MP3 players

[Wedgie]

What have people got and what would you recommend?
I personally want to steer clear of Ipods as I want something that comes with a radio and plays WMAs.
My 3 phone has been doing the job for a while but I want something that takes standard headphones so I can plug it into my car stereo.

[Sam_goUUUdogs]

have some crapy no brand thing, works good though, got it when Mp3 players were fairly new and cost me about $200 now they retail for about $60.
i now have a 3 phone which i find more convenient, apart from the no radio bit, but hey i can always watch the Cricket.

[felicity shagwell]

I very strongly recommend that you buy an i-river

I've got a H340, 40GB, has radio, colour screen, plays MP3s, WMAs, as well as others, can also view pictures on it, and text files

I am very anti i-pod due to the fact that everyone pays for the name, and yet i-pods are known to have many problems... but have been very happy with the i-river. can also be charged via usb.

[Wedgie]

I like the look of the I-rivers, must admit its probably for Mrs Wedgie though.
Ive just purchased a 1gb mp3 player on ebay for her for $100, might wait till I can work out if I can afford the trip to Darwin with North in Feb, if not then I'll just purchase a PSP with lots of memory.

[WRxb0y]

Hey Wedgie... upgrade ur 3 phone and get the Sony Ericsson Z800. They have a removable memory card in them. you can always change it for a bigger one at any time. 1gb cards are pretty cheap on e-bay.
Thats what I use... quite good phone

Sony Ericsson Z800i[url]

[zipzap]

Pfffttt. You kid yourselves - you all want an iPod, you know you do. Nothing touches it.

[Dissident]

You're right ZipZap

I wouldn't touch it.

[felicity shagwell]

lol @ dissident

those who know no better buy i-pods

I wouldn't touch it either

[zipzap]

lol @ dissident

those who know no better buy i-pods

I wouldn't touch it either

Why, cos yours has a dinky FM radio that crackles like shit while you do aerobics to SAFM? A colour screen - WOW! Some innovation! And who in their right mind would want to listen to WMA anyway?? Or is it just because your total lack of aesthetics allows you really dig the i-River brick design catastrophe? Text files - forgive me but I thought we were talking about music. Oh, and not that I'd ever actually WANT to do it because my dock will do it twice as fast, but the iPod charges from USB too.

Resistance is futile.

from http://www.reviewcentre.com/review154661.html

Review of iRiver H340 MP3 Player

By warbyr Rank: Lance Corporal from UK on 23rd Apr 2005 | other work
User Ratings Time MP3 Player Owned 1 - 6 Months
Sound Quality 9/10
Battery Life 9/10
Features 3/10
Memory Nightmare
Value for money 0/10
Overall rating 1/10
Recommended No

Good Points
LCD screen and Photo capability

Bad Points
Everything else!
Its bulky
Its slow
It is a nightmare to navigate through
Its Rubbish!
Give me £200 and I will send it to you so I can buy an IPOD.

General Comments
The iRiver H340 is by far the most frustrating piece of junk I have ever had the misfortune to buy.
It is slow to navigate through tracks...In a race with an iPod it took the iPod 6 seconds to scroll through 1029 tracks.. The H340 didn't get passed the letter A in that time!!!!
Can't work out how to play an album in the track order on the CD, the H340 always plays back alphabetically... Dark Side Of the Moon in alphabetical order....I don't think so!!!
If you want my advice...
DON'T BUY ONE...
A big 1 out of 10 from me, and thats generous!!

[Wedgie]

[zipzap]

Actually Wedgie that's spot-on. I resisted for ages but now I'm hooked! But in the interests of objectivity, it's not all beer & skittles, whatever that means.

iPod: The good.

Synchs to iTunes, a fantastic music jukebox and heaps more.
Small (though the Nano & Mini are too small to be taken seriously).
Easy to use without being dumbed down.
Fast - can scroll thru song lists quickly while driving. Err...
On the fly playlists.
Quality build and a design classic.
Software / firmware updates and support.
The website is in English.
Synchs to Outlook / Calendar / Contacts.
Dock allows true line-output for connecting to stereo.
Excellent range of peripherals / software.
Huge community for advice / support (eg. ipodlounge.com)
Music Quiz.
iTunes podcasts are easy as piss to use.
Apple honour the warranty without fail (my dock wasn't connecting properly and they replaced it with about 3 days to go on my warranty).
Discount for Educators - hooray!

iPod: The bad.

You look like a wanker with those white headphones.
No cross-fade support (does any MP3 player do that?)
Stated battey life of 12 hours is a scam.
No custom EQ (does any MP3 player do that?), only presets which are never quite right.
Does not have extra features such as FM and recording (though you can buy add-ons).
Interface is a little dull.
iTunes Australian shop is rubbish.
I usually hate all things Apple.
The silver back gets all scratched up.
Expensive - unless you get educators discount - hooray!

[Dissident]

LOL
Zipzap - I can find a bad review for the iPod for every bad review of the iRiver - beleive me.

Its bulky - It is ? I find it nice and compact - about the size of a pack of cards.

Its slow - I haven't found that at all. Takes maybe 5 seconds to "boot" but that doesn't really bother me.

It is a nightmare to navigate through
Granted - it's not as easy as the iPod at *first* use, but after a short while, it's very easy.

I haven't had the FM radio crackle at all. And recording from it is nice too (radio).

I like the fact I don't have to have some 3rd party program to access it, and can drag and drop the music from any PC without needing to download iTunes (unless I have misunderstood the iPod).

I also wanted to use my microphone and record bands when I see my mates play live... so I just plug it in, and it encodes straight to MP3. I love that. I bought a Minidisk recorder for this and sold it straight away.

I have work I read on the bus to and from work - quite handy actually.

I know lots of people who have used Windows MEdia Player to rip music from CDs which, by default, makes them WMA files. Can't see an issue with having the support for it.

Also, with latest firmware - I can watch videos. I downloaded a small program that converts video files to a smaller format,a nd I can watch episides of the Simpsons, for example, on the bus - looks sweet as.

I have nothing against the iPod - I just don't buy into the propganda. They aren't he be all and end all of mp3 players. I have seen COUNTLESS reviews of the H series that say it is brilliant.

I would never want an iPod after using my iRiver.

[felicity shagwell]

oh yeah, and the accessories that come standard with the iriver:

-dock
-line in/out cable
-external microphone
-leather case
-FM radio
-USB cable
-external battery pack
-AC adapter

You can also take off the front plastic cover, and place any item you like underneath it (eg photo) to create a custom cover.

Note that I said "those who know no better buy i-pods". I didn't say that anyone who owns an i-pod knows no better. It's just said that because of good branding, many people buy i-pods when they don't realise they could be buying something much better.

But the question was "what have people got and what would you recommend?" Each to their own...

[zipzap]

LOL

I also wanted to use my microphone and record bands when I see my mates play live... so I just plug it in, and it encodes straight to MP3. I love that. I bought a Minidisk recorder for this and sold it straight away.

That is definitely a very cool feature I must admit. iPod really lacks when it comes to recording.

When I bought my iPod though, it definitely was "the be all and end all"

Does the iRiver cross-fade?

[Dissident]

That is definitely a very cool feature I must admit. iPod really lacks when it comes to recording.

When I bought my iPod though, it definitely was "the be all and end all"

Does the iRiver cross-fade?

It does. But the iPod is an mp3 player, the iRiver always wanted to be a bit more varied in it's uses. I dont' think the iPod was ever the be all and end all, IF someone looks around The advertising would have you beleive so, though!

The great thing about the iRiver is that you can download firmware updates, which add features. For example, my iRiver (which I got almost two years ago) didn't play video. But, with a firmware update, it does. I THINK from memory it does crossfade, or will, with a future firmware update.. so I can't be sure - I'll have to check. It's in my bag for work which is all the way across the other side of my lounge - too hard.

[felicity shagwell]

and in regards to WMA files - legal downloads from Bigpond Music come in WMA format.... only 99c per track (cheaper if you buy an entire album) which I believe is cheaper than iTunes...

[zipzap]

That is definitely a very cool feature I must admit. iPod really lacks when it comes to recording.

When I bought my iPod though, it definitely was "the be all and end all"

Does the iRiver cross-fade?

It does. But the iPod is an mp3 player, the iRiver always wanted to be a bit more varied in it's uses. I dont' think the iPod was ever the be all and end all, IF someone looks around The advertising would have you beleive so, though!

The great thing about the iRiver is that you can download firmware updates, which add features. For example, my iRiver (which I got almost two years ago) didn't play video. But, with a firmware update, it does. I THINK from memory it does crossfade, or will, with a future firmware update.. so I can't be sure - I'll have to check. It's in my bag for work which is all the way across the other side of my lounge - too hard.

iPod has firmware updates too but there are lots of people begging for cross fade which it doesn't do yet...

[Punk Rooster]

What's cross fading, & do I need/want it? The iRiver plays WMA's, surely that's a huge advantage? Does it have preset or manual Equalizer? Some good points on both sides, but your making it hard* for me to know what to select. What about the Sony Walkman MP3 player? How does that stack up against the iRiver iPod?

[zipzap]

What's cross fading, & do I need/want it? The iRiver plays WMA's, surely that's a huge advantage? Does it have preset or manual Equalizer? Some good points on both sides, but your making it hard* for me to know what to select. What about the Sony Walkman MP3 player? How does that stack up against the iRiver iPod?

Cross fading is like when a song blends into another, like when you go to a nightclub and there's a DJ. I used my iPod at my wedding and would have loved the ability to make one long continuous mix rather than a 2 second pause between songs. You can do it in iTunes but not on the iPod. From what I've read it takes a HD with some oomph to be able to mix two tracks. Does any mp3 player do it?

[brent]

zipzap: agreed, that half-second silent gap between tracks is my only serious gripe with the ipod. not sure if the competitors do the same thing? (can the i-river owners answer this for me?)

i purchased my ipod when there was no serious competition but i never went and bought it for image. one of the first things i did was change the headphones for a decent sony set. nothing wrong with the white headphones but theres better quality out there.

anyway, i may upgrade soon and all the reviews keep coming back to the same point, ipod still has the best design in its simplicity, yes there are needs for improvement but when all is said and done most reviewers rate it as the best.

but thats the wonderful thing about opinions, were all entitled to them