[ozstrike]

So I'm looking for a new mp3 player with bigger capacity to replace my Iriver H320 (I would rather buy a new one than spend just a little less on a new hard drive).
Now let me say first: I do not want an iPod.

Now I've been looking at the options, and it seems between the
Cowon Iaudio X5 60GB
Creative Zen Vision M 60GB
Toshiba Gigabeat 60GB.

I'm looking for decent battery life, hopefully not having to use software to transfer songs from my computer.
I also want it to be easy to navigate, I personally hate the ipods navigation system.
Now I'm leaning towards the X5 right now, because of it's ability to run Rockbox (I think).
Who has these palyers? What do you think?

I might be buying it in the states when I go in a few weeks.

 

[gbadude]

I have the X5 20GB version, and it's a really nice device. It looks very sleek, it's small and thin. The screen is bright, and of course rockbox is awesome. The battery was a bit of a problem for me, it died on me sometime around 6 or 7 months after I installed Rockbox when it was in it's early stages. I could only get like 30 minutes of play before it would die after a full charge. I just recently installed Rockbox over the original firmware again, and I can get about 1-2hr of play before it dies. I'm pretty sure most players aren't like that, I must have done something wrong or mine was just defective. Anyways it's a nice player to have, and again rockbox is awesome.

With that being said, it's a kind of pain in the ass to go through your files if you have a lot. The joystick works just fine, but it's kind of slow in browsing. It's not a big deal, but it is something to consider. Also, the X5 w/ original firmware acts like a external HD, so instead of sorting your music by mp3 tags, it's sorted however it is stored on your computer. Some people like it, some don't, it's personal preference. I personally like it because I have my music folder organized by artist and album, so it's easy for me to navigate. If you choose to use rockbox, it can sort your music based on tags.

Edit: By the way, to add music to the X5 is so easy. Simply plug it into the computer, and drag and drop. No external software needed, that's why it's great that it acts like a hard drive!

 

[Mr_Junesequa]

what do u want out of the player?

amp or unamped. Do you recquire a digital out etc? Without this info its hard to answer ur q.

my advice however is to wait. I think the next few months will see a lot of new hd players on the market trying to compete with the ipod before the release of the iphone.

 

[scottiebabie]

i just had a chance to listen to the zune and SQ from the headout is quite decent. kinda hard to say for sure but from the brief audition, it does sound better than a 5g ipod. i hear the zune is a rebadged toshiba gigabeat so the toshiba maybe your best bet (i havnt tried the toshiba but IMO the zune's UI isnt exactly stellar - itune beats it by a mile).

i know u dont want an ipod but (according to most opinions in this forum) an iwine modded 4g ipod is the best portable source period. indeed a 4g 60g iwine mod ipod is next on my radar

 

[rockin_amigo14]

from your requirements, the iAudio X5 meets the qualifications the best. The ZVM's operating system mirrors that of the iPod, since it's based on the same hierarchy.

All three players have battery life of around 14 hours.

The iAudio is the only player mentioned which allows Drag and drop transfers without additional software. It's also the only one mentioned that currently supports rockbox.

So yeah, it's probably your best bet.