Looking for MP3 Player Suggestions

Hikari

1914 Posts

May 26 2011 20:06 GMT

My parents would like to start listening to some podcasts, so I have been tasked into finding them a suitable MP3 player. I plan to make my purchase in the next few days and would like to see if any of you have any recommendations.

So I am looking for something:
- has some sort of a fast forward/seek function (they came from an age of CD and tapes)
- cheap and affordable (not sure how long they will be into this, and they may misuse the player/do terrible terrible things to it)
- easy to use, prefer switches, as touch screen may be too high tech for them.
- sound quality doesn't have to be top notch (as they use it for podcasts - I doubt they can tell the difference)
- doesn't need a lot of memory (even 2-4GB should be enough)
- probably not too bulky

I thought about an ipod/ipod nano but it feels pretty pricey (for beginners), and nano's touch screen may be too complicated for them. Shuffle is cheap but... well... it has no screen and it... shuffles.

ieatkids5

United States4628 Posts

May 26 2011 20:11 GMT

sandisk's sansa clip+ hands down. it's inexpensive, has tactile buttons that you're looking for, is pretty small, has a fastforward button, has an equalizer, and great sound quality (even though that's not what youre looking for).

Rayeth

United States883 Posts

May 26 2011 20:12 GMT

Not sure what kind of phone your parents have but all smartphones can usually find some kind of podcasting app (I use DoggCatcher on my droid). So that is the easiest route, obviously.

If you want something lighter and smaller, you can check out the SanDisk Sansa series of players. They are not too expensive and can also mount SD cards so they can expand the storage if they decide to do so. Would still have to find somewhere else to download the podcasts though.

Hikari

1914 Posts

May 26 2011 20:17 GMT

On May 27 2011 05:12 Rayeth wrote:
Not sure what kind of phone your parents have but all smartphones can usually find some kind of podcasting app (I use DoggCatcher on my droid). So that is the easiest route, obviously.

If you want something lighter and smaller, you can check out the SanDisk Sansa series of players. They are not too expensive and can also mount SD cards so they can expand the storage if they decide to do so. Would still have to find somewhere else to download the podcasts though.

My parents use a very basic cell phone. My last attempt to help them use the address book ended up in complete failure (so did my attempt to teach them how to use the bluetooth headset while driving).

They do have enough computer knowledge to know how to save a file onto the desktop and drag it into another folder.

Looking at the Sansa series right now, pretty good recommendation.

Any more suggestions?

tsmitho

United States93 Posts

May 26 2011 20:44 GMT

maybe find a used previous gen nano with the disc? so easy to use and reliable. check pawn shops, game stop, ebay etc. you can find em pretty cheap and even if its a bit more than non ipod alternatives its worth it IMO because of the features and accesories and ease of use

schreddertt

Germany102 Posts

May 26 2011 21:51 GMT

On May 27 2011 05:44 tsmitho wrote:
maybe find a used previous gen nano with the disc? so easy to use and reliable. check pawn shops, game stop, ebay etc. you can find em pretty cheap and even if its a bit more than non ipod alternatives its worth it IMO because of the features and accesories and ease of use

I find itunes terrible to use and it often causes problems like messing up your data when you attach the device to a different computer, I don't think this is a good suggestion for this request.

antilyon

Brazil2546 Posts

May 26 2011 22:11 GMT

On May 27 2011 05:11 ieatkids5 wrote:
sandisk's sansa clip+ hands down. it's inexpensive, has tactile buttons that you're looking for, is pretty small, has a fastforward button, has an equalizer, and great sound quality (even though that's not what youre looking for).

sansa clip+ or sansa fuze is the way to go.Incredible sound quality, cheap and well builted.Also, the tactile buttons is way better than any touch screen you'll find for a mp3/mp4 player.

Hikari

1914 Posts

May 26 2011 23:24 GMT

Thank you everyone for your recommendation. I will likely order something of the sansa series tomorrow after work.

I tend to shy away from 2nd hand MP3 players (esp ipods) since their internal drive can break easily.

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