looking for opinions on Ipods?

Just read the thread...

I have a 20Gig model and my battery lasts about a week between chargings, I listen to and from work everyday.

What are your Ipod stats?  Mine 1394 songs 4.6 days 6.03GB

 

721 songs, 1.7 days, 2.32GB

You have all just about got me convinced to get an MP3 player now!
I'm just worried about a couple of things... mainly the ease of getting the tracks from the computer to the MP3 player (not sure if im going to go for an ipod or Creative Zen).

This is worrying me because i actually do have an MP3 player in my car already... built into the CD player... you are meant to burn the tracks in MP3 format onto a CD and then play the CD through the player.  But it has never worked properly, and im not sure why...

I have a huge iTunes library made up of tracks ive downloaded and tracks from my own CDs,  created a playlist, 'supposedly' converted all the files to MP3, burned the disc... but when i took it to my car to play it, it could only read like 10 songs out of the 100+ on the disc.

I dont want something like this happening after i shell out money for an MP3 player! 

The other thing is... i've seen plenty of in-car options for playing ipods through the car FM radio, but havent seen the same for Creative Zen... anyone know if it exists for Zen?

Thanks again for dragging me into the modern world! 

Thanks for moving this thread up!  My husband really wants a MP3 player to listen to on his walk to work, so I'm pricing them for a Christmas gift. 

The other thing is... i've seen plenty of in-car options for playing ipods through the car FM radio, but havent seen the same for Creative Zen... anyone know if it exists for Zen?

I was just thinking of this today... I used to have a cassette adapter for my portable CD player to play through the radio... it was plugged in the headset jack... I wonder if the same is true for other players (given the jacks are the same size).

check out amazon, look under accessories- compatible with FM transmitters or cassette adaptors it looks like

I was just thinking of this today... I used to have a cassette adapter for my portable CD player to play through the radio... it was plugged in the headset jack... I wonder if the same is true for other players (given the jacks are the same size).

check out amazon, look under accessories- compatible with FM transmitters or cassette adaptors it looks like

They all work the same. You can buy the iPod accessories for hooking your player up to your car and they will work with any MP3 player. I use a Belkin cassette adaptor for my car and it works fine. I had the Belkin FM transmitter when I lived in San Jose and it was rubbish. I think it would probably work better in a less populated (fewer radio stations) area but it barely worked for me there.

Anyway, any of the adapters you see for sale for plugging in portable CD players and stuff into cars will work with an iPod, Creative Zen, or whatever. It just plugs into the same spot as the headphones so they're all the same.

I live in San Jose too and my friends say the same thing about the FM transmitters. They also cut out in between hills and certain areas. My friends also think quality of the transmitter also makes a difference.

I never had any problems with my cassette adapter... I imagine it is also cheaper too, eh?

I just bought a Zen and so far so good!

Hey, if I buy an MP3 player from amazon.com or somewhere else in the US, would I need to get an AC adapter or anything over here?  I have my eye on an iAudio player for my husband for Christmas that is on sale on amazon.com.

I was just thinking of this today... I used to have a cassette adapter for my portable CD player to play through the radio... it was plugged in the headset jack... I wonder if the same is true for other players (given the jacks are the same size).

Yep, as stated already it will work the same way.   As far as the adapter is concerned, all it wants is a signal at the appropriate voltage and impedance -- As the headphones are all the same, it will get that from any of these devices.

Hey, if I buy an MP3 player from amazon.com or somewhere else in the US, would I need to get an AC adapter or anything over here?

It would depend upon the adapter which came with it.  Chances are it will only be a 120V type on a U.S. model, so would need to run through a transformer or get a replacement unit for it.

I live in San Jose too and my friends say the same thing about the FM transmitters. They also cut out in between hills and certain areas. My friends also think quality of the transmitter also makes a difference.

The signal strength/quality depends upon several factors, such as the output power of the transmitter and the directional characteristics of its antenna, both of which are regulated by the FCC and determined to a large degree by intended area of coverage.

As far as your receiver goes though, the little antennas built in to portable units are nowhere near as efficient as a car or home antenna.    So if you're on the outer fringes of a station's intended coverage area you may well still be able to get perfectly good reception on your car radio with its better antenna, but not on your pocket set.

Just wanted to comment on what a great thread this is... so much helpful information!!

I've gone from a person who was thinking 'whats the big deal?' to someone who is now gagging for an mp3 player and just waiting to see if the prices will go down now Christmas is past...

I think i will be going for a Creative Zen machine, rather than an iPod... not sure which one though.

Thanks again everyone...

you should get one!  I have a little cheap one, but the sound is great and it holds 80 songs.  It's great to have portable music without lugging the cassettes/cds around and you can play your favorite songs over and over without driving others crazy.  I love mine.

I'm just worried about a couple of things... mainly the ease of getting the tracks from the computer to the MP3 player (not sure if im going to go for an ipod or Creative Zen).

This is worrying me because i actually do have an MP3 player in my car already... built into the CD player... you are meant to burn the tracks in MP3 format onto a CD and then play the CD through the player.  But it has never worked properly, and im not sure why...

I have a huge iTunes library made up of tracks ive downloaded and tracks from my own CDs,  created a playlist, 'supposedly' converted all the files to MP3, burned the disc... but when i took it to my car to play it, it could only read like 10 songs out of the 100+ on the disc.

I dont want something like this happening after i shell out money for an MP3 player! 

Because of the problems described above, i wonder if anyone would just give a brief (step-by-step?) description of how you actually get the songs onto the MP3 player?   Just so i can see how easy/foolproof if is, and know that i will not be able to mess it up. (i hope). 
What does the software that comes with the player actually do?

I ended up buying my son a Zen Neeon for Xmas. It is 6 gigs, has an FM tuner, and you can record on it. Its also really really small. Smaller than a credit card but thicker. He LOVES it.

The Zen software for the music allows you to browse your computer to find where you have stashed your songs. There is a second window where you select where you want to send the music to. When your player is hooked up via USB, it is there as a 'send to'  option. You just select what you want to send, and hit the arrow. Very fast! One supposed difference with the Zens and Irivers, (and someone will correct my if I am wrong ), is that we can transfer music FROM our players TO the computer, whereas I don't think you can with iPods.

Hopefully someone will describe how the iPod software works so you can make a good decision about which is right for you.

I am finding that the part that has taken the longest, is ripping the CDs to my computer so I can put them on the player.

Have fun with your buying!

Hehe!
The great 'which music player do i get debate' !!

Ipods are THE benchmark theres no doubt, there are other technically better players out there and some which overall do the job better! But the Ipod is still King! My niece has a 4GB mini and a 1GB shuffle and she's happy. Personally, I'm a fan of CD and use MP3 for 'convenience'. Some of the posters have indicated they're 'music heads' like I am, so I go for Quality which means CD. I 'convert' my music to MP3 format to put more content on for when I'm out and about. I forgo the quality to get quantity in this respect, but there are plenty of 'just listen to music when I can' types for which the quality isn't so much of an issue!

I'd always advise upgrading the ear/headphones that are supplied to a decent set of head/earphones as the reproduction of sound is much better.

My stats are 320 GB of MP3 files - equating to around 78500 individual tracks! and .. constantly growing!

Dennis! West London UK!!