Portable Audio

[FlaGator]

I've never owned an MP3 player so I'm at a loss. I've review numerous websites but can't seem to find what I want to know.

I need an MP3

1 - with the ability to control (create, name and categorize) my own playlists;

2 - that has a memory card slot to expand the memory and

3 - that uses AA or AAA batteries (I'm not with my computer every night to recharge via a USB cable).

I want to mostly digitize my CD collection so I wma (right?) and to download a few podcast so mp3 (right?).

Any suggestions?

[MobileExpert]

Your only problem is going to be the battery stipulation. Very few players use batteries anymore, and unfortunately BB doesn't carry any.

What you may want to consider is buying a wall charger so you can charge it, even if you can't get to your laptop.

[FlaGator]

Didn't realize that was an option with most MP3 players. Thanks!!

[FlaGator]

Now that I know I can buy a wall charger for most players, I'm more concerned with the ability to control playlist and expand the memory. I can find info on card slots, but no one says much about playlist. A shuffle option seems useless to me - my musical taste are so varied that I can't imagine listening to some of it back to back!! Does any player allow you to create playlists? to name them? to add and remove songs at your wish? Currently I use the MP3 built into my phone, but it will not accept mp3 formatted info and will not accept all wma formatted stuff. Besides, I've got two mirco memory cards just to keep all my music. But I can arrange tracks according to my created playlist.

[MobileExpert]

Pretty much every mp3 player allows you to make one playlist. I can't remember which allows you to store them. But you can always make them on the computer and then upload them to the player.

[FlaGator]

So I can make multiple perment playlists on my computer and then tranfer them to the MP3 player? Using the MP3's software?

[MobileExpert]

I would just use Windows Media Player.

[FlaGator]

I want to put The Commitments under Blues, not Soundtracks. Some artists have tracks I'd categorize under different titles - say the early stuff under Hair Metal, the mid stuff under Trash and now they're Beard Metal. That's why the "built in" genre doesn't work for me.

Can I use Windows Media Player to do that and then download it and store it forever on the MP3? If not, I'm not interested in having one. I want to turn it on, select a mood and listen to that. Not have to decide what I want before I leave the house, go to the trouble of creating a single playlist, then be stuck with that one option for the entire length of my business trip (generally four days). Or have to sort through the files at the end of each song to pull up what I want next.

Surely this is fairly normal request. My Verizon phone's cheap MP3 allow me to do it. In fact, I use their software, not the Windows Media Player because it is so much easier to rip CDs and organize my stuff. Besides, it allows me to label much more info about each track.

[MobileExpert]

WMP allows you to change genre.

[Jill75]

As an owner of an MP3 player, I have found that a wall charger is very important if you are always careless in having your player drain of its battery all the way. It wont charge in your PC through USB cable and a wall charger will do the trick.

I have read somewhere that creative have some products or models that have or used AA or AAA batteries but dont know if its still out in the market.

The Ipod as I know can create seceral playlist but you can to use the program in your pc to make it and transfer in your MP3 player. In our Ipod, we have player list for me, my brother and a mix.

Hope you find your choice.