Which MP3 Player?

[TomoHawk]

I would like some suggestions for an MP3 player...

the Ipod mini & nano are very nice. I'd go with the mini because the display is bigger (easier to read while driving). Others I'm aware of are the Creative Zen, and RCA Lyra 2300 series.

My criteria:

• PLAYLISTS (up to 20 tracks, minimum, EACH)
  
• 1 Gb memory (keeps price relatively low)
  
• replaceable and/or rechargeable battery (Alkaline, MiMH, or NiCd )
  
• "big", easy to read display (while bouncing around in a car)
  
• easy-to-use controls(for menu navigation)
  
• 1/8 inch mini-jack for connection to radio (or portable amp/speakers)
  
• FM tuner (option- nice for portability)
  
• microphone and voice recording
  
• Adjustable output volume
  
• Equilizer settings (ex., Rock, classical, Jazz, Flat)
  
• USB connector (obviously)
  

A rechargeable battery pack is nice, although you have to carry a charging adapter, so I kinda lean towards Alkaline cells, because you can just throw a few spares in the armrest/ashtray).

I think the Playlists, memory, and battery are the top 3 criteria, respectively.

I'm using a basic one (RCA Lyra) with 638 Mb,and I only use 3 of 8 buttons(Play/pause, Next, prev) while driving, but only 1 playlist

thx

[Mr Camouflage]

Well, I have a regular Ipod (G3 15 gig), so i can only comment on that, but most should apply to the mini.

PLAYLISTS (up to 20 tracks, minimum, EACH)

Yes

1 Gb memory (keeps price relatively low)

yes (maybe buy a second hand older one and get more gigs for your buck)

replaceable and/or rechargeable battery (Alkaline, MiMH, or NiCd )

Yes, if you send it back to apple. The batteries have a long live anyway.

"big", easy to read display (while bouncing around in a car)

You shouldn't be reading the display while driving. Is as dangerous as trying to send and SMS while driving.

easy-to-use controls(for menu navigation)

yes

1/8 inch mini-jack for connection to radio (or portable amp/speakers)

Yes. if you get the belkin car charger, it has a dock connector that has a headphone jack that you can plug into a line in. or you can hack the belkin and use the dock connector and make a custom line in straigh into an amp, bypassing the pre amp in the charger.

FM tuner (option- nice for portability)

Nope.

microphone and voice recording

Yes, If you buy an additional piece of hardware.

Adjustable output volume

Yes

Equilizer settings (ex., Rock, classical, Jazz, Flat)

Yes

USB connector (obviously)

Yes, and firewire, with the right dock connector cable.

[Arne]

replaceable and/or rechargeable battery (Alkaline, MiMH, or NiCd )

Yes, if you send it back to apple. The batteries have a long live anyway.

There are several sources now other than Apple for battery replacement kits that a handy person can install at home. A couple of examples:

http://www.smalldog.com

http://www.macsales.com

I also have a 3rd gen iPod (only 10 GB), and even have an FM modulator for it. If I had the choice, I'd try to get a head unit (or amp) with Aux. input, rather than FM or cassette adapters.

[TomoHawk]

The newer units are coming with the FM tuner. But you'd say, "why would you need an FM tuner in the car?" It's for when you go portable. Put the player in the beltclip, plug in your earbuds, and you get radio.

Would you trust a used Ipod? It seems to me that if it was working well, I'd not want to sell it.

thx

[Mr Camouflage]

Forgot to mention that head units (that what they call them these days) are starting to support iPods.

Alpine and (Pioneer or Kenwood, cant remember which, prpbably both real soon) have adaptors, so you plug in the ipod and use the head unit controlls to access the playlists and play the music, and they display the track info in the head units display.

[cremmenga]

I have a pocket pc, the dell axim x51v 624mhz, and I put some of my tunes on that. I am big into music and have thousands and thousands and thousands of songs on my computer, that I download a few on to my pocket pc. It works ok. But i'm going to get on of the 60gig ipods, I have about 50gigs of songs on my computer so hopefully I can get most on that! a freind of mine has the 20 gig and loves it I like it because you can play it in any car or off any radio! the dell version isn't bad either. But you get what ever works best for you!!

[TomoHawk]

I have seen the new head units with the plug for the Ipods. I hope eventually more MP3 players will adopt a common interface besides the USB for connecting to stuff.

If you re-encode the P3s into 64 kbps, you should double the capacity. According to the info you read on the product packaging.

[cremmenga]

even if you don't get the ones that plug in, with the second generation radio tuners they work pretty damn good!

[speedyblue]

If you are playing it through a car stereo, 64 kbps will sound bad. Stick to 128kbps. I have a 1gig ipod shuffle, and it currently has 290 songs on it at 128bkps, which is about 15-17 hours worth. Every few days, I plug it into the computer and refresh the songs from the playlists I have set up in iTunes. I listen to it at work all day.

Cheaper, but less options. It all comes down to what you want.

[TomoHawk]

How good do the ones with the hard drive memory work? I don't like the idea of a hard drive ANYTHING bouncing around in a car, with the drive head crashing every time you hit a bump. Stick with flash memory?

[cremmenga]

How good do the ones with the hard drive memory work? I don't like the idea of a hard drive ANYTHING bouncing around in a car, with the drive head crashing every time you hit a bump. Stick with flash memory?

GO with the harddrive!!!! Thats what I am going to get, you can hold way way more and they can take a beating!! like i said one of my friends has the Ipod one and I have 4 other freinds with the dell jb and I know that two of the people that have those beat the hell out of them!! I work with them and when we are out doing landscapes and planting trees those guys always have them one!! and they get beat around, hit with the shovel handle, droped, sat on, the occasional punch and one guy even dropped it as we were walking back to the truck one day and as he was stepping he dropped it and his leg going out to step kicked it about 5 foot and it then skidded across the parking lot a few more feet besides being a little bunged up, it still works great, he was using it tonight at work!

[c david]

i bought the original version 11 months ago and have considered it the best of the best in mp3 options. now they have made it better, more affordable and a new model is out. if you like quality sunglasses, then go with the combo, its cordless, always there and has impecable quality (motorola internals) and plays all the music i need to hear in a day. check the link to see my choice.

http://oakley.com/

cd