Yah, i don't actually have one - how retro am I?

So - after turning on my mobile for the first time in years last month I thought I may as well start updating myself by getting a music player so that when I am on the antisocial bus each day, and I can't be arsed to read, i can at least listen to something

Thinking iPod nano (unless anyones got good recommendations) - but a few things:

1) Anyone know if they're planning a new version with wireless or even wired, music transfer? Is there a way to do this currently between iPods?
It'd be a cool feature, a la zune. Or is it a case of swapping iPod bodies over to use your own headphones.

2) You can burn your own music from your own CD's to it, but what about music you've downloaded? Not advocating illegal rips, but if I had some MP3's (more and more bands are putting 1 or 2 tracks for download as tasters!), would I be able to put those on there?

3) Do I have to buy from iTunes, or can i buy anywhere and burn to it. I know if I buy from iTunes that the music will play only on iPods... but I'm looking at other sites being able to play on iPods, or is it exclusive iPod -> iTune thing?

4) Any insider knowledge on why I should hold off full stop?

5) Alternatives? iPod looks fricken easy to use, and pretty smart. Is there anything else out there though - i've looked, but by crickey there are tons available - anyone got recommendations or are iPods best?

6) For iPod owners, how is the musical clarity. No - I don't need a player that plays so loud it can deafen you, but I don't want poor music quality at low volumes!

Finally, if I did pull out headphones whilst it was playing, and plugged them back in - is the same track still playing? If i had over the body minus headphones whilst a song is playing, i want to know that the person can plug theirs in and hear what I intended them to hear... rather than them then having to navigate to the song to play it!

Sounds like an Ipod matey choose between 2gb 4gb 8gb... unless you want 30gb Video one

But they are pretty big and Itunes is good .. i think i dont get no problems with it and i mean a bit of subject... I t doesnt slow my game down or put any problems in the way i think its all around good... mines broke atm bast thing starting to come apart so the computer doesnt pick it up and i cant listen to music

So for now Party Tracks and Monsters of Rock 3CD on a 1gb creative player FTW all my mums as welll mwhahaha :D:D

And all i know recently Apple have put a bluetooth headset out for the Ipods.. wouldnt mind trying that tbh

Also the Musical Clairty is good but i dont know really how good through standard Ipod headphones because i got inner ear headphones... so i pressume they make a bit of difference... i hate the Ipod headphones cheap as anything... and look crap.

For the buying bit you can buy from Anywhere and use the import option within Itunes matter of Seconds i find and its no problems
So really i think Ipod is good and if you're willing to spend £100 ish pounds go for it mate...
Just make sure you look after it and yeah... dont let what happened to mine happen to yours

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Well yeah but, my sony small mp3 does for me, Its only a gig, but available in more gigage

Best thing about it is, its charges for 3 hours from 3 mins charge, so if ive fogot to charge it and im just headin out, wait a couple of mins and it does the trick.

Just depends what you after rle.

Is that the one that has like the Twisty bit n teh end??
And theres like a choice of 3 colours? ... and the more expensive one has the radio??
I used to won the first style when it came out but Headphone jack messed up... which always seems to happen to my MP3's and i always look after them dont really drop them and you know keep it on me wherever i go.

Cant go anywhere without a bit of music relaxes me

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don't work at dixons anymore, but i still have opinions...

wrt ipods

well, the hardware at least works now....I only have MAJOR objections to their marketing....the software is admitedly fantastic, though i still don't like the excessive DRM.

Creative - functional and cheaper, fantastic build quality, software aint quite up to the standard of itunes, but still pretty good.

and thats about it really - sony = really good hardware, but software is AWFUL

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“There are some people in this world who don’t love their fellow man, and I HATE people like that!”

Aye SonicStage i think Sony had was pile of nuts... Crashes there just isnt no flexibility with it in my opinion not user friendly at all... itunes roxors me soxors

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I would agree with the sony sonic stage. but i lost my disc and downloaded the newest one and i have been using it all night (lost my cable so i havn't put music on my player in donkeys) but yeah it hasnt crashed yet

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creative zen - easy - long battery life and sounds the best of all
dont have to pay for stupid apple mark up either

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id go for a 2nd gen ipod nano, had my little green one since spetember and really like it, battery life seems really good only ever charge it once possibly twice a week.

though i do like the look of the iphone, and i will be getting one rather promtly to replace my phone and ipod.

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Personally I'd go for a Creative Zen V Plus. It's a very small, flash drive MP3 player (and more).

At the moment I own a Zen Micro Photo (software is basicly the same as the Zen V Plus) which I really love. It's easy to use and produces a very good sound (I did buy another set of earphones for it...in ear ones from Creative aswell). It can handle VBR MP3's (which iPods aren't good at....atleast that's what I read). It has a mode to use it as a thumbdrive, so you can store files on it. I use this for school documents and even to run programs (Firefox with my own settings, etc) on and this doesn't require drivers to be installed on the pc. You don't need iTunes (or any other program...just some drivers) to play music from it on the pc, which is a big plus for me Pity about this V series is the non-removeable battery....my ZMP has a removeable battery.

Ofcourse the iPods really looks great and that really swell and all but it's expensive for what it is. So think and do some research before you buy

Zune will do that for you, its a really good piece of equipment.

30GB good battery life and easy to use.

Play's videos also in 2 formats.

WMV
MP4

List of audio formats can be found on this page.

hxxp://support.microsoft.com/kb/928191/en-us?sd=zune

It also displays pictures.

Id say its worth it, if your going to use it alot that is.

If not get this

hxxp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 6015499267

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Just ownage.

I got an Mp4 player 2gb for £19 off Ebay. w00t.

Don't think its in Chip's range though as it would be to complex to use for a newb to the gadget era , I can barely use it lol, software/firmware is awful, hardware pwns.

Oh and it looks identical to Ipon Nano but 1.8" screen instead of 1.5" lol..and plays videos obviously .

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if you are getting movies and videos off the internet for playback on your portable player you really should get a divx native player like the Creative Vision:M because re-encoding is a pain in the butt and i just want to watch and go. if you want good sound and good video with massive battery life get a Cowon iAudio A2

hope this helps

I'm not 95, methinks i'll be able to work out how to use things

The price of iPods is silly, it's 1/4 of a laptop! Of course, Ebay has some guys selling from china for £60, but even if he's got 90+ feedback, I don't trust it.

The only one he's sold so far gave him feedback 7 mins after the bidding ended... hardly able to say it's been received

I tend not to buy anything from china unless there isnt really anything that can be wrong with it. Only thing I've bought is an adaptor for some headphones lol.

DONT buy an ipod...me no likey zen is much better

I dont like itunes in the slightest...it seems to take over the pc..

doesnt really do anything special either...

Zen software isnt bad at all....does everything that I've wanted it to do and realativly easily...

Get a zen, or an unbranded/other brand mp3 player.

You dont necessarily need to spend as much money as iPod seems to deem necessary for their product.

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