# MP-3 Player

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp-3-player/588258>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 8, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp-3-player/588258 "2011-07-08T01:27:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![optimisticcynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4da419/32.png) [@optimisticcynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/optimisticcynic)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp-3-player/588258/1 "2011-07-08T01:27:18Z")

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I’ve got a Sony Walkman Mod. # NWZ-S544 player - 8GB and have used all memory. Any way to connect external memory as in thumb drive, play it thru the MP-3 player on shuffle. I’m thinking a Female to Female USB connector, but don’t know if it will work. Thoughts?

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp-3-player/588258/2 "2011-07-08T07:11:43Z")

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Not unless there is a slot on it. There is no way the device has the drivers to handle a thumb drive through its USB port.

About the only thing you can do is get software from your computer that will cycle through your MP3 collection, only putting 8GB at a time on the device. I believe even Windows Media Player can handle this. (iTunes does, too, but whether you can use it would depend on whether Sony made the device with iTunes compatibility.)

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp-3-player/588258/3 "2011-07-08T11:25:28Z")

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Almost certainly not, I presume currently the device acts a USB device, and not as a device that reads USB devices (I’m sure there’s better technical terms for those concepts).

I did read recently that they are going to start making phones that can both.

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**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp-3-player/588258/4 "2011-07-08T12:55:16Z")

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I was in that position, with a 4GB. It takes a lot of discipline to keep cleaning music off the player before you can put new tunes on. And doubly so with Podcasts and audiobooks.

My solution: break down and get an iPod (nano, older model, $30 on Craigslist).  
Glad I did, I really like iTunes (once I gave up on the “I’ve gotta hack my music player” mentality), it’s smaller, I can use it as a calendar/alarm clock, and as an external drive.