MP3 Players

[Spivonious]

Just curious who has what and what do you like about it?

My wife has expressed interest in upgrading from her 5 year-old Zen Jukebox Xtra and I've narrowed it down to three devices. If she wanted to put all of her CDs on, she'd need about 30GB. She just wants music, doesn't care about videos or surfing the internet. Vista compatibility is a must.

Zune 80GB $230
Zen X-Fi 32GB $280
Zen 32GB $250
iPod Classic 80GB $200

A cool feature for the Zens is that they have an SD card slot, so you can add more storage later if you need it. Also, they're flash based, so no worries about dropping it and breaking the harddrive.

Oh, downsides of her current player are its size (it's got a 2.5" harddrive in it), and the lack of available accessories for it.

[shreddermon]

I just picked up an iPod classic, and love it. Very easy to use, and does video, too. Can't say the same for an FM transmitter for my car - I've tried two different ones so far, and neither has been great. Wish my car had an aux in.

[paige]

bye any chance does your car have a tapedeck? If it does just get one those walkman tapes at walmart and plug your ipod into that. Works great.

[Creepy]

ipod classic 120gb for $249!!

[Ben...]

iPod Classics are apparently very good. I only know 2 people who have Zunes and they like them. The Zens are too small if she gets any more music. You also have to remember it's not exactly the space advertised. They also need space for the system and for info on the songs so subtract a gig or so for that. What I mean is that my "30GB" iPod only actually has 27.5 gigs of music. I realize that Zens have expansion slots but that can be a real pain. I also can guarantee the program that comes with it won't be as good as iTunes or the Zune equivalent(Who's name escapes me but I've heard is incredibly intuitive and simple).

So basically what I'm saying is you can't go wrong with either a Zune or an iPod. I'm sure she would like either of them.

[shreddermon]

bye any chance does your car have a tapedeck? If it does just get one those walkman tapes at walmart and plug your ipod into that. Works great.

Seriously? A tapedeck? Do they even make those anymore?

[paige]

I knew I was gonna get shit for that, but yep it works just as well as a aux in.

[CharvelRocker]

Creative work great if you have third party software. At least, from that standpoint. Mine has been crap. It's really buggy when it works, occasionally locking up completely and needing reset. It also just other buggy things that are signs of poorly coded firm ware. On the plus side, sound quality is really good and the screen is bright, but mine has been a PITA. The batteries don't last long either. I could use it with my current music service, I would have an iPod.

[Spivonious]

CR - battery doesn't last long? Creative quotes 5 hours video, 30+ hours music with the latest Zen X-Fi.

I'm kind of leaning away from the larger sizes because it would really just be wasted space. She buys maybe 2-3 CDs a year. The formatted size difference is a good point though.

I'm trying to stay away from iPod because of the crap Apple throws into the iTunes installer these days (Quicktime, Safari, etc.)

And Ben, you don't need a program to transfer to the Zen. You can just drag the files over.

[CharvelRocker]

My Zen (just the basic Zen) gets maybe 5 hours playing time of music, and that is it. I don't know what the quoted time is for it. I would guess the more expensive ones are better, but mine is crap

[Spivonious]

I just checked and they quote the same numbers for the regular Zen. Is this yours? http://us.creative.com/products/prod...ct=16999&nav=1

[CharvelRocker]

Yeah, same model, different memory stick. I would say 5 hours at most on the battery. Maybe mine is just a lemon, who knows.

[guitarsjb]

Love my ipod

[quadperson]

I bought a Samsung about 4 yrs ago and I love it. Now, it only has half a gig, lol, so you have to change out songs once in awhile, but the little sucker is LOUD. I use it for walking, jogging, cycling, motorcycling, you name it. Simple to use also.

[Wylde06]

Love my ipod

So do I...I always said I would never buy an Apple product...but the iPod changed my mind.