iPod alternatives?

[Brookie23]

My current iPod (1st gen nano) is overdue for a replacement, and I'm not so sure I want to get another iPod.

Reasons to switch:

• I have to use iTunes as it's too much of a **** around to sync my iPod with programs it wasn't designed to sync with.
• I hate iTunes. When I import my Winamp playlists into iTunes, the artist name and song name get converted into the one song name field, so song names appear on my iPod as "Artist - song name". When I install iTunes, Quicktime comes bundled with it, and then it regularly prompts me to update (can't disable the update alerts), and sneaks Safari in as an 'update' too. IMO, iTunes is just another piece of unneccessary shit on my computer.
• iPods are so much more inflexible than its competition. I can't just chuck a new song onto my iPod from someone else's computer because it will only sync with one computer and doing that will erase all the songs already on the iPod.
• iPods are ridiculously expensive compared to similar MP3 players.
• Apple doesn't like .wma, so I have to convert any wma songs to mp3.

My reasons to stick with iPod:

• The patent click wheel.
• I am familiar with how they work, what settings I can change and how to change them etc.
• They're sexy.
• I can use it to show off my photos.
• It doubles as a USB flash drive.

So, I want your opinions on alternative MP3 players, and why I should or shouldn't ditch the iPod.

I don't care about video playback. I rarely watch videos and the screens are too damn small to watch a video properly anyway.

[Aegis]

use your mobile phone

may not hold as many songs but meh, does the job and no DRM crap

[Kagetsu]

Actually... Get a linux hack for it! MUCH better, plus you no longer have to worry about the itunes sync crap.

[grandinferno]

Get rockbox for it...

https://www.rockbox.org

...or get an iRiver.

[Brookie23]

use your mobile phone

may not hold as many songs but meh, does the job and no DRM crap

If my 4gb iPod hardly did the trick, I doubt my phone would. I'd rather have a lot of songs so I rarely listen to the same song more than once in a day, and I won't have to keep switching the songs around.

[Brookie23]

Rockbox doesn't work with the newer iPods (or at least the ones I'm looking at buying), and last time I used an iRiver it pissed me off so much I don't think I'd want to touch one again. IIRC I had to use the software that came with it, too.

I really like the Zune. It has all of the features I want, but its downfall is I can't sync songs across different computers as I described. I'd have to use the Zune software to sync, and install a HDD hack so I can use it as a storage device.

[grandinferno]

You can get 8 to 16Gb cards for most phones these days I think. As I said, just rockbox whatever you've got. They write it for most iPods. It does everything you need plus more. It's awesome. Although I don't think it plays WMA.

iRiver then...

*shrugs

[paladin]

what exactly is stopping you adding songs from multiple computers? you just disable syncing and drag them manually.

[Lothar]

rocbox does not work for Gen 5 / 6 or newer models as they are too much locked down to flash / hardware is so minamal now it can only run its own firmware.

I love my Iriver.. and rocbox killed it. Now i love my 120gb Ipod... appart from when it is on shuffle it does include my audio boxes.

[grandinferno]

Rockbox killed it? Do tell...

[grandinferno]

I do suspect it killed this Nano that I boxed actually. My iRiver H340 is still kicking arse with RB though. Combined with a first gen iPod battery I get over 16 hours play time (as opposed to the factory 8 or 9).

[Brookie23]

what exactly is stopping you adding songs from multiple computers? you just disable syncing and drag them manually.

I don't use automatic syncing with iTunes. I choose the playlist I want to sync, then sync it. I can't sync music from other computers because the other computers might not have iTunes installed, Apple encrypt all of their music (so I can't just copy a song into a folder on the iPod and expect it to play, nor can I copy a song from the iPod to my computer without third party software), and because iPods can only sync with one computer at a time.

So if I connected my iPod to another computer (with iTunes installed), it would prompt me to sync it with that computer and warn me that my existing music would be erased. If I say no, I can't sync any songs to the iPod. If I say yes, I can sync songs, but I'd have to sacrifice the music that's already on there.

[Aegis]

If my 4gb iPod hardly did the trick, I doubt my phone would. I'd rather have a lot of songs so I rarely listen to the same song more than once in a day, and I won't have to keep switching the songs around.

sorry, didnt see mention of space limitation in the OP - but the new Walkman phones from SE have 8gb of space

[uber tard]

there have been plenty of ipod compatible alternatives to itunes since as long as i can remember. i use floola.

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=itunes+alternatives&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

[Brookie23]

sorry, didnt see mention of space limitation in the OP - but the new Walkman phones from SE have 8gb of space

Yeah but the Walkmans are $250 for 8gb, whereas the iPod 120gb is the same price and does pretty much the same thing. Phones have always been impractical for music storage/playback. I mean, they're designed primarily for calling/SMSing people, so their ability to store and play music isn't really comparable to an iPod or equivalent MP3 device. Of the phones available that do act as mp3 players, their battery life isn't fantastic and storage is greatly limited by the type and size of memory cards.

I'm now tied between the Zune and new iPod nano, but my sister's going to get a Zune, so I think I'll see how she goes with it and then decide.