RootAnn Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I read the other threads I could find (tagged mp3 player, mp3, & ipod as well as searching for "audio book / mp3 player" in title). I am still in need of hand-holding for this decision. I want to get a good mp3 player for audiobooks (dd#2 will use it for many this upcoming school year). It will technically be mine, but "on loan" to an eight-yr old. We are not techy. It has got to be pretty easy to figure out. I don't care about videos or web access. (It can have those or not; I don't care.) I would like a screen for easier selection of the playlists. It needs to work with Audible & WMA-compatible files. I have not ruled out iPod-whatevers. The main thing is that it should play audiobooks well & be easy to navigate, download, select, listen to, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 An iPod nano sounds like it will fit the bill :). I'm not sure what a WMA file is, but IF you can import it into iTunes, iTunes will convert it into mp3 and then you are good to go. The Nano has a screen, but doesn't do videos or web. This is what I use :). Now, my oldest daughter (8) uses an iPod shuffle (no screen) and it has been the BEST educational investment we've ever purchased for her :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty Mathy Mom Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I've been very satisfied with Sansa Clips for the kids. They are inexpensive with no frills. I actually bought ours when woot.com had them for $10 over a year ago. They are still kicking. I download our books onto the computer then drag and drop the files to the mp3 player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 (edited) Stay away from iPod! Run far away! Sansa Clip players are the way to go. Super easy. Very user friendly. I have an iPod nano and a Sansa, and I love the Sansa and dread using the iPod. If you search for my past threads, you will find a thread about my frustrations with iPod. Edited July 31, 2011 by Kleine Hexe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 An iPod nano sounds like it will fit the bill :). I'm not sure what a WMA file is, but IF you can import it into iTunes, iTunes will convert it into mp3 and then you are good to go. The Nano has a screen, but doesn't do videos or web. This is what I use :). Now, my oldest daughter (8) uses an iPod shuffle (no screen) and it has been the BEST educational investment we've ever purchased for her :). iTunes is a PITA. I also have a shuffle and I hate it for audio books. I don't know why but it doesn't play audio books in order. Yes, I make sure it's not on 'shuffle' while listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazzie Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I have an iPod nano that my 8 yo son uses and abuses. It's been dropped and nicked and still works fine. He did ruin his iPod shuffle in the washer, though, so I doubt the nano would last through getting wet. The shuffle was terrible for audiobooks. As the other poster said, the chapters played out of order. I do agree with others on how horrible iTunes is. It's not intuitive at all for us. I hope you find a good one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma4Boys Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 we have enjoyed the sansa as well - very reasonably priced and easy to use. We are an "i" free family though (my dh is the classic nerdy pc guy - self professed) so I do not know how it compares to the "i" products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtrmlnlabs Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Yep, Sansa clips in this house too!!! My boys 8 & 5 have a cheap MP3 my sister gave them 2 years ago... never would have thought of getting them MP3's but they love it!! Anyway, one broke so DS8 now has my old clip. They sure do take a beating! Easy to work with, easy to use and inexpensive... a lot of the one day sale sites have them for about $25 during the year. Only downside is their size, but seems most MP3's are small enough to get lost anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Okay, I checked on the Sansa clips. What have you found on battery life? That seems to be the biggest beef with them --> low battery life. The price is something my dh would like and I like "easy to use." What memory size do you guys have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo2 Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Okay, I checked on the Sansa clips. What have you found on battery life? That seems to be the biggest beef with them --> low battery life. The price is something my dh would like and I like "easy to use." What memory size do you guys have? :bigear: It looks like the 4 GB is only 3 dollars more than the 2 GB, but then to upgrade to 8 GB it jumps another 16 dollars (on Amazon). At those prices, I think I would go with the 4 GB. I've been looking for one for audiobooks too, but it's hard to decide when you don't know *anything* about them. You can always delete the books from the device if you need more memory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OK Family Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I am glad ifound this post. I have been looking to get an mp3 player for my 8 yr olds audio books, etc school related. I know it depends on the size of the audio book, but on average how many audio books canny fit on the Sansa clip? Also, is it easy to start back at the place you stopped listening to? Thanks! Alkyson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 There was another thread like this recently and the consensus was Sanza. :D I have, and love, a Sansa Fuze. It does have video but is about $80 US. I think the Clip is about $55. My beloved Fuze has gone through the washing machine and, after a few days in a bag of rice, come out unscathed. :) The hipsters might like the iPod but the intellectuals prefer Sansa. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) I am glad ifound this post. Ihave been looking to get an mp3 player for my 8 yr olds audio books, etc school related. I know it depends on the size of the audio book, but on average how many audio books canny fit on the Sansa clip? Also, is it easy to start back at the place you stopped listening to? Thanks! Alkyson Here's a link on how to use bookmarking with the Fuze. Basically you just put the audiobook in the "audiobook" folder. :) That's it. I'm not sure about the Clip. ETA: As for how many can fit on it depends on the size of the audio books. They can range from 50 MB to 6 or 7 hundred MB. There are a little over 1000 MBs in each GB so you could have anywhere from 6 to 80 books on a 4 GB Clip or Fuze. But the great thing about both the Clip and Fuze is that if you buy one and find you need more memory they have slots for micro SD cards which ups their capacity by quite a bit. Edited August 1, 2011 by WishboneDawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I've been very satisfied with Sansa Clips for the kids. They are inexpensive with no frills. I actually bought ours when woot.com had them for $10 over a year ago. They are still kicking. I download our books onto the computer then drag and drop the files to the mp3 player. This is what we use. As soon as they can read they can easily use them. Nice and small, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I have an iPod nano that my 8 yo son uses and abuses. It's been dropped and nicked and still works fine. He did ruin his iPod shuffle in the washer, though, so I doubt the nano would last through getting wet. My Fuze survived the washer. :) My son has a friend who brings his iPod over so I can load music on it (he doesn't have internet. Don't ask me why his parents bought him an MP3 player if they don't have internet. :glare:) and I dread it. I hate the whole process and I hate his little iPod. Apple makes intuitive products? Yeah, like fun they do. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I don't think the battery life is short. I can listen to my Sansa every day for about an hour for a few weeks. I have the 4G and it's plenty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetBean Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I love the Sansa Mp3 players. We all have them, and I especially like that you can add extra memory chips. I have never measured how much play time I get on the battery, but it seems like I almost never need to recharge mine, and I use it a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OK Family Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I thought of another question. Do you only use headphones or can you hear it without headphones plugged in? I will have multiple listeners at one time. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I thought of another question. Do you only use headphones or can you hear it without headphones plugged in? I will have multiple listeners at one time. Any thoughts? My Fuze and I suspect the Clip has no external speakers but I bought one at Walmart for 7 or 8 dollars that plugs into the earphone jack and it works really well. The cord that came with it also lets me plug the Fuze into my car stereo for listening during car rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 Here are a couple of other threads that talk about mp3 players: I Need an MP3 Player for audio books.... Advice? Can you recommend a good but inexpensive mp3 player for audio book downloads? Audiobooks? Ipods? MP3 players? cheapest devise that will hold a book Also, as I was looking at the mp3 players people were recommending, (Thanks, BTW, I think I've just about decided on the Sansa Clip+.) I saw Amazon is having a special in conjunction with Audible. They are offering up to $100 off certain media player devices if you sign up for Audible's gold plan ($14.95/month for a year - not as cheap as their $7.95 for the first three months then $14.95/month after that). See their offer for specific details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 My Fuze and I suspect the Clip has no external speakers but I bought one at Walmart for 7 or 8 dollars that plugs into the earphone jack and it works really well. The cord that came with it also lets me plug the Fuze into my car stereo for listening during car rides. We also have a fuze and we bought a cord for a couple bucks at radio shack with a headphone plug on both ends -- we use this for plugging it into the car, into our "big" stereo, and even into an old cd "boombox" that had an auxiliary jack on the back. If you want just two listeners at a time you can also buy a "headphone splitter" at radio shack to allow two sets of headphones plugged in at the same time (we sometimes do this for the two oldest kids on long trips). We love our Sansa Fuze for audio books -- just plug it into the computer, drag the audiobook files to the "audiobooks" folder, and it's ready. Even my 7 year old can find the book she wants on the Fuze and listen to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 The problem I have with the Sansa products is that I am operating a Mac - I don't use a PC at all and on Amazon.ca it says that they only work in a Windows environment. Has anyone successfully used them with a Mac? FWIW my 8-year-old has been loading her own iPod with audio books and music for over a year, loads it, listens to it, yes, it's a shuffle, but we've never had any issues. She even likes to 'mix things up' by putting in a song every few chapters. It seems easy to us :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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