alright, I am looking to get a new MP3 player the week after christmas (I am thinking that is when there will be a lot of deals).......

I know for sure what I do NOT want, which is an Apple product (extra cash I don't feel like spending combined with the fact that I don't like how they prefer you to exclusively use thier stuff for it, such as I Tunes etc).....

I also know that I am looking for something that is compatiable with the most music downloading programs (so if I were to decide to buy a subscription to a music service like Yahoo Music rahter than buying music per song or going exclusively off my CDs) it would work, I also know that I am looking for something around 2 - 4 GB….. Ideally anyway..

Any suggestions?

Try a Sony Walkman (yeah, stupid name for it).

It's supposed to be superior to Apple but much cheaper. Sony doesn't put a lot of money into advertising the way it should, so this is supposed to be a little gem. I'm ordering one for the kid, so I won't know 100% yet. Just going off the word of a die hard apple fan--who discovered the sony one and was ready to toss apple aside.

I actually sat down with Mathew and reviewed them all online. He really liked the look of this as well. So, we'll see.

http://www.sonystyle.com is where I got the kid's. Should be delivered today actually…lol

thanks glory! actually, that one does sound pretty good….. and it is compatiable with a lot of other music formats (like, if I have a subscription to a music site like yahoo?)

any what does anyone have to say about Creative zen?

Now that Christmas is over…I can post here.

The only reason was that Santa gave Peaunt an iPod Touch.

Santa went with that one as there's tons of other apps out there other than iTunes.  And, I wanted to give her one that she could also use as a PDA if she wanted..she can also surf the net, play games, and listen in her car.

I've got the wiring harness that will let her use the controls on her car radio to control the iTouch.

And it seems that the iPod has really been by far the best MP3 player out there…and I HATE Apple.

so what other apps are compatiable with an I Pod then???? I am asking cause I sorta fell into one today LOL…. my brother, when hearing about my plight today, gave me one they had extra….. it was too bulky for thier purposes (he used it mainly to run/ work out with and didn't like it's bulkiness)....

never mind, I answered my own questions hahaha

We've had horrible luck with our iPods. We've bought three of them and every single one has either completely died on us after about a year or has really weird quirks (like freezing up and only working after letting the battery die and re-charging it up).  I've been really disappointed.

well, I will say this, if given a *choice* I wouldn't have picked an IPod but beggers can't be choosers right? ROFL

Ditto what Jen said.  And if you have to mail your iPod in to Apple…be very sure to have pictures of every inch of it. (really you should do this for anything you send back to the manufacturer)

We bought Jordan the 32GB iTouch for one of his graduation presents…when he and I were driving back from New England this summer…it shorted out the entire sound system in my car and went completely dead.  He had it for one month.

I contacted Apple…they sent a box….then they sent it back and told me they weren't going to honor the warranty… tried to tell me that someone had tried to open the iTouch.  I went ballistic…sent them a few pictures of my own…date-stamped the day that I sent it out…and they replaced it.

But it was bullshit dealing with them and I was disapointed that it took a fight to get them to back their product up.  I swear someone in their receiving unpacked it and threw it on the ground to try and get around replacing it/fixing it.

If my family weren't so gadget-happy…I'd never buy from them again.

yeah, like I said, I have it because it is free, not nec. cause it is the one I would have picked… and I remember you talking about that Dar. That would make me INSANE.

That sucks Darlene..I screwed it up when I was setting it up.  I went into the Apple shop to have it repaird.  They were awsome.  They even said that it didn't matter that I screwed it up…they fixed it no questions asked.

Then, when I got home and screwed it up again…I kinda knew what he did at the store (I wasn't really paying attention) so I called them.  And they walked me through it step by step.

The service was great…I was really impressed.

Every one that I know that has an iPod or an iTouch has had them for a long time with no issues.  I have a buddy that's had the iTouch for over a year and he's still using it in his Jeep…and I watched a movie on it not too long ago.  My boss has had his iPod for about two years with no issues either.

And the apps, tools, and accessories that are out there for the iPod are second to none…and no one else has anything like it….

Again, it's just me…I'm happy with them…and after all my research I went with the Apple product even though I'm not an apple fan.  But there was just no MP3 player out there that can compare.

I just bought a 4GB Philips MP3 Player with video - I haven't been able to download anyh songs yet, but I am excited about the notion of being able to use it.

I've heard lots of nightmare stories about the Ipod, too - I had one and the flywheel got all screwed up.

knock on wood….we've had all kinds of Ipods with no issues at all.

Got Andrew a touch this year and he has been going nuts. Loves the wifi on it…he says it has all the features of an Iphone without the headaches.

I've had my ipod for nearly 2 years and haven't had a single problem with it.  I love it!  The kids have ipods and haven't had any problems either.  Don't know if we've just been lucky or what…  I am actually dating someone that used to work for Apple and was instumental in getting the ipod launched…does that mean that if I do have any problems I got the hook up? ;-)

I have an iPod 2nd gen (first with the touch wheel) in my car and it's been working fine ever since I bought it ages ago.  I think the only thing I had to do was replace the battery a couple years back…did it by myself, though.

I much prefer my Cowon D2, however.  Not as flashy as the iPod, but I can do much more with it…about a fraction of the price, too.  If you're still looking, tj, Cowon makes an excellent product and they're constantly updating the firmware of their MP3 players to add functionality.  It's like getting a new player every couple of months.

Well, the kid is in love with his sony walkman and says he likes it better than the ipods that he's had in the past. That makes me happy (I was worried lol)

I want to buy one for myself--they're freakin' sharp.

TJ, sounds like you were really lucky to get the cast off lol I still have a first generation Shuffle and I like it, but it's really limited on what it can do. I wanted an ipod to hook up to my car and hook up at work…the walkman may not be able to do that…I need to research it a bit more as far as accessories…but I really don't want to spend a lot of money on myself (with the ipod that is).

Congrats on getting the goods.  :)

thanks… what is even better is that I don't have any of the guilt of having spent moeny now…. it went to my visa payment instead… HAHA

Glory, there's tons of the wiring harnesses on eBay to connect them to your car.  I got mine free from a friend..but now I need one for the Jeep as the one I have now will go in the Van.

I'm just worried that I'll lose the Sirius in the Jeep if there's not enough jacks in the back of the head unit.