im in the market for a new/reliable mp3 player. after playing with my friends ipod i have to admit im pretty impressed. but since not too many of my friends own mp3 players (and alot of them own ipods), im curious... does anybody else out there use other mp3 players? what do you like about it? n why did u buy it over the critically acclaimed ipod?

it depends on your needs, the ipod is the best harddrive player hands down, but if you are looking for a flash player (I wouldnt really waste the money thou) then a creative nomad flash player or something buy rio is best. I had a creative nomad muvo 512 for a long time it was a great little player and a flash drive, i would still have it if I didnt burn it up in a someones cheap computer....


btw the ipod shuffle is appearing to be the best flash player for the money, 1gb for 149 is cheap for a flash drive, insanely cheap for a flash mp3 player, but if you need a display, it wont work for you.


I would suggest you go to a best buy or compusa and play with some, then buy one online somewhere else

whats the difference between flash/vs harddrive? is it a lowerquality format for better compression? (when u say flash im thinkin of the kind u see online lol) could u transfer the converted flash files back to your/other pc?

so their are cheaper mp3 players than what retail for in stores online?
if its possible could u point me in the direction u are speaking of?

The three biggest differences (that I can think of off the top of my head) between hard drive and flash players are:

1) Storage capacity. HD players can hold more, since they incorporate hard drives into the player.

2) Price. Hard drive players are more expensive because they use a hard drive instead of flash memory.

3) Flash players won't skip if you use the player while working out, etc.

I got a DigitalWay MPIO FL100 for Christmas, and let me tell you it is the best gift I've got--besides the TF-related stuff. It supports MP3 and WMA formats songs, has an FM reciever and a voice recorder, holds 100 hours of songs (over 500 MB I think), supports Windows and MacOS, has a slot for an SD/MMC card and only runs on on AAA battery. I think my dad paid $200 for it on-line, but that might have been a Christmas deal. It's real hard to make it skip too, since I've fallen (and rolled to protect the MP3 player) while running and it didn't miss a beat.

Yeah, that's a major advantage with flash players. Since there are no moving parts, it's damn near impossible to get it to skip even a little, if at all. You'd probably shake the battery loose before you messed up the circuitry.

Although, I run with my iPod, and I've never had it skip(although, it's rated for 20-minute no skip, and I hold it in my hand while I run).