anybody have experience with I-pods?

[BobHunt]

Wife wants one for Christmas...any good ones...better ones? Some say the ones with tv dont work as well?

[Keith Isley]

I've heard nothing but good reviews about Apple's iPod products since they've come out. They're well-made and easy to operate, and the iTunes software you use to synchronize music with the iPod is excellent. (We use it at home, even though we don't have an iPod. You can burn audio CDs from it.)

The only problem: in the early models, under heavy use the rechargeable batteries tendded to go dead a bit earlier than expected. Not sure if that's been improved in the new models; however, the iPods have a one-year warranty and Apple has a $50 replacement program after that.

Also, the Nanos have a reputation of scratching easily....there's some debate if that's due to a different finish, or just that the screen is smaller and so the scratches are more noticeable. Regardless, I'd recommend sinking a few extra dollars into a protective case, no matter which one you get.

Which one you get depends on personal preference and needs. For most folks, a Nano is probably enough....although the video iPods are neat if you are technically inclined and like to fiddle with video. It's possible to transfer your own videos (i.e., home camcorder videos, etc.) if you have the time and know what you are doing. A whole new way to share home videos! :)

The Shuffles are the cheapest, but they don't thrill me much. I don't like the fact that you can't see what song you are playing (no screen). But they are portable and durable...great to strap to an arm, or slide into a pocket, if you are exercising.

Honestly, though...if I were in the market for an MP3 player, it would be an iPod or nothing. Nothing else even comes close - in market share, usability, or attractiveness, in my opinion.

Of course, I've always been an Apple fan, so I'm sure this isn't an unbiased recommendation. :)

- KAI

oh, P.S.: sometimes when the new iPod models come out, you can find discontinued iPods at discounted prices. You might want to try, like, a Sears or something - I was looking in a Sears about a month ago and saw a discontinued iPod mini (which the Nano replaced) for $130. That's a great buy if you can find it.

[Alex Manly]

One thing you didn't mention was memory size. I've seen mp3 players with like 8 gb now and that would hold something like a few thousand songs. If I was to get one myself I'd probably stick to no bigger then 1GB which should hold plenty'o songs for the average listener. At Sam's Club I saw an HP iPod that was 512Mb for $97. Seems like a good deal to me.

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

I have thought about an I-Pod but my PDA works so well as a MP3 player that I can't justify spending the money on an I-Pod.

I can put around 40 hours of music on a Compact Flash disk, and then listen to it on my PDA.

One night a week or so, I save around 8 hours of the audio stream from KJIC onto my PDA, and listen to it the rest of the week when I am working in my office or driving in the car.

I am sure the I-Pod is better as an MP3 player, but my PDA does so much more -- in addition to playing MP3's it has my date book, my address book, a PDA version of Microsoft Word, games, a Bible, and a whole bunch more stuff. In other words I get a lot more bang for my buck with my PDA than I would with an I-Pod.

[David R. Felter]

I own an Apple iPod mini (4 gigabyte model). I absolutely love it. I chose the Apple for 2 reasons. Brand name recognition and iTunes. The iTunes software that is used for storing, ripping, creating playlists, playing the mp3 on your pc, etc., is extremely flexible. Although these days most of the other software titles are catching up to it.

I use my iTunes to rip cds, burn cds, and play them. All of the software titles can do that, but iTunes works in conjunction with the AirPort Express (http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/) to stream the music (wirelessly) to my home stereo system. So, for example, we have all of our Christmas cd's ripped to mp3 files on our hard drive. Using the iTunes software, I built a Christmas music playlist. On the iTunes interface I choose "Home Stereo" (as opposed to "My PC") and hit the play button. The afore mentioned Christmas music is now playing on our home stereo system, and we can listen to many more artists when compared to the 5 disc cd changer that we have. In fact since we got iTunes and the AirPort Express, our cd changer is collecting dust. I can also download that playlist to the iPod and listen to the same music in the car, work, etc.

Of course you don't have to have an iPod to accomplish this, but it is nice to have everything tied together in one neat package. One thing to note...if you do play the mp3 over your home system, it is best to rip them at a rate of 192kbps or higher. Anything lower than that and you are losing sound quality and it is really noticable on your home system (IMO).

Good luck!