ipod?

[byualum]

PREFACE: I KNOW NEXT TO NOTHING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY

I was informed over the weekend by my wife that she wants an ipod for her birthday. I don't need video or other toys, only music while she runs.

Do I really need to buy an Apple "ipod", or is there an equivilant that does the same thing that doesn't cost as much money? How many GB's should look for? Other things I should look for?

[ZagGrad]

If she only wants it while she runs, I'm assuming she won't need a large video screen, which is standard on the more expensive iPods. I'd recommend a nano ($199-very small color screen with 1-5GB capacity) or the shuffle ($99-no screen and holds 256Mb I believe). They are both iPods and very light...with the avid runner/walker in mind. Of course there are various other MP3 players out there, but iPods are pretty well trusted, known, and many people have them, which helps when you have questions.

[peterwho]

I bought my wife the iRiver iFP-795 a couple of years ago. I think I paid around $120. It has 512M of memory. I'm not sure what replaced it.

She is a runner and it is easy to operate, lightweight, sounds good and runs "forever" on batteries. She has used it 4+ days per week since we got it (we live in South Florida, so she can run nearly every day of the year - hurricanes excluded).

We have LOTS of music on CD, so her primary source are those. She isn't a technology geek, either, and the interface with our Dell/WindowsXP machine is pretty intuitive (drag & drop). 512M has been more than enough for her (I'm not sure she has filled it up, yet).

I hope that helps?

Good luck.

[laxfan25]

I would also recommend the shuffle for jogging. She can download new playlists to it, and it is very small, easy to put in an armband.

[Sonny]

I got my new wife a 2 gig Ipod Nano for her birthday recently. It's a pretty slick device. The connectivity with ITunes is superb. (As an added bonus, you can automatically download your favorite USLIA.com podcasts very easily!)

If you order online at Apple.com, you can get your Ipod engraved for free.

Other players are obviously cheaper, but the useability of the Ipod plus ITunes is key - especially for folks that aren't 100% comfortable with new technology.

[shrekjr]

I got my new wife a 2 gig Ipod Nano for her birthday recently.

Now that you're married, you don't have to spend that kind of money on birthdays anymore!

[Adam G]

Both of my parents swear by their shuffles. Easy to operate and easy to put music on and take music off with iTunes. Plus, the flash memory means you'll never have to worry about a hard drive failing (nano's have flash memory, too, but you can get a 1gb shuffle for sub-$100.)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7011841&type=product&id=1099392727129

I've got a 4gb nano and absolutely love it. iTunes is idiotproof... i'm proof of that.

[yourmom]

If she is that avid of a runner the nano might be the best bet. Now that Apple has teamed up with Nike there is a really cool product that essientially combines a pedometor with the nano.

http://www.nike.com/nikeplus/ Take a look at the video

[The Phantom]

I have the 1g Sony Bean for under a hundred. It fits great in your hand and uses flash memory. I think the charge is good for 50 hours.

Got it at Best Buy when they were having one of there ridiculous sales.

Pretty easy to convert tunes that you already own, but can be a pain if you have to buy them off the net. Not too many accessories available for it.

[StrykerFSU]

I deleted half of my music off of iTunes the first time I tried to use it, the lesson being as always that I am in fact an idiot. I also believe that it was all of my bad karma accumulated from not buying the music in the first place.

I had a 2G nano that I loved but that my dog loved more so now I have a 4G nano and no dog (just kidding, kept the dog).

[UofMLaxGoalie11]

If youre really looking for something small, Id suggest their latest Ipod. Here is the newest commercial.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 478&q=ipod

If youre not going to be using it to run, Id suggest just getting a regular Ipod. Its $50 more than the 4gig Nano, with an additional 26 gigs of memory and the ability to store and view your photos and videos. One kid in one of my classes also used his as a memory stick. But really and truely, its not that much bigger than the nano, and is only 4.5 oz, as compared to 1.5 of the nano. I know which one I would get if I were to get one.

[StrykerFSU]

I agree, the nano is great for workouts but some people like to use their iPods for storing their music libraries and the larger versions are obviously better for that. My playlists are small and in a constant state of change so the 1,000 song nano is great for me.

If you are planning on exercising with the iPod, regardless of type, I suggest getting different headphones. My iPod "earbuds" lasted exactly one workout before failing. Besides not being all that secure, I think mine failed from sweat fouling the speaker mechanisms. I have since switched to a pair of Sony headphones that have given me no trouble.

[Grant Neeley]

I have a 20G ipod and the battery has died - after only 18 months!
After looking at some on-line boards, this is not a new problem - in fact their is a class-action suit related to battery troubles and older 1-3 generation models.
Anyone have experience replacing a battery themselves.

[laxfan25]

I heard about battery life issues from my kids - three of whom have iPods. I'm not sure if it's something you can easily replace yourself, and they're expensive as heck I believe.
That's the only drawback I've heard to the iPod.

[StrykerFSU]

My girlfriend's iPod's battery died a couple of weeks ago and they gave her a small discount on a new iPod. I also came across a blog that discusses the problem http://www.thisiswhatwedonow.com/2006/01/dear-apple-go-fuck-yourself-love.html