OT: In search of the perfect MP3 player

[Buried Alien]

OK. I've returned my Memorex MP3 player because while I liked most things about it (reasonable price, lots of memory, long-lasting battery), it had one fatal flaw: it could only be recharged by plugging it into a computer. There was no adapter I could buy that would allow it to be charged by plugging directly into the wall. The charger would fit, but the battery just wouldn't charge. Memorex tech support told me it was just designed that way...to charge via computer only. That makes it kind of useless to me because I sometimes need to take it where I won't have computer access for days at a time.

So I tried the Zune. This one can be recharged through the wall via its own special adapter, but it sucks in every other way. The sync program for uploading MP3s from my computer into the player is retarded and impossible to use. Also, although advertised at 4GB like the Memorex player, it holds less than the Memorex did. The Memorex was able to hold all my music with room (just a little) to spare. The Zune couldn't. I got this tonight, and I'm returning to the store tomorrow because it's user-hostile.

Next up is the iPod Nano. It's supposed to be the be-all, end-all MP3 player, right? Will it do what I want it to do, namely:

1. Fit around 1,127 songs (they're only 3.5 GB on the hard disk of my computer, and the Memorex could hold them, but the Zune couldn't).

2. Be user-friendly and easy to upload MP3s onto (like the Memorex, but unlike the Zune).

3. Be rechargeable through the wall if necessary (like the Zune, but unlike the Memorex...actually, I know the iPod can do this, so at least there's that I can be sure of).

4. Cost $200 or less.

Is iPod the way to go? Or is there another MP3 player out there that can meet all these requirements?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jonathan Bogart]

A quick check of Apple's website says yes to #1 and #4.

My own experience with the 80GB iPod says yes to the rest.

[Buried Alien]

A quick check of Apple's website says yes to #1 and #4.

My own experience with the 80GB iPod says yes to the rest.

Thanks, JB.

I should have known better than to think a Microsoft product was going to work right...or in a user-friendly way.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive! )

[Jonathan Bogart]

Yeah, the Zune blows. My dad has one, almost entirely because he can get the radio on it and thus listen to baseball. Everything else is fine for his limited needs (he just wants his ten or so albums, pictures of the grandkids, etc.), and he's never away from his computer. But for anyone else with more wide-ranging music needs, it's certainly the one of the crappiest alternatives.

[Buried Alien]

One additional question, making a fifth requirement:

Can I upload to the iPod my playlists from Winamp 5.5? I was able to do that with the Memorex quite conveniently, but the Zune wouldn't do it.

The Zune is a pretty useless piece of crap, isn't it? I mean, the Memorex worked *way* better except for the fact that it could only recharge via computer.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jonathan Bogart]

You can. Just create a new playist in iTunes, then click and drag your winamp playlist to it; the songs will populate automatically.

[Buried Alien]

And a sixth requirement:

Will the iPod upload any MP3 file that I can store on my computer and play through Winamp? The Memorex did. It played everything. The Zune didn't. Something about copyright law protection (you know: it's Bill Gates).

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jonathan Bogart]

Will the iPod upload any MP3 file that I can store on my computer and play through Winamp?
Yes.



(10char)

[Buried Alien]

Yes.



(10char)

All right, JB. Thanks for all the help.

So it looks like Steve Jobs' little toy PWNED Bill Gates' little toy, eh?

I guess I'll see for myself when I swap the Zune for the identically-priced iPod Nano 4GB player tomorrow.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Valmore]

The Zune sucked, but iPod has its own problems. Namely in tone quality. It's bass response is weak. I've yet to hear an iPod whose bass response matches my GoGear. The battery life doesn't nearly come close as advertised, but then neither do most mp3 players.

However, my GoGear can be a pain to load, as it's only effective with Windows Media Player 10.

iPods are very user friendly, however.

[zuludelta]

I've been using Sandisk's M200 series (http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1161)-SanDisk_Sansa_m200_Series_MP3_Players.aspx) of flash memory-based players for over two years now (started with the 1 gig model... they're up to 4 gigs now, which is huge considering it's all flash memory).

Meets all your requirements easily:

1. The largest capacity model has 4 gigs of flash memory.

2. easy to load music onto... you can either load music onto it by viewing it in Windows as removable storage much like any external memory device or via the sync feature in Winamp or Windows Media Player (and I know it supports a couple of other, less-popular media player software). Plays MP3s (fixed bit-rate and VBR), WMAs (regular and copy-protected), WAVs, and has a handy mic for recording (I've used it to record lectures and interviews). Also has a digital FM tuner.

3. excellent battery life (I get anywhere between 12 to 18 hours on a single rechargeable AAA battery). The fact that it uses a standard battery means you can use a separate battery charger and charge multiple batteries at a time and just swap them out when you run out of power. I have four rechargeable batteries and just rotate them (I leave two in the charger at home and bring two with me, and just swap them out when I've used up the batteries I have with me).

4. Pretty cheap (I got my 2 gig model over a year and a half ago for $90, so it should be way cheaper now)

The negatives: they're pretty ugly and cheap-looking, the manual is next to useless, and you'll want to get better in-ear headphones.

The newer, and sleeker-looking C200 (http://www.sandisk.com/sansa/c200.html) models have gotten great reviews all over, but they're more expensive (since they play video and photo slideshows aside from music)... also, they use a proprietary (user-replaceable) rechargeable battery instead of AAAs that you charge through your USB port (but you can get an optional AC charger).

[Spike-X]

The Zune sucked, but iPod has its own problems. Namely in tone quality. It's bass response is weak.

Bass sounds fine to me. Of course, I use headphones, not the supplied earbuds. Earbuds are the work of the Devil!

[zuludelta]

Now that I think about it, since you were perfectly happy with the Memorex player you originally had and just balked at the PC limited USB-only recharging mode, you might be better off just getting a USB AC Power charger (http://sewelldirect.com/usbacpoweradapter.asp), which allows you to charge any device that recharges via a PC's USB port through a wall outlet.