So, I am hoping to pick up an MP3 player in the weeks after Christmas, when (hopefully) stores are loaded with goodies that didn’t quite sell out. Since my previous MP3 player is now quite dead, I am in the market for a new one. Mostly, I am looking for trusted review archives, as well as any must-buy or must-avoid products.
A few notes:
No iPod. I am not in the market for any Apple or Rio MP3 players at the moment, at least until a great deal of personal experience no longer seems relavent.
Flash is a plus. I’m looking for both power efficency and durability (I like to take my MP3 player on long walks and jogs. This makes hard drive players unhappy.)
Durability is good. I’ve had a grand total of three MP3 players slowly break down due to normal wear and tear (a Rio 600, a Rio Karma, and a Rio Forge.)
Finally, I’d like to be able to plug it into my computer and directly add or remove music without having to go through special software.
Storage capacity above 512 mb is nice, but not terribly desirable. Aesthetics are irrelevent. Size (beyond the ability to fit it in a pocket) is irrelevent.
So, what can you all tell me, and where should I look to learn more?
Wal-Mart’s ilo Mp3 player. Bought my 256MG for 80 bucks this spring, use it daily. Eats up AAA batteries like pez, but overall a decent little interface, volume, sound quality and durability.
I have one of these, too. I’ve dropped it numerous times, but it keeps playing. It also has an SD expansion slot, so I can swap out playlists fairly easily. It will randomize tracks, let’s you see what’s playing, AND it has FM radio (great for bad weather) as well as a recording feature that will record from the radio or do voice recording.
It works with Windows Media Player for transferring music, but if you have an SD card reader (my laptop has one built-in, and my printer has one, too), you can just drop songs onto the card using Windows drag and drop.
PLUS, it reads both MP3 and WMA files. Since WMA are much smaller, you can fit more music in less space than if you had a MP3-only player.
Well, first of all, I would highly advise you to look at some products other than–oh. Good for you! My work here has already been done.
Seriously, I have an iRiver with hard drive, and I really like it, so I would look into other iRiver products. I know someone who has the little triangular one, which I think is flash, and AFAIK is very happy with it as well.