IPOD ALTERNATIVES...?!??!

Can I ask why you don't want an iPod? They will work the best and the most seemless with your mac, and if you look on eBay you can get a Mini new for £145, or 3G 15GB for ~£130.

If you can wait till January, there might be a flash-based iPod.

even with a flash-based iPod, it won't have 1.5 GB. and chances are, it will be more expensive than other mp3 players. so i wouldn't wait for it...

i'd get a flash-based mp3 with 256 or 512 MB with an expansion slot. get a 512 MB /1 GB SD card and i think you'll be all set.

there aren't too many mp3 players with removable rechargeable batteries, i'm afraid.

Get a mini.

lasuther

Wait, Packard Bell still exists???

There are none!

iPod alternatives that is.

Just how much is a 1gig flash card anyway? I think you're stuck with an iPod as the best value if you go over 512megs.

jxyama said:

even with a flash-based iPod, it won't have 1.5 GB. and chances are, it will be more expensive than other mp3 players. so i wouldn't wait for it...

i'd get a flash-based mp3 with 256 or 512 MB with an expansion slot. get a 512 MB /1 GB SD card and i think you'll be all set.

there aren't too many mp3 players with removable rechargeable batteries, i'm afraid.

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I dont know why they dont do it but it'd be nice if I could replace iPod's battery easily. I once had a walkman which worked with a slim battery, why dont iPod have that?

mikebatho said:

I'm not actually that interested of the fashionable appeal of the ipod...

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thats not all there is to the ipod. is is simply the best player out there. If there was any comparison in quality i doubt the iPod would get 92% market share on good looks alone

There is no subsitute. EVER.

mikebatho said:

Whats the situation with ipod batteries these days? Is it still 2 years use then goodnight? I want to buy a spare battery at the same time as the player to cover myself....

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Batteries.com is listing batteries for the iPod at USD 33-47. Not an unreasonable price for a battery that lasts two years. Also, I believ Apple have a pdf for replacing the battery and you can do it yourself. Just go to ipodhacks.com or any other site devoted to ipods and you'll find pleny of info about replacing the battery and I'm sure links to cheaper batteries as well.

There aren't any batteries available for the 4G iPod yet, they only came out in August so I'm sure that even the most die hard user couldn't have burned it up in only three months!

Trust me, you'll never regret the iPod. It's not just stylish and easy to use but also rock solid. Something I'm sure you'll appreciate ifyou're taking it to the gym.

mikebatho said:

OK. Following on from my last post a few days ago where I listed a couple of players & was hoping to have luck with, I'm now starting from scratch.

I want an mp3 player I can use easily with my mac, but I don't want an ipod.

I can probaply survive on around 1.5 gig, and I'd like one with removable, rechargeable battery, that I can buy as spare of too....

Ideally no bigger than the MUVO2, And no more expensive that about 120 quid.

Any ideas....?

Mike.

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You might want to temper your expectations a bit in terms of the capacity. The Muvo Micro, which is probably what you're looking for in terms of the form factor, goes for USD129 for the 512MB and USD199 for the 1GB version. (USB199 is about 110 pounds no?) There are no 1.5gb players out there, as far as I know. The next step up above 1GB is 4GB (HDD). The MuVo uses AAA batteries which satisfies your replaceable battery requirement.

As for interoperability with iTunes (I'm assuming you're talking about iTunes when you say compatibility with your Mac), it's gonna be a clunky solution with anything other than an iPod. Apple used to have Creative Nomad pluggins for iTunes but I don't think anymore. So you'll have to manually load mp3s into your MuVo, which could be a pain. Also, Creative products don't support AACs and Fairplay, so you're SOL when it comes to iTMS.

Why not try iRiver ?

Why not check iRiver? They have models from 256 MB to 1 GB with price $149 to $225. Sound quality is excellent (next to iPod) , work on AA/AAA size batteries. Has FM tuner, FM recording, voice recording, microphone input to recored CD, LP, Cassettes directly into MP3, can be used as USB Data storage. No restriction to use any proprietory software to transfer music to-fro. Simple user interface and good quality LCD Screen. Comes with all std accessories such as cables, case, shoulder band etc.

I have one (256MB) and quite happy with it.

By the way I am no way connected to iRiver , just a music lover like you.

Hope this helps.

SuhasG

What about getting a used CL muvo2 off Ebay? They have 4GB now, but until recently this was a 1.5GB thingy. Should be in your price range as well.

BTW, I have an iPod. It's sturdy, reliable, a nicely crafted piece of functional and durable hardware. And, yes, you can replace the battery. In your place I'd take a look at a used 10GB 3rd gen., this will suit your needs, and is within your price range. But since you don't want to, you'll have to get along with something lesser. But the muvo is a good machine, and it's small.

not expandable, but i like this:

http://www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/product/b2c_product_detail.jsp?eUser=&prod_id=YPT5V/XAA

they are supposed to release a 512 MB one soon. it's very, very compact.

mikebatho said:

OK. Following on from my last post a few days ago where I listed a couple of players & was hoping to have luck with, I'm now starting from scratch.

I want an mp3 player I can use easily with my mac, but I don't want an ipod.

I can probaply survive on around 1.5 gig, and I'd like one with removable, rechargeable battery, that I can buy as spare of too....

Ideally no bigger than the MUVO2, And no more expensive that about 120 quid.

Any ideas....?

Mike.

Click to expand...

OMG! Look at the caps in the title! My god! My eyes!!!!