Generally speaking, i'm usually about 15 years behind the techno-gizmo/gadget curve...

I want to buy my first MP3 player. My computer is a Mac and i'll just need this for dumping songs from my ITunes into it so I can have something to listen to during long commutes.

I don't wanna spend a bunch of money. Something reliable, relatively inexpensive would do the trick. I DON'T want an IPOD.

I don't need to have 5000 songs on there either. I'm okay with changing the rotation of the music every few days. One or two hundred would work.
I just don't want to have to replace the damn thing every year or two.

Here's to 'better living thru technology'. thanks.

I'm not sure why you don't want an IPOD. I haven't been keeping up with the competitiors since I bought mine 2 years ago, but they were far better design-wise at that time. Even a friend of mine who hates Apple grudgingly uses one now.

Unless you have a specific reason not go get one, I would recommend an IPod.

Most of my friends use a Creative Zen for their non-iPod mp3 players.

Whatever you do, try it out first and check out how loud it is. Some of the mp3 players I checked were ridiculously quiet.

Get an iPod.

I know they are popular. There is a reason why.

How much is a lot of money?

I bought the stupidly-named Trekstor Vibez, which is unreal good. 12gb, $300 street. No software, just plug it in via firewire and then drag songs onto the player like an external drive. It sorts them by the id tags. It also does FLAC, and .ogg files.

It's probably more than you're looking for, but it actually sounds good, unlike ipods. I can't hear any compression being added and the frequency range is stellar. I listen to mine a lot at work, so all of that matters to me. Might be unimportant if you're listening to it on your commute.

I hear the Creative Zen players are good for being cheap, but they don't like Macs. Oodles more options here:
http://anythingbutipod.com/

If you like using iTunes, then just go ahead and get an iPod.

But if you do get one, the first time you plug it into your computer, remember to make sure Auto-Sync is turned off.

Go to Edit->Preferences->iPod and select "Manually Manage Songs and Playlists"

Otherwise, when you connect your iPod, iTunes will automatically begin copying every song in your iTunes folder onto it, whether you want it to or not. Worse yet, if you ever connect your iPod to another computer, it will automatically erase all your songs from its hard drive and replace them with the songs from that computer's iTunes library.

Remember, the iPod's software is intended to work only with iTunes and to enable you to write, play or delete songs but not copy them off the iPod to any computer. To do that you'll need a program like YAMIPOD, which allows you to copy music off your iPod.

I keep a copy of YAMIPOD stored on my iPod's hard drive so it's always handy, should I want to copy music off my iPod onto any computer.

To store files or programs on your iPod:

Before connecting it to your computer, open up My Computer. Then plug it in and look for a drive icon to appear in the My Computer window. Click that icon and you can use you iPod as a storage medium. But remember: no songs added in this way will appear on you iPod's menus or be playable via the iPod or iTunes.

If you want a good mp3 player that simply allows drag-and-drop copying like an external drive without all that iTunes bullshit, then get an Archos 504, a Zune, or a Creative Zen.

tommydski wrote:Get an iPod.

I know they are popular. There is a reason why.

'Cause they're nice and shiny. But they get scratched, you can set them to be connected only to a PC or a Mac(or there's some trick you need to do when you install it so it accepts both or something, but most people forget/don't know how to do it). Apple stuff is just lousy.

edit: oh, you have to use iTunes with them.

you will find those things overpriced here. I will go for a Creative. But since you have a Mac probably the best for you would be an ipod

tommydski wrote:Get an iPod.

I know they are popular. There is a reason why.

A lot of music is "popular" yet sucks. For the iPod/i* is quite the same.

Try to get a samsung YP-U3, it supports USB mass storage protocol (i.e. no need to use itunes) and supports ogg vorbis files (free from patents and GPL'ed format) as well.

Cowon players seem good, too but I don't know if they are worth the price difference (here in Italy cowon's are way more expensive than the samsung's).