Getting Futuristic

Jawa

So I finally realized my CD player may be getting a little outdated. So I have decided it is about time to finally invest in an MP3 player. However, I dont know where to start. I have heard good things about both the Zune and the Ipod but they seem so expensive. Would it be wise to invest in an expensive MP3 player if i want it to last more than a couple of years? Or is there a better alternative to the Apple/Microsoft choices.

Next same sort of question except with Laptops. Should I invest in something thats gonna last like a Dell XPS or something similar?

contraband

As far as laptops go, it depends what you want to do with it. Just music/web/email? Look for dependable brands over flashy specs. A friend's years-old TiBook is still working fantastic; I've also heard that some laptop brands, while offering good prices, produce laptops that don't either break easy or don't stand to wear and tear over the years.

HiredGun

My Dell Inspiron has lasted fantastically over the last 4 years. I highly recommend it if you're looking to do work / music / web kind of stuff.

For music: you could get an iPod Shuffle for pretty cheap unless you'd like to have a huge library on hand.

powerss

iPod and Macbook. Ignore all other advice.

Hewn

powerss wrote: »

iPod and Macbook. Ignore all other advice.

Well, unless you're on a budget. I'd go with that if money wasn't a concern. iPod is a no brainer you'll be happy with, but for laptops it really matters what you're looking to do with it.

HiredGun

FYI: I absolutely hate the Macbook's touchpad, and you might too.

Munro

As far as I know, Macbooks are notoriously unstable. I went to a boarding school for two years that gave all the students macbooks (We had old ones the first year, but we were lucky and got new ones for our senior year), and they had to hire a staffer just to fix our laptops because they broke so often. I'd say a little more than a third of the students had a problem with them. I don't know if they've improved in that aspect, but I'd be a little wary.

Tucanwarrior13

Definitely I-Pod Video in the 30 Gig Version. I've had mine for a year and a half and nothing has happened to it beyone those unsightly surface scratches. Those are probably the biggest annoyance I've had with my I-Pod, and I've heard the white ones aren't as noticeable.

Pheezer

It's iPod, not I-Pod unless you bought some shitty knock-off. And the 80 GB iPod video is currently by far the best $/GB ratio you'll find on the large capacity market. It's also, I believe, the only 80 GB portable MP3 player. It's a little heftier than the current gen 30 GB iPods, but it's the same size as last gen's 60 GB iPod, so accessories aren't hard to find.

The Zune's wireless components are currently useless, and it looks like they'll stay that way. You can't synch wirelessly, and you can't stream music from it wirelessly. You can share songs, if you ever find another Zune owner who has any interest in doing anything but just listening to his music and ignoring the world, which for the record is why I and probably many people listen to music in public on the bus or whatever in the first place.

For a laptop, if you want long lasting value and you have the money/credit, Apple's products retain significantly higher resale value over time. It's not even close. And my 12" iBook from 2 years ago is still all I need in a laptop. Investing a lot of money in a laptop isn't necessarily a good plan though, and I'd almost suggest that you get the cheapest model with a DVD burner in it, and upgrade the RAM aftermarket if you want the most bang for your buck.

This assumes however that you're not buying it to play videogames. And if that is your goal, please note that getting a "gaming laptop", which will be large, heavy, generate tonnes of heat and get very little battery life, will cost as much as getting a small, light, low end laptop with good battery life PLUS a mid-range gaming desktop (which can be upgraded as time passes instead of outright replaced).

Pheezer

Munro wrote: »

As far as I know, Macbooks are notoriously unstable. I went to a boarding school for two years that gave all the students macbooks (We had old ones the first year, but we were lucky and got new ones for our senior year), and they had to hire a staffer just to fix our laptops because they broke so often. I'd say a little more than a third of the students had a problem with them. I don't know if they've improved in that aspect, but I'd be a little wary.

I'd expect an abnormally high number of problems in a new product. MacBooks are getting to the point where they've been on the market long enough though that the big issues are ironed out. They even released a firmware update so that they can get better battery life.

I think it's safe to anticipate an update to the MacBook line-up later this year, and waiting to grab one of those might be a really smart idea.

SniperGuy

Also, my current macbook, a first revision, gets hot, but has never suffered damage or anything from that. They're not gonna explode on you.

Also, yes iPod. No zune. Get an Invisible Shield if you're worried about scratches on the ipod too. Small layer of plastic stuff that they use to coat helicopter blades. I leave my ipod in my pocket with my keys and it's fine when I take it out. Highly recommended.

redimpulse

iPod yes. My white 30Gb has served me faithfully since day one. I've never had to take it in.

As for laptops. Yeah Macbooks are nice. They're also expensive. And you may or may not want an Apple OS.
For Windows based laptops, here are some good (and fairly inexpensive) units:
Dell Latitude 131L
Dell Latitude D620
I'm recommending the Latitude line over the Inspiron because they're much easier to repair if anything goes wrong. Also a little easier on the upgrading (RAM, internal wireless, HDD, etc)
Toshiba Satellite A200/A205
HP Pavilion DV6000t

My personal preference out of all major Winbased notebook brands is Dell. They're about the only ones that haven't burned me in the past.

saint2e

I have a 60GB Creative Zen Micro V and I love it. Works with multiple online music stores, video is excellent (does DIVX), and is about the same size as the iPod. I found it was a little bit cheaper too.

Anarchy Rules!

I agree Creative products are generally cheaper, and are really easy to use. I have a Creative Zen V 2GB, and it's great.

Chake99

If you are looking for a 30 gb MP3 player both the Zune and the Archos 404 (I have one, ) are (in my opinion) better than the 30gb ipod, but you would want an ipod if you are getting 80 gb.

Flash players are less likely to break but are much more expensive for equivalent memory than hard drive one. Sansa also has an 8 gb flash player I believe that is $100 CAD cheaper than the 8 gb ipod nano and comes with a radio.

Brodo Faggins

Also, if you can stand to be patient, Apple has announced that they're switching their laptop displays to LED through 2008. This means better battery life and more environment-friendly (since there's no mercury or other harmful chemicals). Just food for thought.

As for an mp3 player, can't go wrong with an iPod. The model you should choose depends on the size of your library.

mr0range

Munro wrote: »

As far as I know, Macbooks are notoriously unstable. I went to a boarding school for two years that gave all the students macbooks

I never trust findings of "stability issues" when students and gave and [name of computer] are in the same sentence as a reliable judge on a product.

My co-worker is scarred from his schools Mac lab and thinks Macs running OSX and freezing every 5 minutes is the norm. I witnessed same 'findings' in my school. Meanwhile every Mac laptop I've had (about 3 of them - including the Macbook Pro I have now) and every desktop have been just fine.