I’ve been thinking about getting a portable mp3 player. I’m sure that with all the people here, someone’s got one. Anyone have some advice on brands/models, or where to find a good deal? Also, how much music can be saved on a player with say, 32 MB of memory? How much extra memory can you add (though I assume that depends on what exactly you buy)?
-Neil
I’ve got one and love it. Its an audiovox that I got for 125 bucks. It holds about 43 minutes of music and can be expanded with another 32K for over 80. I use mine while running and program my music to pace me.
I have a 32M RaveMP 2000, which is quite good at what I use it for (in place of a discman when I go skating or where it would be bumpy). It also has other functions that I never use such as voice recording, phone number storage and memo storage.
I got a hell of a deal on it ($25 in an Emusic promotion last year). It’s good to have.
If you do get an mp3 player, be sure to get a deal. The retail price is a ripoff.
Some people will tell you to get a minidisc player instead, which you might actually like better (maybe not), but Sony is evil. 
Thanks, guys. I appreciate the input. Any good web sites for companies that make mp3 players? If anyone else has any advice, that’d be cool- I like to know what I’m spending money on.
-Neil
Why bother with an MP3 player when you can get an MP3 CD Player that can play cd-r for about $150.
"NOMAD® II 32MB- The ideal portable MP3 solution for the sports active lifestyle with bundled wired remote and bass-enhanced backphone. Enjoy hours of CD-quality audio and 2 hours of voice recording with a bundled 32MB SmartMedia card.
Okay- I admit I’m not too familiar with these. But if a 32MB memory card allows for an additional 30 (or 60) minutes of music, how does a player with a 32MB card allow for “hours of CD-quality audio and 2 hours of voice recording”? Thanks again, guys.
-Neil
Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid reasoning.
I’ll do some comparison for you:
Mp3 Player:
A $199 unit will probably get your 64MB of memory, which is less than an hour of CD-quality music (although you can compress the Mp3 to less-than-CD-quality and get a couple hours easy). Additional 64MB cards will cost you more than $100 or so. Also, they require you to go through your computer, DL or burn/encode the music you wish to include. Finally, since you won’t have more than one or two separate memory cards for music, you won’t be able to get new music without going back through your computer and transfer stuff all over again.
Minidisc player:
A $199 player/recorder unit comes with an optical/digital line to connect to portable CD player or home music system and an adapter so’s you can record Mp3’s off your computer. Individual MD’s cost only a few bucks, and each disk carries 76 minutes (or 152 minutes in Mono) of sound at CD-quality (except for Mono), so you can have dozens of hours of music available for the cost of a 16MB (half an hour of sound) Compactflash card. There are moving parts, but the way the MD is set up would require you to hit it with a sledgehammer to get it to skip, so skipping is not a problem.
In short, MD is the better medium… less expensive overall, more versatile, and it gives you more music. Also, the Minidisks themselves look a helluva lot cooler than a Compactflash, Smartmedia, or Memory Stick (they used MDs in The Matrix, you know).
Also, you can probably get just a MD player (no recording option) for about $130, but then you’d have to buy MDs pre-recorded, or have someone else record them for you.
(Yes, I do have a MD player, from Sony… I’ve had it for two years now, and it’s still running on the same rechargeable battery, I’ve never had any problems with it, the control unit is still in prime condition… it’s my baby.)