Ipod vs MP3

[shewolf]

hello everyone let me first say I value all the help that everyone at MG has given me over the years. You all rock.. kudos..

Ok now that said Christmas if fast approaching and we would like to get our Twin boys age 10 (will be 11 in April) either an Ipod or an MP3 player.
We really have NO clue which is the best thing to get for our money. I saw thru the Apple Ipod website something called Ipod shuffle stores up to 240 songs) which makes it so your songs don't skip when you are jogging/running. The cost is $80 and I saw in WalMart an mp3 player for $40 from RCA (which stores about 160 songs I think - also can't remember if its RCa brand or not). So, can anyone help me out here and give me some information on which to buy and which would be best for my money??

Thanks,
sw

[secretcodebreaker]

I think the first consideration for children this age is the peer acceptance, which really has nothing to do with technology or cost (maybe).

If your boys are sensitive to peer pressure, which stinks (I know) but is a fact of life for the 10 - 18 group, then you probably should find out what everyone in their group at school thinks is cool.

Then again, they may want to start a new trend.

If that is not a factor and you're lucky if it is not, then I'd try to find out what your boys think is cool. After 10 years of living with them, you should be pretty good at finding out what they think.

At age 10, they probably haven't started to withdraw into the private world of teenage thoughts.

As for the 'best' buy, most technical evaluations begin with a simple cost/capacity calculation. Just divide the cost of the unit by the number of songs it can hold.

I bought units two years ago on the Internet from JR.com. My grandsons didn't care what everyone else liked (I don't think) so I just got two that held held the same number of songs as the mid-priced iPod. Can't remember the brand name. I remember they cost 1/3 of the cost of the iPod.

I've purchased a number of electronic items from JR.com and other things. Never had a problem. They are currently listing over 1,000 players.

http://www.jr.com/JRSectionView.process?Section=1742

Hope this helps.

[secretcodebreaker]

I left out the "other half of that story."

My wife wanted to replace her Walkman and saw an iPod ad. She liked the pink one. She knew nothing about capacity/cost, file types or how it functioned. She wanted a new, lightweight, pink Walkman.

Sooo, I got her the pink one. Found out after it came that the software, to load the music, would only run on a Windoze XP machine. I had ME and she had 98 at the time. The upgrade to XP (new Thinkpad) cost more than the iPod. :

But (ah...the big but) she loves it and uses it all the time. ::

[shewolf]

Ok they really don't care what they get just so they can listen to songs of their choosing and not have the big bulky portable cd players.

Until I saw the ad for the Ipod Shuffle I wasn't aware that these types of devices skipped as there isn't a disc to insert.

So, being kids they are up and down running all over so like the RCA from Wal-Mart is an mp3 player would that skip?? I am just clueless about all this kind of stuff and don't want to end up getting them something that is going to skip or make it hard for them to actually listen to their music.

Another question is there is a display window on the RCA mp3 from Wal-Mart but none on the Ipod Shuffle how big of an issue is the display window with kids does anyone know?? When we were shopping I did show them the mp3 at Wal-Mart and they liked it. But like I said I am clueless about this kind of stuff and if its going to skip when they are doing whatever should I spend the money on the Ipod Shuffle which is advertised to NOT skip as its geared for joggers etc..

Thanks so much and if I sound dumb or redundant I apologize as I just want to get them the best item as in the past I have spent money on an item went with what I thought was the better for my money which turned out to be nothing but a hunk of junk.

Darla aka shewolf

[G.T.]

Originally Posted by shewolf

Ok they really don't care what they get just so they can listen to songs of their choosing and not have the big bulky portable cd players.

Until I saw the ad for the Ipod Shuffle I wasn't aware that these types of devices skipped as there isn't a disc to insert.

So, being kids they are up and down running all over so like the RCA from Wal-Mart is an mp3 player would that skip?? I am just clueless about all this kind of stuff and don't want to end up getting them something that is going to skip or make it hard for them to actually listen to their music.

Another question is there is a display window on the RCA mp3 from Wal-Mart but none on the Ipod Shuffle how big of an issue is the display window with kids does anyone know?? When we were shopping I did show them the mp3 at Wal-Mart and they liked it. But like I said I am clueless about this kind of stuff and if its going to skip when they are doing whatever should I spend the money on the Ipod Shuffle which is advertised to NOT skip as its geared for joggers etc..

Thanks so much and if I sound dumb or redundant I apologize as I just want to get them the best item as in the past I have spent money on an item went with what I thought was the better for my money which turned out to be nothing but a hunk of junk.

Darla aka shewolf

The small players use memory chips to store songs, no moving parts, so nothing to cause skipping like cd players where the read head has to stay focused on the track. A more legible video display and more user friendly controls can make it much easier to choose and control your music, but if they just want to play whatever comes next that likely won't matter to them. Sound quality differs as well, but at 10/11 that may not be a huge issue for them. Creative players all rank near the top in sound quality, but the earbuds that come with most all players are not best quality either, so unless you're willing to shell out more for alternate earbud/headsets that may not be a bit issue either.

Most other players can simply transfer any old .mp3 or .wmv song from your computer to the player, but Apple's Ipod really wants you to install ITunes, which is largely a way for Apple to sell you music, and the music you buy there is NOT in standard .mp3 format. It's in their own protected proprietary format, and won't play on non-IPod players.

[secretcodebreaker]

You might want to take a look at this one. I think it meets all your requirements.

If not, it's a good one to use for comparisons (capacity - cost - function, etc).

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4057890

[secretcodebreaker]

Here is a number of reviews (by Brit users). Six months to a year old and both pro and con (iPod).

Might be more confusing than helpful.

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Reviews/Apple_...White__6273585

This CNET review is from last year.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10166_7-5622132-1.html

[Lev]

Originally Posted by secretcodebreaker

This CNET review is from last year.

Man.........you just blew it big time........

[mcadam]

Personal opinion?

iPod - why though?

Because of the sleek design, ok everyone has them and they have a bad reputation for breaking yes.

But the actual interface and navigation of the iPod itself is brilliant. The installation onto mac/pc is very user friendly and iTunes is possibly one of the most used pieces of software on my computer. Plays music fine, can convert aac to mp3 easily enough (unless you buy through iTunes).

The few drawbacks though - they're expensive and there are cheaper alternatives. Also, iTunes does use a lot of system resources, mine's using 25,888K of memory usage as I type this - doesn't sound much but Winamp uses next to nothing.
The fact that you can't convert purchased songs to mp3 is annoying, but that's licence related.

All in all, I'd pick an iPod over your bog standard mp3 player, just my opinion though.

[shewolf]

Thanks to all that have replied and we are thinking of going with that one from JR that secret mentioned. It has the capability of FM so that they can listen to the radio or their own music.

Thanks again for all the input and help..

sw

[secretcodebreaker]

Tried to send a PM to Lev and Lev's mailbox is full.

[Lev]

Originally Posted by secretcodebreaker

Tried to send a PM to Lev and Lev's mailbox is full.

It's empty now lol...you were one of 3 people who tried! Sorry