iPod shuffle alternatives

I was thinking of getting one of the new 2gb shuffles for running, and I found these shuffle-a-likes...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/4GB-Mini-MP3-Player-Quality/dp/B001499GV0/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1209814001&sr=1-22

http://www.amazon.co.uk/4GB-Mini-MP3-Player-Quality/dp/B001499GV0/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1209814001&sr=1-22
So, twice as much memory for half the price, plus one has a radio... No special drivers needed, just drag and drop the mp3's onto the drive. Seems pretty good, although I wonder if the official shuffles are better build quality or just more expensive because of the brand? Also I do use iTunes on my mac, so it would be slightly easier to sync with the official shuffle... but four times cheaper? Hmmm...

my last 2 mp3 players were generic drag and dropp affairs
one a tesco teknica brand twonked on me big style (twas 4gb) my 2gb afaik is still going fine
the only problem was when changing batteries or after adding new files it would take an age creating a database to work with ... the only thing good about syncing

yes you are paying alot for the ipod/sony/whatever name

i went ipod for my 160gb jobbie as it was not that much more than some 16gb flash players from big names (and own brands) perhaps others make mp3 players of similar capacity but none seem to be found in shops so i kinda HAD to go apple

I bought a lookalike shuffle like that from eBay a few months ago -- it was a piece of junk! While it did play the songs fine, the battery didn't last as long as advertised, it had no indicator to tell you when to charge the battery, and the 'shuffle' was predetermined, as in it played the songs in the exact same order every time. That kind of defeated the whole point...

I'm still using the iPod Nano I bought a few years back. I love it. I've tried a few other cheaper brands, such as the SanDisk Sansa, but none of them really compared to the iPod. I think the iPod is very well designed, and while they do suffer superficial damage like scratches quite easily (You should see mine! I don't know if the newer ones are the same.), if you get a case for it, it'll be fine.

I'd personally say go with the iPod. At least you know you'll get better support, and probably better build quality from Apple. Also, they're a company you know. The one you linked on Amazon.co.uk doesn't even say who made it!

Check out Samsung MP3 players, Ive had the YP-U1 - that was great but too small - only 512MB.

I have now got the YP-K3 which is good (2GB), but it is a lot larger the the U1 and you need the cable to transfer files, whereas the U series has got the USB port built into them... the newish YP-U3 (2GB)looks good.

Oh and with Samsung ones you dont need iTunes (or any other software), which is always a plus IMO!

Thanks for the info Robbie - it's reassuring to know that at least some of the extra cost of going Apple is for better build quality.

therevills - I actually like iTunes so it's not a problem for me! Those Samsung ones look nice, but as this is for running I want the smallest, lightest, clip-on-est player possible...

I just got back from a cheeky 9 mile run without music as my headphones have had it (the connector into the mp3 player has developed an open circuit...). Got myself some nice (looking) in ear ones from maplin that turned out to be woefully inadequate.

So, when picking your player for running I'd suggest looking for a player that lends itself to protecting the headphone connector to save on replacement headphones (;-) I'm off hunting for some new headphones.....

iPOD Video. Surely must be one of the best value players (non touch screen version). I got my Gf one for £150. And it holds 160 GB<<< That's good value in my book.

93 pence per GB. It may be a bit bigger than the other mp3 players, but you can keep shed loads on it, plus videos too. Even stick whole movies on there for long journies.

Can't argue about the value Ross, but portability is my priority here as it's for sport.

Ah right. You tried the iPod nano? They are so incredibly small. One of the smallest mp3 players i've seen.

Yeah, was thinking of that one too... At the moment though I'm thinking iPod shuffle for sports and then a larger Touch for video (when it comes down in price a fair amount). But the nano does look tempting...

I have a 2GB Samsung YP-Z5, it's width and height are smaller than a credit card and it's about as thick as a pound coin, it's served me well so far. No problems using it.

Got a 2GB shuffle. It still boggles my mind how light it is, and that the packaging it came in was smaller than my old Walkman, with which I used to carry around a bunch of tapes when I cycled the 17 miles from college. If only I'd had one of these then...