MP3 player

I have been looking for an MP3 player ever since my iPod shuffle died. The shuffle was a gift I received at work and I used it while working out at the gym. I listen to podcasts mainly and the shuffle was ideal for that kind of use. A month ago, it just died on me while I was working out. Researching on the web, I found out numerous folks have had a similar experience; Apple replaces shuffles within the warranty period, no questions asked; if you are outside your warranty period, then repairs cost as much as a brand new shuffle; mine was beyond the warranty period and repairing it just didn't make sense.

So I began by looking for a new MP3 player by checking the reviews on CNET. My requirements were pretty simple; I wanted something that had a display, which would make it easier to skip to a particular podcast; doing this on a shuffle - which lacked a display - had been a frustrating experience. I wanted something that was as easy to use as an iPod, especially when it came to syncing podcasts; iTunes does a fabulous job of subscribing and syncing to podcasts and I wanted the same ease of use. I also thought that the FM radio and recording capabilities were handy features and would allow me to listen to my favorite radio shows or even record them for later listening.

I narrowed down my search to the MP3 players by Creative and Sandisk and I was very close to buying a Creative Zen Micro Photo. Fortunately a friend bought a Creative Zen Nano recently and I asked him how he liked it. My friend, like me, uses his MP3 player to listen to podcasts and his shuffle like mine had died while working out at the gym.

I sat with him recently to find out what the user experience was with his Creative Zen Nano. Just listening to him explain the whole process of syncing podcasts was confusing. There were so many steps involved that he found it exasperating. Both of us had been spoiled by the ease with which iTunes synced podcasts, that we found Creative's cumbersome process frustrating. I came away thinking that the Creative MP3 player was not for me.

Later on the web, I read many folks say that iTunes is the best out there when it comes to subscribing and syncing. Though I like the FM radio and recording feature of the non-iPod MP3 players, given my usage pattern, I think an iPod is still the best MP3 player for me.

I think I'll end up buying the iPod nano. If you believe rumors, then Apple will update the nano either in Sept. or Nov. and I am going to hold off buying until then. Hopefully they will drop the price as well.