Is an MP3 just as good?

[smkiya]

My DD5 LOVES music and wants an Ipod. She would use it for songs and a couple of tv show downloads... That's it. Should I shell out $$$ for an Ipod, or is an mp3 just as good? How many gb do I need? Is Sandisk a good brand?

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI, and iPod *is* an MP3 player; it is just a name brand offered by Apple.

Personally, I think that for a kid, paying for an iPod and dealing with the increased risk of theft is unnecessary. Windows-based MP3 players tend to be more flexible about format than Apple products, so you can fit more on the device for each block of memory. Also, they usually have radios, and several of them have microSD slots that you can use to expand the memory.

Apple's load software is the easiest to use, but the others are not that much more complicated, IMO.

We have 3 Sansas; they are very good and we are happy with them.

 

[Aristocath]

We are an iPod family. I have an iPod and iPhone and one of my sons has a Shuffle. We got a Zune for another son and we will never do that again. The library on it is not clearly defined and just syncing it is a hassle. You can't get as many TV downloads either. We love all the options on iTunes.

 

[lisaross]

my son is 9 and he wants an ipod as well..not going to spend the $$ - i'm going w/an mp3 player - CVS has a 4g on sale this week for 19.99!

 

[princessmom29]

Ipods are the only players that work with itunes so that service is out if you don't buy and ipod. We recently went to an all ipod household to streamline our music storage. We had double everything putting in on itunes and windows media player. I vastly prefer ipods over other mp3's.

 

[smkiya]

my son is 9 and he wants an ipod as well..not going to spend the $$ - i'm going w/an mp3 player - CVS has a 4g on sale this week for 19.99!

Wow, thats a great price! Whats the minimum recommended gb for video?

 

[BoogasMom]

My DD5 LOVES music and wants an Ipod. She would use it for songs and a couple of tv show downloads... That's it. Should I shell out $$$ for an Ipod, or is an mp3 just as good? How many gb do I need? Is Sandisk a good brand?

We love Sandisk products! I have one, my DH has one, and my 9yo son has one. We bought my son's when he was only 7. We got him one of the Sansa Sandisk clips....it is very durable, the sound quality is great, and it has a screen on it so he can see the song information. It has an FM tuner on it too. A friend of mine also bought one for her son...he left it in the pocket of his jeans and she didn't realize it until AFTER she had washed the jeans! She said she just knew it was ruined but it still worked!!! I swear by them and am getting ready to upgrade my husband's Sandisk for Christmas. Great quality at a price that can't be beat, IMHO!

And, as far as synching it to the computer, it basically is just plug it in and drag and drop the music!

 

[niclodn]

I personally hate ipods - although I know lots of people who swear by them. I have owned several Sandisk mp3 players and think that they are far easier to operate than the ipod -- you just drag and drop music files from your computer to the player - the same way you would transfer files to a flash drive. And you don't have to worry about the licensing issues with itunes! I would definately recommend anything by Sandisk!

 

[Pigeon]

No way would I spring for an ipod for a five year old. The Sandisk players get very good reviews. I'm planning to buy one for myself for Christmas. I've had an ipod, and there are lots of things about the way Apple does business that really annoy me.

 

[Priorityonecb]

Both our daughters and my husband has Sandisks and are very happy with them. We are considering the ITouch for our youngest daughter (12) because she wants internet capability. But for just videos and music, and given your childs age I would go with Sandisk.

 

[ICF]

We love Sandisk products! I have one, my DH has one, and my 9yo son has one. We bought my son's when he was only 7. We got him one of the Sansa Sandisk clips....it is very durable, the sound quality is great, and it has a screen on it so he can see the song information. It has an FM tuner on it too.

And, as far as synching it to the computer, it basically is just plug it in and drag and drop the music!

I 100% agree. My family has 3 of various sizes, and we are happy with them and getting music from the PC to them is a very quick and easy process. IMO, you are paying too much for a "name" when you buy an IPOD.

 

[DisneyNutMic]

I have a Zune and I love it. I got my son (who was 6 at the time) a Zune of his own. He loves it!!!!! In fact his got broken, no fault of his it was mine acutally and he was miserable without it. I got him a refurbished one from New Egg for $50 and it is perfect. He hooks it to his XBOX when he is playing and listens to HIS music instead of the junk that comes on so many video games.

 

[smkiya]

Thanks for your help everyone. I just purchased the SanDisk Sansa Clip 2 gb in Pink. The original price $57.99, on sale for $32.00 w/ Free Super Saver Shipping. It got 4.5 stars out of 5 from 103 reviews. I decided dd did not need video. Thanks everyone for your input!

 

[smkiya]

Thanks for your help everyone. I just purchased the SanDisk Sansa Clip 2 gb in Pink. The original price $57.99, on sale for $32.00 w/ Free Super Saver Shipping. It got 4.5 stars out of 5 from 103 reviews. I decided dd did not need video. Thanks everyone for your input!

This was at Amazon...

 

[crusoe2]

We've not bought either gadget. For those of you who've tried both, what can the iPod do that the other MP3 players can't? I've been thinking of getting an iPod for myself ever since my sister showed me hers a couple months ago. I loved watching a movie on it and would definitely want that feature. One other thing - how does the sound compare between the two?

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

For a 5 year old a regular mp3 player would be fine. I wouldn't recommend an iPod as it is way too much money for how hard kids that age are on things.

 

[dreamin_disney]

when i first bought one for dd 3 years ago I was told by another board to go with MP3 player . Its cheaper and its the same thing. With the IPOD i was only paying for the namebrand. I'm glad i did because ipod were very pricey back then. We have 3 sansas and are happy with them

 

[marcyinPA]

We love Sandisk products! I have one, my DH has one, and my 9yo son has one. We bought my son's when he was only 7. We got him one of the Sansa Sandisk clips....it is very durable, the sound quality is great, and it has a screen on it so he can see the song information. It has an FM tuner on it too. A friend of mine also bought one for her son...he left it in the pocket of his jeans and she didn't realize it until AFTER she had washed the jeans! She said she just knew it was ruined but it still worked!!! I swear by them and am getting ready to upgrade my husband's Sandisk for Christmas. Great quality at a price that can't be beat, IMHO!

And, as far as synching it to the computer, it basically is just plug it in and drag and drop the music!

We all started out with Sandisks here too. I still have mine and it's perfectly fine. My boys (10 and 14) upgraded to iPods with their OWN money after saving and saving and saving! My DH upgraded to an iPod after my boys saved for theirs...he was jealous! LOL He actually used his birthday money from his dad to buy it.

Sandisk makes a great product...I highly recommend it!!

 

[mommyrants]

I have a Sansa Clip I got from Woot - it's great - move the music with just drag and drop. No worries with the ITunes Library corrupting. You can copy your music to as many devices as you like. I'm a huge fan.

And it was ~$22 - if I lose it, I won't lose any sleep.

check out http://www.anythingbutipod.com/ for alternative to the Ipod family.

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

My daughter, Cal, has a Sansa Fuze. A friend of hers, Marge, liked my daughters MP3 player better than her Ipod Nano. Marge thought the wheel on the Fuze was easier to use than that of the Nano. The Fuze can voice record, store photos, listen to radio etc. It is easy to sync. Oh ya, it can be expanded with a micro SD card!