Gizmodo Gifts
You've probably already endured it during Thanksgiving, but round two with the nieces and nephews is coming up and there is one gift to shut the kids up so you can enjoy some good 'ole Christmas day football in peace — an MP3 player. An MP3 player is the perfect gift for that obnoxious kid because the headphones will stay on for the entire duration of the visit, or you can hope so.
If this is the annoying kids of a relative you don't particularly like (in-laws, perhaps?), then there is no use dropping the change on a Zune or iPod. How about you opt for the cheaper variety, like a $9 variety? The Evergreen MP3 player is really just a SD card reader with a few buttons and a headphone jack. An SD card will run you another 20 or so, but you can load it up with music preemptively to ensure that the kids stay entertained during the duration of your visit.
If the kiddos aren't that bad, but you are still a cheapskate, I would recommend a Sandisk. Sandisk makes a variety of pretty good MP3 players that generally have low prices.
Oh and if you are one of those aunts or uncles that is absolutely in love with the nephews and nieces, just get them an iPod or Zune already. Oh, and stop talking about and showing off pictures of kids that are not yours.
My father went to an online marketing seminar/scam for the free dinner and the "ipod" they were giving away as a gift. I tried to tell him it wasn't going to be a real ipod, but the picture on his ticket sure looked like an ipod shuffle. When he came back with two, my first thought upon seeing them was "my god, they're really shuffle's!" Alas, they're a 64MB knockoff with the button pad rotated 90deg and a standard USB jack. Other than that, its a pretty darn good knockoff down to the box design and packaging. Guess what the grandkids are getting for Christmas.
I had a cheap transparent blue one that only had 1 button. had a usb plug inside and used AAA. Broke after 6 months, but I used the hell out of it. I thin kit was about $10.
I definitely like the expandability that the sandisk or other 1gb players don't have. I was thinking of how to best use something so disposable and one thing was to load it up with songs, and give it to someone, like a mixed cd, but with more songs and listening action.
the other way was to attach it to a solar panel and attach it to tiny speakers and a tall pole. have it repeat journeys "don't stop believing" 24/7/365. that would be......awesome.
Just get them a $10 flashlight instead.. You can't have too many flashlights!
Ha, I bought this for myself over two years ago for a snowboard holiday. The main reason was so I wouldn't care if it broke. I still have it now and use it whenever there is a chance of impact. It's a great little device.
I got my annoying cousins nylon wallets with a wad of 20 dollar bills that I made myself. The best part will be the excitement upon seeing the 20's, and their heartbreak when they see the blank side. This will be a very Merry Christmas indeed.
The card reader makes it a winner. Hope the bit rate doesn't blow.
@impliedsurprise
Actually, the Sansa Express comes with a micro SD expansion slot.
@Kaiser-Machead:
That is so funny! Good for you
As reported here on 10/9/07, SanDisk PR spokespeaker Carmella Lyman promised ZDNet Writer David Berlind that she'd shave her hair if the Zune was #2 in the portable media player market after this Christmas.
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
@toolverine:
I think he meant 'expendability'. You know, like soldiers and stuff.
@toolverine:
but don't use it - it eats battery and the sansa firmware ALWAYS performs a database update upon booting if the card's in there.
the price dif between the dif models of sansas dont make it any cheaper to add a microSD card, anyways, so why not opt for the high end?
this actually looks pretty good now that i see it has an SD card slot, many other mp3 players dont have that feature.
@nutbastard:
I've noticed no battery draining issues so far and I've had a card in there since the summer. I've never updated the firmware to my knowledge. The reason I chose that particular model is the USB charging without a cable first, and form factor second.
Does anyone have a link to the first mp3 player, that isn't in japanese?
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