The Search for the Perfect Flash Player.......Help..

Question

Okay, here's my deal, I skateboard. Alot. Obviously, there's alot of hard landing and stuff of the sort. I need a player that can stand up to this. Here's what I need and what I'd like, if anyone can recommend something that matches this exactly, I would be greatly appreciati've.
Basically, my Micro is EXACTLY what I want, minus the fact that it's a HDD MP3 player (well, for skateboarding, that is, I did want an HDD MP3 player).
<B>. A dedicated removeable rechargeable battery (not AA/AAA)</B>
<I>When MP3 players have a dedicated, non-standard rechargeable battery, the MP3 player also doubles as the battery charger. I don't want to use rechargeable AA/AAA batteries, because unless the MP3 player has a built-in AA/AAA charger (I highly highly doubt any MP3 player charges standard batteries), I'd have to be lugging around either a bunch of batteries or a AA/AAA battery charger. And that kills the point of being portable.
I listen to my music ALL DAY, usually about 2 hours or more, so it's also good to be able to remove the rechargeable battery and replace it with another one. The only exception I would accept (regarding being removeable) is if the battery really does last all day. The ONLY player I've ever had that I could take with me ALL DAY and still have enough juice to come back the next day without charging it was my Rio Nitrus (.5Gb capacity). </I>
<B>2. Drag and Drop Transfer of Songs With NO Installation of Software</B>
<I>I love the fact that I can bring my Micro to school and just plug the cable into the computer and then go grab a few CD's from their library, rip them, then transfer them to my Micro, all without having to install the ZMME software.
I love being able to just plug it in and have Windows XP recognize it as an MTP player and allow me to browse the file structure and literally drag and drop songs directly to the music folder itself without messing around with a bunch of extra software.</I>
<B>3. A Display</B>
<I>Not all MP3 players have one. I would like to be able to have visual feedback about what song I am playing and whatnot. If it were not for this fact, I probably would have gotten an iPod Shuffle *gasp, gagging, choking*</I>
<B>4. Large Capacity (at least 52MB)</B>
<I>While Gb would be nice, I know that size comes with money, and anyways, I already have my high capacity music player (my Micro). All I need is a player that can hold at least 00 songs so I can listen to a small variety of songs that pump me to skateboard.</I>
<B><I>Things I Would Like, But Are Not Necessary</I></B>
<B>5. Ability To Create (and Save) OR Utilize Playlists</B>
<I>While it doesn't need to be able to actually create "on the fly" playlists like my Micro, I do want it to be able to somehow allow me to create a playlist, even if it's through the software that comes with it. When I skateboard, there are different songs I enjoy to hear that get me pumped for different things (getting started/warmed up, rolling around, jumping stairs, etc.). Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to hear every song on my player, and even if I am, sometimes I want to hear them in a specific order.</I>
<B>6. Moderately Small, But Not Too Small</B>
<I>Yes, there is such thing as being too small. I don't want something that looks like Barbie and Ken's boombox (at Wal-Mart they are selling this uber small MP3 player cube that is about the height of a quarter and the width of a quarter). I want it to be big enough that I have no problem with the controls, yet not too big. Anything bigger than the Micro is probably a tad too big, especially considering flash players don't have an HDD inside them, so they are relati'vely smaller in the first place.</I>
<B>7. Ability to Play WMA's In Addition to MP3's</B>
<I>I do have a converter that can convert between all audio formats, but the simple truth is that while it's not difficult at all, it can get annoying and time consuming. In addition, I have gotten alot of music from my friends. They all have WMP, so they simply rip it to their computer as WMA's. If the player supports this format, then I can simply transfer the song onto my player and start listening to it right away, instead of waiting to convert it when I got home to my computer.</I>
<B>8. A Built-In USB Port</B>
<I>The only two players that I have seen like this are the iPod Shuffle and the Zen Nano/Nano Plus. This is a great benefit to me in the fact that I don't need any cables or anything. Literally nothing else. Just the player itself. All I have to do is plug it in and that's it. No carrying around anything else if I want music from someone's computer. So easy and convenient....</I>
<B>9. Ability to Charge the Battery Through the USB Port of a Computer</B>
<I>This is a great feature (but to be honest, unnecessary for me) of my Micro. It's really convenient to be able to just plug it into any computer's USB port (with the correct FW and being locked) and charge it. Even though computers need outlets to operate (not including laptops), sometimes all of the outlets are being used, so the ability to charge itself through the USB port is awesome.</I>
In conclusion, I love my Micro, and I do indeed skateboard with it. I have taken a few rough falls with it, but it has never suffered from it. My headphones have popped out of the jack a few times, but never had a negati've consequence from it. I love it and it's the best to me. It's everything I want in an MP3 player, but that won't change the fact that it has a HDD inside of it. And if it falls on the ground, then I'm basically watching my $200 fall into the toilet. I need a flash player that is basically a Micro clone so it can withstand bumps and bruises and jostles (yes, I know it is not recommended to bump, bruise or jostle ANY electronic, including flash players, but they ARE advertised for sports ((yes, even though not extreme sports)), and are shown to withstand movement more than HDD MP3 players.
I actually find it fascinating with all of my skateboarding (especially with my jumping down stairs and ocassional hard falls) that my Micro has never skipped a beat. Ever. I'm obviously not condoning how I treat the poor baby, but I'm just so proud of the fact that I have the little girl (haha, yes, it's a girl).
There are two MP3 players that have come oh so close to my desperate requirements, but they are both missing just one vital thing that stops me from getting either one.
<B>Zen Nano/Nano Plus</B>
I would get this if it had a rechargeable battery (see # above) or if it could charge AAA batteries. If anyone knows if this this can recharge AAA batteries, please tell me, as I will go buy it right away.
<B>iPod Shuffle</B>
Yes, I know, it's horrible, the iPod Shuffle actually did come into my mind and I did seriously consider buying it. However, the crippling problem with the iPod Shuffle is that it has no screen. I want visual feedback about what I'm playing, not just to go by an audible cue or remembering what songs I have on it. And since it has one major crippling factor, the fact that it's battery is not removeable kills it. The only lifting factor of it is the fact that it can charge through the USB port.
Oh yeah, I don't want an iPod Nano, either, even though it fits most of the requirements. I just can't take the scratches.......hahaha.Message Edited by RMskater on 09-26-2005 0:00 PM

Answer 1

". A dedicated removeable rechargeable battery (not AA/AAA) <I>When MP3 players have a dedicated, non-standard rechargeable battery, the MP3 player also doubles as the battery charger. I don't want to use rechargeable AA/AAA batteries, because unless the MP3 player has a built-in AA/AAA charger (I highly highly doubt any MP3 player charges standard batteries), I'd have to be lugging around either a bunch of batteries or a AA/AAA battery charger. And that kills the point of being portable. "</I>
<EM>AA and AAA rechargeables are great. One can usually charge up to four at a time with most chargers, and chargers that take an hour or less are available(the 5 minute chargers require special batteries and put excessi've strain on the batteries). They are also very inexpensi've. Carrying a few spares is no big deal. I have small plastic cases that were specifically made to hold 2 AA or AAA batteries and other cases specifically designed for 4 of them. I would hate to have to swap out the player battery, swap in the spare then plug the player in just to charge spares one at a time. Proprietary batteries are expensi've, while AA or AAA nimh rechargeables are often around $0 or so for 4(for the higher capacity ones. Slightly lower capacity ones are even cheaper).</EM>
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<EM>"</EM>8. A Built-In USB Port <EM>The only two players that I have seen like this are the iPod Shuffle and the Zen Nano/Nano Plus. This is a great benefit to me in the fact that I don't need any cables or anything. Literally nothing else. Just the player itself. All I have to do is plug it in and that's it. No carrying around anything else if I want music from someone's computer. So easy and convenient...."</EM>
<EM>I prefer having a smaller player that uses a cable to connect.</EM>
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