Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mp3players

Are there any mom-friendly mp3 players &/or car adapter kits?

lesli212 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:52:58 -0800

My mom has a long commute, so I'm thinking it would be great to get her an mp3 player for the car. I will be setting it up, but it should be easy for her to use. She is more used to VCR buttons than click wheels and cord-squeezing, so iPod-style interfaces are out. Does anyone know of a reliable mp3 player or car adapter kit that will fit the bill? I'd like to go old school here. The easy part: No lower size limit (4 gigs is more than enough). Also, she won't be loading or removing songs from it - trust me - so it doesn't matter if that process is simple or byzantine.

Are there any mp3 players with:
- large controls that are regular pressable buttons
- just a few, clearly labelled buttons: play, pause, volume, skip, back
- a large display that allows for easy song selection (but no video)
- nice loud speakers, and not tinny - she's getting slightly hard of hearing

Something like this or this from Creative, but with more clearly labelled buttons, would be nice.

I haven't seen any car adapter kits that have play/forward/back buttons for controlling an mp3 player - does anything like that exist, as an alternative?

Thanks MeFites!

MP3 Player Help - Need Specific Feature

Gerard Sorme — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:08:35 -0800

I currently have a Sansa E260 mp3 player which is fine except for one BIG problem (and I don't think I'm missing it anywhere on the Sansa). Currently, if I want to play a certain grouping of tunes I have to create a "playlist," which I find to be time consuming and a hassle. I want an mp3 player with multiple folders I can drag to and from in Windows Explorer. I used to have an older Creative Muvo (no longer made) that did exactly what I am wanting. I want to be able to drag pop tunes into a folder, classical music into a folder, spoken word into a folder....you get the idea. This way I can just click to a folder when I'm using my player and away I go. What mp3 player does this without having to use proprietary software, etc.? I just want to plug the player into USB and drag and drop songs/podcasts into multiple folders. Help with specific brand and models? You have no idea how much easier this would make my listening. As always, thanks in advance.

Managing large number of iPod/MP3 players...

daHIFI — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 07:37:11 -0800

My job's communication directors want to manage a group of iPods to disseminate podcasts to the suits. Problem is, they want one person to handle all the downloads. Is an iPod the best way to go about this? First assumption: The suits are a bunch of old men who can barely use their cell phones, let alone manage podcast subscriptions and such.

2nd assumption: the co-coordinator will be gathering podcasts and mp3 files from a variety of sources and will be loading up a number (10-20) mp3 players and will be handing those out to the suits.

3rd assumption: I do not, nor have I ever had an iPod.

The problem I see is that iTunes is not very friendly to syncing to multiple devices. I know that it may support 2-3 devices before getting into DRM issues with protected media, which we will not be dealing with; I just don't think it's feasible that it could sync a dozen or more devices without getting screwy.

My alternate plan that I will be presenting to my colleagues later this week will be to use a number of MP3 players that allow you drag and drop access to the music library. This will allow the coordinator to manually move the MP3s to the devices like a disk drive. I have a SanDisk player that works like this and can be bought for half the price of an iPod shuffle or whatnot.

I'm asking here because I've used iTunes a bit in the past and have used iPods very little. I set a Shuffle up for a customer years ago and what I do know is that Apple does not allow access to the media library on the device and that the only way to get music on the device is through a 3rd party application. I need confirmation or alternate ideas so I know what I'm talking about during this meeting.

Thanks in advance,

MP3 player that works like a simple flash drive

tinkertown — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:32:23 -0800

I'm completely clueless about mp3 players. What brands should I be looking at if I just want something that I can copy mp3s to like a simple USB flash drive, and which doesn't require a software install on the host computer (i.e. iTunes)?

A cheap mp3 player for a 16-year-old girl...

Ian A.T. — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 12:48:32 -0800

Please help my girlfriend buy a cheap mp3 player for a 16-year-old girl in foster care she's "adopted" for the holidays. Every year, my girlfriend participates in a program where she gets the name and Christmas wish list of an underprivileged kid. This year, she's shopping for a 16-year-old girl whose parents have had their parental rights revoked and who is currently a ward of the state living in some kind of foster home. Quote:

"One of the things on her list is an MP3 player, which is totally one of those things that would make some people scream "what!?", the implication being that if you can have an MP3 player you can't be in particularly dire straits, but I feel like I understand: I mean, why can't she have what everyone else has, you know?

"On the other hand, it seems like a dicey gift for someone in her situation: how is she going to get music for it? Is she going to have regular access to a computer? Is she living in some foster care setting where there are multiple opportunities for someone to steal it?

"So basically, I want to get her an MP3 player but I sure as hell don't want to get her an iPod, something both expensive and utterly desirable by others; I'm looking for something a little more toylike, as I think that's probably all that she needs.

"Does this exhausting explanation bring any product to your mind? I tried to go online and read reviews last night, but that always confuses me 10 times more.

"As for my budget, I don't think I have a very realistic notion of how much a cheap MP3 player should cost. She has other stuff on her list that I'd rather spend money on (like clothes and school supplies) so this is more of a second-tier present, you know? Definitely less than $100... like way less."

Ian here again. I know one of the stock AskMe answers is "we need more information," but the information we have about her situation is all we're going to get.

Thanks, guys!

Help me pick a flash-based mp3 player for my mom.

needs more cowbell — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 08:33:23 -0800

Please help me choose a flash-based mp3 player that will be easy (and loud enough) for my almost-62-year old mom to use while exercising. My mom isn't tech-phobic, but she's not of the younger, tech-saavy generation, and I don't want to get her something that will end up being too confusing and end up sitting in a drawer, unused.

I have a Zen Nano, which I like, but when I've lent it to her to use for a day she tends to forget how to find things/navigate to anything besides the podcast I've set up for her to listen to. Also, she's not hard of hearing, but she said my Zen Nano didn't get loud enough (though it's possible that was a headphone issue.)

I've been considering an ipod nano, but I've never actually used one. How does that compare to what else is available? Any better suggestions? Anything to avoid? Something with an FM radio is a plus, but not absolutely necessary. Size (physical and storage) isn't that important either.

Thanks!

These go to eleven...

disillusioned — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 23:13:32 -0800

Does listening to an MP3 player at a higher volume significantly increase the rate at which its battery drains? I suppose there are two (elementary) ways of thinking about this: A basic volume dial is a potentiometer—the signal is at full strength from its source, and you're merely adding resistance when you "turn it down."

But, I have no idea how the volume controls on either say, an ipod or my Creative Zen Vision work, given that it is accessed digitally. For these players, is it altering the strength of the output signal at the point where it is being generated? Or is it a digital control to an analog potentiometer? (I also know little about the nature of a simple stereo signal itself...)

Even if it were, would the difference in battery life be at all significant? (Would I be able to eek another 20 minutes out of my player by turning it on its lowest volume and using my car's amp to push it out at a "reasonable volume"?)

Much obliged!

MP3 player vs Static Electricity

tomble — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 18:09:22 -0800

How sensitive to static is the average MP3 player? My job involves mostly mindless production work, so I like to listen to a CD mp3 player (audio books, documentaries and the like) to keep me sane.

Part of my job involves rewinding plastics, which generate quite a bit of static. Every now and again my Sony MP3 CD player gets a jolt and I have to pull the batteries to get it going again. Happily, it's incredibly robust.

I plan to buy a HD player some time this year, and I'm wondering if they are more sensitive to a jolt. Do I risk blowing up the unit or frying the hard disk?

m:robe 100 and OS X

michaelkuznet — Mon, 16 May 2005 21:32:30 -0800

Yes, I know that the m:robe 100 isn't *officially* Mac compatible, but it's so sweet looking (fine, fine: "pretty"), that I'm sure somebody has hacked it together to work for the finer 10% of computer users out there... Has anybody had any luck with using the m:robe 100 on a Mac running (specifically) OS X.4.1?

How do I control where a tree will fall?

FidelDonson — Mon, 17 Jan 2005 01:18:23 -0800

Two unrelated questions. Extra points for the complex person that answers both.
1. How do I control where a tree I am cutting down will land?
2. I want a stationary mp3 player that fits on top of my stereo. Does anything like that exist - and who produces it?

What's a good tape adapter for use in my car?

punishinglemur — Thu, 09 Dec 2004 16:53:23 -0800

What's a good tape adapter for use in my car? I'm using it to listen to my Rio Karma MP3 player. My second adapter is dying, and I need a new one. Both times, the cable seemed to wear out where it meets the plug into the MP3 player. How can I avoid that?

Where do you go to download MP3 or WMA format documentaries, comedy shows and interviews?

iffley — Wed, 28 Apr 2004 11:41:46 -0800

I'd love to use my MP3 player to listen to quality voice programming like BBC Radio 4, but I don't want the hassle of recording each streamed file separately. Where do you go to download MP3 or WMA format documentaries, comedy shows and interviews?

What's the best way to fill up a new MP3 player?

bondcliff — Tue, 20 Jan 2004 06:37:54 -0800

What's the best way to fill up a new MP3 player? [Further details will be provided upon clicking the 'comments' link below] I just bought a 256MB Rio Cali player. In addition to grabbing a random selection from my 2000+ MP3s that I acquired during the care-free days of Napster and Kazaa-lite, how can I get more music?

I don't mind paying a reasonable amount per song as long as quality is assured. I have a Windows XP machine and a Linux PC. Does iTunes work on anything but the iPod? Are there any other services that are any good? Per-song charges would be better than a flat monthly fee.

What about free services? I hate to admit it, but the RIAA lawsuits, however silly they may be, have made Kazaa no longer worth the effort.

I don't need the latest and greatest hits, because most of them suck, but where can I go if I must have a few tracks from an old Red Hot Chili Peppers CD? What service will provide some good recommendations based on what I already have?

Where do you get your music?