Microsoft's Tips for Buying an MP3 Player

An Anonymous Reader writes "In another extension of Microsoft's 'Plays for Sure' campaign, the company has launched a web page with six tips to help consumers purchase the 'correct' MP3 Player for them. Among the insights of the article hard drive-based players suck and a stopwatch is a useful feature to have on your player. Unsurprisingly, the iPod meets none of Microsoft's criteria. A humorous commentary is available, of course." From the article: "6. Don't get locked into one online store. Have you ever been on the hunt for a particular song? Some obscure indie rock tune or rare jazz performance you heard on the radio? You might have to shop at more than one store before you find the song you're looking for."

Comments

Re:Well, in all fairness

[Anonymous Coward]

The thing that Apple consistently gets right is the usability. I have an MP3 player with display, but it's a pain to use. There are just too many user interface inconsistencies. The thing won't even stop fading each track when you skip through a couple of tracks at a time. I realize that the display won't fix that. Given that I want to listen to music and not stare at it, I have to say that a usable player without display beats a player with a display and horrible interaction design any day. I'd prefer if the Shuffle had a display, but it doesn't need one to come out on top of the competition.

HD-based MP3 players

[haggar]

You know, in a way I tend to agree with MS here, in the sense that I always thought moving parts are a bad thing for mobile entertainment devices. Idealy, if it is possible, I'd like my MP3 player to be fully solid state tech. Less power consumption, more rugged, and perhaps higher data density.

Of course, when the price factors in he equation, HD starts to look much more attractive...

Re:HD-based MP3 players

[nordicfrost]

Well, I don't know about the ther players but the iPod has an excellent record when it comes to toughness. People may complain about the battery and... ...well all they complain about is the battery, but the harddrive is not failure prone. Folks with iPods have been jogging with them since gen. 1, and I have yet to see someone complain about a HDD failure due to jogging. My active family uses their minis to jog, inside moist jackets, and it still keeps ticking. The iPod is one tough player.

My advice for buying an mp3 player

[SmallFurryCreature]

First the most important. Set your budget. You know how much money you got. Count it and don't let anyone tell you to spend more then you want to. If the player you want costs more SAVE up for it. Do never buy with store credit. It ain't worth it.

1. HD vs flash vs CD vs Minidisc vs Someweird cd like formats.
   • HD's have the most storage but consume a lot of elec and are more vulnerable. They do not skip. MS most be of its rocker. It is CD's that skip.
   • Flash is robuust and storage is increasing but still tiny compared to HD's. Also cost less elec to run so longer battery life.
   • CD's were a cheap way to get loads of storage before flash sizes increased without the costs of HD. Now all but useless. Big, vulnareble to skipping and limited to something like 640mb.
   • Minidisc. Smaller then CD's but still limited compared to HD. A market segment on its own. I had one before the HD player and it was sweet but the HD is sweeter.
   • Weird formats. Don't bother.

   Basic conclusion? Determine your size needs. This is based on A. How long do you listen it in one go. B. What is your tolerance for repeats. C. How often do you chance your songs. If you use it 4 hours per day, can't stand to hear the same song more then once in a week and never replace your songlist you are going to need more space then someone who likes to listen to the same album over and over again. HD's also can be damaged more easily by extreme rough use. Not by carrying them with you in your pocket while running but if you throw your stuff around the hd might not survive. For most people there will be no problems.

2. Goodies. Ehm yeah right. Goodies are for sucking in the gullible. It is like those stickers "now tastes better" or "free toy inside". You are buying a music player. Concentrate on that. A carrying harness is nice and all but you will most likely put the thing in your pocket. Other stuff like stopwatch is clearly MS being of its rocker. Anyway your mobile phone probably has one and you can always just use something called a watch.

   So don't be tempted by "extras". Extras are easy. Making a damned good solid mp3 player is not.

3. Display. Obvious dig at the iPod shuffle. Also MS not understanding a thing. If you have created your ideal music collection and just want to listen to it on shuffle mode then why do you need a display? Determine your own needs. If you never use the playlist in xmms/winamp to select a song why would you suddenly want to do so on the move? If you do then get a good display AND a mp3 player with a browse system that doesn't drive you up the wall.
4. Radio. Let a professional make your play list. Oh yeah. Big brother knows best and for your extra convenience they will have lots of MS commercials to make sure you make the right decisions. God how can a single company be so out of touch. RADIO SUCKS wich is why we have music players in the first place. It costs next to nothing to add fm capabilty HOWEVER this also means radios are cheap. You can get one for a few bucks or even as a free toy. If you want a radio. Get one. Don't waste money on an mp3 player. Further more if you use your player inside or worse in a train expect incredibly bad reception. It also adds clutter to your player. Again determine your own needs. If you sometimes want to listen to the radio then fine look for it in your player. Just realize this one simple fact. Portable radio's are cheaper, last longer and been around far longer then personal music players. So why do so few people seem to use portable radios on the move? Why do radio's in cars come with personal music players (cassetes)?
5. Pick the right size. I know bill gates never really said that 640k should be enough for anyone but this page is so out of date. If you are buying less then 512mb these days you are getting screwed. Prices have dropped and even 1gb flash players are pretty affordable. 128mb or less is something you should get for free.

   As for the whole wma nonsense. My hearing is pretty bad but on the whole

Re:thank you for the honesty

[value_added]

I think the reason we don't want or care about FM radio can be summed up in two words: ... Clear. Channel.

I assume what everyone is talking about when they dismiss radio as being teh suck is commerical radio. Personally, I stopped listening to commercial FM long before it became the province of Clear Channel and friends.

What is readily available on FM that is not commerical includes the following:

• NPR News
• NPR Programming
• Jazz
• Classical

If you're interested in music only, you may want to start with something like this station if you don't have something similar in your own backyard. Most likely more interesting than what you're listening to at the moment.

Then, of course, if you're not the musical type and have a preference for animated conversations in which people share their opinions with others who have identical opinions, there's always AM radio.

Re:Well, in all fairness

[ChuyMatt]

well, i would just like to say that the shuffle is not for you. For people who don't care about what they are hearing as long is songs that they like and without commercials, then that is for them.

For us, the 40 was the best option. Keep in mind that there are others out there that do not have our wants and lives.

Re:Well, in all fairness

[gb506]

Mod this dude up. I'm a bit tired of fiber-deficient /.ers trashing products and services that don't fit their own personal needs. Find another, for Pete's sake! There are over 6 billion people on this rock. You can't build a unique iPod for all of 'em.