Recommend me an portable MP3/Ipod thingy

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Hi Guys,

Well, having been communting to work for ages, I've finally got sick of just reading the metro, and need some other form of entertainment to mindlessly while away the time. Having never got on the portable music bandwagon, just wondering what's good out there?

I use PC's as opposed to Mac's, if that makes a difference...

Thanks in advance
 
I can't comment on that player. But...

It really depends on what you want to use the player for, how many tracks you want, whether you want to play video, listen to the radio, rechargeable batteries, file formats (mp3 being the main one of course), weight ....

If you give a little more info I'm sure someone can help you get exactly what you want :) ...oh, and maybe a budget ;)
 
Only really want to use it for tunes and radio (if I'm on a bus, as opposed to the tube).

Dunno about number of tracks, but I thought a gig might suffice.
Not really fussed about video.
Rechargeable would be useful.
File formats would obviously be mp3, but what about wav?
Firmware upgradeable would be useful I think.
Not too fussed about weight, so long as it fits in a pocket.
And budget would be circa £100 (possibly more if I'm tempted)

Thanks
 
Unfortunately I couldn't find a good one to match your needs on OcUK, but how about...

Samsung YP-F1ZW 1GB MP3, WMA, OGG player with FM radio

or if you wanna pay a little bit more look at the Cowon iAudio players.

Note that both of these have rechargeable batteries as I see this as a massive factor in choosing a player. There is nothing more annoying than buying AAA batteries all the time or recharging batteries externally.
 
Thanks Seirrah - you're not wrong with battieries. My 1 yr old's toys eat them up!

Just a thought, how many songs would I get on 1gb? And any retailers where I can just have a look, or would I be best wondering down Tottenham Court Rd? And then buying online ;)
 
Personally I would suggest either the Creative Zen Touch 20Gb or Zen Micro 5Gb. The Zen Touch has the most amazing battery life I know of. It says 24 hours but I would honestly say that would be a minimum. I charge it up once every 1-2 weeks and it sorts me out for all my travelling needs within london. You can buy a wired remote that has a radio in built adding the function to the Zen Touch should you want something else to listen to. The Zen Micro is a fantastic lil thing which I bought for my gf n to be honest I prefer it as its just so dinky and cute and has radio functionality built in already compared to the Zen Touch. The battery life is not as good however, coming in at a quoted 16 hours I believe but still that does the job for the missus :)

Sizewise, the Zen Touch is similar to an Ipod but a lil thicker. Its still pocket friendly tho. The Zen Micro tho is a lot smaller but still easy to use and handle. Personally I prefer my GFs Micro but if storage size and battery life are important then I would suggest the Zen Touch. Both have a cool blue screen which looks pretty funky. Also, it may be worth mentioning that you can get the Zen Micro in a vast array of colours whereas the Zen Touch is solely in white. The battery in the Zen Touch is built in and one major plus for the Zen Micro is that it has replaceable battery pack so once it has died you can simply stick a new one in and charge your old one.

One last worthy mention would be the Creative Zen Sleek. It is basically a reshaped Zen Touch with 20Gb of storage but has the built in radio like the Zen Micro. But in my honest opinion I feel that a Zen Micro would suit you to the ground mate. Plus you can pick them up well cheap now.

Software for the Creative Zen range is easy enought to use on the PC and not too much hassle to transfer files from the PC to the MP3 player. If my GF can do it then you will have no probs! :D

Hope this helps :)
 
Thanks guys.

Think I'm leaning towards the Zen Sleek, hunting on that ever popular auction site :)

Are there any known issues with Zen Sleek's?
 
Battery players aren't as bad as you're all making out. My Sony NWE107 lasts ages on a single AAA, probably over 4 weeks (rated at 70 hrs), and I never have to worry about charging it. Plus if you want to take it anywhere, there's no need to carry a charger (or charger + socket adaptor if you go abroad). Plus it's tiny and light.

Whatever you go with - Sennheiser MX500 for under £15 will make a nice companion for it.
 
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