T Nation

MP3 Players

Off Topic
#1

So I have been cruising ebay and found out that iPOD isn’t the only brand of MP3 player that exists. Durrr…

It appears to me that other brands of MP3 players have a lot more packed into them, like FM radio tuners, Flash Drives, mp4, headphone jacks, etc. With ipod it seems that you have to buy addons or upgrade to a more expensive unit to get the same features.

These underdog MP3 players are also a lot cheaper than Apple iPODs.

Why would you buy an ipod over a generic mp3 player from samsueng or sony when the cost goes up 2-10x? Is it the software? Is there something I am missing?

Has anyone used a generic system?

#2

[quote]Chickenmcnug wrote:
So I have been cruising ebay and found out that iPOD isn’t the only brand of MP3 player that exists. Durrr…

It appears to me that other brands of MP3 players have a lot more packed into them, like FM radio tuners, Flash Drives, mp4, headphone jacks, etc. With ipod it seems that you have to buy addons or upgrade to a more expensive unit to get the same features.

These underdog MP3 players are also a lot cheaper than Apple iPODs.

Why would you buy an ipod over a generic mp3 player from samsueng or sony when the cost goes up 2-10x? Is it the software? Is there something I am missing?

Has anyone used a generic system?[/quote]

My first MP3 players was a Nike brand. It broke in two weeks. The next one I got was a Rio and I kept that one for over a year. I consider them “second best” now because the volume doesn’t go up as high which is a negative to me when it gets loud in the gym. I currently have an iPod Shuffle, the older model, not the newer clip on model, and it works great. It’s fast, needs no batteries (which is one of the largest selling points to me) and weighs about as much as a stick of chewing gum.

I have nothing really against other brands, however, after having used some of them, I still think the iPod is the best on the market. It all comes down to what you want. I personally don’t want to have to buy more batteries ever again for an MP3 player, especially one that weighs heavy enough for me to pay attention to it when training.

As far as alternatives, Amazon is a great place to read reviews before you make a decision. From them, it seems that this one:


qid=1167623965/ref=sr_1_4/002-8651358-9712012?ie=UTF8&s=audio-video

gets the highest rating next to an iPod along with this one:


ref=sr_1_7/002-8651358-9712012?ie=UTF8&s=audio-video

#3

When I was shopping around for an MP3 player I decided to get an iPod because I have heard that the durability of the iPod was superior to other players on the market. I got mine a while ago, though, so that may not be true anymore. I will say that I’ve dropped my iPod many times and it keeps on truckin’.

#4

iPods look cool, thats they’re appeal, i have a nano, but it only holds songs and albums covers, if u want funcionality and wide arrays of shit most people will never use, go for one of the others, if u wanna listen to music on a shiny piece of pretty plastic buy an iPod, though u can hack iPod nanos and put linux on it and play videos, hassle though.

My iPod hasnt broken in a year and plays perfect and such, so for quality i’d go for that, i’ve only ever had one other mp3 player and that was fine, but it didnt look as cool as the nano, like i said, its look is its appeal

#5

[quote]Professor X wrote:

I currently have an iPod Shuffle, the older model, not the newer clip on model, and it works great. It’s fast, needs no batteries (which is one of the largest selling points to me) and weighs about as much as a stick of chewing gum.

[/quote]

What do you mean “needs no batteries”? So it has a charger?

Another thing i have always wondered is what do you do when you squat or dead with one of those to get the cords out of the way? tuck it in an arm band? Put it around the back?

#6

i have a 1gb ipod shuffle… no battery good volume, good sounds, simple to use and really small and light…

#7

[quote]cadav wrote:
i have a 1gb ipod shuffle… no battery good volume, good sounds, simple to use and really small and light… [/quote]

The sound processor on the shuffle is much better than the regular iPods. Buying the new shuffle was one of the best gym purchases I’ve made. You forget its there.

#8

http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1014)-MP3_Players.aspx

#9

[quote]ssn0 wrote:
http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1014)-MP3_Players.aspx[/quote]

So is that what you settled on?

#10

i have a 30 gb ipod video, best purchase ive ever made. holds rediculous ammounts of data that i could enver fill. great sound, no batteries and durable. i got it off ebay for 200$ when they retailed for $400.

in general mp3 players dont have a good life span, something always goes wrong with them. the upside if you buy them from wal-mart or future shop they will usually replace them, whicht hey wil have tob e after a shrot period of time, at no cost or hassle.

#11

[quote]All2ez wrote:
i have a 30 gb ipod video, best purchase ive ever made. holds rediculous ammounts of data that i could enver fill. great sound, no batteries and durable. i got it off ebay for 200$ when they retailed for $400.

in general mp3 players dont have a good life span, something always goes wrong with them. the upside if you buy them from wal-mart or future shop they will usually replace them, whicht hey wil have tob e after a shrot period of time, at no cost or hassle.[/quote]

I’m having trouble putting movies on my ipod…any tips???

#12

Been meaning to mention this for a while, but keep forgetting.

I got an LC Chocolate phone a few months ago. After I got everything I needed for it (bluetooth headset, microSD card / reader), it’s pretty sweet.

Now, I’ve never had an iPod, so I can’t compare it to that, but this thing does everything I want it to do. With microSD’s, I can have up to 2GB of mp3’s on my phone. Since I only need an mp3 player while at the gym, that’s plenty.

I can also text myself my workout programs so they’re right there on my phone and I don’t have to try and remember what I need to do on any given day.

Plus, since I need to have a phone on me all the time anyway, it’s one less thing I need to worry about carrying.

Bluetooth headphones are pretty sweet, too. Virtually no wires to worry about (well, considerably less than standard corded headphones, anyway). 25-foot range is more than enough.

Only problem I have is there really is no way to carry it other than in a pocket. So that’s where it stays; in the front pocket of my gym pants. Unless I am on my back, then I just lay it somewhere close (out of the way).

Anyone else use one of these or another mp3 phone?

#13

I use the chocolate as well.

#14

[quote]rafairchild2 wrote:
I use the chocolate as well.

Actually I just deleted my 300 songs and I am only going to put about 100 or so back on… Just too much to manage.

I use BIT PIM to hack my Chocolate as well.

On the verizon website there is an arm sports holder for it. This way you can carry it like the ipod.

I also use the motorola bluetooth. If I do not want to have the phone on me I just put it in my gym bag I keep near me.[/quote]

Right on for the holder option.

300 mp3’s? You use a microSD card for storage? Or are your songs just converted to mp3 using a real low setting? (Internal mp3 memory is only 64MB, hence the question.)

I personally prefer mine at 192kbps, but have been converting then down to 128kbps recently to get more on the phone. At 128kbps, I can only get about 9-10 Meshuggah songs stored on the phone’s internal memory.

You on PC or Mac? I tried using BitPim to xfer from my Mac to the phone, but it would only allow me to move ring tones, dates, and addresses. That’s the main reason I went with the microSD, but the additional space is another advantage.

#15

[quote]nephorm wrote:
ssn0 wrote:
http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1014)-MP3_Players.aspx

So is that what you settled on?[/quote]

Yes :stuck_out_tongue:

#16

[quote]ssn0 wrote:
nephorm wrote:
ssn0 wrote:
http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1014)-MP3_Players.aspx

So is that what you settled on?

Yes :P[/quote]

I just got the 4 gig sansa, and I love it.

#17

[quote]PGA wrote:
cadav wrote:
i have a 1gb ipod shuffle… no battery good volume, good sounds, simple to use and really small and light…

The sound processor on the shuffle is much better than the regular iPods. Buying the new shuffle was one of the best gym purchases I’ve made. You forget its there.[/quote]

My sons all got Shuffles for Christmas, and I got one as well. I love it. I like the program that comes with it to save music in on our desk top as well. It really amazes me that something so small can hold 300 songs, and sound so great. It charges up out of a usb port. I hung it on my hat during a workout, and forgot it was there.

Mike