iPod vs Others

[Hugh Nunn]

Is there a difference beyond personal preference in the performance of the various MP3 players available? iPod seems to have a wider selection of peripherals, but is there another compelling reason for any of the products?

Thanks.

[bste_lax]

iPod have more accessories, but I went through two of them and people always seem to have problems with them.

I switched to a Creative Zen Vision:M and love it. I am not tied to iTunes, much better battery life and the thing actually works.

[agentogden]

people always seem to have problems with them.

what about 99.9 million ipods out there that people don't have a problem with? the ipod does not lock you to itunes.

buy a zune in brown.

out
AO

[Champ]

What exactly are you going to use it for? There are a lot of options out there and I suggest you look around. Creative makes a very good mp3 player.

[Hugh Nunn]

What exactly are you going to use it for? There are a lot of options out there and I suggest you look around. Creative makes a very good mp3 player.

Mostly music and some video, but I am trying to become more "tech savvy" and would like something that might have a few more functions.

[yourmom]

My usual suggestion is the ipod. I believe itunes to be a great program and they have alot more exclusives for things such as t.v. programs and such. I've had my ipod video for coming up since they came out. I run with it, have a wired in system for my car, and have been throwing it in and out of my lax bag since I got it. I have a hard case on it from agent18.com that is awesome and protects it really well. And yes there are alot more after market accessories for them.

Away from the ipods you can get built in fm receiver, and some of the Sandisk line of Mp3 players give you video in even a 2gb - 8gb range. So if you didn't want a full on hard drive mp3 but wanted to have video they would be a great option. They also have the built in FM receiver for radio if that matters to you.

Additionally I would not recommend the Zune. It's bulky and their software leaves much to be desired. The screen is bigger than the ipod's, but it is the same resolution so it is streched and more pixalated. I think it has some awesome features but overall needs some time before they catch up to the ipods. It does have the FM as well. They are already working on the second gen version that may be out by the end of the year, hopefully with many improvements.

Just my $.02 any other questions fire away.

[Hugh Nunn]

Thanks all.

[DG]

Don't forget the Iriver brand. They generally get more features packed into their players (FM tuner, recording ability, etc.) and the battery life tends to be longer than almost anyone else. I can't vouch for their video capabilities, but I had an Iriver for several years and love it.

[Beta]

I have recommend the Microsoft Zune. Very comparable in all respects (size, capacity, FM radio) with a Creative Zen (30gb) but the battery life of the Zune is incredible. As with iTunes...once you get used to the software it's a breeze.

Don't be turned off by the "lack of accessories" that non-iPod brands have. I mean in all honesty...how many accessories do you need that are player-specific? A case, maybe a belt clip or an armband. All players have those, or can be found relatively easy on the internet.

Maybe Im just disillusioned with iPod after the iPod mini's astonishing 2 hours of battery life.

*edited*

I got mine from Circuit City for $199.99, bam!

[agentogden]

I have recommend the Microsoft Zune. Very comparable in all respects (size, capacity, FM radio) with a Creative Zen (30gb) but the battery life of the Zune is incredible. As with iTunes...once you get used to the software it's a breeze.

Don't be turned off by the "lack of accessories" that non-iPod brands have. I mean in all honesty...how many accessories do you need that are player-specific? A case, maybe a belt clip or an armband. All players have those, or can be found relatively easy on the internet.

Maybe Im just disillusioned with iPod after the iPod mini's astonishing 2 hours of battery life.

*edited*

I got mine from Circuit City for $199.99, bam!

I think I saw you in starbucks beaming brittney spears songs to your buddy across the room. The Zune is for suckers.

The ipod mini was discontinued 2 years ago.

out
AO

[Beta]

I think I saw you in starbucks beaming brittney spears songs to your buddy across the room. The Zune is for suckers.

The ipod mini was discontinued 2 years ago.

1) That "sending music option" is something I'll never mess with.
2) The iPod mini had awful battery life, and I haven't seen anything to prove the contrary on the Nanos and their 1" by 1" screen are horrible overpriced, still. I'll save $50 for something with a better battery that plays music.
3) Britney is a cow.

[Campbell]

I was also looking to get a MP3/video player but also a little more, so I opted for a handheld PC. I picked up the Dell Axim x51v this spring and it has been really nice. It runs Windows Media Player for Pocket PC and will play MP3s and video just like your computer. Add to that it has WiFi and Bluetooth and MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint) I can manage my calendar and email away from the office and also view and edit documents. Or you can just surf the web. There is even a program out there that lets you reduce full length movies from DVD down to a 250MB file for watching. It has a stereo output jack so you can hook it up to your car as well.

Where it lacks in comparison to most other MP3 players is memory. My unit has a small amount of hard memory space but also has SD and CF expansion slots so you are really only limited to the size of cards you buy, which I find that 2GB SD cards are about the cheapest way to go. You can hot swap SD cards so although you are limited to the space on a single card, you can have multiple cards. I would guess the MP3 players are slightly more durable as well.

All in all if you just want something for music and video a MP3 player is probably the right route, but for me I wanted a "dayplanner" as well and since I don't tote around tons of music it has worked great. I have considered picking up an iPod shuffle for music when I am out and about, especially since they are so cheap now.

[agentogden]

see you at the social.

AO

[horn17]

I say IPOD ....heres why....

Its the number one selling media player in the world by roughly 100 million units over the closest competitor....

people that are used to it love it, and people that arent in love with it find the minor gripes - I have a Nano, and an 80gb, not to mention I can get first dibs on a first gen Iphone because I bought a Mac book within the past 4 months - which i fully intend on doing....

I prefer to purchase equipment with staying power...

Apple has redefined these pieces, plus Best Buy tends to price sell the other items due the costs (commission on non Ipods tend to be larger...)

www.cnet.com for reviews....

[Beta]

see you at the social.

Wow. Lame. If people really gave an ats rass about commercials/stupid-slogans...we wouldn't see anyone using any Warrior Lacrosse gear, would we?