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Basically, I'm not looking for anything fancy or cutting edge here. Don't care about video features or suchlike either. Almost all it's going to be used for is to listen to music with as I walk to and from school. Not likely to use it on a plane much, so max battery life isn't a concern, etc.

The primary thing I'm concerned about is being able to use/play any MP3, M4A, etc. file that I already have on it. I don't wnat it to be tied to some music download service that I wouldn't otherwise use, etc. (and at the moment, I don't use any of them).

lowish cost, would be good, and I need at the VERY least 4 gigs, 8+ is far preferred. (I've got at least 2+ gigs already ripped from CDs I own to digital files, and I have a bunch more CDs that I WOULD rip to MP3 to put them on there as well).

One final note is that I'm also kind of looking at getting a new cell phone too (Cingular plan, and not changing it, so has to be a phone that'd work on Cingular's network), and I've seen a bunch of adds for a new wave of phones that are also MP3 players. So, if one of those would be the best bet, feel free to suggest one.

So, recommendations?

-Arlos

Crap, we have one for sale at work, and I remember lookng at it and thinking, DAMN thats a good deal. I will get specs tomorrow for you

Ipod nano.

Will the Nano (or even the base ipod) allow for using music that is already on MP3 and never originated from any download site? I'm talking MP3s or M4As that were ripped directly from CD by Nero/Realplayer/etc and thus are devoid of any of the RIAA's insane copy protection schemes.

I was under the impression that Ipod's basically forced you to have gotten your music from Itunes, etc., and that you couldn't just put basic MP3s on there and have them work. I could easily be wrong, though.

-Arlos

you're wrong


also, check out the new sandisk Sansa's, or the Kingston K-pex's


they're the size of the nano's but have tons more functionality for a lesser price~

arlos wrote:I was under the impression that Ipod's basically forced you to have gotten your music from Itunes, etc., and that you couldn't just put basic MP3s on there and have them work. I could easily be wrong, though.

-Arlos

Negative. I have a 5G and iTunes will let you import whatever you like regardless of how it was obtained.

Highly recommend a Creative Vision M. Does everything you need and more (of course). It will worth with all the PFS download services and let you import anything you want except for itunes (mp4).

Yup, like 2% of my music was actually bought from iTunes np

I bought an "Insignia" 2gig Best Buy brand MP3 player.

Works well for me and has a 20 hour battery life on a 2-hour charge. I only paid $100.

I've heard Nano and various other ipod horror stories but I've really never had a problem with my Nano. Trying out a Zune this week to see if I like it. It has radio which is a plus. I just find Nano's are easy to deal with. Good quality audio, easy to access and if there's a problem the guys at my local Apple Store are knowledgeable and helpful. A lot of tech geeks will say other stuff is better but I've spent little time on the Nano figuring out shit and calling anyone for problems and have gotten plenty of good use out of it.

try a creative zen micro 8gig.

I just got the wife a Zen V and she loves it. Depending how much space you need and what options you need you could easily get something for under 100 bucks.

Creative makes nice MP3 players for a lot less money.

Martrae wrote:Creative makes nice MP3 players for a lot less money.

True dat sista!

OK, so I am assuming that the Creative Zen Micro is the equivalent to the Ipod Nano, yes?

What's the major differences between the two, and which one would be the best if price were not the most major object? (though, how much cheaper than the Nano IS the Zen?)

-Arlos

arlos wrote:OK, so I am assuming that the Creative Zen Micro is the equivalent to the Ipod Nano, yes?

What's the major differences between the two, and which one would be the best if price were not the most major object? (though, how much cheaper than the Nano IS the Zen?)

-Arlos

No the micro is small but it has a HD in it. The Zen V is the nano if the creative world.

2 and 4 GIG versions and a 6 coming soon I think.

Ahhhh. Well, 2 gig wouldn't be big enough for what I need, and 4 won't leave me much room to put new stuff on there down the line.

-Arlos

I hardly need my 2 gigs, that's a lot of music.

Yeah I have a 30gig and I love it but it wouldn't be good to run with it.

Harrison wrote:I hardly need my 2 gigs, that's a lot of music.

not really, that's like 200 songs. Not really a lot of music, I have 15 GIGS worth of music right now and another 3 gigs in rented music from napster. My wife has a bunch too but she doesn't mind swapping it out , I on the other hand am lazy and just like to listen to it when I want to listen to it LOL.

Oh, I have a 19 gig collection, I just wouldn't want it ALL on my mp3 player.

Too much to sort through...

I was wondering wtf you were talking about LOL.

It's not too bad, I have it all organized by Genre and artist so it's easy to find what I want.

Apple would really start kicking everyones asses if they just allowed people to rent via itunes. Rent movies, rent it all for one price. That would be pretty sweet. Only two things stopped me from getting an ipod:

1. FM Player, Gotta listen to the radio in the mornings and such.
2. I don't want to buy a lot of the music I listen too, I just want to rent it for a while.

Total bummer because I do like the looks of the ipods and such. Although my zen is very very similar UI and control wise. Great little machine.

i dunno, i never use the micro. i guess the hard drive thing is a good point--it wouldn't be good for jogging (though if i remember correctly you have a bad knee and don't do much joint-straining stuff?). but otherwise, from what i've used of it, it has very similar functionality to an ipod and is just as attractive. like i've said before, though, the downside of getting any other player vs. getting an ipod is the lack of accessories. no matter how many other players come out, the ipod is still the big one and as such there will always be more accessories/support for them. otherwise, i'd say the zen micro is pretty much the creative equivalent of an ipod mini and i'd recommend it. it's easy to use and you don't hvae to go through itunes. /shrug

True true. The ipod has a ton more accessories but the zen has come out with quite a few but not even half as many.

Leah's right, I do have a really bad knee, so jogging isn't something I plan on doing any of. Walking is about it, or maybe, say, riding a stationary bike.

-Arlos