Battle of the Mp3 players

So I'm waiting for that nice chunk of tax return money so that I can finally get rid of this clunky old piece of shit CD player. The thing is, I also listen to FM radio alot (radio stations to hear new/old music and various talk radios like 92.3 Free FM ) and the apple iPod I want which is the 30GB one:

http://www.apple.com/ipod/specs.html

Unfortunately it doesn't have the built in radio, just the over-priced FM tuner. A friend recommended the iriver mp3 players instead and I found this one which looks pretty ipod'ish and has the built in FM tuner:

http://218.145.55.194/Data/product/i..._s1%5B2%5D.jpg

Specs: http://www.iriver.com/html/product/p...ct.asp?pidx=61

I can live with the max space being 20GB since all the albums on my itunes average to about 2.79 GB. The only problem is that I really like the iTunes software alot more especially with the podcasts and the overall format so I'm pretty conflicted. What would you guys say is the better buy considering both software and radio being a factor?

Have you ever had luck with FM radio on portables before? I've never used it on a new MP3 player, but FM radio on portables always had awful reception for me.

I'd be sure to check out both players before purchasing one. Just fiddle with the interface and such to see which you prefer. I got an iPod because of the interface, which is about a million times easier to use than any other I've tried.

creative vision:m. It has a radio

Nah, I can't say I have Mark. I hear that the iPod FM tuner had some pretty good reception but I never heard it first hand. I'm hoping that both have some good strong signals or my headphones can grab some good reception but it's a tough choice and I dunno if apple is going to integrate the radio player into the iPod or lowering the price of the tuner anytime soon.

Ask yourself this: is having the FM function REALLY that big of a deal? I'd suggest picking up the iPod, but not the FM tuner, and see how much you actually end up missing that function. If you really do miss it, bite the bullet and pick up Apple's overpriced FM tuner, or wait and see if another company releases something similar for a lower price.

In the end, it might cost you more, but I think it's better to pay a bit more and get exactly what you want then try to save a few bucks and settle on something else.

You will regret anything you get that isn't an iPod. The interface really is worlds beyond anything else on the market.

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Originally Posted by shidoshi

Ask yourself this: is having the FM function REALLY that big of a deal? I'd suggest picking up the iPod, but not the FM tuner, and see how much you actually end up missing that function. If you really do miss it, bite the bullet and pick up Apple's overpriced FM tuner, or wait and see if another company releases something similar for a lower price.

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I think I would probably miss the radio function a good deal. I listen to a particular show everyday and sometimes on weekends for the classic rock stuff and a mix of the new stuff. I also like discovering new music with old/new bands on the radio, its how I find new music nowadays (such as buying the new NIN album With Teeth today after liking some singles heard on the radio).

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In the end, it might cost you more, but I think it's better to pay a bit more and get exactly what you want then try to save a few bucks and settle on something else.

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Yeah that's true. I guess I'll just end up doing that then, thanks.

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Originally Posted by omfgninjas in iraq

You will regret anything you get that isn't an iPod. The interface really is worlds beyond anything else on the market.

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Yeah I really dug the interface from what I've played around with when I bought my dad a iPod nano although I hear the iriver one is fairly simplified and nice in the same way. I dunno though, I guess I'll get the seperate tuner or wait for it to go down in price but I just KNOW that it'll be build in someday :\

But I gotcha.

It'll never be built into the iPod. The only reason there is an adapter now is to shut up those people bitching about it. You have to consider the way Apple, and Steve, think. A lot of the MP3 generation doesn't even listen to FM radio anymore, and I'm sure that Apple (or at least Steve) sees FM radio as being "beneith" the iPod. Plus, if you're listening to the radio on your iPod, you aren't listening to digital audio tracks - digital audio tracks you might purchase from the iTunes Music Store.

I'm sure Apple sees giving the iPod FM support like Microsoft saw giving the Mac Windows Media support - the people who want that support, in the grand scheme of things, is a very small minority, and it probably doesn't seem worth their time.

When you have a lot of music to get through, the iRiver's scrolling area is incredibly irritating compared to the iPod's wheel. Looking "iPodish" will not fix the fact that the interface is inferior. I don't know how anyone can stand FM anymore, either. If you absolutely must listen to the radio, XM is a much better idea.

I removed the antenna from my car to better the reception from my ipods fm transmitter.

The radio is for stupid assholes.