Best MP3 player / iPod type thang for PC user/uploading CDs to?

[kained&able]

50,000 screaming itunes store users can be wrong!


dave

 

[cesare]

Which means that there's an awful lot of people out there who clearly aren't right in the head by your reckoning!

Someone gave me an iTunes store voucher as a present once, which I naturally used, but I haven't been back since

 

[Sunray]

I've pointed this before, you can use iTunes to manage your music if you like. But if like me, its all in Artist/Album folder format, you don't have to, all you have to do is drag the folder onto the iPod in iTunes. I also get iTunes to index my music because it probably the fastest search I've seen, even beyond Vistas search.

I discovered yesterday that itunes has a great pod cast interface. Pretty much all of that is free. Never looked at that before.

 

[Crispy]

Which means that there's an awful lot of people out there who clearly aren't right in the head by your reckoning!

Yep!
See also: Motorola Phones.

 

[tarannau]

And the inexplicable success of Boyzone.

 

[Iam]

And Spurs fans.

 

[kained&able]

definatly spurs fans.

twats. tin foil hat wearing ufo chasing knobblers the lot of em.


dave

 

[Kanda]

Go iPod.

 

[chico enrico]

Cheers for this folkies. I shall be diplomatic and say - having weighed up the pros and cons of both - I shall probably opt for whichever of the two the guy with the big tie and sovereign rings will give me the best trade deal on.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

In which case the San Disk players sound they are worth a look. You can add extra memory to them, so buy one big enough for the minute, then as memory card prices drop (which they seem to every week) you can add more.

The new Sansa e200 series is a direct bitch slap to the iPod nano. It comes in three sizes: 2GB – e250; 4GB – e260 and 6GB – e270 and to say it borrows extensively from the uber-popular little player’s styling would probably be like saying Oasis found some musical inspiration from the Beatles. Unlike the mono-browed Mancunians however, the e260 that I have been testing for the last two weeks is far more than a pale imitation. In fact, it batters its illustrious competitor in nearly ever area.

The day my ipod died was the day I reinstalled winamp.

 

[editor]

In which case the San Disk players sound they are worth a look. You can add extra memory to them, so buy one big enough for the minute, then as memory card prices drop (which they seem to every week) you can add more.

That player sure looks like a winner.

Certainly, there will be some who miss the advanced features of the iTunes software but as a person who has owned iPods for the last few years I, for one, was actually glad to get away from this sizeable ball and chain. The case may be different were the Sansa’s range sporting capacities in the 30GB+ sector, but for 2GB to 6GB SanDisk’s approach feels light, straightforward, and tie-free...

So the new Sansa range sounds utterly enticing but what about the price? Well, here’s the knockout blow. The 2GB, 4GB and 6GB models come with RRPs of £119, £149 and £185 respectively. This already compares brilliantly to the nano’s 1GB (£109), 2GB (£139) and 4GB (£179) variants, yet given that the 4GB e260 can be found online for as little as £134.29 and the entire iPod range features virtually no online discounts whatsoever the contest is well and truly over.

Verdict:

Out of the blue SanDisk has come up with a genuine nano killer. The interface may not be quite as intuitive as the all conquering ClickWheel but it is still highly straightforward and while the lack of iTunes may be an unavoidable flaw to some its absence in favour of a far more streamlined non-tying approach will be a boon to many. It feels a much more durable product than the nano, sports a far greater range of features, offers a bigger and better screen and costs significantly less. Until Apple comes up with a viable alternative there’s a new Sheriff in town.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Worth pointing out this an old review and you can pick up a 2gb model for £50

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Doesn't appear to have killed the nano yet either.

This is the thing; people have been making assorted iPod-lookalikes which are cheaper, have technically better specs and capabilities but don't have as good a UI for years and years, and they've not in any way killed the iPod. UI and end-to-end experience are horribly underrated.

 

[Crispy]

Agreed. That review doesn't mention any PC software to accompany it. If the ipod was just another drag-n-drop mp3 player, I'd probably drop it for a cheaper model. But the super-simple itunes integration and management seals the deal.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

....and for me is a turn off.

Different folks, different boats.