ipod v mp3 players

[surfgirl]

I'm new to all this and would like something that has lots of memory and a good battery life but don't just want to blindly buy in case I miss out on something crucial.

Can anyone recommend what I should or shouldn't go for?

 

[Crispy]

If you don't want any hassle in setting the thing up or making it work, go for ipod. It's unbeatable in the piss-easy to use stakes. If your computer is really old it might not be a top idea.

How much music do you have?
How much do you want to spend?
Do you want to take all your music with you on your portable?

 

[Bob_the_lost]

Define lots of memory, do you need your entire mp3 collection on it? Or 16 hours or so?

One thing to look at is the creative MuVo, nice player and it also takes AAA batteries so you can swap them out.

 

[Dubversion]

I love my Creative Zen Jukebox. 20gb, easy to use, no I-tunes crap to deal with.

Think they've been superseded now, but any of the similar Creative models are good

 

[surfgirl]

was thinking of at least 4gb, don't have a massive music collection but wanted to get more rather than less as won't be able to upgrade from what i understand in the future. budget wise i was hoping for around 200??

 

[Dubversion]

£200 will get you much much more than 4gb. probably more like 60gb

you could buy a 4gb and spend the rest of the money on some good headphones

 

[gentlegreen]

If you want something robust, think about getting a solid state player and buy one 10 times the size when the buttons or earphone socket ultimately fail. No way would I want a hard drive in my pocket.

 

[cybertect]

HD players (sensibly designed ones, at least) don't read continuously from the drive. They read a few songs' worth off the disk into a solid state buffer, then spin the HD down and park the heads.

Otherwise, your battery life would be measured in tens of minutes, not hours.

 

[Reno]

I love my Creative Zen Jukebox. 20gb, easy to use, no I-tunes crap to deal with.

Think they've been superseded now, but any of the similar Creative models are good

Always thought itunes was particularely user friendly. How are other programmes better ?

One thing I always liked about the ipod was that you can put together playlists on the go. Do other mp3 players have that option ?

 

[gentlegreen]

Always thought itunes was particularely user friendly. How are other programmes better ?

It's clunky as hell on the PC - though I suppose that could be Microsoft's fault ... ditto Quicktime.

And there's no stop button ffs

 

[The Groke]

I was always a bit of an iPod Hater.....I loved my 20Gb HD iRiver H120.....and I still love its memory.

I left it on the bloody plane along with my 50 quid earbuds, much to my eternal chagrin.



It still had the best sound of any MP3 player I have listened to before and after and was beautifully made.

I have no idea whether the current line-up of iRiver devices are as good, but they are well worth checking out.

Now, having declared myself to be an iPod hater, I did actually buy myself a 4Gb iPod Nano over the weekend o ) specifically to take down the gym

I am impressed so far - is small, light, decent sounding and does what I want it to do.

I don't have as much of an issue with iTunes as I thought I would - mainly because I also now have a Mac Mini which I use as a music store/player and so have got used to using it. Oddly iTunes is also better on its home turf than it seems to be when running on the PC in my experience.

I also got a replacement pair of buds - I can't recommend the Shure E2c's enough (though if you have the money, go for the E3's) They will substantially enhance any player you buy, so I would second Dubs recommendation - leave some money over to buy a good pair of head/earphones.

 

[surfgirl]

if i got an ipod, would i only be able to download from itunes then? could that be a problem? my laptop is under a year old but i'm not looking to renew it anytime soon and would hate to be forced to given my choice of music player.

 

[Bob_the_lost]

if i got an ipod, would i only be able to download from itunes then? could that be a problem? my laptop is under a year old but i'm not looking to renew it anytime soon and would hate to be forced to given my choice of music player.

No, you can use mp3s from any source. There are a few things you need to do to copy music from your ipod to another computer, but they're easy enough to do.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

One thing to look at is the creative MuVo, nice player and it also takes AAA batteries so you can swap them out.

I had one, the battery cover is too flimsy. It broke off pretty quickly. They're not exactly robust.

 

[gentlegreen]

I also got a replacement pair of buds - I can't recommend the Shure E2c's enough (though if you have the money, go for the E3's) They will substantially enhance any player you buy, so I would second Dubs recommendation - leave some money over to buy a good pair of head/earphones.

If you want them for cycling - so you aren't totally cut off from the world, I can recommend Sennheiser PMX60s - a bargain at 15 quid.

 

[kyser_soze]

Get an iPod - any other and you'll look like a speccy geek who's making a point of not owning an iPod cos they are in some way inferior to some wilfully obscure make of mp3 player.

 

[gentlegreen]

Get an iPod - any other and you'll look like a speccy geek who's making a point of not owning an iPod cos they are in some way inferior to some wilfully obscure make of mp3 player.

As opposed to someone who shops at Sainsbury and reads the Observer Supplement on sunday

 

[kyser_soze]

The iPod works, and it's a piece of piss to use - as I said, unless you're making some kind of consumer point, or have a genuine need to use something different (recording function for example) why bother with anything else?

 

[cybertect]

No, you can use mp3s from any source.

Which is entirely true.

However, to be entirely candid, you'll find that other online music store/subscription services almost exclusively sell/rent DRM*-ed Windows Media formats, which won't play on an iPod.

If you're using legal music services, the iTunes Music Store and rips from your own CDs are your only options with an iPod.

If you're obtaining MP3s from p2p networks, then they'll play quite happily on an iPod.

* Digital Rights Management, i.e. copy protection

 

[gentlegreen]

The iPod works, and it's a piece of piss to use - as I said, unless you're making some kind of consumer point, or have a genuine need to use something different (recording function for example) why bother with anything else?

Given that all I do with my Creative nanopicotiddly thing is push "play" and "stop" and very little else, the only thing that would improve it would be if they hadn't scrapped the built-in USB plug ... that, and make it rechargeable and with an extruded aluminium case ....... I don't spend hours pissing with play lists. When I get bored with 15 hours of DJ mixes I just refill it with another load.

 

[Crispy]

Indeed. Nothing is simpler than iTunes.
If you're a bit fuzzy about any of the following, get an iPod

ID3 Tags
Mass Storage
Drag n Drop in Explorer
Bit Rate
Folder Structure

iTunes does all the hard work for you, will use all your standard MP3 files with no fuss. From CD to ipod takes one click and that's IT. Kyser's right, only go for something else if your budget is tight or you're trying to make a point.

 

[The Groke]

The iPod works, and it's a piece of piss to use - as I said, unless you're making some kind of consumer point, or have a genuine need to use something different (recording function for example) why bother with anything else?

We have done this a million times before, but I will rise to the bait again - even though I now own a Nano!

My iRiver still had:

Better Sound quality
Better volume
Recording functionality
Miles better battery life
Radio
Optical in
Optical out
The option to drag and drop files, without installing drivers or iTunes.

I like my Nano, I really do, but to suggest that all of the above is "making a consumer point" is just daft.

so




(again)

 

[mack]

I bought one of these the other day, 4gb which is enough for me, it's very solid and sounds good too, although it's probably worth buying some new head/earphones anyway.

 

[kyser_soze]

I like my Nano, I really do, but to suggest that all of the above is "making a consumer point" is just daft.

Yeah, but with the exception of battery life all those features are irrelevant to someone who simply wants an MP3 player innit?

 

[Crispy]

Exactly. Plus you don't need no steenkin drivers for hard drive functionality on the ipod.

 

[Dubversion]

jesus wept.

I've used itunes, i prefer both the interface I have with my current player AND using a simple folder structure as well. Go figure.

So i'm making a consumer point not using I-tunes apparently, I only drink Magners because I'm a gullible sheep and I only like the music I do because I'm not as clever as Donna.


After a while, a body could get fed up with people telling them that they don't like things for the reasons they think they do, you know.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

if i got an ipod, would i only be able to download from itunes then? could that be a problem? my laptop is under a year old but i'm not looking to renew it anytime soon and would hate to be forced to given my choice of music player.

Your laptop is fine for running iTunes. I’d go for an iPod too; you don’t need the hassle of anything complicated if all you want is music. Be warned, the headphones are crap and you’ll need to buy a decent pair if you really want to enjoy your music…

 

[Crispy]

So i'm making a consumer point not using I-tunes apparently, I only drink Magners because I'm a gullible sheep and I only like the music I do because I'm not as clever as Donna.

Well done! Acceptance of your problems is the first step in correcting them

 

[Dubversion]

Well done! Acceptance of your problems is the first step in correcting them

why, i oughtta !!!

 

[Jim2k5]

just a quick question, i dont have a mp3 player, i use my SE mobile phone to play my mp3s, if i where to get an ipod would i NEED to install itunes to load music from my comp to the ipod or could i jsut drag and drop from mp3 directory to the mp3 player?