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General discussion

MP3 which one is the most durable

Jun 20, 2005 6:57AM PDT

i have a archos gmini 400 and love to skateboard and i want something that is durable not saying the gmini 400 is a piece of crap but the screen is covers alot of the front of it and could be cracked easyly so i want something durable id doesnt have to be a 20 gb acualy i was looking at micro hdd like a apple ipod mini or creative zen micro or even a flash based player please just give me your opinions on your experiences with any mp3 player on its durability

Discussion is locked

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well
Jun 20, 2005 6:34PM PDT

i suggest a flash-player, which is powered by an AA Cell
e.g.
Conwon IAudio G3
Samsung YP MT 6
the samsung i have on my own ... performance is about 25
hours (with older AA Accus, Soundprocessor on, but not much button pressing)

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sorry :(
Jun 21, 2005 6:40PM PDT

made some translation error i think
mistook durable ...

*
sorry for it *duck*

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NEX II
Jun 21, 2005 2:48AM PDT

I owned several MP3 players in the past. They all broke at one time. Now I have picked up a NEX 2 Flash player (it takes CF cards) and has 2 AA Batteries form Ebay.

I have been remodeling a house in the last 2 month. This thing fell off a ladder 3 times onto concrete. Has Latex paint, Primer and concrete on it. The battery cover came open and the batteries flew out after it hit the ground. It got also got wet multiple times.

I have used it every day since. At least 5 hours daily. Although it looks cheap and plasticy - it is a very durable machine. I know that any other MP3 player (including IPod) I have owned would have not survived that kind of treatment. I picked it up because I didn't want to use a "nice" MP3 player for that purpose.

Now it doesn't come with fancy software and it doesn't have Radio or Recording. I just drop the files onto a flash card from windows and it keep playing and playing...

If it ever dies I will buy the same one again, unless I need a 20 gig hard drive or so.

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thanks alot ill check into those
Jun 21, 2005 3:26AM PDT

i talked to my friend hes got a mini ipod and he said its been to hell and back he said hes droped it off a 5 set (5 stairs) at a sk8 spot and shes still going strong but apples sound like crap but it sounds like a flash based player is the way to go accept i think iwant more music than 1gb i have a bout 3000 songs on my archos gmini and am prety sure that i could make a hit list much bigger than 1gb big can you help me

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2GB flash players are expensive
Jun 21, 2005 7:43AM PDT

In my expert opinion, you should definitely be using a flash player--especially for something like skateboarding. Dropping a hard drive player at the wrong moment can do serious damage. Unfortunately, while 2GB flash players exist, they are pricey - example: http://reviews.cnet.com/Cowon_iAudio_5_2GB/4505-6490_7-31325011.html.

Of the Cowon players, the U2 - http://reviews.cnet.com/Cowon_iAudio_U2_1GB_Platinum_Black/4505-6490_7-31129769.html - is the most seamlessly constructed. Of course, most flash player will continue to work if you drop them...the screen just might get damaged.

On the other hand, you could get the bargain-priced Creative MuVo Micro - http://reviews.cnet.com/Creative_MuVo_Micro_N200_1GB_Black/4505-6490_7-31212090.html - which is super light, but not that durable.

If you need help cutting down the size of your music mixes, consider in investing in MusicMagic Mixer - http://music.predixis.com/. You can check out our take of the Apple version here: http://reviews.cnet.com/Roxio_The_Boom_Box/4505-3669_7-31414401-4.html?tag=top.

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Another one...
Jul 13, 2005 10:36AM PDT

I read about another one called the "Adamond ZK1 2GB Flash MP3 player". You can read more about it at http://www.adamond.com/press/zk1.html

I agree though, I think as a class, they're all horribly overpriced, especially with the lack of expansion slots or even FM receivers in most of them.

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Try the Sandisk Sansa
Jun 21, 2005 10:00AM PDT

I've been using it non-stop for a month during active use, and I love it. it's flash based, so there's no skipping. That's part of the reason I bought it. The other points are price and expandability. The 1 gb version can be had for around $130 if you look around. I used ebuyer.com. It also features a stopwatch and a digital FM tuner. I reviewed the product on Epinions:

http://www.epinions.com/content_186478988932

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thanks alot
Jun 21, 2005 3:31PM PDT

i gues i will get a flash based player definatly a 1gb versoin it will be easier to conseal someplayce where i wont fall (not a side pocket) like an armband or jsut clip it to the front of my belt. i was thinken about that new sony with the oled display because of battery and sound i dont need a fm tuner. or hte iaudio u2 one