[quote="Anubis"]Does iAudio's products handle ratings (setting them) and maintaining the last played time and playcounts for each song within the unit?

This is the only reason I would buy an iPod, so if I can find another MP3 player does all this (and also syncs them back to MM), I would purchase that instead.[/quote]

No, unfortunately they don't. id3 tag management is the weakest point of the iAudio lineup. You can't even browse by tag (not such a big problem if you sync with MM).

Does iAudio's products handle ratings (setting them) and maintaining the last played time and playcounts for each song within the unit?

This is the only reason I would buy an iPod, so if I can find another MP3 player does all this (and also syncs them back to MM), I would purchase that instead.

I wholeheartedly agree with drichm. Cowon iAudio products are top of the line. They cost about the same as an equivalent iPod; however "equivalent" is a misleading term because they put iPods to shame.

I have an M3 and have tried the X5 (and will get an X5 sooner than later). Sound quality is outsanding out of the box, and quite configurable to match your tastes. It shows up as USB mass storage (i.e. an external hard disk) and it's a breeze to sync with MM. It has FM radio, and can record from line in, the radio or a built-in microphone - which is better than expected. It supports more (non-DRM) formats than any other player in the market, including OGG, which is one of the main reasons I chose this brand; and they release regular firmware updates supporting new audio formats + other improvements. The battery lasts very long, and you can buy special "L" versions for an even longer (in fact insane, like 35 hours) battery life.

I will give you that it's not as user friendly as the iPod or other players, partly due to the larger feature set. And if you are looking for a fashion accesory, then look elsewhere. I actually like their designs, but of course being a mostly unkown brand it's not immediately recognizable as the iPod. But if what you actually want is to listen to music, then you should give iAudio players serious consideration.

I don´t have an Mp3 player for my self, but i just bought one for my girlfriend as a present. A Transkend 1GB player with FM tuner at 189 Euros.
This little thing (its a little bigger than a box of matches) charges from the USB has a nice Colour display (not for photos though) can display Greek character, looks and feels like a mobile phone and Yes MM works fine with it (since is a Mass Storage Device). I havent played with it yest since i put it for its first charge, but i did a synchronize and it went fine.
I will come back for more details about the sound quality etc

Before buying iRiver have a look at iAudio ([url]http://www.iaudio.com[/url]- also known as Cowon).

I have tried Creative and iPod and would rate iAudio as far superior to both - so much so I have 2 of their players:

a 2GB iAudio U2 (flash player) and
a M3L (20GB harddisk with long life battery)

I would rate the U2 better than the M3 - but the iAudio X5 is currently the 'hot' product to get.

iAudio products are pricey, but the sound quality is significantly better than the others I have tried. They also work as plain USB mass storage drives so they are easy to load via MM, support WMA, OGG, MP3 and....

As for Sony, I agree with psyxonova AVOID! The devices are cool (better than iPod?) but they will tie you in to their formats et al and make your life miserable with DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Dave
Also a disappointed ex-MD owner

P.S. A good iAudio info site is [url]http://www.iaudiophile.net[/url]

Yeah, it was the iriver h140 i was thinking of. My friend mixes music and he is always recording all sorts of sounds, editing it on the go and turning it into all sorts of cool stuff.

And yeah, trix, sony has enabled mp3 playing and mass storage usage, from what I have heard and read. But still, I think they limit how many times you can copy a song onto your player still.

I know the HD series has relied firmly on SonicStage but I heard that finally the HD-5 can be accessed like a mass storage device so you can transfer mp3s directly. Is this not the case?

[quote="trixmoto"]
I've thought about upgrading to something bigger and better, but I wouldn't use it enough to validate the price at the moment. I think I'd like a Sony NW-HD5 (20GB) - anyone got one and can tell me whether it's as good as it sounds?[/quote]
No, no, no. I wouldn't take a Sony portable player even if the gave it for free.
Trust me... i have spend more than 800 euros gor sony player. I have bought 3 MiniDisk players from sony. My latest one is a NetMD i bought about 2 years ago. At the time is seemed like a nice choice but now i know.
I dont want to be a lyer, all the MDs i bought were perfect. Strong, lasting, superb sound quality, nice design etc.
But with the NetMD i was fruscated. You see you were supposed to transfer songs easilly from your computer to MD easilly but this was only in theory. In practice you have to use the SonicStage software due to copyright restrictions. Ts, ts you have to use this piece of crap to undderstand what i mean. Now i have a 300 euro NetMD getting dusted.
But you will say: we are talking about Mp3 Player now, not MD. Well, yes and no. Yes this is indeed an Mp3 Player but No, it still needs the SonicStage software. Trust me i have done my research. You wont even be able to make it work with MM!!!! Copyright restrictions my a...
Not to mention the long times to convert files, the fact that it eats a lot of space etc.

I would suggest to buy an iRiver but no matter what you buy... check it carefully, things are not as presented in brochures.

Had anyone here forced to change his iPod Battery? A friend of mine did, after that he wished he had bought an iRiver......

[quote]I was at first thinking of getting another mp3 player that at the moment i cant remember the name of, as it has recording capability and on the fly editing, but it was really bulky and also more expensive.[/quote]

Was it the iRiver H140? I want to get one of those. I think they kick apple butt because they dont require all the addons the iPods do. You can view pictures on it, transfer files from you digital came to it (without an addon), listen and record the radio, watch movies on it...

Much better than iPod, although, it probably doesnt look as stylish as the iPod.

I have a 40gig photo iPod. Yeah yeah yeah i know many people said to me that I got sucked up in all the hype and then coughed up more than I should have paid for an mp3 player but there are several reasons for my choice:

1. unbeatable style (both for personal aesthetic enjoyment and also to show off - you have to admit that the ipod IS the number one fashion accessory of these recent years!)

2. user-friendly

3. displays my album art.

I was at first thinking of getting another mp3 player that at the moment i cant remember the name of, as it has recording capability and on the fly editing, but it was really bulky and also more expensive.

well i have a huge mp3 player it is not easy to make portable but it can be tore off the desk and carried if you like hauling the monitor and tower and keyboard and mouse and power pack adaptor with you. it holds tons of songs.

it is a desktop computer. Hah ha :lol:

my sister has a couple though.

a cdrom mp3 player which is also never used any more.

as she got an rca lyra the other year but now that thing is not seen anywhere as it was messing up and she can't find it.

she just bought the creative lab's zen micro. and loves it.
8)

Newly bought an iPod from the States...! 8)

I have a 128MB Creative MuVu too! I don't use it much as I tend to listen to CDs in the car, and use my external harddrive on my laptop (through my home stereo) and also on my work computer (through headphones). I occassionally get my MuVu out though, when walking the dog or something.

I've thought about upgrading to something bigger and better, but I wouldn't use it enough to validate the price at the moment. I think I'd like a Sony NW-HD5 (20GB) - anyone got one and can tell me whether it's as good as it sounds?

O L D__D'Music 64MB Serial connected heap-o-crap

MP3 Portable CD Player, I'll never use this again now that I have my iRiver

128MB Creative MuVu flash player...I still use this occasionaly

iFP-999 iRiver 1 GB

My work laptop

My home laptop, through the stereo, in fact, I'm using it now :wink:

I think the new iPods are coming out today, so I was inclined to make an MP3-player post. If you have one, what kind is it? What about past ones?

I used to have an iRiver H110 (10GB), then I sold it on eBay. Then I got an H120, sold that on eBay as well. I kept thinking I'd need more space later on, so I got an H140. But I sold *that,* too, 'cause I didn't need *that* much space. Then I got a generic flash player to have on campus, but it wouldn't play MP3 files without skipping, so I had to return it. Then I got an iRiver flash player, but it didn't read ID3V2 tags properly, so I had to return that one, too. Now I'm finally set with a 4GB iPod mini. (Ridiculously happy and grateful that it works with MM, btw.) I've had it for about seven months, which is the longest I've kept a player so far, haha. I may upgrade depending on the updates today since I certainly need more than a measly four gigs. I'm tired of rotating playlists, argh.

Wow, that paragraph was so embarrassing. :X I'm a weird girl. Instead of being obsessed with shoes or something, I'm all about MP3 players.

Okay, you guys go!