itunes (ipod) vs. Napster (Sony mp3 player). Which do you recommend?

[Granth77]

My wife and I just bought a new 2007 Tundra D-cab. This is the first vehicle I've ever had with an auxilary jack that I connect an Ipod to. My wife is jealous because her 2007 Lexus RX350 doesn't have the aux jack.

Anyway, she has an ipod and loves it. I've never had an mp3 player ever, but would like to get one. The problem is, I've used Napster for a long time now and have quite a song list built up. I like the Napster format (especially since I can pay $9.95/month and download unlimited songs into an mp3 player)

My question is which system do all of you use? If I go the Napster route, are the Sony mp3 players good? If you go with Itunes/Ipod, how do you like that setup? Help me out, please! I've been in the electronic dark ages too long!

Grant

[UrbanCowboy]

I use IPOD/Itunes, napster let too much spyware in.

[Jumbo Jet]

The iPod owns a large majority of the mp3 market. Most people use them because of the simplicity and smoothness while syncing with iTunes. If you buy an iPod you can only use iTunes to load it up, but not a problem if youre on Windows because they have iTunes for Windows users. You can still get songs from bit torent sites, you'll just have to drag them into your iTunes first then drag them to a playlist on your iPod. Because there are so many iPods out there, the accessory market is flooded with tons of ad-ons, so finding great accessories is easy.

If you go with another mp3 player you might want to make sure its a "Plays for sure" device, capable of playing music encoded with copy protection (DRM).

Apple makes everything so simple to use that most people just get iPods. But if you have a pretty hefty library built up and you dont want an iPod, I've heard good things about Scan Disks newest player. First generation Zunes were a joke, but I've been reading that their new ones have alot of the kinks worked out. But since your wife already has an iPod, it would be a pretty smooth transition for you to go that route.

[Norm07tundra]

iPod definitely. Not only are you getting a complete solution but any music you purchase from itunes is yours With Napster you only rent the right to listen to the music. So as soon as you stop paying your music stops playing. Also the AAC codec used by iTunes is far superior to anything WMA and MP3A. The other thing is the iPod can be used for disk storage as well, simply. So if you have some files you like to transfer or take home from work with you you can. The iPod classic is the best bargain I have seen right now. $249 gets you and 80GB iPod that also plays video on a 2.65 inch screen. Thats insane.

[millsp]

Ipods are easy yet too restrictive for my taste. I have a Zune and it's pretty sweet. It's all personal preference basically they all do the same thing with the exception of the Zune that does wireless syncing and wireless music sharing with other Zunes.

[PS-RagE]

The only downside to an iPod is it is difficult to get the content back off them - definitely not designed for filesharing.

The major upside (and why I went with Apple's product over so many others) is due to the number of manufacturers designing devices to interface directly to them. With the Alpine head in my Tundra, I have full control of the iPod with the touchscreen and instant access to hundreds of hours of music.

[Tundradrenalin]

The only downside to an iPod is it is difficult to get the content back off them - definitely not designed for filesharing.

The major upside (and why I went with Apple's product over so many others) is due to the number of manufacturers designing devices to interface directly to them. With the Alpine head in my Tundra, I have full control of the iPod with the touchscreen and instant access to hundreds of hours of music.

I want a ZUNE, but you noted one reason I am still considering the ipod. I hope these A/M's get some universal inputs for use with Zune as well.

[Norm07tundra]

Wow the zune is a real POS. I am happy you have had a good experience with yours. Mine was a trouble laden time bomb. It litterally went up in smoke one day.

[Tundradrenalin]

The Gen-2 is out now. I still haven't bought one yet. The complication is Zune-2gen vs. iPod-6gen.

[Jumbo Jet]

The Zune does have wireless sharing features for songs, but its only for 3 days or 3 plays............plus you might be hard pressed to find another person with a Zune.

PS-Rage. There quite a handfull of programs that let you easily take off your data from an iPod.

It really comes down to someones personal needs. The second gen Zunes are getting decent reviews, so maybe we'll start seeing more of them out in the wild.

[millsp]

the 3 days 3 plays only applies to downloaded purchased music. If you rip your own CD's the sharing restrictions don't apply.

[Jumbo Jet]

the 3 days 3 plays only applies to downloaded purchased music. If you rip your own CD's the sharing restrictions don't apply.

ah, ok. I guess thats not too bad then.

[Tundradrenalin]

the 3 days 3 plays only applies to downloaded purchased music. If you rip your own CD's the sharing restrictions don't apply.

ok, +1 for Zune. That was going to be the deal breaker if there was some stupid 3 day rule.

(great thread hi-jack)

[Xaenyth]

I've been using iTunes for years but never bought an ipod until recently, when my work vehicle came with an aux input. I started using iTunes because of the smart playlist feature which definitely cuts down on sorting rather extensive library, not to mention searching for when you want to hear that right song right away. Syncing to an ipod couldn't possibly be easier, especially if you already have your playlists setup. The combination of itunes and the ipod in addition to that crucial aux-in has played a key role in keeping me sane in the past month, when I've done that 4 hour drive from Tampa to Jacksonville more times than I can count.

I say if you really like Napster for the $10/mo unlimited downloading, keep using it. Download all your music into one folder and iTunes will automatically add your downloads to your library on startup. Then just make a smart playlist, sync and go.

That's just my $.02.