searched the old threads but didn't see the info i was looking for. want to buy my mom a mp3 player. looking to spend <$150. she doesn't listen to that many bands so capacity really isn't too much of an issue. she'll use it while she walks (say 1hr/night). number one important feature is ease of use - big, obvious buttons and not too many of them. recommendations? also recommendations for easy music download sites - preferrably on a per song basis rather than a subscription? thx.

11/1/2005 9:21:41 AM

i wouldn't get an ipod then. If she needs big obvious buttons, that scroll wheel might be too much

11/1/2005 9:48:01 AM

^? Can't get many less buttons than an ipod.

11/1/2005 10:16:01 AM

i love my creative zen micro, but it holds 5gigs, which is pry wayyyy too much

check out amazon.com or cnet.com and see which mp3 players have gotten good reviews and whatnot

11/1/2005 10:16:36 AM

the old 4 gig mini would have been a good option. check out http://www.iriveramerica.com

they have some cool stuff there, the 1 gig flash players would probably be good enough. they have a really large variety of those.

just pricegrabber their product numbers though, they are the manufacturer so they're going to charge full msrp of course.

[Edited on November 1, 2005 at 10:34 AM. Reason : ]

11/1/2005 10:33:52 AM

no way they would figure out the ipod

11/1/2005 10:59:47 AM

an ipod shuffle is a pretty simplistic layout and a gig of music should work for an hour. there are many other better, better featured players but none offer such a simplistic control layout. itunes is incredibly gay though. oh well, people claim its easy to use.

11/1/2005 11:38:24 AM

For an hour a night, just buy her a $1 armband scanning FM radio from Walmart.

11/1/2005 11:42:07 AM

11/1/2005 11:45:25 AM

yeah the ipod shuffle would be good. I would get that.

11/1/2005 11:57:20 AM

i bought my mom a shuffle and she loves it

11/1/2005 1:58:25 PM

Iriver is supposed to be good for being sturdy, which would be a plus if it is being used while exercising.

As long as you don't get an IPod, Walmart.com is great for music. For someone non-techie, I think it is good because it acts like a store (rather than Itunes, yahoo, etc where you have to download something to even search for music). Even most of our non-techie parents have bought something online, so they would be more comfortable with the process.

11/1/2005 2:34:40 PM

My mom is fairly computer illiterate and I got her an iPod mini for Mother's Day last year. I would definitely recommend that or the Nano plus a prepaid iTunes card to get her started. If you're looking to spend less, maybe a shuffle? I dunno. Aren't you richpants mcgee?

11/1/2005 2:45:07 PM

ipod, old people love them.

11/1/2005 2:53:05 PM

ipod nano

11/1/2005 3:05:30 PM

you work for the oil companies right

just hire a band to follow her around playing songs she wants to hear

11/1/2005 3:34:45 PM

I really like my Muvo.

11/1/2005 7:19:58 PM

Quote :

"1hr/night"

i dunno if this has already been said but since you mentioned walking at night i'd recommend something with backlit keys.

oh and i'm a HUGE fan of the ipod but don't get her an ipod. Its a bitch to change the tracks in the dark. And if she's walking at night or running or whatever, it will get annoying.

[Edited on November 1, 2005 at 7:22 PM. Reason : fda]

11/1/2005 7:21:13 PM

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=380897&affiliate=pricegrabber

Backlit screen, really durable, 1gb memory, fm tuner, easy as hell to use...

there's also a waterproof accessory set for it that makes it fully functional in the pool, rain, wherever.

really nice player, also availible in smaller cheaper sizes

11/1/2005 7:30:28 PM

ummmm


Dell DJ Ditty

11/1/2005 7:54:30 PM

my mom loves ipod shuffle .

11/1/2005 8:14:14 PM

^^

http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_DJ_Ditty_512_MB/4505-6490_7-31518050.html

Quote :

"The bottom line: The Dell DJ Ditty is a decent low-cost option, but you can get more for your money from other offerings"

the iriver IFP series generally outperforms the dell ditty in reviews, even considering price.

[Edited on November 1, 2005 at 9:42 PM. Reason : ]

11/1/2005 9:40:22 PM

I'll be accused of sucking Dell's dick, but somehow when the review says "low-cost option" and "more for your money from other offerings" I just laugh.

11/1/2005 9:50:44 PM

yeah, like similarly priced players that have better controls, come with the headphones and more accessories, better sound quality, higher durability, etc.

[Edited on November 1, 2005 at 10:24 PM. Reason : ]

11/1/2005 10:21:53 PM

11/1/2005 10:54:29 PM

get them a fucking ipod so they think they're cool and young

11/2/2005 10:04:33 AM

another vote for ipod shuffle. all your mom wants to do it hit play and let the good times roll. she'll have two choices: random or in order. just the right amount of choices. and with itunes she'll have no trouble putting her songs onto the ipod.

you can even get one for free by signing up for a charles schwab credit card:

https://promo.schwabon.com/AD046/AD046Home.asp?campaign=ccip05&mp=ccip05g4x1

i signed up in early october, used it once at the post office for $1.84, and my free shuffle came in the mail last week.

[Edited on November 2, 2005 at 10:25 AM. Reason : asdf]

11/2/2005 10:20:12 AM

thanks everyone for the suggestions. i'll check out bestbuy this weekend - the shuffle sounds like it might work for her. also, saw a sony "bean" online today - anyone have one?

11/2/2005 10:46:54 AM

would you buy something called a "bean"? neither would we.

11/2/2005 10:52:08 AM

Hey I'm kinda looking for one for myself too. I want one with a large capacity (hopefully 10+) that maybe has an accessory setup to run it with a car radio. I know I could probably just use an FM transmitter like what some of the XM units use. So anyways, just let me know if you have any other options for somebody that has a ton of mp3s and no desire to switch to an iPod. Thanks.

11/22/2005 6:50:50 PM

switch to an ipod from what? you do know ipods play mp3's just fine right?

If you've got somethng against ipods though, iriver's are pretty nice and ANY mp3 player can get and use an fm transmitter if it has a headphone jack. Iriver's transmitter works for anything that can connect to headphones.

[Edited on November 22, 2005 at 9:17 PM. Reason : ]

11/22/2005 9:13:52 PM