ADN

My brother wants an MP3 player for Christmas, and I told my mom I'd look into it for her. She saw this one on sale in the Canadian Tire flyer. Is this a good deal?

QUOTE512 MB MP3. Holds up to 340 songs. Reg. $69.99; Sale. $59.99. RCA.
The one thing I'm unsure about is it's only 512 MB, but it can apparently hold 340 songs.

Just generally, 512 MP3's normally retail about $40 here..
Remember when reading from promotional material - it's only promoting a product, the specs may be a whole lot of crap..

Now, "340 songs" should have a asterix next to it, as that number can be different depending on media type, encoding options etc..

Most MP3s that are about 3-4min in length and have reasonable quality are 4MB, so, 512 / 4 = 128 songs max (remember, that's a MAX of 4MB per song, to hold a MAX of 128 songs).

My songs, normally encoded at 210KB/s as the bitrate, and 7min in length, normally end up at about ~9MB per song. In my case, I'd only be able to hold ~34 songs on that MP3 player..

Now, it depends how many songs your brother has, and their filesize. I'd suggest at least 1GB - you can hold about 100 songs on those..

Kramer, don't go for a 512MB.

Go for at least 1G (not a hd).
They are dirt cheap and they will fit plenty more hours of music for your brother.

I'm telling you this by my own experience. I got a 512 and whenever I'd leave a computer for too long (=I wouldn't be able to "renew" the collection) I'd get quickly bored by it.

Also, there are a few more points to take into account:

1) Battery type:
If it has enclosed lithium battery, that means
1a) You need a computer to charge it via USB
1b) Even if it has a separate charger (most do, nowadays), you still end up needing a power outlet.
Personally, I prefer (godamnit !! It took me 2 minutes to remember how to spell "prefer" ... @#**#@(* ) separate AAA battery operated units because you never run out of power if you remember to have a stock with you /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

2) Make CERTAIN it's USB 2.0 compliant, otherwise you've been had. Only OLD/CHEAP players are still on USB 1

3) Brandwise, I've been the owner of a CENIX (512) and TRANSCEND (1G) and I'm quite happy with them (I broke the cenix in a horrible accident /sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" /> ).

4) Just so you know, luxuries like FM receiver and voice recorder (built in mic) are comodities in today's players. It doesn't take a "top quality" player to have them /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

Hope this was of help /tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" />

In regards to space, WAI gave a kicking analysis /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

WAI is absolutely correct that that 512 MB being enough for 340 songs number is bullshit. I don't know anything about your brother's listening habits or music collection, but I would think that an iPod Shuffle would be a good choice depending on how much you're looking to spend. I checked the Apple Store and you can get a 1 GB iPod Shuffle for $80 (Link) (I'm guessing that's the same price you'll find in stores barring any sales). They advertise 1 GB as being enough for 240 songs, which might be a little off, but it's certainly more accurate than that 340 number on that 512 MB player.

I have a sandisk 1gb model and it has performed admirably. the only thing lacking is a more robust playlist management system with the embedded software.

STAY
AWAY
FROM
APPLE
IPODS
& PATENTED STUFF.

Thank-god someone mentioned that..

I have a 512mb LG....very very good...

battery last VERY LONGER...it's size is about 5cm x 2cm x 1cm VERY SMALLY and it doesn't have a battery...I can recharge it with the usb port!

for me 512Mb are enough

Get a PSP and one of those Memory Stick Duo's for $100 (4 GB)...

Has anyone heard how good the Zune is?