MomOfOneFunOne Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 We're wanting to get an MP3 player for the family. Rather like the DVD player or the computer or the stove: they belong to the entire family and the entire family uses them. My daughter and I have been saying all along that we want an ipod. The other night, though, I was interpreting for a fellow and he pulled out his ipod. Being in the market, I asked to look it over and Y IKES! that is not what i want us to have! That thing has just about every conceivable trick up it's sleeve. Internet and email are the first two items that come to mind as something I do.not.want on our mp3 player. We want this thing primarily for listening to books on tape (yes, I chuckle at the anachronism), and radio plays, et c, in the car and on the run. We'd probably listen to music, too, but that isn't a priority. I do not want internet, email, movies. So, my first question is: what am i looking for? is that just a plain old mp3 player? Is there a name I should be looking for? And here is one from way out there: is there such thing as a cassette adaptor for downloading onto the computer? Remember way back in the way back when 8 track tapes gave way to cassettes? We had an adapter that played cassettes in our 8 track player. Much later, when we converted from some old dinosaur to a new video recorder, we did the same thing for a while: the old (or was it new) tapes went into an adapter to play in the old machine. So, we get a lot of stuff from the library and some of it is still on cassette. Is there any kind of adapter for that? Am I really this old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 He had the iPod Touch. You do not have to get that one. I think that the iPod Nano would be a good choice for you. I'd definitely stick with an iPod though.....I've found they have the most user friendly way to download or upload songs to put on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 I vote iPod Classic. The new ones have 160GB of memory- you can put an absolute TON of stuff on it and still have lots of room. It has a small screen too, so you can load DVDs onto it and watch them.- Latina Christiana DVDs have been loaded up on mine. There is no internet access with this, but I do like the flexibility that the screen has offered. It's small, but big enough to watch LCI, and it also helps with navigating between songs/books. We also have an iPhone, but I use the Classic a LOT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoplayer Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Sandisk has some good mp3 players that we have been happy with. They will not have all of the capabilities of an Ipod, but they are cheaper and quite easy to use. My (old) mp3 uses AAA batteries. My husband has one of the new Sandisks that charges off his computer. It amazes me how capable these devices are and how small they have become! We use ours mainly for listening to lectures or books-on-tape while we exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Sandisk has some good mp3 players that we have been happy with. They will not have all of the capabilities of an Ipod, but they are cheaper and quite easy to use. :iagree::iagree: My kids have "sansa clips" by sandisk - our kids are great about sharing so dh & I use them often. Good quality, small, hold a charge for about 10h or so. We have the 2GB ones. The headphones are not great but I think headphones are a more picky item - if you're going to be using an mp3 player a lot, I'd plan on buying headphones separately. You might find people each like a different style. At the price of the clips you can afford to get several of them too :D We got ours refurbished from www.tigerdirect.com & went for the 2GB ones. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/search.asp?keywords=sansa+clip - we have #3 & #4 on that page. Honestly, I'd go for one of these inexpensive kinds first & find out if this is something you'll be using a lot etc. Then if you need to, you can upgrade & this one can become the one you take to the gym etc where you don't mind it getting beat up or possibly lost..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara R Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 One big disadvantage of the iPod for your purposes is that they can't use WMA files (Windows Media). Libraries offer audiobook downloads from their websites, but they are usually in WMA format. I don't know that there is a way to legally convert from WMA to mp3. I couldn't figure out a free way to do it. I use a Sansa Fuze. I agree that the Clip would be good for your purposes too. They are cheap, have long battery life, and can play any format. They are also durable. I kept breaking my old iPod by dropping it. I finally embraced my klutziness and got a different kind of player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Our library has stopped buying books-on-CD and is not replacing the ones that are lost or damaged. They do subscribe to two services to download books, and my van has an input for an MP3 player. Despite being a techie, I really didn't see the need otherwise.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula in PA Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Sandisk has some good mp3 players that we have been happy with. They will not have all of the capabilities of an Ipod, but they are cheaper and quite easy to use. My (old) mp3 uses AAA batteries. My husband has one of the new Sandisks that charges off his computer. It amazes me how capable these devices are and how small they have become! We use ours mainly for listening to lectures or books-on-tape while we exercise. :iagree:We all have 2GB clips and love them. Now they have 4GB and 8GB ones as well and the price is less than an Ipod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 For those of you who use a Fuze (especially for those who were prior iPod owners), what program do you use for your music? DH and I each have an iPod and use iTunes. We love it all around. However, I was considering buying a Fuze for kiddo use, as they are more reasonably priced and apparently more durable. (Also, MIL wants an MP3 player for Christmas and I was going to get her the 8MB Fuze.) If the kids get a Fuze, do I have to maintain a separate service for it or can I use iTunes? (I'm pretty sure I can't use iTunes, right? Then, do I have to take my cds and download them to something other than iTunes? If so, what? Then what happens to the things I've purchased through iTunes? Do I have to burn those playlists to discs only to upload them to whatever service I use for the Fuze?) :confused::willy_nilly: Any help? (Sorry to the OP if this is a hijack, although if you're in the market for an MP3 player, a necessary follow-up question would include music management options, I promise. :D) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 For me, the most important quality in an mp3 is compatibility with my library downloads. I download a lot of audio books from our library, and not all mp3 players will work. So if your library has that service, I'd check the list of compatible players before purchasing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 For me, the most important quality in an mp3 is compatibility with my library downloads. QUOTE] Amen, Sister! ; ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 THis is great, you guys! Thanks! I think I"m going to ck out the sandisks and make sure they're compatible with my library. You guys are fab!!! and an especially heartfelt thanks for link to refurbished ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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