Cheap, Quality iPod Alternatives

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WinnieThePujols

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The recent "workout mix music" topic inspired to start going out and running. I try and do it 3-4 times a week. Unfortunately, the portable CD player is starting to feel archaic... I can't run without it skipping, or the batteries falling out of place.

I'm looking for a good affordable MP3 player. As far as size goes... a gig is probably enough. Really. I know I'll save a lot of money down the road by purchasing a lot of space and it will be incredibly cheap, relatively-speaking, but it doesn't matter. I'm moving out in a couple weeks and I have enough set aside to buy something for like $60-100 or so.

Any ideas? Again, space isn't really an issue. I'd say if I could fit 50 songs I'd be happy. Even half that. I'd like something that would be able to make little playlists...

Just shoot some ideas out there. One friend of mine has an I River or whatever, and that sounds decent enough.

iPod's may be awesome, but I don't need awesome right now. I'll be content with something that gets the job done while spending little.

Thanks guys. I'm buying this tomorrow afternoon so hopefully we can get a few responses in before then.
 
There used to be a couple sellers selling old model RCA Lyras on eBay that would usually end around $20; the only catch was that you had to flash the firmware on them yourself. The player had 256MB of built-in memory with an SD card slot that would definitely take 1GB cards, anything above that wasn't officially supported but I'd heard of people using larger cards.
 
"Cheap" and "quality" should probably not be in that proximity to each other...typically, it's one or the other.

If you're using it for running, you want one that's flash-based - no skipping, and no chance of damaging it because it's being bounced around.

A 1GB iPod Shuffle is $100. You're going to be limited in what you can do with it - only one playlist in it at a time, and it's hard to find a specific song on it because of the lack of screen - but it might work for what you want. Apple's stuff is definitely well made. :)
 
Dont buy any iPods older than the Nano (except for the shuffle) and stay away from the Video iPod. Why? They contain hard drives in them. A flash based Nano should do you right. It ain't cheap, but hey, the quality is up there.
 
The 1 GB one is $20 after rebate at OD, if you can find them in stock anywhere around you. I picked one up last week and it works great and cheap. Even comes with a clear plastic case with a strap that attaches to it for running.
 
[quote name='gofishn']The 1 GB one is $20 after rebate at OD, if you can find them in stock anywhere around you. I picked one up last week and it works great and cheap. Even comes with a clear plastic case with a strap that attaches to it for running.[/QUOTE]
That deal is dead.

You can get the Sansa e260 4gb player for $120 from Office Depot. Add it to your cart and use coupon code 15345238. Choose in-store pickup and here are the rebates:

http://forms.young-america.com/44055_OD6402014 - 061206.pdf

http://forms.young-america.com/43853_SA-644-407383-3 - 060806.pdf
 
[quote name='Ugamer_X']That deal is dead.

You can get the Sansa e260 4gb player for $120 from Office Depot. Add it to your cart and use coupon code 15345238. Choose in-store pickup and here are the rebates:

http://forms.young-america.com/44055_OD6402014 - 061206.pdf

http://forms.young-america.com/43853_SA-644-407383-3 - 060806.pdf[/QUOTE]

Ah, sorry about that. That is a good deal for the 260 though. Excellent quality on these little things, and with that much space it's a real Nano-killer if you don't mind it being a little chunky and no color screen.
 
Every couple of months this comes up... I bought my Mobiblue back in 05 and use the living crap out of it all the time..

Heres what i put in another topic back in feb.. REmbmer the pricing has went down.. I couldnt be happier:





I figured I would throw this out there. I bought a Mobiblu a while ago and have used the crap out of it. I use it for working out, running, working on my car and even cleaning or yard work etc.

I have the 1 gb and its flash so it plays MP3, & WMA as well as doubling as a storage device. The music is transferred by drag and drop or copy or cut and paste in windows. Its easy as cake.

It works with USB plugs and charges on the same plug. I normally get mine to last anywhere from 6-11 hours on a charge.

On top of that its extremely small a 1" square and it has a backlit screen. Its in your price range and its different to say the least. I prefer it due to the music compatibility and if you are looking for just 1 or 2 gb then its perfect. I have had upwards of 400 songs on it at 64kb and currently run around 250 songs (all kb range) and still have 300 + meg to store stuff if needed.

1 gb anywhere from 119.00 and to 126 depending on color:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3756866

2gb at 154 with mutliple colors:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4764750

I have the blue one and its a darker blue than it shows in the linked pic. Its indeed not the color of the "purple" gamecube although it looks it in the pic.
0080872800119_215X215.jpg


0080872800196_215X215.jpg



Heres an old CAG post about it with reviews pics etc:

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61914&highlight=mobiblu

and Cheapy bought two at the time I will quote him for full effect:

[quote name='CheapyD']Well, after a quality test run with the MobiBLU and Shure EC2's, I am very impressed.
1GB is plenty of space, especially since its so easy to swap in/out new songs.

I love the fact that its got a lot of different sound settings, including user adjustable EQs.
Do iPods have that?

Highly recommended.[/QUOTE]



alright I am done with my sales pitch.
 
The mobiblu is pretty nice. I've had one for about a year. Unfortunately, you have to reflash the firmware every few months as it gets corrupted when you transfer a lot of files. The most recent firmware seems to be holding well though.
 
Honestly, I don't think you can beat a regular IPod. With up to what 40GB of storage for 200-300 bucks? I dont think any mp3 players will rival that amount of storage currently and there is no possible way they will rival it with a price around 200 dollars.
 
[quote name='Snake2715']

On top of that its extremely small a 1" square and it has a backlit screen where as the nano doesnt.

[/QUOTE]
the nano has a backlit screen
 
[quote name='Snake2715']
On top of that its extremely small a 1" square and it has a backlit screen where as the nano doesnt.

[/QUOTE]

Stop spreading this lieeeee :bomb:.
 
There was just a deal here for a Sandisk 1 GB player from Office Depot for $20 after the rebates... I think the rebates might be expired now, though. If the rebates are expired, it's still $80 after the $20 off $100 coupon, it ships free, and shipping is extremely fast... got it within 3 days of ordering.

My girlfriend loves it... it holds about 240 songs, has an FM Tuner, can hold some data files, even has an option for voice recording. It's a Sensa M240 I think, it's very quality stuff.
 
[quote name='Eviltude']Honestly, I don't think you can beat a regular IPod. With up to what 40GB of storage for 200-300 bucks? I dont think any mp3 players will rival that amount of storage currently and there is no possible way they will rival it with a price around 200 dollars.[/QUOTE]

Size is almost irrelevant though... why do I need 40 gigs of music for a 30 minute run?

Down the road I'll probably by something else, but this is just a quick fix for for $57 shipped to my house.
 
[quote name='crazytalkx']Stop spreading this lieeeee :bomb:.[/QUOTE]

You guys that has been discussed. i was thinking of the shuffle (?).

Anyway that was a quote of my original post from 2005.

I will edit it anyway.
 
I don't mean to derail this thread from the flash-based players, but I don't think my question deserves it's own thread.

My Iriver H10 has crapped out on me; it freezes whenever plugged into the computer and can't play more than three songs without stopping. So i sent it back to best buy and got my money back thanks to the product replacement plan. And now, with the credit I need to get a replacement. I talked myself out of an IPod last year when i got the H10 after a lot of research, but now the 5G Ipod is looking pretty good. Plus I've started bringing my music into Itunes, and though I used to hate the program, I love it now.

So my question is, do I take the plunge and get the IPod, or are there hard-drive player alternatives that are better? Also, do you think an upgrade is coming soon, and if so, should I wait for one?
 
Hey anybody know what the maximum KBPS rate the SanDisk Sansa M240 1 GB accepts? I like using 192KBPS as my minimum bitrate.

[quote name='Eviltude']Honestly, I don't think you can beat a regular IPod. With up to what 40GB of storage for 200-300 bucks? I dont think any mp3 players will rival that amount of storage currently and there is no possible way they will rival it with a price around 200 dollars.[/QUOTE]

Yeah but the bastard has a hard drive in it... moving parts *cringes*

Real durable, the iPods, I know... but Hard Drives are just old technology, that're a lot more likely to fail than flash memory. Hell, my PS1 memory card from 1997 still works like the day I got it. Where I've seen more than a few hard drives die a much younger life then any of the flash devices I've used.
 
I just bought a Sony NetMD and I love it. A bit bulky, though.

If you can hang out a few weeks, I should have black Ipod Nano 4GBs for about $200 shipped. Just waiting for my shipment to arrive.
 
[quote name='Aleryn']Hey anybody know what the maximum KBPS rate the SanDisk Sansa M240 1 GB accepts? I like using 192KBPS as my minimum bitrate.[/QUOTE]

I have the M240 and 192 works fine, I don't know about anything higher because I think 192KBPS is the highest I've got.
 
[quote name='zionoverfire']fuck yes![/QUOTE]

Have fun trying to change the battery when it dies! >:p

*doable, yeah, but stupidly complicated
 
Anyone with a Zen Nano Plus have problems connecting it to a computer with USB 1.1? It says it's compatable with USB1.1, but a comment on Amazon someone left said they couldn't get it to work with USB1.1. I am gussing that person might just be a moron. I looked on a lot of sites and it states that it's compatable with USB1.1 too. I am very close to deciding on getting this MP3 player right now.
 
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