I've got a 256Mb Rio Sport that I'm growing increasingly frustrated with. The batteries seem to last about 2 hours, tops. When the batteries start to go, the slightest little jarring will "reboot" the thing. Arrrgh. Maybe it's time for an i-pod.

I use the Rio S35. I added 256MB of RAM to it, so it holds more than enough music for me. The thing is bullet proof. Unlike the iPod, which is awesome in it's own way, this thing is meant to be tossed around. It is very small, fits in the little pocket on my Ultimate running belt, never skips, has decent battery life, and if it breaks - well, no biggie.

You can buy the S30 (64mb, expandable to 576mb) on eBay for less than $75.

It also works with my Mac or my PC.

i-River 128, really nice, very portable, good arm band. Not too happy with the headphones. I hate 'earbuds' but haven't found a pair of broader ones that stay in place as well. Has anyone?

Jealous of your i-pod(s) Tom.

the ipod is truley perfect, ps 1000 songs of storage sounds like alot, i filled mine up and now wantneed/needwant a bigger one

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i think there, 4 am

I think I like my mini better than my 15GB unit. the mini came with slighty more advanced software and the controls are just a bit better than the old, white 15GB I-pod.

It is funny, we have all these "customer service" threads on this forum. I went to Best Buy and there was a young man in there with dyed black hair, a pierced eyelid and a soul patch. I asked him, "Can you give me some information about MP3 players, this is what I am using it for...."

He was awesome. He had used them all and gave me a quick lesson on the pros and cons, the methods of moving the files, the necessary accesories and the useless ones. I was very impressed.

When I was being rung up for the 15GB unit I bought there (I go the mini off the Apple website, stores did not have them yet and I wanted one with my name laser etched in the back from the factory) I noticed an older fella there in a Best Buy uniform I took to be some kind of authority figure. I told him, "I just bought an I-Pod on the recommendation of the dark haired fella with the eye ring over there by the MP3 players, I wanted to tell you, he did a fine job..."

I was impressed. And the I-Pod mini is really, really cool. This is that way I always pictured being able to use music.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Well, the battery life could never be long enough for me.

Transfering files is tricky for me. We have, like, six computers in here each running a differnt version of Windows. Sometimes they don't get along so good. The newer machines are all XP and my Laptop is 2000 "pro" (?). That does make moving files around our network a bit weird at times.

I've found the machine that works the best with the i-music software is one of our XP units.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Tom, My wife has the Creative Zen, and she's mad about it. "Life has a play list." That should be their tag line. Everywhere we go, whatever we're doing, the Zen comes with.

She has the 20GB model, and still hasn't filled it up. This is her 4th player, as the 64MB, 256MB, and then 6GB models weren't big enough.

Funny thing is, I usually listen to CD's on the trainer, and I'm constantly digging around looking for them, because they're never in their jewel cases; meanwhile, Diana has everything filed, sorted, and at her fingertips.

The only reason I don't have one myself(besides that I am a Neanderthal) is that I don't listen to music when I run or ride outside.

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I've got a blue iPod mini, that I don't think I could live without ... life before -- particularly running and wieghtlifting -- seems unimaginable.

For my uses, the mini is perfect. I've no need for 15 gigs (or 40, for that matter) and the Mini's 1000 song capacity is plenty for my random library.

I find the Mini elegant, and simple, and perfect. No surprise it's made by Apple.

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*****
"In case of flood climb to safety"

Congrats on your new iPod, Tom!

I have one of the 30 GB units myself. I do love it and it makes workouts go by so much more quickly. It's a bit on the heavy side, but it's a small price to pay considering what it does.

The mini is an improvement over the larger, original units. It is a little less expensive too.

For some reaon I had a lot less trouble setting up the mini than I did the 15 GB unit.

I use the 15 GB unit as a stereo with speakers in my basement and I take the mini to races, etc.

My understanding is that the I-Music store racked up $25 Million in sales at a buck a download in less than a year. Amazing.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Ok, dumb mp3 question. Do you positively have to have broadband to do downloads? Also can I copy my cd's to mp3 with no extra hardware, for example just a normal cd drive and mp3 player?

Jim

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Jim

**Note above poster works for a retailer selling bikes and related gear*

1) Yes - otherwise it takes too long.
2) Well, you need a computer... Oh, and a USB port. They all come with software that will rip the music from your CDs.

Thanks for the reply JohnA, looks like I need to call SBC.

Jim

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Jim

**Note above poster works for a retailer selling bikes and related gear*

Tom (and others),

Have you had any issues with the hard drive skipping when using on a run, etc? The only thing that worries me about the mini is that they are not "flash" memory and might skip...

Jeff

Never had a problem with mine skipping. I use it for running and gym work (lifting, rowing, climbing etc) and never had a bit of problem. That was one of my issues with the original iPod; since it was hard drive based, it was prone to skipping during dynamic activities. The mini is not hard drive based, and thus, in addition to being smaller, it does not skip.

It's a great little gadget. Very easy to use. The controls are quite organic and the software is intuitive. The Mini is currently superior to anything else on the market.

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*****
"In case of flood climb to safety"

ipod... the only way I can tolerate being inside in the gym... I have had mine for 2 years now... worth every dime

Preface: I am a huge Apple fan. I have a titanium lapbook at the office and a G4 desktop at home. I bought an 10g ipod 1 1/2 years ago and now the damn thing is broken. It seems to be the headphone jack and from what I understand, it's a design flaw becauase a search of the internet shows many with the same problem. It's out of warratny and will cost $249 to repair. Basically the cost of a new one. Also, unless i held it in my hand, it would skip during running (in a waistband holder). I think they're great for travelling, car, etc but not meant for active people. Just my opinion. But some agre - check out this page: http://ipodsdirtysecret.com/

Ok, dumb mp3 question. Do you positively have to have broadband to do downloads?

1) Yes - otherwise it takes too long

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Your joking right? I've down loaded a couple hundred songs using dial up. Yes its slow but it can be done.

Dave

I bought my wife an RCA Lyra (256Mb version) and with a 60 song capacity it works great for just about all our needs. I like the individual non-earbud headphones. I absolutely HATE earbuds cause they make my ears hurt, or they fall out, and these little things work great!

Battery life is about a month of semi-regular useage. (about 3 hours a week, give or take). The arm-band is a little small around my bicep, but if i slide it down closer to my elbow, it fits just fine. my only problem is that the battery indicator has 2 positions, "full-charge" and "almost empty" and if you aren't careful to watch where it is, it'll die in the middle of your run and you're stuck with the same song going over and over in your head. "We love the mooooon!"

I use a MiniDisc Sony Sport player- the minidiscs can hold about 4-5 hours, it transfers CD's or MP3's very fast, it doesn't skip, it has a sturdy construction which is good for a clutz like me, and it is water resistant if I get caught in the rain.

the I-pod id the standard for that kind of player but you pay the price.

I have Creative Zen 30GB and it's the best i-pod copy I found for almost half the price. The only drawback is the software that comes with it is not really up to standard but with 30GB you rarely use it anyhow. I have an external HD with 120GB of mp3 and never ever put a CD in the player anymore. All my CD's are on mp3 now and all the CD's of my friend too and all those of his friend too and on his too...I don't download stuff but I do copy from friends.

The best about it, I learnd to know so much new music, it's unbelievable. You can't do that with a non HD based mp3 player you always run out of space no matter what you do.

I even go running with the zen from time to time when I really have a hard time to motivate, it works great.

If you have the mony, i-pod but you can also get a zen and a new set of tubulars for the same price:-)

Hey Tom! Cheryl and I got each other Rio Cali 256's for Christmas. They hold a good number of songs for working out etc., although my current mix is getting a little old. They're supposed to be 'sport' units, so somewhat water/sweat resistant. They came with a decent armband holster, and the controls are easy to use on the fly.

Thanks for the feedback.

FYI...per Apple's site, it is hard-drive based, but the site says it has "up to 25 minutes of skip protection". Just wasn't sure if the product lived up to those claims...

The reason they don't skip much is because music is played off the ram and not from the hard disk. Thus the disk access is kept to a minimun and is only used to load music in short bursts. Most players have enough ram to load several songs at once and will preload songs several tracks in advance.