NationStates Jolt Archive

I may look into getting a new one with more storage capacity: 512 MB to 1GB. Any suggestions on something not exhorbently priced?

I may look into getting a new one with more storage capacity: 512 MB to 1GB. Any suggestions on something not exhorbently priced?

Define "exhorbently" . Most USB sticks are quite cheap.
You *could* consider getting a pda which can read datacards to add some functionality - though that will be quite a few 100 euros/dollars.

I may look into getting a new one with more storage capacity: 512 MB to 1GB. Any suggestions on something not exhorbently priced?
The small sized mp3 players are extortionately priced. You should get a 10BG player. Ten times the capacity but only a few dollars more.

i'd usually stump for anything by Creative cos they're a good brand, reliable, good sound quality (been pioneering consumer pc audio equipment for years of course), and i like their design.

however i've recently borrowed my mum's 512mb unbranded cheapy thing we got from a local electronics outlet (this sort of thing (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?NOV-MP31GB), but an older version), and it works. its not the best thing ever but it plays music and it was cheap. what more do you want?

the small creative (dont know wat its called)
the bigger 1's are good so it proabbly is 2

(this sort of thing (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?NOV-MP31GB)
If you're in the UK, definitly use novatech. They're fantastic in so many ways *ponders* :P (okay, only Huw will get that, hehe)

I wouldn't say that small capacity players are exorbitantly priced, they merely reflect the higher $/GB of flash compared to hard disks.

And capacity is not the only consideration - flash-based players are smaller, lighter, more reliable (especially if you use them while doing something active) and have better battery-life.

I had a hard-disk iPod and hated it. The battery life was totally pants and the hard disk died. Hard disks are far and away the least reliable PC component because of all those (extremely rapidly) moving parts and I see no reason to believe that reliability would be any better in a portable device.

At the end of the day, the decision should be based on what combination of factors meets your requirements. I'm thinking about getting a new MP3 player soon too.

A big consideration for me is the quality of the shell. My iPod got scratched to sh*t and I only kept it in a coat pocket with no other items in there (i.e., just the lining of the coat pocket was sufficient to savage the thing). Since devices pretty much all have LCD screens these days, that's an important factor and you don't hear much about the relative scratch-resistance of players (although I have heard plenty of complaints about the iPod and scratching - admittedly mine was a 1st gen, so they may have improved since).

Before anyone flames me with the response that I should have got a leather carry case or somesuch, that significantly increases the bulkiness and I really want my player (in the state it is going to be used) to be small and light.

I know that no-one has pointed out any actual suggestions yet, and I'm afraid I'm not going to be any specific help there either - I'm curious about the experiences of other owners out there.

Edit: ok, so there have been some specific suggestions. Incidentally, I've never bought an mp3 player from Novatech, but I've bought USB flash devices and they've been perfectly adequate, and Novatech were cheap and quick to deliver (NB, I don't work for Novatech).

If you're in the UK, definitly use novatech. They're fantastic in so many ways *ponders* :P (okay, only Huw will get that, hehe)
hahaha i get it :D :p
(sod being on topic ;) *cough*)

I wouldn't say that small capacity players are exorbitantly priced, they merely reflect the higher $/GB of flash compared to hard disks.

And capacity is not the only consideration - flash-based players are smaller, lighter, more reliable (especially if you use them while doing something active) and have better battery-life.

I had a hard-disk iPod and hated it. The battery life was totally pants and the hard disk died. Hard disks are far and away the least reliable PC component because of all those (extremely rapidly) moving parts and I see no reason to believe that reliability would be any better in a portable device.

At the end of the day, the decision should be based on what combination of factors meets your requirements. I'm thinking about getting a new MP3 player soon too.

A big consideration for me is the quality of the shell. My iPod got scratched to sh*t and I only kept it in a coat pocket with no other items in there (i.e., just the lining of the coat pocket was sufficient to savage the thing). Since devices pretty much all have LCD screens these days, that's an important factor and you don't hear much about the relative scratch-resistance of players (although I have heard plenty of complaints about the iPod and scratching - admittedly mine was a 1st gen, so they may have improved since).

Before anyone flames me with the response that I should have got a leather carry case or somesuch, that significantly increases the bulkiness and I really want my player (in the state it is going to be used) to be small and light.

I know that no-one has pointed out any actual suggestions yet, and I'm afraid I'm not going to be any specific help there either - I'm curious about the experiences of other owners out there.
I have an iPod shuffle. It doesn't have a screen to get scratched to shit, which at times is a pain in the ass. The iPod works nicely with iTunes and gPod (for Linux users). Compared to the other mp3 players I've had experience with, it is much easier to add songs to the iPod. The iPod isn't perfect either. The iPod cannot be linked to two different iTunes libraries at once. If you want to use it to transfer files from one computer to another (or one computer to itself when you refomat) you have to copy the files using your file manager. When/if you do that, you will see that all your songs have had their names changed to five (seemingly) random letters (ie FTJKS or AJGFN) which makes it a pain to find the songs you want to copy. I usually put my iPod in my pants pocket when I use it, and find that the buttons accidently get pressed, alot. As I have mentioned before, the lack of a screen is a pain, perticularly when you want to find a perticular song (made all the worse when the song has a few seconds of silence at the beginning [damn you Metallica]).

gah, i don't like the idea of the ipod shuffle... i mean no screen = no clue as to what song is next, custom/on-the-fly playlists, etc

that, and i just don't like ipods in general. stupid "fashion" technology :rolleyes:

NOR do i like itunes (and yes i have used it a fair bit, and i do definatley prefer WMP out of all the other media players i've tried using (dispite its massive CPU overhead...))


so i say bah!! don't get an ipoood

The small sized mp3 players are extortionately priced. You should get a 10BG player. Ten times the capacity but only a few dollars more.
A few dollars more in what corner of Oz?

I want something in the US, under $150.

gah, i don't like the idea of the ipod shuffle... i mean no screen = no clue as to what song is next, custom/on-the-fly playlists, etc

Shuffle is so old. Nano is where it's at.

that, and i just don't like ipods in general. stupid "fashion" technology :rolleyes:

That's what poor people say. You're not poor, are you?

That's what poor people say. You're not poor, are you?
no but overpriced plastic nonsense that doesn't work as well as - or have the functionality of - cheaper and better looking alternatives is 'stupid fashion technology' imo

if you got your ipod as a gift then fair dos, but if you got it yourself then so help me god.... :mad:

no but overpriced plastic nonsense that doesn't work as well as - or have the functionality of - cheaper and better looking alternatives is 'stupid fashion technology' imo

It was well worth its price for me. And it looks great. We aren't all geeks who don't care about aesthetics, you know.

if you got your ipod as a gift then fair dos, but if you got it yourself then so help me god.... :mad:

Help you what? PM, you're too cute to accost me. Abuse and molest, on the other hand...

Define "exhorbently" . Most USB sticks are quite cheap.
You *could* consider getting a pda which can read datacards to add some functionality - though that will be quite a few 100 euros/dollars.
I did that and heartily recommend it. I got a Palm (the second cheapest one, can't remember the model) and a 1 Gb SD card. I paid about 350 Canadian and it's been a great purchase.

Download the driver that allows you to use FAT32 formatted cards, though. It's not official but works flawlessly.

gah, i don't like the idea of the ipod shuffle... i mean no screen = no clue as to what song is next, custom/on-the-fly playlists, etc

that, and i just don't like ipods in general. stupid "fashion" technology :rolleyes:

NOR do i like itunes (and yes i have used it a fair bit, and i do definatley prefer WMP out of all the other media players i've tried using (dispite its massive CPU overhead...))


so i say bah!! don't get an ipoood
I hate WMP. Accually I, in general, hate all the media players I've used (except Rythmbox, and xine [sadly they are for Linux] only) as they all use too much of my computer's limited reasources. That said, WMP is still one of my least favorites.

The lack of screen is a major pain in the ass. I don't use playlists so not being able to use them of the shuffle doesn't bug me much. It does bug me when the song begins with silence.

Another complaint I forgot in my last post:
When you switch it from Shuffle mode to Play in Order, there it doesn't happen right away. If you let the song finish it will play the song after it. If you press the previous/next track bottons (even after waiting a few minutes) it will go to a random song. If you press the next/previous button again (the one you did not press the first time) it will then play the orginal song, and then will function normally.

Can we get back to bloody MP3 player recommendations under $150 dollars and 512 MB or over?

And iPod is crap, the end. It is overpriced crap. There are cheaper, better looking ones with better functionality.

One of my friends got a samsung MP3 player with 1 gig capacity for $160

It was well worth its price for me. And it looks great. We aren't all geeks who don't care about aesthetics, you know.

:p well i am :D


Help you what? PM, you're too cute to accost me. Abuse and molest, on the other hand...
lol... i can't tell if thats a compliment or what... or whether thats some kind of pickup line :eek: ;) :p
gonna take it as a compliment :P

Can we get back to bloody MP3 player recommendations under $150 dollars and 512 MB or over?

And iPod is crap, the end. It is overpriced crap. There are cheaper, better looking ones with better functionality.
Sandisk makes a nice 512 meg MP3 player for a little over $100. I own one and I like it.

Sandisk makes a nice 512 meg MP3 player for a little over $100. I own one and I like it.
What about these?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Manufactory=1404&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=0&description=&MinPrice=&MaxPrice=&SubCategory=23&Submit=Property

What about these?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Manufactory=1404&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=0&description=&MinPrice=&MaxPrice=&SubCategory=23&Submit=Property
I've got this one. I like it alot.

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=5069995/skd=1/search=512+sandisk+mp3+player

lol... i can't tell if thats a compliment or what... or whether thats some kind of pickup line :eek: ;) :p
gonna take it as a compliment :P

Good. Because you are cute. In that hot kind of way. :)

I've got this one. I like it alot.

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=5069995/skd=1/search=512+sandisk+mp3+player
Which is more expensive than the 1GB one on newegg.

Which is more expensive than the 1GB one on newegg.
Then go for the one gig. That's a no brainer.

What about these?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Manufactory=1404&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=0&PropertyCodeValue=0&description=&MinPrice=&MaxPrice=&SubCategory=23&Submit=Property
Are you goint to buy batteries for those. My family never buys batteries, so I was limited to mp3 players that have internal rechargable batteries. Other than thatm they are good players.

Then go for the one gig. That's a no brainer.
You know what? A brilliant, yet dumb, idea occurred to me. I just remembered my MP3 player supports SD/MMC cards (I even bought a 32 MB one back when they were omgexpensive which is in my mp3 player right now -_-). I found a deal for a 1 GB card at Circuit City for $59.99. I think I will go hit that up.

Good. Because you are cute. In that hot kind of way. :)
i think that deserves a festive fluffle or two :D :fluffle: :fluffle:

I use a portable CD player that can read MP3s with 700MB CD-RWs. Not only is the player far less expensive, but I'm not dependent on any particular vendor's software in order to interface with the device; I just burn a CD using whatever software I want and I'm ready to go. I prefer this because I use Linux as my main OS and major vendors don't seem to want to acknowledge it's existence. Plus, I've noticed that bundled music software seems to be in the bad habit of trying to "call home" and report on its usage. I'm personally not inclined to trust or use spyware, and thus prefer to use Free/Open Source CD burning software instead. The F/OSS people seem to understand that what I do on my computer is my business and my business only. Plus, when the memory (CD-RW) wears out or breaks, it's extremely easy and cheap to replace, without having to replace the entire player (!!!!!). Edit: Oh, and my player uses regular AA batteries, instead of some vendor specific (i.e. super expensive) power source. Independence is good.

I use a portable CD player that can read MP3s with 700MB CD-RWs. Not only is the player far less expensive, but I'm not dependent on any particular vendor's software in order to interface with the device; I just burn a CD using whatever software I want and I'm ready to go. I prefer this because I use Linux as my main OS and major vendors don't seem to want to acknowledge it's existence. Plus, I've noticed that bundled music software seems to be in the bad habit of trying to "call home" and report on its usage. I'm personally not inclined to trust or use spyware, and thus prefer to use Free/Open Source CD burning software instead. The F/OSS people seem to understand that what I do on my computer is my business and my business only. Plus, when the memory (CD-RW) wears out or breaks, it's extremely easy and cheap to replace, without having to replace the entire player (!!!!!). Edit: Oh, and my player uses regular AA batteries, instead of some vendor specific (i.e. super expensive) power source. Independence is good.
Which is why I bought one for my car, but they are rather bulky for casual use.

Recently i've been buying 20gb Sony Walkmen/Walkmans. At £200 theyre practically throw away cheap if time consuming to load dammit, and they starting to look quite pretty.

Why dont i buy an iPod or some kind of reliable player you say ? The iPod in particular is so ugly i cannot bring myself to shell out even £1 for one.

What did this add to the discussion, nothing, move along.

...but they are rather bulky for casual use.

Very true. But for me, the combination of a lack of discretionary income with a near zealous hatred of Windows and vendor lock-in makes it a good trade-off. :D

I paid 210$ Canadian for a MobiBlu Cube. It's fantastic and compact. I love it.

I paid 210$ Canadian for a MobiBlu Cube. It's fantastic and compact. I love it.The Source by Circuit City or Future Shop?

The Source by Circuit City or Future Shop?

The Source.

Also, now that I think of it. I only paid about 200$, since I know a guy on the inside.

Blast, I found out I can get what I want $20 cheaper if I order it from newegg, but to get it here guaranteed before I leave (when I ordered my Radeon from them, it got here well before it was supposed to, but I can't assume the same thing happens, especially on Christmas weekend), I will have to pay the same price as retail.

I recommend the Creative Zen Sleek...20GB just a little bigger than the iPod Mini (4x the volume) and its around the same price as the Mini used to be, before they stopped selling it.

I recommend the Creative Zen Sleek...20GB just a little bigger than the iPod Mini (4x the volume) and its around the same price as the Mini used to be, before they stopped selling it.
If I wanted a MP3 player the size of an harddrive from 1998, I would get a Creative Zen, but I barely have 2 GB of music.

A few dollars more in what corner of Oz?

I want something in the US, under $150.
no kiddin huh? y does everything hav to b so pricy in the usa? i mean everyone thinks were all rich...i personally dont kno n e one that is rich...so i advise ppl who sell to bring down price and then they will sell alot...and to more deservin ppl

no kiddin huh? y does everything hav to b so pricy in the usa? i mean everyone thinks were all rich...i personally dont kno n e one that is rich...so i advise ppl who sell to bring down price and then they will sell alot...and to more deservin ppl
We all went through out internet slang phases, but Christ, that is barely readable.

We all went through out internet slang phases, but Christ, that is barely readable.
Tnat iz totilee redeabl. Wut wud mak u saa itz not?

Tnat iz totilee redeabl. Wut wud mak u saa itz not?
In the name of English teachers everywhere, I rebuke you demon of bad grammar and spelling!

In the name of English teachers everywhere, I rebuke you demon of bad grammar and spelling!
It is kind of like golf.

In the name of English teachers everywhere, I rebuke you demon of bad grammar and spelling!
*looks up rebuke on wikitionary*
I take offence to that.

We all went through out internet slang phases, but Christ, that is barely readable.

Yeah, but think of the bandwidth saving.

* flashback to surfing the net on a 14.4 modem *

Yeah, but think of the bandwidth saving.

* flashback to surfing the net on a 14.4 modem *
*points and laughs*

i go a no name mp3 player, rio is the (no)name, and i love it. it's 6 gigs and holds 1500 songs. it was about $200 canadian, not too pricey. i'm not a big fan of ipod, they may be cute but jumping up and down, makes them skip (so i've heard from disgruntled ipod owners). and really, why pay more for the name? check out the best buy website, that's where mine came from.

I have an iPod (awaits endless amounts of jokes). It is old. One of the ones that has the four buttons on the top instead of in the wheel. It has only four hours of battery life (as opposed to the new 20 hours), 15 gigs (as opposed to 30 gigs for only $30 more now), and it's still black and white. Do I want a new one? Of course, but I still am keeping the one that I have and I am using it.

[/rant]

Anyways, the size of the MP3 player you are getting depends on how much music you have. 4 gigs is ~1000 songs. But the depends on how long the songs are (thus determining the size of the file). So just buy according to how much music you have and how much music you want.

P.S. iRivers are better than iPods

2nd P.S. I hate people who have less than 100 songs on their iPods (I have 1130)

Whatever you do, do not get an ipod. You can buy a 20GB full color (~3x2" LCD screen) music/video player/recorder from Archos for about the same price as a nice ipod.

Personally, I would recommend anything by Archos, as they were the first company to come up with the hard drive based MP3 player, or anything by Creative.

If you're in the UK, definitly use novatech. They're fantastic in so many ways *ponders* :P (okay, only Huw will get that, hehe)
Of course you would agree with PM! Do I just have a dirty mind to notice the shape of the novatech player and ways only a girl could enjoy it?

that, and i just don't like ipods in general. stupid "fashion" technology
We agree on this one! iPods are not that good.

A few dollars more in what corner of Oz?

I want something in the US, under $150.
It's ridiculous to pay $130 for 1GB when they charge just $230 for a 20GB player. Think about it!

It was well worth its price for me. And it looks great. We aren't all geeks who don't care about aesthetics, you know.
The iPod looked great two years ago. Now it's just boring and still overpriced. The headphones that come with it are outright ugly.

Well, I bought a 1 GB SD Memory Card for my RD1071 RCA Lyra, but for some reason, it will only let me fill it half full of music.

Well, I bought a 1 GB SD Memory Card for my RD1071 RCA Lyra, but for some reason, it will only let me fill it half full of music.
well formatting it does take up quite a bit of space.

well formatting it does take up quite a bit of space.
Not an arbitrary nearly 500 MB. The read free size empty is 968 MB.

Not an arbitrary nearly 500 MB. The read free size empty is 968 MB.
well of course

well of course
I'm saying it stops allowing me to transfer files to it when there is around 480 MB free left.

EDIT: It looks like I fixed it by reformatting the card. Woo hoo, now it looks like I can fit all the songs I actually like but don't even listen to on my mp3 player.

Get an iPod. Anything else is crap. iPod's are made by one of the greatest companies that exist.

Only 1gig? Jeez, I have 20gigs and i've used up a LOT of it.