Anyone have an iPod that's not an iPod?

[kristine_elen]

My old iPod broke and we took it to the Apple "genius bar" and they said, "Yeah, they just break. Not uncommon." It would cost more to fix than replace, and it was not under warranty. I then bought an iPod nano b/c it has flash drive which is supposed to be more durable than a regular hard drive. I've had it less than a week and last night it wouldn't play at all. Just frozen. I know at this point I can return it, but I'm a little peeved at Apple for this. On the other hand, when it works, I LOVE my iPod, and I have a Mac and I-Tunes.

Is there anything out there better than an iPod, or at least a lot cheaper so that if it dies it's no big deal? I'm also not sure how other mp3 players work with itunes.

Thanks for any advice.


PS: It ran all night (frozen on) and in the morning it worked.

[kristenk]

Mine froze once. I don't remember how I unfroze it. Go to apple.com and look at FAQs or the nano manual. If it helps any, it only happened that one time with me.

[pb&j]

Try the 5 R's:
http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/five_rs/



-Ry,
mom to Max the one year old
and my girl in heaven

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/37124.gif

[kristine_elen]

Thanks for the tips/info!

[casey118]

My nano is over a year old and it freezes periodically. I just reset it and it always comes back (knock on wood!)

[caheinz]

iTunes won't work with any other players. (They've gotten some heat for this.)

But, it sounds like you've gotten some help to let you love your current iPod! (And, BTW, I'm not sure anyone else has anything better yet!)

[tarahsolazy]

You can buy AppleCare to extend your warranty, I think to 2 years, or maybe just 1 on the iPods.

I have an iPod from 2001 that's still working well, despite a great degree of abuse. Its battery life kind of sucks now, but I figure 6 years is pretty good for that type of device. I just updated to a previous gen nano, the white one, and have been pleased so far.

[gatorsmom]

About a 6 months ago, I decided to get an MP3 player and almost got an ipod because of the hype. I decided to do some investigating and based on my needs, decided against getting an ipod. A friend had lent me her ipod shuffle and I loved the size and nearly bought it but, as I said, I decided against it for the following reasons:

I didn't want an internal battery like the ipods have.
I didn't want to be tied to music on Itunes or have to buy the CD.
I didn't like the price and the fact that they become obsolete in about a year or 2 years.

I decided to get a San Disk. It looks like a shuffle but is half the price. It takes one AAA battery (which is great if you are out on a long walk, you can just change the battery and go- don't have to wait to recharge when you are home again). Also, i can download music from any of the numerous webstores. It is SUPER simple to download music, rip from a cd or burn onto a cd any music you buy from the webstores. It takes almost no time to sync them, too. I love how simple it is (one less thing to have break or confuse me). I'm really pleased with it.

I could see how someone who travels alot or is not often home would love having the availability of various playlists or podcasts. But I'm home all the time and only use the san disk when I'm exercising. I can switch my playlist at home just before I exercize.

Just another opinion.

Lisa
Mom to Gator July 2003
And Cha-Cha July 2005

[bostonsmama]

I have a Sansa SanDisk mp3 player and love it, too. I'm sure you'll want to get your iPod fixed since others have mentioned that the iTunes files aren't transferrable, but if you decide to scrap it, you can't go wrong. I have a 512MB model, I believe, and it came with a arm band and protective case for when I went to the gym. Was also a great deal at under $50. It has a great easy read out, lit back display, awesome sound output, and simple to use. Mine also came with an integrated AM/FM radio tuner, so I can listen to local stations when my workout songs get boring. Love that I can replace my own battery. Also has super fast and easy file upload.

Good luck getting everything fixed.

[gatorsmom]

Yep, that's what I have. Just love it and would highly recommend it.

Lisa
Mom to Gator July 2003
And Cha-Cha July 2005

[crAbbymom]

I just got an iRiver clix (4gb)...I LOVE it! They run about the same price as the iPod nano but have an integrated radio tuner and voice recorder also. I can also play games and video on it. I chose it specifically because the audio books that our library offers for download won't work with iPod.

The only downside that I can see is that there are tons of off brand accessories that work with iPod...but not with iRiver

http://www.iriveramerica.com/prod/ultra/clix/clix-4GB-black.aspx

[vonfirmath]

I've got a Creative Zen V Plus. (I wanted something that could run .wma because what I do is listen to audiobooks on it)

Occasionally it freezes -- a paperclip in the side fixes it, and without erasing the contents!

about 3 months after I bought it, the "button" on the front broke. I sent it back to creative and they sent me a new one -- less than two weeks roundtrip. Just like that. I was so pleased I've bought their warranty to get this type of service for the next two years.

[kellyotn]

I listen to audiobooks too, and iPods aren't compatible with two of the three main sites I use.

I got a Creative Zen Vision:M 30 GB.

http://tinyurl.com/2qragj (I used the Audible promo for $100 off.)

I like it a lot so far. Its backing up ALL of my pics and video clips. SEVERAL 15+ hour books and hundreds of songs, and I'm only using about half its capacity. The screen is awesome. I'd probably not get black next time because its very easy to show scratches on the body. I'd get white.

My husband has a Creative Zen Micro. He primarily listens to audiobooks and it is kind of a pain because it has no bookmark feature, but its teeny tiny and was inexpensive. I gave him my aging Rio Sport b/c I thought he'd appreciate having a bookmark feature and he hated it and wanted his books back on his Zen. Its all what you get used to probably.

Hopefully you can get your iPod running, but if not, check into a Creative! :)