Question re: MP3 players...need informed input

[chickenhawk]

OK, my birthday is coming up and I have a feeling that my family is going to all pitch in and get me an MP3 player. Knowing my family they will get me an iPod without shopping around and asking questions. I know shit about MP3 players so I want to know what the best player is for my needs so I can plant the seed if in fact a player other than an iPod is better.

An important note is that I have zero interest in downloading music off the internet, which is the main reason for my inquiry. I am only interested in ripping CDs onto my computer and then transfering them onto the player. So, my question is this....what MP3 player(s) are most user friendly (i.e. have the best and easiest/quickest system) for this? Also, will the MP3 player recognize the songs so that I can have a list of what's in the player? I am guessing the answer to this is no, except on more recent releases.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

PS: I am very aware of the new trend to copyright protect many CDs not allowing you to rip them onto your computer.

PS 2: To my posse (if I still have one... ) - please keep this bumped so I get some meaningful feedback because I am not around much these days. Thanks!!

 

[worx]

The hood always has your back.

I do believe that iTunes does what you'd want it to do - I'm about to drop $ on a 2GB Nano it looks like but my situation is a little different -I don't have any CDs and would be using it for downloadable music.

I think RandyT has some solid firsthand knowledge with iPods and their software. I'm inclined to trust him on the matter.

 

[chickenhawk]

Got what I need from Randy. Thanks, joe!

A mod can lock this up....not that anyone paid any attention to it anyway.