My wife asked for an IPod or MP3 p_layer_ for Christmas, what is the difference between an IPod and any other MP3 p_layer_ (IE. Samsung, Toshiba, etc.) ?  Thanks guys.

etc.) ?  Thanks guys. I-Pod's give you unnecessarily large space for storing (literally) all of your computer's MP3's on it.  However, there are much cheaper alternatives, especially if you plan on storing small amounts of music on it, and not (literally!) your whole hard drive onto it. How small do you mean?  One or two discs worth of songs?  I'd probably like to put a hundred or so on it so she can just go and always have what she needs with her without having to have me re-program it every time her mood or tastes change.

My wife asked for an IPod or MP3 p_layer_ for Christmas, what is the difference between an IPod and any other MP3 p_layer_ (IE. Samsung, Toshiba, etc.) ?  Thanks guys. Look at the Creative Zen models, better bang for your buck I think. You can choose between a flash _style_ which will hold up to 2 gig (generally) vs a Hard drive model which you can store between 4 and  40 gig. The difference is the flash models you can run and jostle around with no problem but they don't hold as much.  With the Hard Drive models, you get more features and can hold alot more music but you don't want to use them while jogging, as they are a hard drive so you have to be more careful. All depends on what you want them for.

I-Pod's give you unnecessarily large space for storing (literally) all of your computer's MP3's on it.  However, there are much cheaper alternatives, especially if you plan on storing small amounts of music on it, and not (literally!) your whole hard drive onto it. That's quite a generalization, considering all the different sizes. Granted, not many people can make use of the 60GB models (although I dream of the day I can get a 150GB version), but there are many many options, including the new Nano. Check apple.com for all the models, but I wouldn't call 4GB unnecessarily large by any means. Essentially, the only difference between an iPod and a mp3 p_layer_ is design. The iPod *is* a mp3 p_layer_. Part of that design being the patented scroll and click wheel, that makes sorting through the music very easy. Besides that, only the fact that Apple got in on the game earlier than everyone else, although I don't see any reasons to not trust a name like Toshiba or Samsung. I would, however, not recommend buying a no-name p_layer_. Personally, I like the design and ease of use on the iPod over the others I have seen, but that's just my taste. Jeff

There are all sorts of price points for personal music p_layer_s.  I think the great advantage at the moment is iTunes.  You probably aren't familiar with the app if you are asking this question to start with so you'll just have to believe me. The nano is great as it's flash memory (no moving parts), the shuffle is very cheap but no display, then there are larger full featured models. There are tons more accessories (cases, docks, FM modulators to broadcast to your car stero etc) with the iPod lines.  iTunes also has direct purchase of music if you want (almost any album you want for about $10) and hundreds of podcasts to sync to.  (again, if you dont know about this, you will get hooked) I have an older 15GB iPod with about 3GB used, I just got a 2GB nano for my 17yr old for Xmas.   Bob

My wife asked for an IPod or MP3 p_layer_ for Christmas, what is the difference between an IPod and any other MP3 p_layer_ (IE. Samsung, Toshiba, etc.) ?  Thanks guys. If your wife asked for an IPod, get her an IPod.  True IPod's are a bit unnecessary, but so is any other p_layer_ that holds 1000's of songs. IPods have become a fashion accessory, so she'll most likely want to keep up with the trend.