[WOT] - mp3 player suggestions

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Syd
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[WOT] - mp3 player suggestions

Post by Syd »

Way, Way, Way off topic. Not Scooter Related At All.

I have an old Creative MuVo2 mp3 player which, with the exception of capacity, suits me perfectly. The sound quality is good, the battery life is excellent (2-3 days at work, not running all the time), and most importantly, I don't need to use any special tool to manage the music on it. My Windows boxes see it as an external drive, so I copy/delete files as I wish, create playlists as I like, and as long as they are in the correct location, it all works. Plus in a pinch I have some extra drive space.

But it is too small. By lots. I tried swapping out the Compact Flash format harddrive in it, but the firmware doesn't support either the size I desire, or that CF card type. So I'm looking to replace the MuVo2.

Mostly what I want is a music player that supports 30+GB, has a readable display (video NOT desired), and doesn't require a separate tool to manage the music on it. I already have a database with a very flexible interface called my filesystem. I don't need another one. I have a workflow (woohoo! fancy) that creates high quality files and stores them the way I want. I don't want to replace it with a media suite.

I located an Archos model which is perfect. So of course it is no longer produced. I would get an iPod (even though I'm a hater), except for the reliance on iTunes. The new Zens from Creative could be nice, but in the docs I've seen don't seem to work the same as my old MuVo. I'd even look at the Zune, if I could use it without Media Player.

After searching and searching for info, I have come to my third home (Home, Work, Modern Buddy) for help. Any ideas? Does anyone here know of a way to use an iPod or other without each's software? Or a player that doesn't need some proprietary software?
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Post by MikieTaps »

get a mac and an Ipod. :P
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Post by alienmeatsack »

I think the major's all rely on iTunes/WMP to load music on.

I think there are some 3rd party apps that let you load tunes into an iPod but I am not sure.

But, your question/request is a good one. I am curious what currently produced MP3 player will work as you wish.

Maybe you should check some linux mp3 forums. They don't have iTunes, so maybe they know of make/models that do work via the filesystem.
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Post by illnoise »

I think that most people that bash on iTunes just don't like its memory-hogging features, or the fact that you need Quicktime and Apple did that stupid thing where they bundle all that together in one download.

Many of the memory-hogging features are admittedly totally stupid, but easy to turn off. Safari is a good browser worth checking out. And Quicktime is loads better than Windows Media Player or (ack) RealPlayer, and if you surf the web at all, you might as well install it and keep it up to date anyway. I don't get why a proprietary Microsoft format or product is any better than a proprietary Apple one.

I'm just saying all that to say this, then I'm never reading this thread again, because nothing's stupider than a mac/windows debate:

I worship at the altar of the original iPod design, and the modern version is just right, but the iPod touch and the iPhone suck as MP3 players. They look neat, they're cool for other stuff, especially video, but the music interface is useless unless you're able to hold the thing in both hands outside its case and give it your undivided attention. If you're looking for a pocket music player, and an iPod is an option, stick to the old-school ones, however tempting and flashy the iPhone-style ones are.

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Post by verdecalavera »

i have had ipods since the first clunky 3 gig model. Never leave home without it.

Does anyone ride with an ipod (or music player of their liking) playing? good idea? bad idea? i did yesterday for the first time but was frustrated by my helmet knocking the ear buds out of my ears when i put in on. It felt a little taboo to be riding with it playing, even with the volume set just barely louder than the scooter. I don't think I was distracted but who knows.....
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Post by jmsmith802 »

Ive owned two creative zen vision: m's, 30 gb, and they dont require software to add music to them, just drag and drop in windows.. But... The first one I owned broke during normal use after a month, returned it for a new one, and that one broke after two weeks. I think best buy must have dropped that shipment or something, or stored them next to large magnets :roll: After that I got a zune (black old 30gb version) and ive had it for 2 years, and have never had a problem (other than the softare, "zune", which can run slowly). I also had an ipod like 4 years ago until the hard drive went bad. But of all the mp3 players I have owned, the zune is definitely my favorite.. Always works great, bigger screen, great sound quality, video, pictures, customizable background, podcasts, fm radio, built in wireless, and mooore... Does require their "zune" program though.

The new zen 32gb looks pretty cool, that would be a good one to look into.. Im pretty sure you can use it without other software.
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Post by 7eregrine »

$99 Free Shipping

Buy that. As soon as it arrives, put this on it:
http://www.rockbox.org

One of the better new ones is the Creative X-Fi. $279 for the big model (30G).

Also check out http://www.dapreview.net for reviews of players.

Good to go. Rockbox also works on many iPods. I am very anti iPod, but I would own one with Rockbox on it. The ony reason they are #1... not because they are the best... simply because they are the only ones that really have an advertising budget. Ever seen an ad for something besides a Zune or an iPod? Not often.

Also check out http://www.mediamonkey.com for Music management. Far and away better then iTunes or Windows Media, especially for tagging your old stuff.

Lastly, scooting with tunes. I do it alll the time and absolutely love it. I don't buy that it's unsafe at all because your ears are about the last thing that are going to help you avoid an accident. Plus I never have it THAT loud. My helmet has little pockets over the ears for a wireless communication system and my ear buds fit right in there. Put the cord down my back into my player in my front pocket. I have a Trekstor Vibez which is not big enough for your needs (12 G, new 16G flash based model coming soon which I will be upgrading to).

Not going to debate Apple vs. Windows because the truth is... they are BOTH damn goood. ;) Apple nailed it with design and the OS, but blew it on the iPods. Just my opinion, of course. The only thng the iTouch and iPhone do better then ANYTHING out there is browse the internet.
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Post by skullmechanic »

These guys provide pretty good reviews for everything but iPod.

http://www.anythingbutipod.com/
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Post by Ed Hit »

I have an old sansa 4 GB flash drive. (I know they have larger ones but have not looked for 30 GB plus).

I like you prefer to do with out the media suite stuff.

My Sansa has a setting, where I can choose between using it as part of a Media suite, or I can just plug it in and use it like a USB flash drive, then drag and drop my MP3 files.

May want to see if that is available on their larger players. (On my player, it is MSC vs MTP mode).

Mine plays video also, but I have never bothered, and it seem just fine for music, good battery life and sound quality.
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Post by Syd »

illnoise wrote:...I don't get why a proprietary Microsoft format or product is any better than a proprietary Apple one...
Bb.
I never said it was, I couldn't agree with you more, and I had no intention to start an OS war. OS wars are stupid.

I owe my living to Microsoft - indirectly - but I don't use Media Player. I also don't use iTunes, QuickTime or Real. I don't watch video unless it plays through Opera, my browser of choice. I listen to music on my PC using Coolplayer. I actually like the design of the original iPod. I just don't like needing to use a separate app to manage music.

Let me try again. I want the perfect music player. It will:
  • Play mp3s and unDRMed wmas only (OK, maybe oggs). NO VIDEO.
    Requires only the host OS for file management (but other tools may be used for those that wish).
    Has a readable display. Picture quality not required, but readable text.
    Rechargeable battery through usb or dedicated charger, I don't care.
    End of list.
Does anyone know of such a beast? Or how I can make one of the current crop of players into such a beast?[/list]
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Post by Syd »

jmsmith802 wrote:...The new zen 32gb looks pretty cool, that would be a good one to look into.. Im pretty sure you can use it without other software.
I have looked at that one quite a bit. In fact I may email Creative support and ask just that question. But I got a manual from Creative's site (a site which has undergone a change and no longer makes manuals available, by the way <grr>) and no mention is made of the player being seen as an external disk. An optional SD card is, but not the player itself. It appears to be visible only to the Creative Music Suite, or whatever it is called.

But hope springs eternal.
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Post by 7eregrine »

7eregrine wrote:$99 Free Shipping

Buy that. As soon as it arrives, put this on it:
http://www.rockbox.org
Is this thing on? *tap tap* :lol:

I do not like the Zen series. Clunky interface.
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Post by jmsmith802 »

Syd wrote:
I have looked at that one quite a bit. In fact I may email Creative support and ask just that question. But I got a manual from Creative's site (a site which has undergone a change and no longer makes manuals available, by the way <grr>) and no mention is made of the player being seen as an external disk. An optional SD card is, but not the player itself. It appears to be visible only to the Creative Music Suite, or whatever it is called.

But hope springs eternal.
"The player can sync via drag-and-drop in Windows Explorer, or you can use a jukebox such as Windows Media Player or Rhapsody. Like its other family members, this Zen also supports MP3, WAV, Audible, and both protected and unprotected WMA tracks."
- http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/cre ... prod.txt.1

It has a great in depth review of the player, and a video review. I always go to cnet for reviews
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Post by newslinky »

I have had a non major name brand player for years and used it sparingly. even it required a clunky interface to upload music to it and management was a pain. Just last week I was gifted an ipod nano 8gig for my birthday. I have wanted one since I bought one for my wife last year. Yes it means using itunes to manage your music but for me that isn't a big deal and the interface is easy to use and create playlists move music onto and off of the ipod etc. I also like that many of the newer players use solid state memory so no disk drives eating up battery life or failing the first bump you hit in the road.

I have listened to my ipod while riding and love it. It takes a little skill to get the helmet on with the earbuds in but it is possible. The hard aprt is doing it and having the buds remain in a comfortable position. When not listening to my ipod I wear earplugs anyway to reduce wind noise and reduce the effect on my hearing. I do wear a FF all the time but hey I enjoy hearing things and am not one to take chances in that regard.
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Post by Syd »

7eregrine wrote:...Is this thing on? *tap tap* :lol:...
Ha! I wasn't ignoring you, life just got in the way. I stumbled across RockBox the other day but continued on. I'll have to take another look.

Illnoise,
I never said it was...
That came across a lot more stern than I intended. Sometimes I wish I was a better writer. Maybe then I could get some of the inflection across that I read in your's and other's posts. But it looks like most posters have taken this in the spirit I intended. Trust me, I started the post a half dozen times over the last few days, trying to get it worded to avoid OS/player/tool/scooter model skirmishes. Maybe that's why I like scripts and code. My OS or compiler don't care about smilies :D .
jmsmith802 wrote:"The player can sync via drag-and-drop...:
Thanks for that, jm. I had just about given up on the Zen, even though for me it wins big on the physical size vs drive size front. Maybe I'll see how responsive Creative Support is.

And thanks everyone for the info and links I just wasn't able to come up with myself. MB comes through once again!
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Post by schlagle »

Yikes! A device that does only ONE thing?!? That's sooooo 20th century
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Post by coffeekittie »

Here's something to add to the mix - a flash-drive is much better for scooter riding than a hard-drive based unit. The shaking/bouncing etc that can really mess up a hd doesn't faze a flash drive. They are still limited in size, true, but are getting larger. I've seen them in 16gig now. That's just my 2 cents.
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Post by 7eregrine »

schlagle wrote:Yikes! A device that does only ONE thing?!? That's sooooo 20th century
A device that does onlly one thing usuallly does that one thing better then an all-in-one device. See any mutlifuntion printers that scans and faxes as an example. ;)
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Post by schlagle »

7eregrine wrote:
schlagle wrote:Yikes! A device that does only ONE thing?!? That's sooooo 20th century
A device that does onlly one thing usuallly does that one thing better then an all-in-one device. See any mutlifuntion printers that scans and faxes as an example. ;)
Jack of all trades definitely applies to those things. Devices that suck at many things :(

I'm loving the new electronics though. Lots of good phones/mp3/camera/pda devices to choose from nowadays.
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Post by Scalpel »

My helmet comes with pockets for earphones, so I picked up a 1 GB Zen Stone to use. I velcro'd it onto the side of the ear strap, and its been a lot of fun. The nice thing about the Stone is that it's super-basic, kind of like the Ipod Shuffle. I just load it with music, turn it on, and ride. With it on the side of my helmet, I can even adjust it at stop lights (skip tracks, lower the volume, etc.) Since it's not a zillion dollars, I also don't worry too much about it getting thrashed if I crash.
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Post by 7eregrine »

schlagle wrote:
I'm loving the new electronics though. Lots of good phones/mp3/camera/pda devices to choose from nowadays.
Agreed. That's the one thing I love about the iPhone and I knew it would happen the day I first played with one. It raised the bar for all these other companies and now we have many sweet devices to choose from. Wife got the LG Voyager. Thing is SWEET. Thank you Apple ;)
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Post by Apiarist »

sony walkman and mix tapes with rechargeable AA batteries. two buttons: play and stop. how simple!
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Post by maribell »

I am going to have to go with newslinky on this one. iPod Nano is where its at. Plus, if you have all your music in one folder, and the tracks are all labeled (like they should be anyways) iTunes is not that bad.
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Post by Lostmycage »

I got a refurbed 1G Ipod Shuffle for $30 on Newegg last week. It's prefect for a simple player. No display. Just play, skip or off. No temptation for futzing around trying to get a certain song to play.

Sink it with a playlist or two in Mediamonkey and you're good to go. No HD/moving parts so vibration isn't an issue.

Added bonus, every song is a surprise. It helps you gain a second wind on your music collection.

And I normally hate Ipod crap... oh well.
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Post by Syd »

Lostmycage wrote:I got a refurbed 1G Ipod Shuffle ...
Added bonus, every song is a surprise. It helps you gain a second wind on your music collection...
If they made a 30GB shuffle, even I'd buy it. When I got my first player I thought shuffle mode was a waste. A week later I realized just how great shuffle is. I don't know how many CDs I've bought for one cut, only to find out the rest of the CD bites. Not real dreck, mind you, but just not very good.

But, sprinkle the other cuts in the midst of a bunch of stuff you like and you find yourself saying "Wow, that's not bad. What the heck is that?

It's kinda like your favorite radio station. I was driving past Ft Collins, CO once and caught the CSU radio station for about an hour. In one stretch, they played Hank Williams followed by Capt Beefheart, Little Feat and Willie Nelson. I've remembered it all these years in hopes of finding a station like it again. Fat chance these days, except for shuffle on your player!
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Post by jmazza »

Syd wrote:
Lostmycage wrote:I got a refurbed 1G Ipod Shuffle ...
Added bonus, every song is a surprise. It helps you gain a second wind on your music collection...
If they made a 30GB shuffle, even I'd buy it. When I got my first player I thought shuffle mode was a waste. A week later I realized just how great shuffle is. I don't know how many CDs I've bought for one cut, only to find out the rest of the CD bites. Not real dreck, mind you, but just not very good.

But, sprinkle the other cuts in the midst of a bunch of stuff you like and you find yourself saying "Wow, that's not bad. What the heck is that?

It's kinda like your favorite radio station. I was driving past Ft Collins, CO once and caught the CSU radio station for about an hour. In one stretch, they played Hank Williams followed by Capt Beefheart, Little Feat and Willie Nelson. I've remembered it all these years in hopes of finding a station like it again. Fat chance these days, except for shuffle on your player!
Well I'm not trying to enter the debate cuz different strokes for different folks... but I am an iPod guy all the way (3 models currently used for different purposes). I love my shuffle for the reasons above. In the past couple years or so I've been tweaking some great smart playlists so that my shuffle (and my iPod Touch, which as illnoise said is flawed as an iPod for many reasons but it's my email/contacts/calendar/etc tool as well) are really great and finding new stuff. A combination of recently added music, recently played, higher rated first. All the random stuff that gets played once from my computer (I often leave my computer on just shuffling through my 10,000+ song library) gets thrown on the iPod, and then if I happen to rate it high, it stays for a while. iTunes can be a total PITA but it can also be a phenomenal library system.
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Post by olhogrider »

Syd, it sounds like the playlist from KPIG, Freedom, CA. Try kpig.com.
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Post by coffeekittie »

olhogrider wrote:Syd, it sounds like the playlist from KPIG, Freedom, CA. Try kpig.com.
Wait - THE KPIG? I thought that was aired from some desert in Nevada - is the station a little trailer? I LOVE that station!!! Please respond if you think it is the same one as if they are still on the air I must find a way to listen!
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