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.mp3 player under $100?

R

robb.

Mar 6, 2003
1,601
19
48
detroit, MI, united states
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#1
my wife is going to be spending several hours of downtime on the university of alabama campus in tuscaloosa this spring and told me she wanted a CD player to help kill time.

i did some research and think she'd be much happier with a 256MB .mp3 player. there are a few that can be found at or below $100, but i'm having difficulty sorting the wheat from the chaff. any experience with any of them?

i think i'm leaning towards the Link Removed, but i'm open to suggestions. creative, philips, off-brand?

thanks.

robb.
 
#5
mushkin -- they're a memory company, mostly. high end stuff. it looks like they're either the OEM or buy from the same OEM as a couple other players. they're also selling 256MB USB flash drives for $28 right now.

wal-mart -- i don't shop there.

thanks for the help so far! a friend turned me on to a a couple info sites, so i'll post my findings when i have them!

robb.
 
#6
i spent a little more than i had planned, but i got a great deal on what looks like a great player.

i bought the iriver iFP-599T for $185.59. they still sell for about $400, and i see them used on ebay for around $200, so i'm pretty happy about the purchase.

the features? 1GB of storage, built-in rechargeable battery, beautiful design, firmware upgrades that provide .ogg support (good since i want to go linux) and UMS support (so i can use it as a USB flash drive). the amp is rated for 12mW per side, which is more than most of the rated players; most players don't even rate their power output. it is very small and light and should fit in just about anyone's pockets.

the only downside is that it's USB1.1 instead of 2.0, so it'll be a little slow when filling it up from empty. i'm comfortable with that.

i was looking for 256MB players in the $100 range, but almost all of them used AAA or AA batteries. what's the purpose of going inexpensive if you have to spend a bunch of money and hassle on batteries? so the ones i was actually interested in at 256MB with a rechargeable battery were more in the realm of $120 to $140. i figured last year's top of the line flash player was worth another $45 to quadruple the memory.

hopefully my wife will be as enthusiastic about it as i am.

robb.
 
#7
I have to put in a plug for my iPod. I have had it since they first came out. I have taken it on bus trips, walks, bike rides, etc. Unfortunately, it still works like new. I'd like to get a newer model but can't until this one craps out.

I know it's above your $$ range, but between the iPod and iTunes to manage your music, IMHO, there is no better combination.
 

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