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General discussion

Clueless about MP3 players, need help!

Dec 5, 2008 7:12AM PST
Question:

Hello there. I hope your community of members can help this novice out. For the holidays, I'm planning to surprise both my grandkids (ages 11 and 14) with an MP3 player each, but the sad thing is I don't know a thing about them. I went to the local store and I was quite shocked to find how many of these players there are. For instance, I thought the iPod was just one type of player, but to my surprise there are a few different models just from the iPod name, which makes it even more confusing. I know it would be difficult for you to determine what is best for my grandkids, but I would like to get them something that they will enjoy for years to come. I don't want to buy them a cheap one, nor do I want to overspend (budget is $100 to $200), but I do want them to be happy with what I get them and be the coolest grandma who is hip with what's in. It's a big surprise for them and bigger challenge for me because right now I'm clueless. If you can help me out and explain with simple terms the overall differences between the varieties of MP3 players there are, what makes a good and bad MP3 player, what features are favorable or unfavorable, I would be forever grateful.

Submitted by: A lost grandma, Louise T.

Here are some featured member answers to get you started, but
please read up on all the advice and suggestions that our
members have contributed to this member's question.

The MP3 player rundown --Submitted by MehStrongBadMeh -
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7595_102-0.html?forumID=71&threadID=319109&messageID=2921723#2921723

MP3 players... --Submitted by Watzman
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7595_102-0.html?forumID=71&threadID=319109&messageID=2921728#2921728

MP3 purchase... --Submitted by forkboy
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7595_102-0.html?forumID=71&threadID=319109&messageID=2923013#2923013

If you have some additional suggestion, advice, or tips for Louise, please click the reply link and share it with us. Please be keep it in simple terms and when necessary in details when appropriate. Thanks!

Discussion is locked

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A few additional notes...
Dec 5, 2008 6:09PM PST

No one mentioned this but...

A) your MP3 players need to be tethered to a computer in your grandkids' home, so is it a Mac or a PC? That will make a difference, as software for many of the iPod competitors is Windows only, so be aware if your kids use Macs!

And, B) would your kids want to "rent" or "buy" their music from online sources like iTunes or Rhapsody or the other stores? Renting means that the player they use works with downloaded music from an online store that charges $10-20 every month for unlimited access to its music library. You stop paying, they stop you from listening to the downloaded songs! Buying means that for 79

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MP3's
Dec 5, 2008 7:04PM PST

very valid point. Let us know what you decide, I'm intriqued.

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MP3 player
Dec 5, 2008 7:12PM PST

Try a Phillips GoGear I have had one for over a year and its compltely trouble free. You should be able to get at least a 4gb on your budget. Ipod is of course super (and cool) but they are expensive in comparison to other MP3 players. If you go for this get the one in your budget range. Your grand children will not be dissapointed.

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MP3 PLAYERS RE LOUISE T
Dec 5, 2008 7:25PM PST

Like you I was at a loss when I wanted (for myself) an MP3 player. Whilst I don't doubt that iPOD's are brilliant, I found them a bit expensive so I searched the internet and found SanDisk. I bought one of their MP3 players for about

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You can't go wrong with an iPod for cool.
Dec 5, 2008 7:27PM PST

At that age unless they are very tech aware the most important issue will be what the other kids think.
As a responsible Grandma you want something that will last for longer than the holiday.
You might want to personalise the gift so they don't get confused but they have the same product with no favouritism.

So get an iPod nano in a different colour that you know each would like and have it engraved with their usual first name (the one their friends use). You decide whether to spend the $149 or $199. It is likely that in a couple of years they would upgrade anyway and by then know exactly what they would want.

In the meantime they have mp3 to listen to and video to show off with. The Apple image is cool enough and it should last.

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iPod, iPod, iPod
Dec 5, 2008 9:55PM PST

Get an iPod. There are cheaper brands available, but iPod is the standard. Given a choice of standard or extra storage capacity, go for the standard. The standard iPod is a good choice.

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Solving the MP3 Gift Dilemna
Dec 5, 2008 10:11PM PST

You must have already determined that the grandkids love music! Good start. The next thing you need to do is determine how they get their music. Do they buy CDs, download the music (pirating or purchasing), and what do they use now to play their music.

You need to know how they get their music because ultimately they
will need to load it into the (empty) gift MP3 players.

The simplest approach might be to get them an Ipod with about 8GB of storage capacity or more, and a $50 gift certificate to download their tunes from the Itunes on-line store.

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MP3's
Dec 5, 2008 10:36PM PST

Ok heres the deal. I'm in my 40's and I was always afraid to buy an MP3 because I didnt know anything about them. How do they work? How do you get the music onto the thing ect. It turns out they are simple to use. When buying one the most important thing is how much memory. From 1 gigabyte on up the more memory the more songs or video the player can hold. 2 gigs may hold up to 500 songs. The more memory the more the player will cost. Size, ease of use, looks, color, memory, brand are key to the MP3. I bought a Sansa (blue) at Target for 50.00 bucks 2 gigs. There were cheaper ones but I liked the color and it kinda looked like an Ipod without the cost. For some reason apple can get more money for the same amount of memory? I used all my CD's and I have and filled it with music. If I was going to do it again I might spend 100.00 bucks for more songs and memeory but this works for now. Get them one with a little LCD didplay so its easy to navigate. 100.00 bucks should be plenty to get a good player.

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exchangeable mp3 inside battery
Dec 5, 2008 11:34PM PST

like mobilephones, mp3 player may have an inside battery, so better for us to buy a player with exchangeable battery, and or at least have a spare one, or at least better ask the sales person how long can the battery ended ( under 1 year or over) maybe it's better have charger after sales because charger is an easy broken parts that have no warranty. it,s better looking for mp3 player at least 2GB, so it can handle about 500 songs without compression, its bad to enjoy compressed song. find the earphones supplied mega bass, young people loves it, there is a little suggestion if u haven`t buy it yet. bye

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MP3 players
Dec 5, 2008 11:58PM PST

It really boils down to size not brand so much.
How big a player do you want from 1"x2" to a larger size unit a 3"x4". The physical size is relative to memory size. How much memory depends on what you will do or plan to do with it. Just music listening, music video listening & watching, or games. You will pay more for more features. The larger units with screens are for games, videos and such ranging from 1-10 gig memory size (I would start with a 4 gig unit). Small units only play music 256 K -2 gig memory. I would spend the extra money up front for a small screened unit like 2 gig or so instead of upgrading from music only units real quick. The kids are old enough to tell you what they like. watching videos or just listening to music. You know if they like radio or TV better? If TV and video games are the it thing, then you know not to waste time on a small music only player.A 2x2 screen is pretty good for watching but game play usually needs a 2x4 screen. The newer brand name units are not always the best units Samsung makes an inexpensive unit 6 gig that is top quality compared to Ipod Nano 2 gig for about 1/2 the price. Hope this helps you. Walmart and radio shack carry similar items at big price differences than Best Buy or Circuit City type stores. Shop around before you buy.

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Cool Grandma
Dec 6, 2008 12:07AM PST

Buy them a gift card to your (or theirs) favorite electronic store for the player. That way they will get to pick it out and get exactly what they want. The card will show the amount of $ so they will know their budget range without having to ask you. This will make you the coolest grandma of all.

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You cannot go wrong with an iPod
Dec 6, 2008 12:51AM PST

Louise: The iPod is iconic among mp3 players. Everyone knows it and most like it. As you have found in your trip to the store, there are many alternatives to the iPod and a number of them are excellent products. Unfortunately, you would need to do significant research to determine which model is high in quality and easy to use. What would an 11 year-old and a 14 year-old think is cool? That is a very difficult question! I believe that, for this age group, you cannot go wrong with an iPod. The iPod Nano fits your price range and is available in nine colors, so you can give a different one to each grandchild. Both the 8GB and 16GB versions fit into your price range. The 16GB version will hold around 3500 songs and the 8GB version half that; although loading photos or videos will take up some of that space, if the owner decides to add such files. If you order your iPods through store.apple.com/us you can even have a message inscribed on the back to remind your grandchildren of the very cool grandma who gave them the players!

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What ipod to buy for grandkids
Dec 6, 2008 1:13AM PST

Afet going through every major brand starting about 7 years ago, I finally succumbed unwillingly to Ipod for the simple reason that Itunes makes it a snap to use. The nano is right in your price range and each can have a different color. Plenty of memory, video also, all the goodies kids could want and in your price range. Gi ipod nano, you will all be happier than with the other brands which have good players but you can't beat itunes.

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Clueless about MP3? Get the iPod Nano
Dec 6, 2008 1:50AM PST

I'm 61. I have a Sanza Fuse which I love and I get my music off of Rhapsody. It's easy and, I believe, cheater in the long run than ITunes. My Fuze cost less than an iPod. BUT!!!!!!!!!!!! Grandkids don't want to hear any of that. All of their friends have iPods. Anything else will make you look even more clueless (which I doubt you are if you found this site) and it will make you look like you found cheap knock-off mp3 players if you give them anything else. Forget the specs, forget the other choices. Kids are about brands. Get them both iPod Nanos with 4 or 8 gig of space and throw in an ITunes gift card. It will bust your budget but you will be the coolest grandma. How much is that worth?

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Ipods and Mp3 Players
Dec 6, 2008 2:20AM PST

Hi Clueless.
I own an MP3 player and an Ipod Nano. Now out of the 2 of them I would choose the IPOD Nano. I'm in Canada and it cost me 169 dollars plus tax but it is well worth it. It comes in different colors and shapes. Personally I prefer the rectangular shape because it is so much easier to hold and handle. All the grandkids have to do after they get it is download to their computer itunes.com. It is free. And then follow all the instructions on line. You don't have to buy the music from Itunes store. You can download to the Ipod from your Windows Media or Winamp or any music files that are in your computer. It has great sound and easy to use. Now that is something to say coming from a grandmother of 2. So I hope this helps you and good luck.

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Ipods and Mp3 Players
Dec 6, 2008 2:24AM PST

I also forgot to tell you that the one I bought is 8gb and has a lithium battery which is better. You just have to plug it into the usb port of your computer to charge it over and over again.

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SanDisk Sansa Clip is a nice tiny model
Dec 6, 2008 3:42AM PST

Hi Louise,

I'd first try to figure out what features they want (do they want/need to show photos on it for instance) or do they have a size preference. I like the clip on tiny models for the gym/work activities. I didn't want an armband that I'd need for a larger model. I considered the Ipod Shuffle, but went with the SanDisk Sansa Clip instead and saved about half over the Apple model. It had more features like a display screen and FM radio receiver which works surprisingly well. It holds 4 GB of data (about 1000 songs) and is extremely easy to add songs etc. to. It was on sale the day after Thanksgiving at Best Buy for $35, normally around $50. SanDisk also has models with screens for photos and movies (Fuze and View models) that compete well with the equivalent Ipod models).

Here is the link to the SanDisk website where you can see the different offerings: http://go.shopsansa.com/default.aspx.

Good Luck and hope your gift is a big hit!

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Can't go wrong with the Ipod Nano
Dec 6, 2008 5:54AM PST

There are a number of inexpensive and yet good mp3 players out there but the most popular still seems to be the Ipod. And right now the newest generation Ipod Nano is selling for about $150 for 8gb of space. That allows for storing up to about 2,000 songs or 8 hours of video. The new generation adds Apple's tilt sensor technology so the screen can be narrow or wide depending on how you hold it and it comes in a variety of hot colors. At any rate the kids should love it because it will do everything they'll want, it's the newest, coolest thing out there and if you order it online from the Apple Store you can have their name's engraved on it for free. My daughter loves her 3rd Gen Nano and I bought my wife one which instantly became her favorite toy.

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All sorts of players...depends on your tastes

It really does depend on what kind of mp3 player you're looking for...I personally have a Microsoft Zune which works really well. It's not as popular as the iPod, but it does offer a lot at a great price. They do have their own mp3 store, where I've picked up many a track as well. The only negative of the Zune is that it won't play the mp4/m4a formatted songs you get off of iTunes (although I believe there are patches out there that can bypass this problem).

That said, depending on where they get their music from, most players can play nearly all formats, with few exceptions. If they're fans of iTunes, then an iPod is probably the best idea. But if they get their music elsewhere, (Amazon, elsewhere online, etc.), then any kind of player will do. That's one thing to contemplate...

Another thing you might want to take into consideration is the software that comes along with it. Some mp3 players can be loaded up simply by doing a drag-and-drop from their music folder to the plugged-in player, but others (the Zune, for instance) need software. Most are easy to use however.

One last thing--most mp3 players charge up using the USB port rather than a plug nowadays, and personally I think that's the best way to go. You might want to keep an eye out for that as well.

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The biggest, the better
Dec 6, 2008 6:14AM PST

I passed through the same question six months ago, instead grand sons was a nephew, and asked my youngest daughter, 16 years old. The answer was as simple as "Newest technology with maximum capacity and battery load through USB port. What interest us is to show friends how many songs we have stored even if there is not enough time to hear them all" I accepted and bought a famous Mp3 player with 32 Gb capacity. The price is within your budget and technologically speaking is super, with plenty of gadgets to improve performances for other ocassions. If you buy it in the Internet Store, you can personalize each one with their own names free of charge, which is an added value. I hope my recommendation deserves you and you have a great success.

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To lost grandma
Dec 6, 2008 6:27AM PST

Creative Labs Zen MP3 player is an excellent product well within your budget. It comes in many different memory sizes and price ranges from $79 to $250. Check out Amazon.com to see the asortment.

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mp3 players
Dec 6, 2008 7:04AM PST

Thank you, Thank you for asking that question. I feel hopeless and clueless. Looking forward to read answers from those in the know.

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RE: Clueless.....Zune is the best........
Dec 6, 2008 7:04AM PST

My suggestion is to get them a 4g Zune. They're about $100 each (unless you get them off of ebay or amazon) and they're great. They have a FM tuner, so the kids can listen to the radio or their music. I have a 30g Zune and love it so much that I bought my mom a 4g for her birthday. She listens to it everyday. Personally, I don't buy things just because everyone else has it, so my choice of a Zune might not be as popular, but I am defiantly happy with the Zune (although it's still name brand).

My other suggestion would be to go online to circuitcity.com or bestbuy.com (there are other sites as well) and do online comparisons of MP3 players at the price range that you're looking in. On the best buy and circuit city sites you can check mark the ones you want to compare and it will line them up side-by-side so you can compare specs and what not.

Good luck!

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A: Windows XP Randomy Freezing
Dec 6, 2008 7:39AM PST

I have found in the past XP freezing has been due to bad connection on , I think its called the Cbos or Ebos Battery, Take out and put back in, on another occasion it was due to my memory card not seated properly, try this and good luck.
Bob (blobby_400)

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Our 11 yr old made a choice
Dec 6, 2008 8:57AM PST

Through the year our 11 yr old daughter looked for a replacement mp3 player. What was important to her is that it plays music, videos, had a larger view screen, and it had to be pink. You know your grandchildren so the color choices are up to you. Our baby picked the Creative Zen which she found at Walmart because of the color and larger screen. An additional benefit is that it has a SD slot for additional memory. I am sure many other responses will highlight other features to consider. The larger screen, video player, and memory expansion slot may be some of the features your grandchildren will like.

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The best affordable MP3 Player
Dec 6, 2008 9:16AM PST

First off, Will they or will someone have access to a computer? You will need access to a computer to put songs, movies,and pictures on this MP3 Player. I'm sure they will love It. It does everything a MP3 Player can do, and It's Affordable. Below is the MP3 Player, at BestBuy.Samsung - S3 4GB* MP3 and Video Player - White
Model: YP-S3JAWY | SKU: 8985832 It comes In different colors also. It Is $79.99 Each. You will need the Model Number above to get the right one. If you have a computer, Or someone with a computer, You can order Online.

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Mp3 player for Christmas
Dec 6, 2008 11:21AM PST

I recently purchased a Sansa Fuze for under $70.00 online. It's holds 8GB, plays mp3s, photos/videos, has an FM radio, a slot for a micro SD card, and voice recorder. It is smaller than a credit card and thinner than a cell phone. It requires a subscription a compatible music store.

Inexpensive but kids may want the iPod name.

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RE: Mp3 player for Christmas
Dec 6, 2008 4:56PM PST

There is no way in h**l I would recommend a Sansa to anyone. I had one it stopped working after only 5 weeks. I returned it, and thinking I might have gotten a lemon, I decided to get another Sansa, the same model, and what do ya know, the same problem. The next MP3 player I got was the Zune, and that was a year and a half ago, and no problems what so ever.

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S*** happens ....
Dec 7, 2008 11:03AM PST

The Sansa products are good players, but some of them are poorly assembled (headphone jacks are a common problem). That's what warranties are for.

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It does not require a music subscription ......
Dec 7, 2008 11:01AM PST

None of the Sandisk Sansa products require a music subscription service. If you have digital music on your computer (MP3, WMA [without any DRM copy protection], WAV or other common files, you can just "drag and drop" them into the music folder on the Sansa. If this does not seem to be working, go into settings and make sure that the Sansa is in the MSC USB mode rather than the MTP mode.