That aren’t iPods?
Here’s what I want: a device I can connect to my PC, I copy MP3s to it and it plays them. That would seem to be harder to find than you think. My old Creative player is showing its age and I would like a new one that has a larger HD. Can anyone recommend one? Thanks.
My local Wal-Mart has two or three different MP3 players on the shelf right now.
They only have 4 gb of memory though. The player I still use is several years old but has 8 gb.
Amazon shows several models that have either more built-in memory or an SD card slot.
Hard-drive iPods were themselves discontinued 4 years ago.
It’s not hard to find at all. Here are a few lists:
I love my SanDisk Sansa Clip Jam, which I’ve been using for three years now. I had to buy it when I broke my SanDisk Sansa Clip+ because the Clip+ model – which was clearly superior – was discontinued. But the Clip Jam is still very good.
Sandisk 8GB Clip Jam MP3 Player (Black)
Small, light, water-resistant (for sweaty workouts), simple and it just works. What more could you want?
[Moderating]
Moved to IMHO.
Sandisk and Sony make a few, but they are pretty much gone now that we have smartphones. I think (could be wrong) other than those 2 companies, the rest are off brand asian models.
I got my first MP3 player christmas of 2003. 128MB storage and cost $120. Now they’re obsolete.
I have one of those; it’s smaller than it looks, so you can clip it to the sleeve of your t-shirt or your collar and it’ll stay there.
Really? I have one, and didn’t know they were discontinued. It has an expansion slot, (though I don’t know the limit to the card size, but at least 32G), so it holds a lot. It also has a voice recorder (pretty good mic, considering the size), and you can record from FM radio.
What do you mean? Most smartphones do that. I take it that you don’t have (or want) a smartphone?
Mine had 32MB, expandable to 64MB. Would have cost $150, but bought during the Great Internet Retailer Wars of the late 1990s–there was a company called Value America that was giving away money in the form of on-line coupons for 25, 50, 100 “Valuebucks” everywhere, usable for upto 50 percent of the price of an order. So $150 for the player minus $75 for the Valuebucks. Then, Diamond was rolling out a newer model and offering a $50 mail-in rebate on the 300. So in the end it cost me $25.
Yep, the Clip Jam has all those features as well, but the design and materials look and feel cheaper. Also the firmware isn’t as good, but I managed to update my firmware on the Sansa site so at least that’s no longer a minus.
(The original Clip Jam firmware ONLY played in shuffled order, which was super annoying for audiobooks and podcasts. The firmware update fixed that, though.)
In the end, I’m happy with the tradeoff where it looks and feels cheaper but has 8 gb compared to my nicer, older Clip+ with only 2 gb.
I have a Sansa Clip as well, that I used for working out since it is smaller and lighter than carrying my phone. But once I switched to Bluetooth headphones (the Sansa doesn’t have Bluetooth) it’s now gathering dust. But in general I preferred it to carrying my phone with my on a run.
I bought one of those really cheap mp3 players from China off eBay a year ago for like 2 bucks. In part to see if they really work but also to put relaxation stuff on one to have by the night stand. Flip the on switch, hit the play button and go. It works and all.
There are several models like this, a new one for $1 (and free slow shipping). They usually have a “TF” slot which just means a micro SD card slot (up to 32GB).
As mentioned, there are “real” mp3 players still being sold.
One option is sometimes an older model phone goes on sale for cheap. I bought 3 “Verizon” phones for around $15 each several years back. Bypass activation and they’re just WiFi devices/mp3 players. (One I upgraded/unlocked to make it my main phone-phone.)
There’s a mp3 board/chip that HackSpace Magazine (I think it was, maybe RasPi) had an article on recently. Build your own player!
Don’t dismiss an old iPod. I have an iPod Classic 4th gen from 2004. When I replaced the battery the last time I replaced the little HD with a little SSD. Longer battery life plus an upgrade from 20Gig to 32Gig.
I still use my Transcend T.Sonic 310 gum-pack sized player (2006), just replaced the battery. It’s great for when I’m working outside and I want something sturdy/small.
Just a ton of situations where a smartphone isn’t the best option. Esp. if you want to preserve the battery.
A smartphone does fit this description (and it doesn’t even need to be activated as a phone).
But yeah, dedicated mp3 players do still exist, though they’ve become sort of a niche item. I still have one, but I don’t use it very often. The two main advantages over a smartphone are (1) it’s smaller and easier to carry, and (2) it has physical buttons, which makes it easier to control without looking at it.
I have but would rather it be a separate device. I appreciate the responses, keep them coming.
I have two Sansa MP3 players that also have FM radio tuner, which is nice to listen to a football game while mowing the lawn.
Good point, the FM tuner is quite handy at times. That’s the only reason I still use my Sansa.
Heck, yeah!
There are dozens, if not hundreds, available on Amazon. Some are fairly low-end, which sounds like what you want, but there are lots out there that are audiophile quality, with very nice DACs.
I’m not trying to push a product, but I bought an AGPTek Rocker about a year ago and it does exactly what you want. Unlike some MP3 players, it does not have any internal memory. You must insert a micro SD card. (I use a 64GB unit.) It will even display album covers, though the resolution on the display leaves something to be desired. It will also play virtually any digital music format, including FLAC.
I’m still using my 10(?) year old one with a cracked screen because I couldn’t find a good replacement.
When I last looked, the advice was to buy a burner cell phone and not give it a sim card.