the mp3 player to end all mp3 players

i just bought my first mp3 player in around 5 years the creative zen vision m.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16855102226
bestbuy had a great deal last week for it for 50.00 off (no rebate) for a total of 199.00. it is awesome to say the least and am wondering if anyone else has one. my s.o. loves it to and shes used it everyevening so far. while perusing newegg earlier for accessories(case) i noticed they have an even better deal for the next ~4 days - 179.99 after a 50.00 rebate. also they have all colours available unlike bestbuy. i'm really considering going into more debt just so my s.o. can have a very early/very desired birthday present.

all i have to say is ha to the ipod gestapo!

I've had a Zen for a couple of years. So has everyone in my family; they are SO superior to Ipod!!

I have to say that I do not understand why someone buy a separate gadget just to play mp3's when pocket pc's and mobilephones can do the same, and they are growing more and more into the same thing. I have 1gb memory in my phone and 4gb in the PPC. Not only can they play mp3, they can show most video formats, html and browse the web.

My next gadget will be an UMPC in 2008 or 2009. Im just waiting for them to become thinner.

My zen has 20 gig, and can hold files, music and entire films!!

I use multiple devices - I have my 40GB iPod in the car permanently, have stuff like the DVD-rip of Night Watch and a bunch of MP3's and photos on my PSP (but I never use them since the load times for games are so crappy) and my Pocket PC has a 1GB SD card with eBooks, photos, and MP3's (and a game or two )

ipod gestapo? What the heck is *that* supposed to mean? You bought a different electronic device - there is no secret authoritarian agency forcing people to buy iPods!

People buy them in droves because (a) they are 'cool' (today, anyway), (b) they fit the needs of the majority of people (c) they are extremely intuitive and (d) the iTunes store and system is the best available and sync's up effortlessly in a way most others still dream of. The Ipod is not the technology or sound quality or feature leader - but it never has been! Apple entered an established market (I had been playing MP3's on portable devices for years prior to that) and worked their butts off through ease of use and integration to build a huge legitimate business segment where there was only geek-tech and piracy before.

the only pocket pc i had was the phillips nino circa 1999 and it was sweet. far ahead of anything at its time. the price was steep however 400-500 and with palms secure place in the market it never caught on. phillips also had crappy support for it and after about a year of use and a few total reboots that forced me to reload everything on it i packed it up and it stills sits on my closet shelf. this zen suits all my needs save a phone but the price range for anything like that is awfully high. i need the 30 gigs on this thing to even make use of an mp3 player on any device. my cd collection (coupled with my s.o.'s) is simply to massive to even bother with the minimal amount of space on other devices. i have no use for a pocket pc also as i like big screen powerhoused machines for my work and for my gaming. i have a resurrected old (+5years) vaio when i rarely need something portable. also this device has an organizer, and calendar, fm radio, voice recorder, and if the video or music file is of a different format it automatically can convert it to one that can be played on your device.

@txa1265- i was just making a joke at the expense of apple not really its owners. people can buy what they want but (an i guess this runs somewhat parallel to roqua's political thread) what bothers me most isn't the over saturation of adverts but the fact that it is the name that people use in place of the noun -mp3 device. any time a proper noun replaces a common one it makes me want to get out my 'everlong'(foofighters) hand and 'smack' those users of coersive/bandwagon dialog. it reminds me of (though not completely parallel to) when everyone called in-line skates rollerblades. though that brandname was more descriptive it still didn't change the fact that it was incorrect terminology and that after owning 'them' as my first pair i soon learned that they were a far inferior product to other brands.

also this may sound crazy or childish but the names of things is highly important and certainly deal breakers for almost anything i buy or use. names to me say alot and even if not intended say much about what they are about. i am not a fan of brandnames that capitalize on the selfishness/ego of the consumer. they may be find for others but for me it signals that their 'design'/designers do not similar views to me. i-pod and myspace are the 2 'powerhouse' examples that are for the most part inferior products but because of ease of use and name they have masses using them. to me that naming strategy is where i see the authoritarian/orwellian traits. naming something that trys to fit everyone into it kind of feels like a perfect circle that is heading your way-'you can join the circle, or be rolled over'

my apologies for the tangents, but these aren't just passing feelings, and i take more liberties with a thread if it's not someone elses i'm messing up.

curious said:

the only pocket pc i had was the phillips nino circa 1999 and it was sweet. far ahead of anything at its time.

Click to expand...

As I have been a Consumer Electronics wonk for many years, I have to dispute that. The Nino, as a first-gen PalmPC (before the Pocket PC), was acceptable as a first-gen product, but really weak overall. Before that I had HP200LX since ~'92, a couple of late-gen Newtons, and Psion 5mx and Revo ... *all* of these are much more powerful than the Nino (and more expensive!). What was interesting was the windows interface, solid synchronization and challenge to Palm.

I don't want to put thoughts behind your words, so let me ask: are you saying that while a product is struggling for mind-share you can support it, but once it becomes entrenched as a market leader you will turn against it? Because the iPod didn't get market share handed to it - indeed, it came out at a pretty dark time for Apple, and as a Mac-only product. But the only reason that there is a Zune or a usable Zen is that the iPod really turned the MP3-market on its' head with a very usable interface that just plain worked. The current state of usability for MP3 players, the ease of syncing things, and more are all direct products of Apple's designs.

apple has made many fine contributions to the market. heck my first 2 pc's i used were apples and i even enjoyed using a mac at one of my jobs as a secondary computer. however their products usually aren't 'for me' and i will never be able to get over the lack of a right mouse button i am thankful for all the design influences apple has made especially to the pc.

i thought nino was the first colour handheld with windows on it, but i am far from an expert.

I play mp3's on my Nintendo DS, and when I get bored of that I play a bit of mario or one of the old lucasarts adventures via scummVM (try that on your ipod :lol: )

I finally broke down and got an MP3 player the other day, it's nothing really fancy and only 2 gigs but that's all I need for emergencies like being stuck somewhere for hours or something. A few cds, some funny or otherwise entertaining videos, and I'm happy. And it was only 99 bucks.

Insignia 2 gb player

I still cling to my old cassette player !!!

Hey, I still have 3 working record players in my house, and the records to play on them!!

I have an old Creative 4GB MuVo; I'm still content with my four Gig... 600+ songs are enough to keep me happy when doing my daily 45 minutes walk.


@ JemyM: My MuVo may be old, but my mobile phone is much, much older. It couldn't play a single MP3 file even if it wanted. Hubby uses his iPaq as a MP3 player.