this really depends on what you want. of those three, i havent used the sony player, but from my knowledge, here's what i can say.
please note that this will be a bit biased. i'm using a creative player and hate apple products
iPod: easiest player to use. no contest. simple controls. nothing too fancy, has no real extra features besides the photo viewing, which i personally find extremely pointless.
probably has the best software of the three. the sync between iTunes and iPod is unbeatable.
however, i highly despise the ipod due to the fact it is WAY overpriced. for something that has so little, $300.....battery life isn't bad, but nothing to brag about either. scratches are common and practically impossible to avoid, unless you have a sleeve and it never leaves. not to mention the accessories are painfully overpriced as well.
Sony: from what i know, its a very sturdy player. i held one briefly while visitng london and was very tempted to buy it. it used to have a problem with cracking buttons, but i dont think its a problem anymore. and if it is, it doesnt affect the performance. it has a a user-reaplaceable battery, so if yours dies, get another one and pop it in. no need for a new player.
sony's software, SonicStage, has an infamous reputation for being possibly the worst on the market. Not saying its terrible. My friend used it briefly and said its nothing fabulouts, but nothing to turn your shoulder to either. as long as you use it ONLY for transfers, not for ripping CD's or listening, you should be in good shape.
sony lowered the price, but it's still expensive for an extreme lack of features.
sony's own audio from, ATRAC3, is what their players are based around. all WMA files are converted when added to the player. the player will only get its 40 hours of battery life with the ATRAC3 format. if you use mp3, its around 24 hours, which is surely nothing to scoff at, but not NEARLY what Sony implied. also, if you like to use equalizer settings, they dont work unless you use ATRAC3.
Creative: This is a very good player, I think. Reasonably priced at $250, with FM tuner/recorder and voice recording. The software is useable, but a bit sluggish at time, especially during transfers.
Its about the size of an ipod and about the same weight. i prefer the tactile buttons over touch sensitive as well. the touch strip is still extremely sensitive, but useable nonetheless. its gets pretty loud, so no worries about sound. sound qualiy is top notch, but it is pretty good.
can act as a removeable hard drive, which has been useful for me, since i'm giving my friend some of my music from time to time. the battery life is about 16 hours at full volume. not amazing, but not terrible.
i really hope this helps. post back if you have further questions
I am in a bind and doing research on which is the best 20gb HD mp3 player. For what I want there are three choices.
iPod 20gb color
Creative Zen Sleek
Sony HD5
All have good reviews, but I wanted to see what real people have to say.
Let the games begin.
SPEED

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