Re: i pod or what??? HELP
For convenience, the iPod is the way to go. As stated, there is a bunch of after-market accessories for it. It is seriously over priced but there is nothing you can do about it.
If you had time to wait Id suggest sitting tight and wait for the next generation of Zune, the Microsoft MP3 player. It comes std with (limited) wi-fi enabled. It has phenomenal capabilities, but MS has not enabled all of them, yet. You know it is just a matter of time before someone hacks the Zune and free software downloads to enable all features will be available.
For exercising, silicon memory is the way to go, otherwise, a unit with an internal HD offers more storage capacity than most people can realistically use. Apple MP3 player, the 1gb Shuffle, seems to be gaining popularity among the athletic crowd.
If sound quality is a goal, iPod is out. For quality of sound an iPod barely even shows up on the radar. There is just way, way too many other MP3 players that sound better than an iPod. The king of MP3 sound is the Creative Labs Zen M.
I had an opportunity to compare an iPod side-by-side with a bunch of other MP3 players. An iPod sound like crap-ola
unless you have nothing to compare it to. In that case you wouldn't know the diference, so it doesn't matter. Panasonic makes what I believe is the best MP3 player. Unfortunately, it is not sold in the US.
Audio only players are marked for doom. Video is now integrating onto MP3 players, will be the std in the very near future. The first generation of iPods with video (gen 5.5) are lacking but nearly as good as most of its competition. The next generation of iPod (gen 6) is expected to take iPod video to the top of the heap, surpassing the Zune's more advaned video. Well see.
Currently, folks serious about playing any kind of portable video files gravitate toward something like an Archos PVP (portable / personal video player). There is no comparing a PVP with any portable, video-enabled MP3 player like the iPod, Zune, Zen M or whatever. They are totally different product categories.
The single biggest drawback against the iPod is the restrictions of the iTunes software and moving the music files YOU own to different players. There are limits as to what you are allowed to do. My understanding is there are software hacks available to get around the limits but they are clumsy and not always easy to use. Good news is the guy that originally hacked the DVD format coding has just recently hacked the iPod copy protection scheme. So moving files to/from an iPod should get easier in the very near future.
Ironically (or not) just on the heels of the iPods copy protection scheme getting hacked, Steve Jobs announces the music industry would be better off abandoning all copy protections, and Apple will be pushing in that direction. Humm
Bottom line: if you are not sure what to get, buy her a 4gb iPod Nano, and dont look back. If you buy it from an Apple store I think she can return it within 14-days or 30-days or something like that, if she does not want it, but I suspect she will want it. You're biggest concern should be what color to get her.
