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MP3 players: Clueless about MP3 players, need help!
- 12/12/08 4:12 PM
Ahem, iPods are not the only players out there folks.....
by the_eternal_dark - 12/12/08 9:53 PM In reply to: Clueless about MP3 players, need help! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I just recently ordered a Nationite S-Flo from mp4nation.net and have been amazed at the cost to coolness/usefulness ration. Costing $109 and change when I ordered it and has been much better, in my opinion, than any iPod on the market.
First, it has a touch screen. A great touch screen at that. Picture a player the size of the iPod nano that instead of having a tiny little micro screen, you have a screen that covers most of the front of the player that has the "ooh-aaah" of a touch screen, right on par with the accuracy of the iPhone/touch, and has a better resolution than the Nano. Capacitive touch screen, multi touch, good resolution, high color , need I say more?
Secondly, the player has the very popular Wolfson audio chip, the wm8987, and produces one of the best audio playback experiences in a portable media player (since most will play videos now, it is kind of getting useless to call them "mp3 players). Also, the player comes with some decent earbuds as well (but I recommend the Vmoda Bass Freqs if you can find them, best factory buds ever) that are surprisingly comfortable and produce a better sound than the iPod "standard" buds.
Third, this player also has a built in fm radio/fm transmitter. Yep, play radio, RECORD radio, and transmit your music via fm frequencies. Can you get that on an iPod without buying another accessory? Also has a document/ebook reader built in. Nice.
Fourth, this player also has a large amount of customization abilities as well, as far as themes go. As far as I know, the only way to customize anything about the touch is to jailbreak it and possibly void your warranty.
Fifth, NO MORE ITUNES REQUIRED TO PUT YOUR MUSIC ON YOUR PLAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!! Files are easily added by hooking it up to you computer (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD) and dragging and dropping any and all music and video files you could want (supported files are listed on the site, many to choose from).
Finally, 8GB of storage goodness, a case, screen protector, earbuds, and more is included in the xmas package. And before any of you nay-sayers start saying "awwwhhhh, it's made in China, it must suck...." check and see where your iPods/iPhones are manufactured. The S-Flo specs and review are listed here: http://mp4nation.net/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_36&products_id=151
Simply put, I'd take this, or any Nationite (Teclast) player over any iPod, any day. My two cents.
James.
excellent comment James
by CRod67 - 12/12/08 10:09 PM In reply to: Ahem, iPods are not the only players out there folks..... by the_eternal_darkGreat comment James! I feel the exact same way about my Creative Zen. I'm so tired of hearing everyone rave about the Ipods when there are much better players out there at a much better cost.
Thanks again for your comments and helping to inform the masses out there that their not limited to the Ipod.
C'mon people, don't be duped into wasting your hard earned money on a player that is really limited for the price you're paying.
Follow The Leader
by Hovi1768 - 12/12/08 10:46 PM In reply to: Clueless about MP3 players, need help! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
All The kid-bots want ipods
so go with that.
since in today's society it really is more important to fit into the pop culture zone, than to go for what is best.
They will undoubtedly love you for it.
Then they will bother others if & when they run into the software & proprietary & sharing issues they may inevitably encounter.
But they'll be cool & fit in.
They will actually have a good player too, although i would never buy one.
But i'm an adult so my non-hip sony is fine with me.
Jeez! If your neighbor jumped off a bridge would you??
by CRod67 - 12/12/08 11:02 PM In reply to: Follow The Leader by Hovi1768You're telling this woman to buy an Ipod just because "everyone else has one". What kind of reasoning is that? It's people like you that give our children the wrong idea about what's best for them. And we wonder why we have a whole generation of people in debt!
The fact is, you SHOULD be teaching them NOT to conform. You SHOULD be teaching them the value of the dollar by purchasing a much better product such as the Creative Zen and half the cost of an IPOD. You SHOULD be teaching them that it's "OK" to not blindly follow the pack like a herd of sheep, just because it's what Billy has.
Louise, your best bet is to compare players and then make a decision. Just because you have 200 dollars to spend, doesn't necessarily mean you have to spend the whole 200 dollars on one Ipod. When you can purchase 2 Zen's for the same price.
Plus the Zen has a bigger screen than the Ipod, longer battery life, and it has an FM tuner so the kids can listen to the radio. None of the Ipods have any of these features. (except for the 400 dollare Ipod Touch which only has a larger screen) And best of all, the Zen is half the price of the Ipod. Wake up and smell the dollars your needlessly burning.
no compatibility issues with the Zen
by CRod67 - 12/12/08 11:06 PM In reply to: Jeez! If your neighbor jumped off a bridge would you?? by CRod67One more thing....there is NO compatibility issues with the Zen. It will play Apple's main format "ACC" without having to convert it to an MP3. So they can download by simply dragging and dropping any file downloaded from Itunes, Napster, Rhapsody and more. As well as ripping their own CD's to their player.
Don't be fooled and don't be a follower. Teach your kids to be different and smarter than the crowd!
Need help with loading MP3's on Blackberry Storm
by DUMBnEASY - 12/12/08 11:15 PM In reply to: no compatibility issues with the Zen by CRod67I know I don't have a Zen, but you folks are all tekkies and might be able to help me out.
Does anyone know how I can transfer personal mp3's from my hard drive to my new Blackberry Storm? It came equipped with Rhapsody, which I can't afford to use. I just want to play my own music and I've never had any type of mp3 player before. Well, aside from a CD player in my car that was mp3 compatible.
I don't care about specific songs or albums or genre or artists....I just want to get my songs on there.
Nah, doesn't work like that
by steve293000 - 12/13/08 3:30 AM In reply to: Jeez! If your neighbor jumped off a bridge would you?? by CRod67For most people it's better to follow the crowd. I'm like you, and I agree with you, but we are the minority. I got my brother in law to buy a Creative instead of an Ipod for his son, and it was a disaster. He eventually got his son a 16gb Itouch and all is well. LOL!
I agree, get the Ipod Nano
by steve293000 - 12/13/08 3:27 AM In reply to: Follow The Leader by Hovi1768I have about 7 or 8 mp3 players currently, and have had many others in the past, and I would recommend the Ipod nano, as many people have. I have a 4th generation Nano and I hardly ever use it. It's so hard for me to use Itunes to get music on to it that I never use it, I usually use my Creative Zen or my Sansa View. I can't tell you how disgusted I am with Itunes, it's the worst, IMO, and a deal breaker. The Ipods, however, have very good sound, and are made well with the best interface and ease of use on the market. Another thing about Apple products is they are not discounted by retailers as many other mp3 players are. Apple lowered the price $50 on the Ipods recently, which they really hadn't done much in the past, but the retailers always have to charge what Apple says they can (or so I assume that is the case). They will always be the same price, within a few dollars, from one retailer to the next. Ipods also have great resale value on eBay because of this. Another thing, refurbished Ipods are available at the Apple Store online for a 30 to 40% discount. I have bought almost all my mp3 players refurbished, and have actually had less problems than from the ones I bought new.
If you dont want to go with Ipod, or want more storage for your money, I would recommend Creative and Sandsisk products. These are probably the second and third biggest mp3 player manufacturers. I recently bought a 16gb Sansa View on eCost for $69. It plays videos, has a nice FM radio, and is easy to use especially it's drag and drop song transferring!
Take care!
Bingo!
by steve293000 - 12/13/08 3:37 AM In reply to: Follow The Leader by Hovi1768For gifts, an Ipod is valued much more than any other player. And that's the whole point of giving gifts. I mean, it may be a better value to go on Spring Break to Yellowstone National Park but most college kids want to go where the other kids are, at the Florida beaches. Same thing with the Ipod.
The best choice is...
by henrybarnett - 12/12/08 11:37 PM In reply to: Clueless about MP3 players, need help! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If I were to choose I would go for an IPOD and the best I could afford. Most grandchildren (I have 6) would never be disappointed with an IPOD but may be disappointed with any of the others. IPOD is the market leader so it is the safest choice.
Happy Xmas Henry Barnett
take it from a pro, don't waste your money on the Ipod
by Marino013 - 12/13/08 12:52 AM In reply to: The best choice is... by henrybarnettI've worked for Circuit City for the past 7 years and I have watched as MP3 players have evolved. While the Ipod is a nice MP3 player, they are extremely over priced and lack many of the features that players half their price have.
Working at Circuit City, it's my job to know how to use and demonstrate all the products in our store. When it comes to MP3 players, I would have to agree with CRod67 regarding the Creative Zen. Creative Labs makes top of the line products and have been around since 1981. They started out making top of the line sound cards (Sound Blaster) for the personal computer and have grown from there. Creative Labs products have won international awards and accolades over the years including numerous awards at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show)events, where the who's who of everything electronics meet each year to showcase their products.
To anyone looking for a great MP3 player I would suggest the Creative Zen. The top of the line Zen is the Zen X-fi. For about 130 dollars will outpeform any Ipod on the market. However the standard 4GB ZEN is an incredible product for under 80 dollars and has an SD slot which enables you to easily expand it's capacity to 32GB or more.
Don't get me wrong, the Ipod is a really nice MP3 player. But as others have mentioned, you really are paying for the Apple name. When I get customers that come into the store and ask me to recommend an MP3 player to them, I first ask them what they're willing to spend and then I ask them if they have a specific brand in mind. Almost everyone that comes in wants an Ipod. But that's only because of Apples vigorous ad campaigns. People know nothing of the actual player, other than the fact that "it looks pretty". But when you're spending this kind of money you really need to consider functionality. After I put a list of the features in front of the customer, I would estimate that over 80% of them end up choosing either the Zen, the Zen Mosaic or the top of the line Zen X-fi. The other 20% are like the majority of other Apple users who merely want an Apple product for name recognition or because friends or family have them.
Pound for pound (or rather ounce for ounce) the Zen is a far superior product over the Ipod. And that includes the Ipod shuffle (which has no screen), their Ipod classic and their Ipod Nano (which is a customer favorite) People like the Nano because it comes in a bunch of colors and it's advertised constantly so people automatically assume it's the best. For the cost, it really does lack quite a few features compared to other MP3 players. And let me assure you, the Zen is just as simple to use and configure as the Ipod. I've purchased one for both my niece and nephew and their 7 and 9 y/o. My brother has an Ipod Classic and he try's talking me into trading with him all the time, just because he likes the FM tuner.
Another great feature with the Zen that others failed to mention is that the Zen is upgradeable via firmware downloads and you can also back up all your music, videos and pictures onto your pc in case of any unforseen problems. Which means if for any reason you loose all the data on your MP3 player, you won't have to spend days re-downloading each song one by one, including all of your playlists. It'll be right there on your PC all backed up for you in the exact order you have everything loaded onto your player.
I'm sorry to dissapoint all the Apple fans out there, but Apple really is just a brand that people purchase because of the name and not because of the functionality. If you care what other people think and you want to spend more money than you should for an MP3 player, then I would suggest the Apple Ipod Classic or Nano. (don't waste your money on the Ipod Shuffle)
If you truly want a great product for a great price, go with the Zen. It's a truly amazing MP3 player that not only looks great, but outperforms the Ipod hands down.
But please don't just take my word or anyone elses word on this site. We're merely giving you our opinions. What I would suggest is to visit both the Apple site http://www.apple.com/itunes/ and the Creative site http://us.creative.com/local/1/promo/findyourzen/welcome.asp?WT.cg_n=Campaigns&WT.mc_id=9885
Don't be fooled into thinking you need 16 or 32GB storage capacity either. A 2 or 4 GB at 500 or 1000 songs is plenty, but if you do happen to need more space, the SD card slot is there and will give you all the storage capacity you will ever need.
At the end of the day it all boils down to personal preference and the different functions that will make you happy. I highly suggest doing your own homework though and check out both websites to compare features and pricing. In this day and age when we're all trying to save a little money and get the best deal we can, when it comes to MP3 players, the Creative Zen wins hands down over the Apple Ipod.
Just my 2cents from an electronics professional.
I'm sure whichever unit you decide to go with, your grandchildren will be so excited when they open up their presents Christmas morning and find out Grandma bought them an MP3 player!
In the end, they are both really great products.
How to be a really cool Grandma
by claretkid - 12/13/08 1:16 AM In reply to: Clueless about MP3 players, need help! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If you want to become legendary with your kids, how about getting them both an 8Gb iPhone?
This has the advantage of being a proper iPod whilst at the same time giving them the best phone around.
I had to start using words like 'cool' and 'awesome' which for a British guy over 50 isn't something I'd usually do.
You may have to do a deal with the parents about the monthly rental,if they already have mobiles that may be an esay upgrade. If the deal is like the UK the phone will come free and you could pay the line rental up front for a number of months.
Worth a thought!
A tad bit too much for chidren in my humble opinion...
by Marino013 - 12/13/08 1:39 AM In reply to: How to be a really cool Grandma by claretkidWhile that's a good option for older folks that want an all-in-one, mp3 player, camera, next gen cell web browser and cell phone, I don't think it's a wise choice for children. These phones are very expensive and we all know how kids both drop and loose things. And at 200 dollars a pop, not including the 2 year contract, I think that's a little out of Grandma's budget. But, of the folks I know that waited for the 2nd generation 3G I-phone, their very happy with their purchase.
Grandma wants to be COOL!!! IPOD IS COOL
by roenyc - 12/13/08 3:13 AM In reply to: A tad bit too much for chidren in my humble opinion... by Marino013For heavens sake I have 2 grandsons who want Ipods for Christmas. They are a bit older then your grand kids. I was ranting and raving about how they could get so much more out of a creative zen player for the same price as an 8gig Ipod nano. They want the nano. I went so far as to insist that their uncle didnt have an ipod (uncle is 29 and cool) called him up and said what kind of mp3 player do you have? he replied IPOD! of course! This is not my sons first mp 3 player but it is the one that has lasted the longest. Zune is made by MS -no thank you. My youngest grandson has the creative zen. only 2 gigs, with an fm radio that records. I bought that 2 years ago and it still works great. its tiny and at the time cost 50.00. Creative zen is a great brand. perhaps for the 11 year old. but to be cool buy the ipods = perhaps for the younger one you can get a 4 gig. its the coolest thing around. and if you really want to be cool find out if one of them has red as thier favorite color then order if from apple. they only sell red on line at the apple store so they will have an almost unique ipod. these things were on sale over the thanksgiving weekend. i paid 129.00 for the 8 gig nano 4th generation (oh yeah thats the latest one). but they are back up to 145 again. i would assume you made your choice by now anyway. look people our adult brains look at things that make sense, like more bang for your bucks. but when you are 14 its brand name all the time. just like when my daughter was 14 and wanted jordache jeans. hey thats life in America.
iPhone ...
by claretkid - 12/13/08 3:25 AM In reply to: A tad bit too much for chidren in my humble opinion... by Marino013Here in the UK the phone is free on a £35 per month contract with 600 mins, 600 texts and unlimited web browsing. So if your budget is $200 then it would make a decent alternative IMHO.
As for being too much for children - I take it you haven't got any then? Certainly not too much for mine, they always seem to find dozens of features I didn't know were there. And insurance is good if you tend to damage things, including iPods.
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