Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
User Journal

Journal bethanie's Journal: Geekly Inquiry: Personal Music Device 25

Journal by bethanie
OK, now I *know* y'all will be able to help me with this one.

I've been considering buying myself a personal music device, or more likely, putting one on my Christmas list. Back in the day, we would call this a Walkman. But now with all these new-fangled MP3 thingies, you kids are callin' them iPods or whatever. Well, I'm not completely sold on an iPod. Aren't they (like all other Apple products) overpriced/expensive? But I'm not really aware of what other brands are available.

What I want is a small device (something I could slip in my pocket or wear on the waistband of my britches) that I can plug headphones into and listen to music or other audio material (in addition to music, I'm thinking NPR news & books on tape would be cool). I would like to be able to rip music from the CDs I already own and load it into this device. I have, I'd guess, about 300 CDs worth of material that would be nice to have access to (whenever I manage to find about 8 hours to sit down and rip all that shit off the discs!) I probably won't be buying much new music, but I suppose it would be good to leave that option open. It has to be compatible with my WindowsXP system. And I have no idea what the price range is on this stuff. Considering that about 10 years ago, I spent about $100 on a motion-proof CD player (that I could walk with) that has now gone kaput, I am kinda looking to replace that.

And I know y'all are gonna look at me funny, but I'm just out of it (I think) -- what free software is available to let me convert my ripped CD tracks to MP3s (links, please)?

So I'm open for comments & sales pitches. Keep in mind that I'm still in the Walkman paradigm -- that I load music or whatever listening material onto my device and listen to it through headphones while walking or whatever. I guess I realize that now I can load music onto a player via my computer... but the use is still the same. Am I missing a big piece of the picture? Are there other applications of this that I'm not even considering? Try to imagine how you would explain this stuff to yourself if you could travel back in time and tell yourself all about it 10 years ago. Or maybe not yourself. Just me -- a technogeek wannabe housefrau who isn't heavy into gadgetry -- just wants something that is useful to help entertain me while I burn off some calories walking around the park.

Your comments are eagerly awaited!!
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Geekly Inquiry: Personal Music Device More

Geekly Inquiry: Personal Music Device

Comments Filter:
  • I have a mini, I like it quite well. It won't hold 300 CDs worth, if that's what you're after. You'll have to pick your favorite 500 or so songs for the moment, and rotate. It's not practical to go through thousands of songs anyway, and you'd have to maintain playlists. It would be nice if I had all my obscure stuff all the time for the rare occasion I want it.

    I use it just fine with XP. For CD ripping, I'm a big fan of CDex:
    http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/ [sourceforge.net]
  • Clicky [mp3-converter.com].

    I have a friend who highly reccomends the Creative Labs [creative.com] MuVo 4GB [amazon.com] which can be gotten for under $200.
    • I have its younger cousin [amazon.com]. Sweet for picking up a few songs and taking them on the road.

      Ditch the supplied ear "buds" and buy some real nice headphones/better buds and you're good to go. Bonus: need to sneaker some files from one comp to another? Plug this bad boy into the USB port and copy.

  • ...iTunes is free and does a pretty good job of ripping CDs into MP3s, as well as organizing them and allowing you to edit the ID3 tag information. It's a passable desktop music player as well.

    If you do choose the iPod, it integrates wonderfully into iTunes. Updating is as simple as plugging it in. iTunes handles the rest.
  • Well, I've been looking into a MP3 player as well. I usually check on Cnet [cnet.com] and they have a handy buyer's guide [cnet.com] that might help out.
    • Hey -- thank you SO much for the link to this. I know most folks might think, "Well, duh!!", but I didn't even think to go to Cnet. The buyer's guide there has been *really* enlightening. It's so much to know *why* to buy stuff, not just that I should!

      Thank you!!!

      ....Bethanie....
  • I've tried out the other players. The interface of a player is a huge deal, and iPod wins hands down. It gets out of you way and just lets you listen to music. It's very fast and inobtrusive. It's not really that expensive anymore, and even if it were $100 more it'd still be worth it. If you're going to shell out a few hundred on a player, get *the* player. Every step of the way, from ripping CDs to walking around listening, is smooth and silk. You will appreciate it when you're not in the mood for fudging
    • Unless you have some sort of requirement for an FM tuner or something REALLY REALLY tiny, it's insane not to buy an iPod. One of the BEST devices I've ever owned and I consider it more valuable than a human life. :)

      Ditto also on previous comments regarding iTunes. If you want simple yet powerful as hell and high quality, iTunes is the way to go.
  • Just plunk the 300USD down and buy the best piece of hardware you're ever going to touch. Then load up iTunes and wonder -- every single day for the rest of your life -- why you don't have a Mac.

    • My experience with iTunes and Quicktime on Windows doesn't make me wonder why I don't have a Mac. It reminds me why I don't have a Mac. The UI is odd, the controls are hard to distinguish because they are so "stylish". All in all, I hate having to load either program (which is why I don't use iTunes at all, but I can't get away from Quicktime).

      Yes, it's unfair to judge Mac software on the Windows platform, but I was responding to your specific statement that said it was going to want to make her a Mac

  • I'd say it depends on what you want. If you're a musician and are looking for all of that high quality sound, slomo mode and such, go with the jukebox. If you want usability and the ability to quickly load CDs without having to type out every song name, go with the Ipod. Oh, and a last word, don't get Rio Karma, it breaks really easily and has a lot of bugs in its software.
  • You could look at this: [digitalfilm.com]
    You buy a USB key of whatever size you wish & plug it into the player. The player is only USD $50, and the usb keys vary in price, depending on the size, between USD $35 for 128 mb to $100 for 512 mb. The nice thing about this player is that it is tiny, runs on a single AA battery, and is solid-state technology, so it never skips (not so for the iPod, if you jog for more than 20 mins at a time). The other nice thing is that USB keys are just plain always handy, so even if it
  • I don't want an iPod for several reasons. Firstly, it doesn't play Ogg Vorbis files. That alone is reason for me to dismiss it (see below). Secondly, it's very expensive. Thirdly, it's not the one true colour, or lack thereof. Finally (and this is the controversial bit) I don't trust Apple. I see them as an untrustworthy company, who in no way have the best interests of their customers at heart. That doesn't give me warm fuzzy feelings about handing over large amounts of money to them.

    what free software i

    • Actually, after looking into it, I am looking seriously for an iRiver product that meets my needs. I haven't arrived at any decisions yet, but you bring up some good points. Thanks!

      ....Bethanie....
  • It plays mp3s, videos, ogg -- heck there's even a cheeseball dvd ripper for it (a 2 hour movie takes up about 400 mb). AND it's got all the cute pictures of my little red-headed 2 y/o. It aint 20 some odd gigs, but it works for my needs/wants.

    I just dont like the idea of carrying around too many gizmos. My pda and phone are enough. Maybe if the new Treo has a hi-res screen, I may be able to get down to one gizmo...
    • Oh, really?! And what kind of PDA is this? I've been considering one of those, too!!

      ....Bethanie....
      • It's a mid-ranged PDA. A Zire 72 [palmone.com]. Also includes access to view and work on MS word/excell docs and view powerpoint stuff.

        Built in bluetooth which gives me a so-so wireless range in my house around my main computer where I can access the internet, wireless sync, etc. I wish it had built in 802.11 -- but that would be a battery killer. There *IS* an 802.11 card coming out this friday for my zire (and I'll be buying it for those rare occations when connecting is more important that battery life).

        My SIL b
      • Oh, really?! And what kind of PDA is this? I've been considering one of those, too!!

        I use my Zaurus SL-C860 [shirtpocket.co.uk] for playing digital music on the move. But it's limited to the size of flash card I've got (currently 512MB -- about 8-10 CDs worth). Like I said, I think you'd be better off with a hard drive based player though.

        Incidentally, for anyone thinking of a PDA, the C860 is quite simply the best there is. Nothing else I've seen even comes close. Highly recommended.

  • Not sure if you've already seen it today, but this article just hit the front page - a 5Gb player from Rio for $249:

    http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/email/rio/LE/ [digitalnetworksna.com]

    It looks pretty cool... and it comes in a "uniquely designed" box that looks exactly like the iPod box! What more could you want?

    (-:

    Pixie

  • iPod (Score:2)

    by arb ( 452787 )
    I love my iPod. It is fantastic being able to carry around my entire music collection (2980 songs ~ 14GB worth at present) and the interface is really easy to learn and use. If you can find an iPod for a decent price, go for it.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

Slashdot Top Deals

"Can you program?" "Well, I'm literate, if that's what you mean!"

Close