MP3 or iPod or Zune or What?
By Colin Noden
This review is the result of
hours of frustration trying to buy and program a few MP3
players.
OK first of all, let me
say that I'm going to use the term MP3 player to cover all of
the products I'm reviewing today. Yes I know that these
personal audio and video devices are much much
more.
But it just gets too confusing
to say MP3 or MP4 or WAV or whatever.
Everybody out there calls 'em MP3 players except the real
techie types ( who will probably hate what I'm going to write)
or the marketing people.
So how do you choose the right
MP3 player for you or as a gift for someone?
First
answer
If you want the hottest product
then get an iPod with video. Or look at a cell phone with
a camera and video and music storage. The iPhone is
getting all the press right now, and is Very Hot ( but
unattainable for most)

Now if you are serious about
getting the best price on an iPod then you have to check out
Walmart! Here is a secret. You can get iPods at
Walmart online that you will never see in the store!
Heck, they even deliver now!
I think the cell phone is the
way things are going. You can get one unit that
does it all pretty well. With the latest cell phones you
can talk, text, shoot, watch, listen, and download.
Everything a socially connected
person would want .
(Except for a limited battery
life, remember to charge!)
Here are a few
others:
 
 ( OK perhaps this one is toooo sexy for you,
but click on the picture to take a look)
(Back to
iPods)
iPods are very hot and sexy
right now....but a pain in the butt to
program.
Oops I wasn't supposed to say
that....sorry Steve. But it is true. Apple has made
the mistake that Microsoft keeps making. They try to
integrate everything in the iPod experience. This is fine
if you want to go to the iTunes store and buy some music.
That part is easy.
But when you want to customize
your listening experience, and perhaps do a quick transfer of
files from your computer you get lost in some techno
swamp!
Apple seems to have made it hard
to do anything other than what they want you to do.
A friend brought her iPod over
for me to load up some music. I spent a couple hours
setting things up. Now granted, I was trying to keep as
independent from iTunes as possible. I finally got
everything done. But later on, her husband spent an
entire frustrating evening trying to figure the iPod and iTunes
out.
I talked to a Die Hard iPod
lover and asked her about this. And yes she confessed
that the iPod has a "steep learning curve". Unless of
course you just plug it in and download everything from the
iTunes store.

Of course one of the great things about Apple
is that they arrange for fantastic peripherals to be made for
their products. Nobody beats Apple where hardware is
concerned. You know that if you buy something made for
one of their products it will work without a glitch.
Take a look at this great accessory for
connecting your iPod to your car stereo:
 ( Click for more details)
Second Answer (A
better Choice?)
A basic MP3 player makes life
simple.
My spouse is a bit hard on tech
stuff. Things tend to slip, fall, take tumbles out of
purses, get stepped on, get eaten by dogs ( well not that
one.....yet).
An all in one cell phone is not
a good idea for her.
An iPod would get thrown across
the room in frustration.
I found a nice Ultra MP3 Player
that is rubber coated for water resistance and shock
protection.
SO Far it has
withstood rain storms and mysterious falls. The most that
is happened is that the battery died. All that was needed
was to slip in another AAA battery and off she
went.
Oh yes, and it also has an FM
tuner and a digital voice recorder for on the fly memo
taking. But to be honest, she doesn't use the memo
feature.
What she likes is that she can
clearly see the selections on the screen. (
She uses it for language training as well as music) And it is
VERY easy to select what she wants to
hear. ( iPod's ergonomic dial drove her crazy when she
tried her friend's unit out do yourself a favor, if you buy an
iPod, buy the iTouch, you will thank me.). Yes the screen
is small, but it is bright and legible, and
the unit is about as big as my thumb.
 Still going strong after being dropped
out of the car and banged about!
(Click on the pic for more info)
What I like is that I can just
drag and drop files on the computer to the Ultra MP3
player. I am also using the Windows Media Player which I
think is the best thing Microsoft has ever produced. (
Note to Microsoft: Don't mess this one up!!!!!)
Everything is nice and simple and well laid out.
Bottom line then:
If you want sexy buy an iPod
with video. And keep an eye out to see if people around
you (or at your kids' school) are buying Zune. If it
is hot at your kid's school then you will be forced to buy it
just for the music sharing feature. But it seems that
"The Other Steve" at microsoft has let things slip in regard to
the Zune. Perhaps he is too busy cleaning up the Vista
mess.
If you want convenience, then
check out the all-in-one cell phones. But please remember
to charge the thing up!
If you want simple and/or are
hard on your equipment, then go with a simple MP3 player and
keep all your data backed up on disks ( yes disks....you are
probably just as hard on your computer).
Here are some links
to online shops to get a quick look at what is
available:
Tiger Direct is one of my
favorite shopping sites. They have great deals and I have
never had a problem with shipping or service.
Here is a link to Tiger
Direct:
The Best Computer And Electronics Deals Anywhere
ONLY at TigerDirect!
Dell sells more than computers
now. And they are pretty competitive.

Apple is as Apple does.
Their products are sexy and probably the best built from a
hardware point of view. ( OR so my techie friends tell
me)
 
Pssst. did you notice I was kinda pushing
walmart here? Yeah well, since they have started this new
online shopping and delivery to store service I have become a
convert. I love great prices but hate the whole costco
experience. In fact, I even hated shopping at walmart
with the huge lines and bumper car mommas ramming down the
aisles. Now I can get the best prices at the touch of a
finger. Nice.
Well there you go.
Good hunting!
Colin
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