MP3 player options

[alfio]

hello all

i'm after an MP3 player and i want something that

a) does not have rechargeable batteries but instead uses standard type batteries (AA or AAA or whatever), i.e. batteries that can be replaced.

b) has to have around 2GB storage

so far the only thing i've found that meets these specs is the iaudio G3 (sells for about $100). are there any other options along these lines?

thanks

aflio

[Stargate199]

Look at the C100 series and and older M200 series Sansas from Sandisk. I was trying to post the link, but some how the link entry is not working. Must of been something in the url that messed it up. go to http://www.sandisk.com and look them up. These players can be found cheaper on online stores like Amazon.

[AlphaKilo470]

I bought one of these at the store I work at late last year:
http://www.gpx.com/shop_ind.php?id=338&pid=105

It only has 512mb on board but it has an SD slot and the one I have is working just fine with a 2gb SD card installed. These MP3 players retail for pretty cheap.

[alfio]

Stargate,

thanks for the link. i need to look into these a bit more. from the website, i'm not clear on whether these require a special interface/program and/or whether they record (this would be a huge plus).

alfio

[alfio]

I bought one of these at the store I work at late last year:
http://www.gpx.com/shop_ind.php?id=338&pid=105

It only has 512mb on board but it has an SD slot and the one I have is working just fine with a 2gb SD card installed. These MP3 players retail for pretty cheap.

these seem really interesting. i take it you are happy with yours. do you know what the SD limit is?

alfio

[AlphaKilo470]

I believe 2gb is the limit. I'm pretty happy with it; the navigation sucks but it provides good sound (if you use good earbuds; the stock ones suck!) and they're cheap enough that if it gets lost, broken, stolen or whatever, you can replace it without putting a big hit on your wallet. The player also doubles as a USB drive and SD reader (when plugged in, it's detected as two drives; one for the 512mb internal and one for the SD card) so I keep all my music on the 2gb SD card and word documents and the such on the internal memory. Those MP3 players are cheap but they are very functional and useful.

[Stargate199]

Stargate,

thanks for the link. i need to look into these a bit more. from the website, i'm not clear on whether these require a special interface/program and/or whether they record (this would be a huge plus).

alfio

I know the M200 series can act as a standard USB flash drive. Just drag and drop to add songs to it. It is also MTP compatible using Windows Media Player 10/11 or Winamp 5.20 and higher. The C100 may be MTP only, but am not sure.

[rkawakami]

Something that seems to meet your requirements would also be a Rio Forge 256MB or 512MB, with a 2GB Secure Digital card. The Forges can connect to your computer and will look like a disk drive. You can then simply drag-and-drop .MP3 files onto the player's "drive".

http://www.amazon.com/Rio-Forge-512-Spo ... B0002UB2Q4

It uses a single alkaline or NiMh AAA battery and has a fairly good navigation system (4 switches arranged around a center 'select' button). It also has a (passable) FM radio. Fringe reception is not as good as some plain-old FM radios. There is an FM recording feature that enables you to record whatever you are listening to at a real low quality (64kbps .WAV) but good enough to capture a "sound bite", like an announced phone number or website address. I normally use mine as radios. I haven't bothered to fill up the 1GB and 2GB SD cards with many .MP3 files.

The weak points:

- Volume switches are easily broken if you drop the unit on the volume rocker (however they are also easily replaced! I've bought several Forges off of eBay with broken volume switches (~$15) and repaired them for about $1.50)
- The belt clip is not really meant to be used on a belt, but with the 'armband'

(ref: eBay purchase and repair info for similar Rio player)

[alfio]

i ended up pursuing your recommendation ray and picking up a couple of these little guys, one that works quite nicely and another that's in sadder shape (with the broken switch) for fixing later.

what is the limit on the size of SD card these will recognize? am i limited to 2GB or can i go higher?

alfio

[Purcy]

I'm partial to iRiver products and got my player on E-bay for cheap, but here is the current stuff - check out the 45 hours of play time on one AA battery (user replaceable) plus it is a voice recorder, FM tuner and you can use it as a flash drive with its USB 2.0 transfer:

iRiver T10

[ronbo613]

iAudio has the G2 and G3 that use regular AA batteries. I've got an iAudio U2, good sound and good value.
Get a pack of NiMH AA batteries and a charger, you'll be set.

[teetee]

I did some research a while ago and decided that my music player has to have the following requirements:
1. No BIG screen (to minimize power consumption, I am not a big video-on-the-go guy)
2. Use AAA battery
3. Has to have built-in FM radio
4. Play mp3/wma format, ogg will be a big plus
5. Has to have USB connector built-in (no wires, I hate wires)
6. Voice recorder. Better able to record radio content, must have record on demand function
7. NO PROPRIETARY software interface between my files(whether if it's music or data files) and the player.
8. HUGE storage space

The only one I found that fits all requirements was a cheesy-looking, china/hongkong-made player on eBay. $39+$18S&H=$57 for a 4GB is not a bad deal. It works fine and although the player itself doesn't seem to be built by quality material, it's pretty sturdy. I haven't broken anything yet after a month of everyday use/abuse. I did broke two of my headphones in one month though.

My only two complaints are:
1. Everytime when I start a recording, it has to initiat for quite a while(~20 sec) before I can start my first recording. I guess it might take time to allocate memory for the incoming recording data but I didn't expect it's that slow.
2. The user interface(buttons, control method) is not exactly user friendly.

Overall satisfactry rating for this player I am using right now will be 8.5/10(score 10 will be how much I like my thinkpads.)

[rkawakami]

what is the limit on the size of SD card these will recognize? am i limited to 2GB or can i go higher?

I've not personally tried a 4GB card; mine max out at 2GB. You can go to these forums for more info:

http://www.riovolution.org/forum/4

http://forums-riovolution.com/index.php?showforum=14
(not very active, but can search for info)

http://forums-riovolution.com/index.php?showtopic=21449
(this thread says it's possible to run 4GB cards)

[tfflivemb2]

I'm partial to iRiver products and got my player on E-bay for cheap, but here is the current stuff - check out the 45 hours of play time on one AA battery (user replaceable) plus it is a voice recorder, FM tuner and you can use it as a flash drive with its USB 2.0 transfer:

iRiver T10

OK Purcy...you really need to stay out of my head....

First....we both have Thinkpads....
Then....we both have a Dell Axim X51v...
NOW....we both have iRivers?!?!?!!? (granted mine is older, but STILL!!)

....creepy....are you sure that you aren't a stalker?!?! jk

P.S. - Do you drive a Dodge?

[Purcy]

....creepy....are you sure that you aren't a stalker?!?! jk

P.S. - Do you drive a Dodge?

Hey babe, I was on this earth first, so who is the stalker?? We part ways on the car, I drive a 1995 Geo Metro hatchback, not a typical stalker car. But I do have a blonde wig!

Edit: My iRiver is not that new edition, but a few years old, it is an iFP-795.

[alfio]

iAudio has the G2 and G3 that use regular AA batteries. I've got an iAudio U2, good sound and good value.
Get a pack of NiMH AA batteries and a charger, you'll be set.

yes, a G3 is quite the nice player. my GF has one that she adores. i like it too but i figured there had to be alternatives.

alfio

[alfio]

http://forums-riovolution.com/index.php?showtopic=21449
(this thread says it's possible to run 4GB cards)

great! i will look into getting a 4GB and report back.

alfio

[tfflivemb2]

Edit: My iRiver is not that new edition, but a few years old, it is an iFP-795.

Mine is older...infact I can't find it right now, but looking at the iFP-795 on eBay....yours is newer. I think mine only holds about 128mb... It has been rock solid.

P.S.
Just cause you were here first, doesn't automatically mean that you can't be the stalker...I was getting excited at the thought of having my very own stalker...drats! Oh, well......guess I should just post more videos on YouTube....then one day....I will have my dream.... jk

[Purcy]

Mine is older...in fact I can't find it right now


I was getting excited at the thought of having my very own stalker...drats! jk

Maybe a few decades ago I'd be right on you, but ageing has a way of taking all the joy out of stalking.

Hey, no need for that iRiver now, right Steve, the Ax does it all. You've got to get to work at putting some video on that thing, now that's a fun chore.

[tfflivemb2]

Hey, no need for that iRiver now, right Steve, the Ax does it all. You've got to get to work at putting some video on that thing, now that's a fun chore.

Yeah, my MP3s are stored on the Axim....which is half the reason that I don't even know where my iRiver is...

[t20user]

I own a Motorola M25. It takes a single AAA and accepts SD cards up to 2GB. It gets the job done and is pretty durable. I actually won a free Ipod Nano recently and decided to give it to my sister cause I like the M25 much better for my needs. They dont sell them anymore, but you can find them on fleabay every now and then.

[t20user]

So since I last read this post I have fallen into the iPod trap and got a 80GB classic. I am not as thrilled with it as I thought I might be. Being locked to iTunes is a severe limitation and the scroll wheel is cool, but not very usable IMO. The biggest complaint is that I cannot create and search under my own folders on the device. My old Motorola M25 allows this, and in fact that is the only way to navigate which is fine by me. So since I have been using the iPod in the car more I decided to look for something less expensive and easier to navigate with a folder system I dictate, not Steve Jobs. So I got a Sandisk Sansa e250 for $35 from buy.com and was disappointed to find that they do the same stupid forced navigation as the iPod. But at least I can drag and drop files in explorer now.

Do any of the newer mp3 players have an explorer folder system like the m25?

[alfio]

bringing this one back to the top

i followed ray's advice and picked up a couple of rio forge units that survived until yesterday. i need a new MP3 player, preferably one that meets the original requirement:

a) does not have rechargeable batteries but instead uses standard type batteries (AA or AAA or whatever), i.e. batteries that can be replaced.

i would prefer something with an SD card like the forge but as long as it has 1GB or more, anything should work.

any recommendations? thanks

[craigmontHunter]

Sansa E130 - there are bigger models. They take AAA batteries, are virtually industructable , have a SD slot, take the mini usb connector (fairly standard), get good (16+ hours) battery life, and they should be fairly cheap if you can find one. Highly recommended.

[alfio]

Sansa E130 - there are bigger models. They take AAA batteries, are virtually industructable , have a SD slot, take the mini usb connector (fairly standard), get good (16+ hours) battery life, and they should be fairly cheap if you can find one. Highly recommended.

great recommendation - i found an e140 on ebay and have been very happy with it. does the job.