[atomic]

...and I'm trying to help my parents pick out a new mp3 player for her hanukkah present. I myself am an ipod user (4G 20gig, had it for a year and no problems yet!) and have noticed that PC users (like my sis) seem to have a lot more problems with ipods than mac users (like myself), so I'm thinking she should get a different brand rather than a Nano or a Shuffle.

What I think would be best: 1-2 gig capacity, flash-drive based, a screen would be really nice. (don't worry, I already gave her KSC-35's for her birthday)

Any suggestions? I really have no idea what's out there, but I've done a little searching:

-iAudio U2 - looks nice, has fm receiver too
-iAudio G3 - looks even better, nice long battery life
-creative zen nano or MuVo TX (these don't support playlists, correct?)
-iRiver T30

I would like her to be able to use rechargeable batteries as well. Any opinions on the ones I've listed, or any others? budget is probably ~$100-150.

Thanks!

 

[LaBreaHead]

Is she totally hung up on the presumed status of iPod ownership ... or does she like to listen to music? If the former, perhaps only an iPod Nano would do. If the latter, there are choices. I have experience with the following:

Creative Zen Nano Plus -- quite small, good value, uses rechargeable AAA batteries, FM radio, easy to operate, good sound (a good "entry-level," day-to-day, or back-up player ... might not seem so impressive to a young former owner of a hard-drive player, but benefits include true drag and drop capability, works well with PCs).

Creative Muvo TX FM -- not quite as small as the Creative Zen Nano, because it has the built-in USB plug. Otherwise the same.

Cowon iAudio 5 -- excellent sound, a bit more bling factor than the Creatives (but the iPod Nano has really upped the ante for flash players), uses rechargeable AAA batteries, FM radio, not quite as easy to operate as the Creatives (but also drag and drop), but endlessly adjustable sound (and screen features).

I've heard lots on these forums about the ("cute") Mobiblu cube, Samsung and iRiver flash players, too. Plus in retrospect I would at least consider the less-spectacular-looking iAudio G3, rather than the 5 -- it uses rechargeable AA batteries, has excellent battery life and the "big" iAudio sound, and has a single joystick, rather than the 5's two jog switches.

 

[atomic]

hey, thanks for the reply. i'm trying to convince her that another ipod may not be the best idea, that something more windows-oriented might be better.

here's what i'll recommend to my parents:

-creative zen nano plus
-cowon iAudio U2 or G3

anyone other thoughts?

 

[yyoo]

Get her an iPod AND a Apple Care Protection Plan. This will cover any breakage within the next two years.

All MP3 players break and Apple is probably the best in the MP3-player industry at backing up their warranties and protection plans.

By the way, there was a recent study showing that newer generations of iPods are less prone to breakage. I'll have to dig up that link.

 

[replytoken]

I've had reasonable success with Rio's flash players. They can be expanded with an SD card, and they run on a single AAA battery, so you can buy generic rechargeables. Their software has given me no problems on a Win XP machine. Good luck, and thanks for being a cool big brother!

 

[atomic]

yes, i will definitely tell my parents to get a warrantee for whatever they get for her. she just got it this summer, though, so it was the newest Mini available and only a few months old. (got it with her bat mitzvah money, first big purchase she ever made

) wait a second though, if it was only a few months old she might still be able to get it replaced... well, i'll just have to ask her. i don't even know what happened to it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by replytoken Good luck, and thanks for being a cool big brother!

thanks, replytoken, but i'm actually a cool big sister

 

[replytoken]

Well you are still a mensch!

 

[replytoken]

If the iPod was purchased with a credit card, they may offer warranty protection beyond Apple's. I know my American Express card doubles my warranties when I use it to purchase merchandise.