Mungler Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 I am looking to buy an MP3 player - I had an Ipod briefly (liked it) long story, but don't have it any more. I was just going to buy another one, however, I don't know if it is still the MP3 player of choice - and now there appears to be 15 different types and with xmas round the corner I expect there are going to be 30 different versions. As an aside , I have this creeping feeling that I am losing touch on the electrical gizmo world - I used to be right on it and up with everything, but now I just don't have the time. I wanted to setup an MS media centre and then realised I didn't have a clue where the best place would be to start. Getting old now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heweyvts Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Mungler, The iPod started the craze and is probably the best one to stick with. Everything seems to be "iPod" compatible, connections/cables are available to play on car stereo's etc. I'd stick with the iPod if I were you, they still set the standard and although quiet expensive when compared to others the accessory range and scope is huge. (Sure you'll be able to part exchange the .410 or something else for one.!!!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 For me it would be anything but the ipod. If you listen to mixed albums of any sort, it can't do gapless which makes it useless to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted October 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 For me it would be anything but the ipod. If you listen to mixed albums of any sort, it can't do gapless which makes it useless to me. So what's the recommendation from the PIN camp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 I was going to launch into one but thought better of it. An mp3 player is a very personal thing and for the most part they all do the same job. Depends on how many songs you want to store and in what quality. This will help you decide if you need something solid state or something with a hard disk inside it. Then you need to consider how you get stuff on there, and how nice the software is. For instance I hate iTunes with a passion and rate it alongside AOL and other shabbily written bits of software and wouldn't let it near my PC. In the same breath I love the design and function of the Sony mp3 players but until recently wouldn't have let any of that SonicStage **** near my PC either (some of the more recent players allow straight USB transfer so this isn't a massive concern any more). Its down to personal taste, how you think the unit sounds and looks and what you will be using it for. I have never seen the need to carry 20GB of tunes to work with you every day where you listen for 30 minutes on the way and 30 again on the way back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Fox Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 The new microsoft "zume or zoom" is the best one around, about to wipe the floor with ipod! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theskyfox Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 I'd just like to add here that where I work, we sell LOTS of Ipods and get around half of them back within about a year. Its a pain, the real problem with them at the moment is the batteries. The lithium battery they seal inside is not user-replaceable, so basically as soon as the battery refuses to charge (which it will after many many charges) then your screwed. There are some places that can replace these, but I don't know the costs (you will void your warranty doing this too). The best ones in my opinion are the Sony and Creative players. And as far as adaption is concerned...you can get adaptors for your car or whatever for all of the mp3 players available. Also Apple warranties....They are LIMITED...this means you can only claim on the warranty (for a faulty unit) about twice, after which they will refuse to talk to you until you pay for Apple Care which is around £35, so basically if your unit goes wrong more than twice and its not your fault and within the year...you still have to pay! This is why I dislike Apple at the moment. Hope it helps -Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_HMR Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Get the sony built and music quaility is great and looks brilliant or if your smart like me get a sony walkman phone and a 4gb memory card Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Also Apple warranties....They are LIMITED...this means you can only claim on the warranty (for a faulty unit) about twice, after which they will refuse to talk to you until you pay for Apple Care which is around £35, so basically if your unit goes wrong more than twice and its not your fault and within the year...you still have to pay! This is why I dislike Apple at the moment. Under UK consumer law it is not permissible to offer limited warranties like these for electronic goods. Your statutory rights as a consumer are unchanged regardless of what Apple might think. However it is a good point and worth baring in mind, Apple are notoriously hard to deal with regards claims under warranty. Edit: Doh, I just remembered what trade Mungler is in, not sure he would need this bit of advice really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungler Posted October 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 I also write a legal advice column for a national magazine in my spare time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Double doh (I was right though, right?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crowstopper Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Go for the Sony, when I was looking for one I looked at all the others and settled on the Sony as it had 40 hours battery life when the backlight is not on (over 20 when on). It was also shock resistant for 1 metre drops. As for the Software for Sony which some people find a problem, its not that hard to use and if you computer if of a reasonable standard it should be able to handle it. sure the other makes allow you to direct USB but they normally will not match the Sony on reliability and battery length (also you can normally get an update so u don’t have 2 use the software with the Sony mp3 players if it annoys u that much). The software is a minor concern, you don’t use it that often anyway just every once in a while when u add some new songs. Crow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted October 16, 2006 Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Just so people know, the problems I had with "SonicStage" were really really bad, and I have been in the IT game 13 years My experiences are a couple of years old and were around quality rather than ease of use, it was easy to use when I managed to fix all the damage the software did and eventually use it. Just so people know my mate didn't have the same problems, he didn't like the software but he got it installed without all the hassle I had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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