If I want an MP3 player but hate iTunes?

[Gorefiend]

I think the subject is pretty self-explanatory; I accidentally broke the screen on my old-ass, randomly-won't-play-songs, just-waiting-for-and-excuse-to-replace-it mp3 player, and am now ready to seriously look at replacing it with something that will work. I kinda want to get an iPod; I know it'll work perfectly for as long as it lasts, and the huge size of my current player was always a problem... But I don't want to have iTunes, as in my previous experience, it's not a program that I want. But then, what kind of player do I want? Or is iTunes not that bad? I'm hesitantly considering a Zune, and already know I don't want to do business with iRiver (the brand on my shitty mp3 player: even though I think its a generic, their customer service was non-existent, and I'll hold that against them). Anything else anyone would recommend, before I commit?

[MasterOfMagic]

I have an ipod, and I don't use iTunes. Its not a necessity. Plenty of programs will let you manage the songs on it without ever having iTunes installed. I personally use winamp, but that's just 'cause I've always used it to play my music.

You can, of course, get something other than an iPod for other reasons, but this one's not really an issue.

[Gorefiend]

I didn't know that! ^^' Thanks!

[Viridis]

For the solution I use, google 'SharePod'. It is a tiny program for managing iPods. It's so small I put it on my iPod so I can mess with my songs from any computer I plug it into.

[synkr0nized]

Yeah, Winamp has a module/plugin/compatibility/whatever they are calling it these days for iPods. MusicMatch should still work with them [and I knew a few folks who preferred it], and Hell I wouldn't be surprised if someone rigged up a way to manage it in Windows Media Player (assuming MS still hasn't). And there are other tools like the one mentioned above there, though I'd have to look for them to know their names.


I don't find much wrong with iTunes, at least within the OS X environment (it's integrated quite well, anyway). Since I have a Mac laptop, I just use that. I prefer other programs in other OS environments, though, so I totally get the interest in not using it. Without knowing what your aversion / disinterest in it is, though, I can't really claim it's better.


As to the players themselves, if you're in the market for the 20+ GB range, MS's Zune is the only other real competition. Fortunately, when you can find users of the device, folks seem to be very pleased with them. I'm certainly not saying you shouldn't consider an iPod, but maybe read some of the reviews about the features and specs of the Zune and see if that tickles your fancy.

[Lost in Time]

I do enjoy my Zune very much, I watch a bunch of videos on the go, and the large screen helps a ton with that, when comparing it to the classic ipod, I enjoy the zune more. The software isn't the best, but it's not bad at least. But if you are one that enjoys legally downloading your music, I like the zune pass.

[Seil]

I'd go for a PSP. It can do a ton more than the average MP3 player, and has much better games than any of them out there. It's click-and-drop instead of iTunes, and you get memory cards - right now I have a 2GB card inside mine - that lets me hold pretty much all the music I want on it. But If I want to swap it out on the fly and put in one loaded with... I dun know - techno music, I just keep both with me and swap them when I want to.

[synkr0nized]

Some of us prefer our digital music players to be digital music players and not multimedia devices.

But if you want to pop in some movies and/or download them [get the bigger memory sticks] and have a nice screen that can also be used for some fun games, a PSP might indeed also be an option to look into.

[Fifthfiend]

I have previously heard good things about Cowon's (http://www.cowonamerica.com/products/) line of personal media players although I personally can't speak for them.

[Seil]

Apparently Shiney is the Zune. (http://forum.nuklearpower.com/showpost.php?p=669033&postcount=64) Go figure. ( That's just something I found while searching for this: )

This is a previous "What MP3 player should I buy" thread, and the only reason I searched for it was to get this picture: (http://forum.nuklearpower.com/showthread.php?t=24500)

http://gizmologia.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/archos605wifi.jpg

Yeah. It's an Archos 605, (http://www.archos.com/products/gen_5/archos_605wifi/index.html?country=global&lang=en) and I don't really thing it's an MP3 player persé, but it does play MP3's. Damn it looks sexy.

[Marc v4.0]

Dammit, I want that Data Pad!

[Bells]

You know... if you're willing to look around.... you can get some very nice options (http://cgi.ebay.com/16GB-2-8-Touch-Screen-MP3-MP4-Media-Player-FM-Radio-8G_W0QQitemZ250379264360QQcmdZViewItemQQptZOther_M P3_Players?hash=item250379264360&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 09|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50)

That's when those Chinese knock-offs come in handy!

[PyrosNine]

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8031581

I use this. It is cheap. It is relatively tiny. The only game it can play is tetris, and it's 'special' features include an international radio, a voice recorder (that can also record radio) small picture viewer, and small video player, and it holds 1 gig of memory.

It is the only MP3 player I will ever need.

While this may not be the best example of the mp3 player you should buy with your good money, consider this: You are buying it to listen to MUSIC, and are more likely to listen to music while walking to and fro or doing work, than you are playing games and watching vids, and aside from how much music it can hold and what headphones fit in it, all mp3 players play mp3's equally.

For me, what I use to organize my mp3's is I sort them by hand (metaphorically) and line them up as I choose, this is mostly because of all the redundant folders made from Itunes/WinAmp and the fact that I don't have any full cd sets of mp3s, instead sort them by genre on my pc, and even then loosely.

[Cid Highwind]

This isnt a bad idea, because for a program that is meant to primarily manage your music library, iTunes sure screws up your music library pretty badly.

[Gorefiend]

I'm on Vista nowadays (not as bad a groan as I expected, but the memory drag is very real) and I used to use iTunes. The problem I had is that I'm fairly certain it bricked my old iPod (it was old, but one stupid update and suddenly its bricked) and when I tried to get rid of it it had a tendency to crawl back from the dead in various ways. I hear that since then it also had a tendency to take over your computer's mp3-playing capabilities like it or not (on a PC), but partly it IS just laziness and the fact that I have two programs that do everything I want from iTunes already (Winamp and WMP) and don't want a third.

I had always wanted a Creative ZEN player, but nowadays I don't want a video player, just a music player, so I might go for the iPod or Zune (I'm not as religiously music-only as Krylo was in that thread/is). As for space, I have a LOT of music, and would appreciate as much as I can get. Ideally I would get something small and kinda light; something that fits in the inside-pocket of a jacket, or the like.

[TheSparrow]

I do enjoy my Zune very much, I watch a bunch of videos on the go, and the large screen helps a ton with that, when comparing it to the classic ipod, I enjoy the zune more. The software isn't the best, but it's not bad at least. But if you are one that enjoys legally downloading your music, I like the zune pass.

I had a Zune for exactly one day. In that day I discovered that the Zune insisted on erasing anything not on my computer. I checked Microsofts web site about it and it basically said that "our target market likes this, and if you dont, too damned bad, you dont get a choice" ...so I chose to get another Creative Zen instead. I started with the Zen Touch years ago, and now have the Zen Vision.

[Lost in Time]

Except for the fact that you do get a choice. You just choose not to link it to that computer and it won't erase anything