Buying a new MP3 player...need feedback

[Vectork39]

hey guys im in the market for a new mp3 player but before i list them i will tell u what my needs are:

1) needs to be fairly priced (under 250)
2) between 1 and 10 gigs, preferably somehere in the middle
3) my car plays mp3 cds so i wont be using it in the car (with a car kit)
4) needs to be relatively small
5) i want a display
6) not a huge ipod fan but it is an option
7) Primarily used at the gym
8) dont really need an FM tuner or games

so here is what i narrowed them down to:

1) Ipod Mini - $240 or so 4gigs
2) Creative ZEN - $215 - 5 gigs
3) Dell Pocket DJ - $180 - 5 gigs

 

[anthrax]

Zen micro or iRiver H10 (both 5 GB)

 

[Phaded]

nothing is better or more sleek than the ipod..

 

[jaded]

I want an ipod mini. A pink one. lol.

 

[Razorguns]

just get what i got. a nice little RIO $75 mp3 player that sticks on your arm and works off a smart card.

every day i just stick my smart card in it's reader. upload my mp3's with fresh new songs. and away i go.

having 500+ songs/10 gigs, etc. where my daily playlist is maybe 20 songs at best is not worth the price.

 

[SoreArms]

Creative Nomad 30 Gig is around that price

I have one, it's pretty cool, not as small and sleek as the ipods but not bad.

 

[blut wump]

I have an iPod but for the gym I got a Creative Muvo Tx. They are very small, have 512 megs and, being solid state, are perfect for when exercising. Uses real batteries so you're not stuck if you forget to recharge but you can still use rechargeable batteries. There's also a model of the Muvo Tx with a built-in fm radio.

If it's primarily for gym use then 512 is plenty since you can change the tracks every few days. Audio quality isn't quite as good as an iPod (but then what is?) but the difference is small and not noticable in a gym environment with cheap headphones/ear-buds.

 

[Phaded]

only bad thing about an ipod is after 2 years you gotta buy a new battery..

 

[blut wump]

I've had mine almost three years and still get seven or eight hours out of it. It helps to empty it and refill it every once in a while. Kind of like defragging a hard drive.

 

[mekannik]

just get what i got. a nice little RIO $75 mp3 player that sticks on your arm and works off a smart card.

every day i just stick my smart card in it's reader. upload my mp3's with fresh new songs. and away i go.

having 500+ songs/10 gigs, etc. where my daily playlist is maybe 20 songs at best is not worth the price.

Ditto.

Rio has some 512mb flash players that you can stick a 1 gig SDI card into. Big fan of no moving parts as opposed to hard drive players, no matter how skip-resistant they are.