mp3 players-ipod vs. others

[mark4493]

I am intalling some handle bar speakers on the bike. They are used with a mp3 player. Since I can't steal my wife's Ipod, I have to buy another one. I went to the local Walmart and seen a couple options. I can buy a 8GB Ipod Nano or a Sony 8GB. The Sony was half the price of the IPOD. Is it worth spending the extra little bit and buy the Ipod? Are the other brands like the Sony have the quality level as the Ipod? Thanks for any input. Mark

[check_valve]

I believe new Sony mp3 players delivers high quality music as the iPod does. But I would go with the iPod, cause it has long line of accessories and compatible devices that made especially for apple products. Moreover, they have the capabilities to play movies, to be used as storage media, stores pictures...etc.
In addition the iPod's menu is simpler to use and very friendly to organize your files and customize them as per your needs. Not forgetting the the apple iTunes store, where you can download bunch of songs and applications to fill up your device.

...Yeah, one more thing... The battery life, it's away longer than any other devices. So to make it short, I highly recommend the iPod over all other products. And if you're looking for more features as internet browsing, games, etc. go with the iPod touch.

[sfarson]

For half the price I would give the Sony good consideration. After using an iPod that would lock up on occasion while going down the road, picked up a higher capacity Sansa MP3 player for half the price. The quality is great, the sound excellent, battery life is long, and I don't have to use the iTunes interface, simply copying MP3's from my hard drive to the Sansa as if it was a thumb drive. Apple used to have the performance and interface edge, but the competition has caught up, and one now pays a premium for the Apple name.

[Rockerbox1]

from what I noticed...iPod is just one of the first mp3 players, and heavily marketed, so there are more accessories available for iPod than any other brand