Alternatives to the iPod?

[Skuffyshootster]

I've been considering buying an MP3 player, and the most obvious choice is, of course, the iPod. But before I buy one I was wondering if there were any other music players with comparable or better quality at a lower price that have been overshadowed. Now if the iPod really is the best choice, I'd happily buy it, as I'm not trying to prove anything, but I don't want to jump on the bandwagon without considering my options.

So, uh, are there any?

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Creative Zens have always served me well. And they're made by people who make sound cards, so you know they know what they're doing.

 

[kerbouchard]

It would really depend on which ipod you are looking at and what you are buying it for. Do you just want to listen to music or do you plan on using the apps?

 

[Waaghpowa]

Zune from Microsoft, The Zune HD is basically the same thing as an ipod touch but 4 times the memory for a lower price. Also no camera, but who cares?

 

[Julianking93]

It depends, really.
On not only what you intend to use it for but also how much music you plan to put on it.

I, for example, have almost 20000 songs on iTunes, but unfortunately, other than the Zune, there aren't any MP3 players that can hold that much and Zune doesn't work on Mac and iTunes I don't think so I can't use that.

But there are plenty of smaller mp3 players out there pretty cheap but you just have to find which one suits you best.

 

[Skuffyshootster]

It would really depend on which ipod you are looking at and what you are buying it for. Do you just want to listen to music or do you plan on using the apps?

iPod touch, primarily for the music.

 

[Jark212]

I have a 80gb Zune and it works very well even though I've had it for like 6 years or so...

It's cheaper than the iPod and it's pretty user friendly...

 

[Som_kun]

zune is good, and if you don't need a crapton of space Sony made the goddamn walkman, and hasn't stopped rocking yet

 

[ThisTypeofThinking]

Cowon X7.

http://www.amazon.com/COWON-160-MP3-Player-Black/dp/B0048BPI7C

Big hard drive, superb battery life and sound quality, excellent format support.

 

[Saint_Zvlkx]

I wouldn't recommend Creative products to you. They're a little overpriced & I haven't owned one that didn't fail within a year. Admittedly, I live and work on a farm, so my electronic devices are generally treated harshly, but Creative products just haven't survived that well. In fact, iPods have actually held up the best so far, so as long as you're fine with using the iOS and iTunes (or just finding some way to get around one or both), I'd recommend an iPod.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I'm VERY happy with my Walkman MP3 player.

It's quite small, slightly smaller than an iPod mini, and it gets 45 hours of music playback, and god knows how much time standby. If you're looking for an MP3 player purely for music, this would definitely be the right choice. If you're looking for something to also play games on and watch video though, this probably won't work too well for you because of the small screen size (a byproduct of its generally tiny size).

Spoiler

 

[DasDestroyer]

Cowon X7.

http://www.amazon.com/COWON-160-MP3-Player-Black/dp/B0048BPI7C

Big hard drive, superb battery life and sound quality, excellent format support.

Totally this. When my Cowon iAudio 7 dies, I'm getting one.

 

[Sleekgiant]

Creative Zens have always served me well. And they're made by people who make sound cards, so you know they know what they're doing.

Seconded

If you like listening actually listening to music, get a Creative.

Got a ZEN Touch 32GB a couple of months ago and its fantastic, puts my iPod to shame.

 

[Waaghpowa]

Zune from Microsoft, The Zune HD is basically the same thing as an ipod touch but 4 times the memory for a lower price. Also no camera, but who cares?

Now, if you're looking for other stuff to do, the Touch is where you should go. It sounds fine, just not as good, and there are thousands of apps, many of which have proven to be good.

I see most of the apps as being total bullshit, most are just bad, pointless or stupid. If i want to play a game, why waste the money on a shitty app when i can get a DS or PSP, both of which by the way double as an mps player (DSi that is).

 

[skywalkerlion]

It depends, really.
On not only what you intend to use it for but also how much music you plan to put on it.

I, for example, have almost 20000 songs on iTunes, but unfortunately, other than the Zune, there aren't any MP3 players that can hold that much and Zune doesn't work on Mac and iTunes I don't think so I can't use that.

But there are plenty of smaller mp3 players out there pretty cheap but you just have to find which one suits you best.

20,000? Well, there's the 160gb Ipod Classic. It's the one I've got

OT: I agree with you, it all depends on preference.

 

[DeeWiz]

If you want just music, best buy is the Sansa Clip
Music and video, or power browsing your music Cowon J3
Apps = Apple

AnythingButiPod [http://www.anythingbutipod.com]

 

[MrMoustaffa]

Zune from Microsoft, The Zune HD is basically the same thing as an ipod touch but 4 times the memory for a lower price. Also no camera, but who cares?

I have a 16GB HD and I love it and hate it at the same time. The user interface is awesome, and it is probably the only thing I've had that is more slick than an Ipod touch. However, its app support sucks, so you really have to resort to downloading homebrewed apps if you want anything good.

PROS:
*Cool look
*Software is a lot easier to use (for me at least)
*If you have an Xbox it'll do all kinds of stuff with it
*HD video on it is kickass (just remember that it'll eat your memory like there is no tomorrow)
*Every artist that you have on the device will have Bio's, photos, and their discography able to be viewed at any time (awesome to do on a long drive, so you can read up on your favorite bands)
*Has Forza Motorsport Ferrarai Edition, and Audiosurf able to be downloaded for FREE! (Plus you can use any of your music on Audio Surf )
*If you're a serious Audiophile, Zune pass could be the ultimate nirvana for you, as it lets you download whatever music you want off the zune marketplace, and you even get 10 free permanent downloads per month that you keep, even if you stop using zune pass.
*Battery lasts surprisingly long for a touchscreen if you only do music. I think it has something to do with the black background/white lettering, which takes less energy to show, but im not sure.

CONS:
*There is almost NO 3rd party support for it. Finding screen protectors, cases, etc, is a nightmare. I had to special order mine.
*Almost no apps (I think the official tally is around 60 at the moment) on the bright side though, they're all free. However, its not hard to find homegrown ones online, I have a drum machine, guitar tuner, chord book, tetris, and even a Gameboy emulator on mine.
*There is no way to watch videos online with it, as far as I know. Unlike the Itouch, it will not play videos off of youtube through the browser, and there is no app for watching videos online either, so the browser is strictly for text and picture sites.
*Internet browser is kind of slow at times, and good luck if there are a ton of pictures.
*The last update was months ago, so the software on it is kind of dated.

It's probably the best Ipod comparison you can find, and you can get the 32GB HD's for dirt cheap now. Just make sure you research it before you buy it, because it really is a "love it or hate it" device