IPOD or MP3 Player?

[B_lrgeggs]

Quick question for all you technology savy types. I am looking for a portable devise where I can download audio podcasts and books. What is the easyist to operate and most dependable IPOD or MP3 Player
(And if you could explain the difference between IPOD and MP3..that would be great)
I should buy and what is the minimum amount of memory I should have. I am not really interested in this as a music player...(nor any kind of porn)....just books and lectures. Thanks.

 

[Zeuhl34]

I'm not sure about which is best for books and podcasts (I use my Zune exclusively for music).

And just fyi, and iPod is an mp3 player. It's like the difference between Kleenex and tissue; they're the same thing, but one is a specific name brand.

 

[Gillette]

Good question.

If you're recording the lectures yourself then it would depend on what you're using to do so. If the lectures are being sent out as a podcast then the name answers the question PODcast - iPod.
If you're going to be reading off the screeen (you mention books) then you'd want an iPod touch for a more comfortable viewing area (also true for the podcasts).

 

[conntom]

I use an mp3 player for audio books. Works nice. I have an ipod and a few mp3 players. In general I find the mp3 players just easier and more flexible to use.

 

[unique_exposure]

One thing to note--

If you're going to pay to download music, Amazon MP3 is a better deal because you get the actual mp3 music file, no restrictions on which device you put it on. With Apple/Ipod's/Itunes music downloads, the files are encoded ".m4p" to be ("only") played on Apple devices. This is a rights protection layer...

[Apple: M4P - Protected AAC File, a type of mp3 file]

So if you're starting a collection of pay-to-download music now, start with regular non protected mp3's on a non-Apple mp3 device. You can decode Apple's protection layer after download and transfer to other devices, but its not that convenient (and I think borderline "illegal").

However, Apple/Itunes/Ipod does offer some premium content that is not found in other content providers. Another Apple selling point is the Ipod device will sync up the music with your Itunes collection on the computer as soon as you plug it in, but this can also be done through Windows Media (?) with a generic mp3 device.

For versatility's sake, I've finally changed over to generic mp3 after a few years of Apple/Ipod. Itunes on the computer still manages the files, but they can all be put on any device. Usually put the music on a phone or SDcard.

Not to dish on Apple or anything...
well, actually yeah, to dish on Apple.

 

[Tattooed Goddess]

I was one of those who got the original shuffle, the tiny pink shuffle next and then the first generation iPod touch. I have 3 Sansa clips, all adding up to less than $150 total and i prefer the Sansa clip for listening to MP3's. I do like the iPod touch crystal clear movie quality screen it had and it was quite entertaining for my daughter to watch her Sponge Bob on it. But it sucked up too much battery and was a pain in the ass to organize all of my mp3's on and the time wouldn't properly display.

For $40, i've gotten tons more life out of my generic Sansa a million times over compared to the Apple anything. Not to mention you can get away without that awful iTunes garbage that sucks the life out of your computer and annoys the shit out of you with updates every 15 hours.

I'll also add that i only listen to talk and not music on mine as well.

 

[TurkeyWithaSunburn]

I'm not a big music person but I have a few MP3 players around.

Depends on what you are looking for. There are some very cheap but clunky mp3 players out there. Ipod is popular because of itunes and a nicely styled product.

If you reallly want a song. See see if it's on youtube. Find a site that will convert the music video to mp3, just the audio track. And bingobango you have it, for cheap :up: