So what is the deal with these "generic" mp3s?

[The Backdoor Man]

As exampled here: http://electronics.shop.ebay.ca/items/iPod-MP3-Players_?StorageCapacitybae4f4ff=3to5GB3d60083e%7C 10to29GB116b6850%7C6to9GBfa2f26bd&_catref=1&_dmpt=Other_MP3_Players&_fln=1&_sacat=73839&_ssov=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282

All at the top, featured items, all in hong kong.
It looks too good to be true, all that for 50 bucks.
So, do you really get what they say you will get? Or is it just a hunk of shit not worth the free shipping?

[BananaFuck]

These mp3 players don't have specific software designed for it. You can not play media purchased from iTunes, nor can you use iTunes to sync with them. I would say they aren't worth shit, but I have alway been an iPod guy.

[deus]

You can not play media purchased from iTunes, nor can you use iTunes to sync with them.

I'd say that's a good thing. I'd rather just drag and drop to a disk device.

But yeah, generally, Chinese-made junk like that will fall apart on you rather quickly.

If you haven't heard of a product or manufacturer, do some research before you buy.

[LiquidIce]

These mp3 players don't have specific software designed for it. You can not play media purchased from iTunes, nor can you use iTunes to sync with them.

Uh, wtf. Are iTune so damn kewl? What's wrong with torrenting some shit (or downloading, or paying or ripping) and just drag n' dropping mp3/flacs/oggs on your device?

Is media from iTunes superior or something?

Have I been missing something for the past couple of years, drag and dropping music on my Creative MuVo 1gb (3 years and it still works like a charm despite numerable falls. And it never froze on me) or on my N95 8gb?

:facepalm:

[Mantikore]

yeah, pretty much. torrenting good old fashioned mp3s should be able to play on them. no need for that expensive ipod

[LiquidIce]

yeah, pretty much. torrenting good old fashioned mp3s should be able to play on them. no need for that expensive ipod

Exactly. Right now I'm looking for something like my MuVo but with at least 4gb (8 would be awesome) but can't find anything :(. Everything is mp4, screens, big, wide, li-ion batteries.

I just wanna small, 8gb, AAA powered mp3 for christs sake.

[NamelessNom4d]

Don't buy shit from Hong Kong. At least nothing involving flash memory. Those are likely to work perfectly fine as generic mp3 players, but don't expect the file integrity to last. I wouldn't doubt that the music would get corrupted on those things after a while. You can do much better getting "generic" mp3 players from here in the US, from like, Radio Shack and shit.

I can't see the link though, since I'm at school and eBay is blocked. If they're cheap, buy a few and test them out. The might actually be highly functional. My friend got a "fake" iPod once though, and it was actually a modified 1 GB Sandisk (I think) mp3 player that was made to look exactly like an iPod and function with 2GB of storage space. The files got corrupted on it and he lost 1 GB of songs.

[PirateJoe]

Uh, wtf. Are iTune so damn kewl? What's wrong with torrenting some shit (or downloading, or paying or ripping) and just drag n' dropping mp3/flacs/oggs on your device?



These devices aren't just drag and drop. The one I have, at least, requires a proprietary (pre-vista windows only) program that's buggy as hell and half of it is in chinese.

[LiquidIce]

These devices aren't just drag and drop. The one I have, at least, requires a proprietary (pre-vista windows only) program that's buggy as hell and half of it is in chinese.

What's the make? Most friends have Creatives. A few have ipods. The ipod crowd has some freezing problems.

[NamelessNom4d]

Okay, I just checked out the link. Don't waste your money on that shit man, they look like the same kind of fake iPods that my friend got, albeit newer. They're most likely modified generic MP3 players with probably like 1GB of flash op memory hacked store like 4 and 8 GB of stuff. They WILL get corrupted on you and stop working. However... you can most definitely buy a few of those and resell them at school or whatever. My friend bought one of those at his school, he knew it was fake too, but he's a dumbass (really he is a fucking dumbass, that's why I hang out with him lol).

You're FAR better off just finding a generic MP3 player that accepts SD expansion cards, and then buy an 8GB SD card to upgrade it with. You can get those off newegg.com for like 10-15 bucks probably. MP3 player might run you around 50.

ALSO: DON'T BUY ANY FLASH MEMORY (memory stick duo, SD or CF cards, etc) FROM HONG KONG OR CHINA! They are almost always fake and manufactured as shitty low capacity memory hacked to accept more data. 90% of flash memory on eBay is like that I'm sure. Make sure to buy new from amazon.com or newegg.com or wherever.

[The Backdoor Man]

Thanks for the replys everyone. I previously had a Samsung YP-K3, 2 gigs. It had served me faithfully for the past two and a half years but recently failed, unable to hold a charge. I am now looking for one of similar quality but with more memory (8+). Ebay and craigslist have not yielded much and I'm not sure if I want to spend the money on a new one. I don't have a real job and are currently paying off a car (and gas and weed and booze. In that order ;)
Anyways, I'm not sure where I'm going with this, so I'll stop here.

[Mutant Funk Drink]

These mp3 players don't have specific software designed for it. You can not play media purchased from iTunes, nor can you use iTunes to sync with them. I would say they aren't worth shit, but I have alway been an iPod guy.

iTunes is shit.

[PirateJoe]

What's the make? Most friends have Creatives. A few have ipods. The ipod crowd has some freezing problems.

I don't have it on me right now, but it was a counterfeit ipod, like the ones posted in OP's link.

[eunux]

I didn't realize people still use mp3 players. SD Flash memory is so cheap nowadays, I just use my phone as my MP3 player. I bought a 8 GB mini-SD card for my phone weeks ago for about 20 dollars. And it's enough space for when I'm on the road.

[NamelessNom4d]

Thanks for the replys everyone. I previously had a Samsung YP-K3, 2 gigs. It had served me faithfully for the past two and a half years but recently failed, unable to hold a charge. I am now looking for one of similar quality but with more memory (8+). Ebay and craigslist have not yielded much and I'm not sure if I want to spend the money on a new one. I don't have a real job and are currently paying off a car (and gas and weed and booze. In that order ;)
Anyways, I'm not sure where I'm going with this, so I'll stop here.

Look for a replacement battery if that thing accepts expansion cards. If it doesn't... well then don't bother looking for a battery replacement. Who uses only 2GB of space nowadays?

[NaiveMonarch]

My mate had an iPod lookalike once, I reformatted it for him and it completely crapped out.
I wouldn't recommend them.

[dark_rider_666]

Yeh, some generic ones can be good, Some are just cheap ripoff's. The one i have is good... Now if only i could find it =/.

[LiquidIce]

I don't have it on me right now, but it was a counterfeit ipod, like the ones posted in OP's link.

No wonder. I'm not saying that cheap generic mp3 players are best, I'm just saying that ipods aren't 50 years ahead of us. Samsung, Creative, iRiver... Hell, Pentagram even made a few decent ones. All were cheaper than ipods and all work pretty well without iTunes.

I didn't realize people still use mp3 players. SD Flash memory is so cheap nowadays, I just use my phone as my MP3 player. I bought a 8 GB mini-SD card for my phone weeks ago for about 20 dollars. And it's enough space for when I'm on the road.
Thing is why I love mp3 players - you can get them in all shapes and sizes. It's easier to pack an old 1-2gb Creative MuVo that is tiny AND uses replaceable AAA batteries than to take anything with a li-ion built in battery. AAA's are available everywhere, having to plug it (or worse, having to plug a player into USB) ties you down to one place.