much bigger MP3 player w/FM”

“So now I am on a quest for good accessories. I like what Mata has where I could run it through my car speakers as well as the gadget that would allow me to recharge on the trail if necessary. I'll have to search for something like that for the iPod.”

“Hey ruby doobie I have one of those FM transmitters you are more than welcome to try. I bought one and then got a car with an mp3 plug in it.”

“I bought a sony walkman 512mb mp3 player about a year ago. I have been very satisfied with my purchase. It has a rechargeable batter that boasts 50 hours of playback (never really tested it to be sure but i hardly ever charge the thing), fm tuner and has a sweet looking "organic" screen. I always take it running(its tiny and has a waist/shirt clip) or to work out and am sure it would easily survive a week of extended use in the wild without worrying about recharging. More of a "grunt work" mp3 player when you want to save your expensive ipod for more civilized fare. Only thing is they don't seem to sell my model any more. They had this at circuit city- http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sony-Walkman-MP3-Player-NWE002BLUE/sem/rpsm/oid/158000/catOid/-12952/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
Seems to have the same features(now with usb) except for the considerably less, yet great 28hrs of playback(maybe they overrated in my version?). I couldn't be happier with my purchase and would definately buy another one in the future over an ipod. It is a hardy little guy and the software is easy to use too-drag and drop magic. I could go on and on but to sum up: It is good”

“I like the FM tuner inclusion - my gym (probably most) have tvs that are set to certain FM stations so you don't have to read lips or CC while your on the treadmill or whatever.”

“tell your gym to get the little boxes that the sound runs through, then you just plug your headphones right into the equipment that you're working on, it's rather convenient.”

“Couldn't pass up Smokygirl's deal at Circuit City.

I just ordered a Creative Labs 1GB Zen Nano Plus for $60 plus tax, free shipping.”

“Nigal, I'll take you up on your offer I think. I'll send you an email soon.”

“bison, thanks for the burn tip. itunes won't let you burn mp3 of purchased music, but you can burn audio, rip to mp3. :D”

“When I bought my player, I used these basics to choose.
1}. Use AA or AAA batteries, something I can change on the trail when 10 miles from the nearest charger.
2.) Flash memory based, no moving parts,lower power consumption and less weight.
3.) Accept SD memory (512 mb = 6.5 hrs approx. playtime mp3 @ 128kb) I use the SD chips instead of trying to program playlists on a hard to read screen.

I ended up with a Creative (can't remember the model) with which I've been very happy .
It weighs less than 2 oz. and plays 21+ hours (actual personal test) on a fresh AAA.

I avoid any device that enforces DRM. It's my music now and I'll do what I want with it!”

“I have 2 an Ipod and a Rio. The Rio takes 1 AAA battery. Thats what I use when I hike. The Ipod I use the rest of the time.”

“The single AAA battery was the main reason I got the one I have so I can change batteries on the trail.”

“me too. thats what I got the Rio for, and now I have a 2 gig card for it.”

“Gathering collections, looks like I have 14G of music on my 30G ipod. No choice in unit for me, it was a gift couple of years ago.”

“I think I'm gonna love the video aspect of my iPod. I downloaded Season 1 of Lost to watch while on the treadmill. The clarity and color are really great on the screen. I'm pleasantly surprised.”

“I like my video ipod a lot. I sometimes watch tv when driving on a trip. The car transmitter thing that goes in my ciggy lighter puts the Ipod at a perfect spot for watching a show or movie and the road at the same time. Safe? Probably not much.

I also recently bought an ipod shuffle, the new version, for at the gym. I love this thing. It's super tiny, holds over 200 songs, no battery changing, and I don't have to spend another 30 bucks on something to use to clip it to myself, since that's included. You can use it as a random player, or make a long playlist and listen in order.”

“Got my Creative Labs 1GB Zen Nano Plus yesterday.
Been busy ripping my CDs into it.

I like the shuffle feature but it can be jaring at times. Nat Merchant followed by the Pixies can startle you up. ;-)

What download sites do you guys like best?”

“Limewire. :)”

“I did download Limewire last night. Have not downloaded anything, but man is there a boat load of crap out there.”

“Hey Nigal, could limewire be used if I wanted to send you some stuff?
Just person to person without making it available to all users?

I have not read any of the help files yet.
last edited: 1/18/07 2:15:48 PM”

“I don't know, I've never used it that way. Most people just sent it through IM I think.”

“A guy at work offered to fill up a 130 Gig portable hard drive with mp3s for me if I buy one.”

“Im finally getting on the boat...I'm asking Santa for an Mp3 for Christmas. Smiley..are you still pleased with the Zen?

I'm not very educated about these things...are they rechargable like a cell phone?”

“On Christmas of 05, I got a Philips 6Gb mp3 player, it's called the Go-Gear. I downloaded 2200 songs on it, it had an fm radio, you could download pictures on it and it had a voice recorder. I used it when I did my AT thru-hike in 06. I loved it. The only thing I did not like was the battery life. It was supposed to last 18 hours, but the most I got was 13, so I had to use it sparingly and recharged it every chance I got.
In Feb of 07 I was using it at work and it just stopped working. I really miss that thing. I am looking to buy another one now.”

“mildbill, check ebay out for one. I bought a 2GB Go-Gear about a month ago for 19.00 (included shipping). I had checked at the local stores and it was a lot more expensive”

“I have a 30 gb ipod and a 2 gb ipod shuffle. the 30gb one has terrible battery life, bordering on useless.

the shuffle on the other hand, seems like it never needs a charge. I pretty much only use it at the gym, which I go to about 5 times a week, sometimes 6. It seems like I only bring that thing in the house for a charge once every couple months.”

“I think Santa has settled for the Zen V”

“I haven't bought one for myself yet either. The kids have the 2 gig's I think. I'm looking into getting a MP3 phone. I'm not impressed with the I-Phone however. I'm more inclined to the Nokia 95 8G. It's $700 price tag is the limiting factor.

http://www.buy.com/retail/Product.asp?sku=206228941&SearchEngine=NexTag&SearchTerm=206228941&Type=PE&Category=Comp&Gad=0&dcaid=15894
last edited: 11/25/07 4:35:36 PM”

“It's not an MP3, but it's cool www.laptopgiving.org”

“.....very cool piece of electronics...try to find one though but I managed to snatch one up from Best Buy online.....I think Microsoft has done very well with this version...my opinion, its an iPod Classic killer....now I can watch Heroes or Lost before I pass out in my tent....yee haw !!!”

“i was all excited about my zen, but i've had problems importing movies to it. I'm gonna have to play with the conversion software some more. Also i had to edit every single track included in 30 gigs worth of MP3's to make it show up right....


UGH....i kinda don't even use it now. I can't find a good armband for it, there isn't a good place to find accessories, and it has so much music i can't figure out what i want to listen too”

“Anyone own a Zune? Opinions?”

“I got one for my son and have had a chance to play with it. It isn't even on par with the first generation ipods imo I don't see what he sees in it. I am not sure how the prices line up but I have a 32 gb itouch and it is simply amazing. Nearly perfect.”

“ZUNE!!!!!! I have an 80 gig they are freaking awesome their software is waay better than ipod's plus you can get the pass and download unlimited music plus you can download directly to your zune plus the buy from F.M feature and alot more. I highly recommend. what kind did you get for your son yogi? and what don't you like about it?

and this is what I think of itouches I just copied and pasted my post from a another forum I'm in

so I was just thinkin' about this when I saw a girl walk by with her ipod touch. I don't see why anyone would want this thing you can get them in 8 and 16 gig models for for 229 and 299 respectively... Ok so not such a terrible price but your only going to be able to store a max of 8 or 16 full length videos on these things if you were to use it solely for a movie player since it supposedly competes with the 120gig because of its large screen but you can store a max of maybe 100 movies on the zune and then you have the 32 gig touch model for 400 bucks that is waaaay beyond my budget and it still holds way less movies than the zune can. So these things should really be competing with the 8 and 16 gig zune models which are more for playing music than videos so the way I figure it is that if apple wants to sell these pieces of crap then make them zune flash size or maybe a tiny bit bigger or better yet this is what zune should do for a new model.
If a DAP is gonna be big i want a lot of drive space including a big screen; a big device with little drive space and a big screen just seems pointless to me especially for that kind of money. so there's the new idea for the new zune model

Oh yeah and I just noticed this you still have a quite large area of useless space around the screen. If someone were to give me one of these things I woundn't even think about keeping it I would sell it immediately.
last edited: 10/19/08 12:49:21 PM”

“I have been reading some Zune forums and they do seem to suffer from instability somewhat. I told my wife to get the extended service just in case. I was attracted to them for the same reasons you listed. Is the Zune Pass worth it? I saw some music isn't included in the Pass. The Zune seems to offer a better range of storage size (8G, 16G, 35G, 80G & 120G). The iPod seems to be all or nothing for size. I found 80G Zunes for $209. Add to that the ability to listen to FM radio and click a button and automatically download the song from the Marketplace (in hot spots).”

“weeell first of all with all the updates latley some zune react differently initially but for the most part most peoples zunes are O.K. and secondly they do come with a one year warranty but the hardware itself is some really quality stuff my parents are still using my 30gig from a couple years ago”

“Punctuation. Don't cost nothin' and makes your posts damn near understandable.”

“I'll? use puctiation when; I want where I want squirrel) boy dont ju'dge me”

“my sons just took the most recent software update and now the battery lasts 1/2 as long.”

“If he's downloading and playing games and has wireless on all the time then it'll drain the battery really quick even just a few downloads or streams will do it. If he's not doing these things then somethings not right.”

“he said that a lot of zunes started doing this with some recent software upgrade. it's his toy. i let him struggle with it. good learning experience. it was his birthday and he got what he wanted. he is pleased with it.”

“At what point in our society did correction and criticism come to be equivalent with judging?”

“give it a few weeks. you ain't seen nothin yet.”

“I've heard the 3.5 software update is the best and make batteries last twice as long, or as long as they should. Which is the other cool thing about a Zune. They bring out new gens and all the old gen users have to do is update the software and they have the same thing as the new gens do. I don't know if iPods do this or not. Another plus I have found is that while the Marketplace doesn't have as big a library to choose from they are cheaper. Twenty cents a song cheaper.”

“Another plus I have found is that while the Marketplace doesn't have as big a library to choose from they are cheaper. Twenty cents a song cheaper.”

this is a common misconception but really every 80 points is in fact $1
last edited: 10/19/08 6:51:49 PM”

“yeah, you just update the software on your ipod. different models have somewhat different features (based on form factor, screen size, etc). the latest itouch software is a big step up from the prior versions, esp in the application arena. the applications library is absoloutly amazing.

enjoy the zune. i use the hell out of my ipod. i got a video cable for it so my wife and i can watch showtime and hbo series. i pay/download from itunes. it's cheaper than a subscription to the movie channels. so we sort of use it as a little video library. i have the 32 gb model and it olds more than two seasons (deadwood, rome, etc)... far more than we can watch in a few weeks. i love using the thing on long-haul plane trips. they just released all the new battlestar glactica episodes on itunes, so i am cranking through these again. dexter, weeds, rome, deadwood, etc, etc.

itunes just added a "genius" feature that is really slick. it updates a "genius" profile on your ipod that is data about what songs go with what other songs based on data at apple... published playlists from other people, etc, etc (what songs people put in playlists with what other songs, but i think it uses other data as well). you pick a song on your ipod and hit the "genius" button and it "blends" a playlist (up to 100 songs) out of your library at random. it does an amazing job and if you have a lot of songs in your library (i have thousands) it really gets you out and listening to more and more of your music. these libraries can get large and it is a pita to make playlists such that you actually use much of what you purchase. you can also have it make recommendations for stuff that is NOT in your library you might like. it has been really great in that i'll go to itunes and based on a few songs i like i will find songs from bands i never heard of that i also like. it's a cool way to discovery new music.”

“channels mixview and picks are zune features that compete and I think beat genious. channels are ways to dicover whats hot now, mixview(only in your software) brings up artists and albums outside of your collection that are related to your chosen artist and other members that listen to that artist, picks are customized playlists that zune creates for you based on your listening habits and are updated weekly”