Well what do you prefer? I prefer a simple MP3 player, it holds more than some IPODs and mine has a micro SD card to increase its memory capacity.

Sandisk Sansa c250

I also prefer the simple mp3 player, that alows the use of memory cards.
Since I'm pretty rough on them, I prefer the cheap ones.
I used to go through 2, or 3 a year, so it makes no sense to buy, expensive.

The one I use now (RCA Lyra), has lasted longer than any of the others, so far.
1 year, and 1 month, and still going strong.
I'm impressed.
But, then again, I haven't stepped on it, dropped it in a canal, or run over it with the lawnmower, yet.
I think I gave about $30 for it.

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I use a SonyMD player but i prefer the regular old MP3 player i dont care for the iLife

How about the option other? I use my Playstation Portable to play my mp3s. Removable storage (in the form of Memory Stick PRO Duo) is a sweet deal!

I was going to put PSP but didnt think anyone used it as much as I do... I have 2Gb

I bought two 2gig memory sticks...then the 4gig stick went on sale the next week...such is life....

I keep my game music on one stick, and everything else on the other.

I voted mp3 as I had such a miserable experience with ipod carivoring my music collection. I uninstalled it and will never use it again.

I prefer the Zune, microsofts answer to teh iPod. It has a bigger screen than the iPod, same amount of space (30GB) plays .wmv and .wma files as well as other common audio and video formats. It has a FM Radio (which teh iPod does not). It also has wi-fi functionality for downloading songs straight to your zune and for sharing music with other people's zunes (which the iPod can't do). It just has just an overal better functionality than an iPod. Most importantly, it's from microsoft, so you only need the standard windows media player to get songs on. I even think you can use windows explorer, but I'm not sure. It comes in more colors then the iPod as well including a special Halo 3 edition zune and it costs the same as an iPod! Amen to Microsoft.

Regards,
TheYoda

For the smaller flash-based players you can't beat the SanDisk Sansa players. The 8GB models are usually on sale either at Best Buy or at Amazon for $150US, that includes photo/audio/video playback, FM tuner, voice recorder, and the option to expand storage via MicroSD. The most you'll get spending that on an iPod is a refurbished 4GB Nano, and that will pretty much only play music.

For hard drive based players I hear good things about the full iPod, Zune, and the Creative Zen players.

I was under the impression that the iPod was an mp3 player. That said I've gone over to haveing a smartphone that does everything I need.

Well techinically the IPOD is an MP3 player with the apple logo on it. It is overpriced in my opinion and just does not function as well as a standard MP3 player. I'll stick to my MP3 player and my PSP.

What does everyone else think?

-Steve

I don't want an iPod simply because everybody has one!!!! Whenever everybody has some piece of technology, I get an intense urge to buy something else. I like my PSP, because it not an iPod, and it does everything that the iPod does, and then some. Plus, the screen is both widescreen and bigger, and therefore better for watching movies!

My brother has an iPod, but I was able to convice my mom to get a different MP3 player...she has a 2gb Sansa, and she loves it!

I feel the same way about things like that. If people have it I don't want it.

-Steve

I bought my ipod after I went through 2 Sony, 2 Iriver and a Creative mp3 players that all broke. Had my ipod about a year now and love it.

I'm going with evilmonkeyz on this one, I just got my iPod Nano 3rd generation and I am loving it. Compared to the two creatives I have had in the past and the mp3 players I have seen from my friend I love my iPod. I have 2 other friends that went threw about 5 mp3 players each and now got an iPod and haven't replaced yet.

Pros :
Good Battery Life
Once you get everything typed in right iTunes is great for organising
iPod starts up extremely fast, press the button and it's on unlike my creative wich took close to 1 minutes to start up
iPod is nice and thin and I love it on an arm band when I go jogging
New nanos play video wich is great to listen to the news on a Video Podcast when I go to the gym

I have been starting to go the Apple direction, planning on getting a Mac mini around christmas. I love how mac makes everything so simple and automatic, instead of asking me every frigging detail it does it for me knowing exactely what someone would normaly want and does it.

I bought a 30gb video iPod earlier this year, have had it for about half years now I guess -- no problems as of yet. I like it.

Regular MP3 players has one thing better than an iPod. You can use them as memory sticks if you want, whereas you can only put mediafiles on iPod which it is able to play (nothing else). I had to buy a video iPod because I've got music to the point the 8gb would probably be completely full in no time -- and well, it was only 30 euros more than the 8gb one.

Well I can see why you got the iPOD, seems reasonable, aimed to RAWE. While I was looking I'm tempted to go get an iPOD touch, but atm I'm still sticking to my MP3 player.

-Steve

I like the iPod, I got an iPod Nano 4GB, does what I want it to, plays music, plays videos, etc. Would've been a bit better if I got a bigger one, but I'm not complaining. The only thing I don't like about it is that you have to use itunes to copy music/videos to your iPod.

I would ve voted "other" too, but I took mp3 as alternative choice. I used to have a mp3 player but hardly use it anymore. These days there are so many cell phones that are coming with mp3 radio capability, why would I want to carry around three gadgets, if I can have it in one? I only listen to music on way to work or to friends so I use my phone. I spent an additional 30 Euros and got a 1GB memory for my cell and thats all I need. In fact I never fill it up to the rim lol. Ipod is trendy and something for Mac fans, anything else just doesnt make it worth that much money in my eyes...

I have owned 8 iPods in 3 years and I think they are the most ridiculous things. Let me tell you why: they have the WORST battery life, Apple don't particiarly want to know if your iPod is faulty, in Australia we don't exactly have an apple store so if we need repair we have to take it to a store and they send it to a place like Next byte which takes them 6 weeks to send it there. Apple don't tell you that you can actually take the item to next byte but you can and they will replace or repair within 5 days. And they're unbelievably expensive.

I voted for MP3 as they are simple devices, don't usually require you to install anything, are cheap and often come with good quality headphones unlike the iPod ones.

IPOD v MP3 player. Which is best? Only one way to find out, fiiiiiight!