I'm sure this subject has been discussed on here before but since it wasn't something I was interested in, I never really paid much attention.

Now, I'm really thinking about getting something like this. I've been going to the gym for 3 months now and would like to get one for the treadmill. My needs are as follows:

1. hold about 20 songs
2. I don't want to spend TONS of money
3. ease of transferring songs on to it. I know nothing about how to do this
4. I don't want to have to change batteries constantly.

So, any suggestions/recommendations???

Thanks ladies

By Kaye on Monday, April 17, 2006 - 10:11 pm:

An ipod shuffle will meet your needs. It is the most most basic of ipods. It cost about 70 bucks. Downloading music isn't an issue once you get the software up and running. I just pop a cd in and put it on itunes and call it good. There are not batteries, it just charges up. I actually bought a very cheap wall charger, but you can use the isb port on your computer. A shuffle will hold about 100 songs.

Okay the downfall, there isn't a screen to see what is playing or what is next, you hit play and listen. To me, this isn't a huge deal, but if you have had a regular ipod this is a step down. I like that it is nice and durable, i toss mine in my tennis bag and it is fine.

By Melanie on Monday, April 17, 2006 - 10:26 pm:

I use my Ipod shuffle for exactly what you describe. I just feel my way around when it comes to electronics, and I had no problem setting mine up. Since I don't have a ton of songs on it anyway, the lack of a screen isn't an issue at all.

I did read that the shuffle will stop working if exposed to moisture (sweat). I wear mine on an arm band to keep it away from my body as I work out.

I love it and would definitely recommend it for what you describe.

By Paulas on Monday, April 17, 2006 - 10:34 pm:

So, I went to ebay and looked a little. The shuffles are about $67CAD there. There were some accessories as well...like a battery pack...why would I need that.

So, do you have to have an Apple computer to use an IPod? I'm such a computer idiot. I turn the thing on and go.

By Melanie on Monday, April 17, 2006 - 10:52 pm:

An Apple computer is not necessary. I guess you would want the battery pack if you use it all the time and run the battery down. I don't have one and it's fine. I use it for my work outs for a good month (2-3 times per week, 1.5-2 hours per session) before having to plug it in to charge it up. I think it advertises 12 hours of play time, but I definitely get more than that out of it at this point (I have had it for 6-8 months).

By Kittycat_26 on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 07:14 am:

If you're not completely sold on IPod, Dell DJ is another option. It costs about the same as the shuffle and has a screen to see what is playing. We're not real apple fans here because you can only use their software and their songs.

By Karen~moderator on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 07:46 am:

I got a Dell DJ Ditty free with my laptop recently.. I have done nothing to set it up yet though. LOL

By Luvn29 on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 08:10 am:

The main difference between ipods and mp3 players is that with an ipod you MUST use THEIR services to download music, etc. with mp3 players, you can go wherever it's cheapest, such as walmart.com or to those places where you pay a monthly fee and get unlimited songs. You can get mp3 players that vary in price from 20-30 bucks on up at wal-mart, depending on what you want. I don't have one, but I was looking at them for my dd. Check them out on Wal-mart.com You can look at them by price range or whatever. And they tell you how many songs they'll hold, etc.

You don't have to have an Apple for an ipod, but you do have to use itunes to download their music.

By Vicki on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 08:23 am:

I have the shuffle and really like it. I think it would suit your needs just fine!

By Kaye on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 08:38 am:

Ditto on the don't need an apple, I have a pc and it works fine.

The upside of the ipod brand, it will resale, look on ebay, the prices stay pretty solid.

By Kittycat_26 on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 09:37 am:

I understand that you don't need an apple to use the Ipod; however, I don't care for apple products in general. It's a shame that a company has to be that exclusive in what software and services can be used with it. I like having a choice.

By Kaye on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 09:46 am:

Amanda I can understand that. I don't buy music so I haven't had an issue. I downloaded all my cd's and I am good to go.

Of course limiting you to their songs, etc, maybe keeps things working together? I know when i bought my computer I didn't hodge podge it together, expect for the printer, and boy do i regret that decision, it seems that the software is often uncompatable and I have to reload, reboot it often.

By Paulas on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 12:00 pm:

When I have been looking at IPods vs MP3 Players (and I don't have a preference) what I seem to be noticing is that the cheaper MP3 players ($40-$90 range) tend to take AAA batteries whereas the IPod shuffle uses the USB connection to recharge its battery. Am I wrong in this assumption?

So, with IPods, you can only go to ITunes? Can you take music from a personal CD and load it on the shuffle? How much does ITunes cost?

By Melanie on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 12:21 pm:

Yes, you can take music from a CD. But you have to first load it to ITunes. Not a big deal at all, in my experience.

Signing up for ITunes is free. You can purchase songs for .99.

IPods do use the USB to recharge. I believe you are correct about the batteries for MP3 players.

By Kittycat_26 on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 12:45 pm:

When I got my Dell, I wanted to be able to change the music so I steered away from using my CDs for the muic on it. Mine also charges through the USB port which was another seller.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) you have to have some knowledge in order to buy away from Ipods. They have become known for such easy use and since there is no choice but for ITunes there are no incompatibility problems.

It's all personal choice really.

By Marcia on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 01:31 pm:

I just bought a SanDisk Sansa at Best Buy. the guy recommended it over the IPOD, and said he had bought this one for a few friends for Christmas. It's easy to use, holds a couple hundred songs, and I'm using rechargeable batteries in it. It does have a screen with the song name, but I'm not sure if it shows what's on next. I haven't had it long enough to play on it much.

By Paulas on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 04:22 pm:

Another Shuffle question...

I was reading that the shuffle randomly selects songs so that you never know what favorite tune will be next. Well, I want to set up my music so that I have slower warmup/cool down tunes and faster cardio songs. Could I do that??

By Melanie on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 04:27 pm:

Yes. You can either play them in order or have them play randomly.

By Conni on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 10:03 pm:

Honestly, I think you will be happy with whatever you get!!

Dh and I have Rio brand Mp3 players that have kind of a rubbery shell. They are made for sports. They hold way more songs then I have ever loaded, they take 1 AAA battery and it lasts a long time. They came from Wal-Mart a few yrs ago and I dont think they even sell them anymore?

We have 3 boys that each have a diff type of MP3 player. DSS has the Dell jukebox? I cant remember what its called. Anyway- he likes it. DS(13.5) has the Ipod Shuffle. Yes, we can only get tunes from Itunes for it or CD's. He doesnt like that it doesnt have a screen, but he still uses it. I just ignore half of his little complaints like that. LOL I told him if he didnt like it to sell it and buy a diff one and he is still using the Shuffle! So he must like it. DS(12yo) has an RCA brand MP3 and he is perfectly happy with it too!

Have fun shopping!

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - 11:04 pm:

We have the 30GB Video Ipod and have a ton of songs on it. We like taking it into the car and listening to the music, as drive around town.