Ipod or alternative?

[FFactory0x]

My bro wants an Ipod for christmas but i think there are better players out there for the same price and cheaper. What do you think

 

[Mr N8]

I'm with you. The alternatives are better and cheaper. However, if he really wants an iPod, then he will probably sell your gift, and end up with an iPod, so I would either get him an iPod, or a gift card towards one, if you can't afford it.

 

[maddogchen]

go cheap, just get him a christmas card

 

[Ameesh]

rio carbon

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
rio carbon

damn i want one too >.<

 

[aircooled]

personally, i buy the mp3/cd players on sale at target. they are about 50 bucks or less and I burn the cd.

 

[jammur21]

You can get away with getting a brother another player instead of an iPod, don't try doing this with a GF or wife though.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: MogulMonster
I'm with you. The alternatives are better and cheaper. However, if he really wants an iPod, then he will probably sell your gift, and end up with an iPod, so I would either get him an iPod, or a gift card towards one, if you can't afford it.

Get him a gift card in the exact amount of what your alternative player is and in a card list the reasons why it's a better choice (or an equal choice) but tell him you didn't want to get him something he didn't want and so here's your contribution towards his Ipod if that's what he wants.

(I just bought a Creative Zen Xtra 30 gig for $198 shipped, to replace the Ipod that was stoln from my car). I like the Ipod, but it was a refurb that I only paid $190 for...

 

[Dubb]

rio karma

gapless. 'nuff said.

 

[FFactory0x]

Originally posted by: maddogchen
go cheap, just get him a christmas card

Well its not me purchasing it. Its my dad and he asked me because he really doesnt want to shell out $300 for an ipod and seriously my brother wont use itunes

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: Dubb
rio karma

gapless. 'nuff said.

I have the karma and I'm not sure I would give a blanket recommendation. It has its own set of quirks that not everyone would put up with, and the support by rio is utterly abysmal.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: FFactory0x

Originally posted by: maddogchen
go cheap, just get him a christmas card

Well its not me purchasing it. Its my dad and he asked me because he really doesnt want to shell out $300 for an ipod and seriously my brother wont use itunes

Well then Carbon it is.

Without itunes the IPOD's usefulness goes out the window...Anapod and stuff is nice, but for simplicity...itunes is it.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: FFactory0x

Originally posted by: maddogchen
go cheap, just get him a christmas card

Well its not me purchasing it. Its my dad and he asked me because he really doesnt want to shell out $300 for an ipod and seriously my brother wont use itunes

Get Him a Zen Micro, Rio Carbon, Rio Karma or Zen Touch

the Micro and Carbon are both Small the carbon is actually smaller then the ipod mini the zen is just about the same, both have 5gigs of space, zen has a 12 hour battery that you can remove and put in another one, carbon has 20 hour bat life

the Karma and touch are both 20gig players, the touch has a 24 hour bat life and actually gets that, its a lil bigger then the normal ipod

the karma is about 2/3 the size of the ipod, its square, dont know about bat life but its bound to be better then the ipods

all of thoes can be found in the 190-250$ range

 

[anxi80]

iaudio m3. cheaper, smaller and lighter than an ipod, looks sleek, has more features, great support (new firmware updates just about every month), and doesnt require any software, you can just plug it into your system, recognized as a hard drive, and just drag and drop whatever you want in. even comes with a case and (2) docks (one desktop dock, another is a portable dock).

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: anxi80
iaudio m3. cheaper, smaller and lighter than an ipod, looks sleek, has more features, great support (new firmware updates just about every month), and doesnt require any software, you can just plug it into your system, recognized as a hard drive, and just drag and drop whatever you want in. even comes with a case and (2) docks (one desktop dock, another is a portable dock).

sence when it it cheaper? i know its better but the M3 costs over 300$ and the M3L is about 400$

 

[mwtgg]

My sister just bought a Zen Xtra... It's a wee bit large though.

 

[vi edit]

Dell just put out the "DJ Portable". Good support. Good price. Great features.

I messed around with a carbon in a few stores. I didn't care for the UI anywhere as much as my Ipod.

 

[Gurck]

If it were for you, I'd recommend anything but, as by asking you'd be requesting information on it rather than simply following the herd... but it's not, it's for your brother who, for all I know, just wants his friends to think he's cool... IMO get him a gift card for around $200-$250 - it may inspire him to spend only that on a player, which would get him a good player, but not a crappy iPod, at least not without cash supplementation. And if he goes that route, so be it - he's the one with the siht player, not you.

 

[FreshFish]

Originally posted by: Dubb
rio karma

gapless. 'nuff said.

HAHA gapless is not enough to recomend a player. There are 100000000 other considerations

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: anxi80
iaudio m3. cheaper, smaller and lighter than an ipod, looks sleek, has more features, great support (new firmware updates just about every month), and doesnt require any software, you can just plug it into your system, recognized as a hard drive, and just drag and drop whatever you want in. even comes with a case and (2) docks (one desktop dock, another is a portable dock).

sence when it it cheaper? i know its better but the M3 costs over 300$ and the M3L is about 400$

The 20gb m3 is $275 at Newegg which is comparable (but a smidge below) the iPod &amp; iRiver 20gb models - its 40gb version really shines though at $335 (Newegg as well - though they're out of stock, iirc), while the competition from Apple &amp; iRiver is close to $400. I know those are just Newegg's prices, but prices elsewhere should somewhat resemble them. What's the M3L?

 

[FFactory0x]

Hmmm. Hows a 20gb RIO Karma for $200 shipped sound? Good deal

 

[anxi80]

Originally posted by: Gurck
The 20gb m3 is $275 at Newegg which is comparable (but a smidge below) the iPod &amp; iRiver 20gb models - its 40gb version really shines though at $335 (Newegg as well - though they're out of stock, iirc), while the competition from Apple &amp; iRiver is close to $400. I know those are just Newegg's prices, but prices elsewhere should somewhat resemble them. What's the M3L?

yeah, thats where i was going to point to. in fact, amazon has the 20gb without the desktop dock cradle for $269, and its in stock.

the m3l is the 20gb with a 35 hour battery life boasted. it weighs and is the same size as the 40gb model. i think that model is only available directly from the jetaudio site though.

edit: link to the m3l at the jetaudio site

 

[Futher]

I'm in the market for a new MP3 player as well. I had an ipod for a long time and lost it over Thanksgiving break. The only thing that's holding me back from a different player is that fact that I bought well over $100 worth of accessories for it. I'm leaning towards the Rio carbon, but that would mean that all the stuff I have for my ipod would be useless. I also use my ipod as a portable hard drive often. Can the Rio be used to transfer files?

 

[anxi80]

Originally posted by: Gurck
The 20gb m3 is $275 at Newegg which is comparable (but a smidge below) the iPod &amp; iRiver 20gb models - its 40gb version really shines though at $335 (Newegg as well - though they're out of stock, iirc), while the competition from Apple &amp; iRiver is close to $400. I know those are just Newegg's prices, but prices elsewhere should somewhat resemble them. What's the M3L?

the 40gb just came in this morning, according to my auto-notify email. link

 

[FFactory0x]

Originally posted by: FFactory0x
Hmmm. Hows a 20gb RIO Karma for $200 shipped sound? Good deal

Well i think the rio karma for $200 shipped is a banging deal so maybe ill just order that forhim