I’m after a really small mp3 player i can use primarily to listen to podcasts on when i’m out jogging.

I’d like it to work with a Mac and with iTunes. Are there any alternatives to the iPod Shuffle worth looking at?

Not really, ipod is the market leader for a reason. Plus your syncing it with a mac and itunes, although they do exist sony, phillips etc all make MP3 players.

I’ve got a brand new nano that was a replacement for my old one that I’m probably gonna sell if you’re interested. no headphone or usb cable but they can be found for a few quid on amazon

Yeah, last time i had a Sony one the software was horrific, i just thought i’d ask.

Cheers Tomzo but i’ve got a Nano already, i want a *really* small one (and a bit cheaper).

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/140679696987?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&adtype=pl

ah ok,
for smallness, its gotta be this iPod shuffle!

That is neat but the lack of buttons seems like a bad idea…

This Sony one looks smart and i like the fact that it has a screen, but i just know it’ll be more hassle to get files on and off than an iPod.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-NWZB163-Music-Clip-Walkman/dp/B004Z76NF0/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327922022&sr=1-4

I’m very happy with my Sansa Clip, can’t go wrong for £30

I bought a Sansa Clip, but found it wasn’t really loud enough.
Either i’ve got a duff one, or it’s the onset of deafness.

I bought a Sansa Clip, but found it wasn’t really loud enough.
Either i’ve got a duff one, or it’s the onset of deafness.
Now got a shuffle which is more than loud enough.

Sandisk Sansa Clip/Clip Zip

Dirt cheap, pretty good. Expandable memory, plug into computer and boom mass storage, no itunes.

I bought a Sansa Clip, but found it wasn’t really loud enough.
Either i’ve got a duff one, or it’s the onset of deafness.

Reset you location to USA or somesuch, they don’t have pesky bureaucrats getting in the way of making yourself deaf

Wow, 8gb for £30 is cheap.

If you want dirt cheap the Technica 4Gb one for a tenner at Tesco is worh a look.

Worth every penny 😕

I had a Technica one from tesco and it didnt shuffle

I’ve had a creative Zen Stone Plus for 3 years and use it for at least an hour everyday. No complaints and its as small as a Shuffle plus it has a screen.

I had a Technica one from tesco and it didnt shuffle

I thought that too. Then I read the manual.

SHUFFLE/REPEAT ALL
1. Press to pause the track, then press [+] to repeat all tracks, or press [–] to shuffle all tracks.
2. Press to resume play.

Now it shuffles.

Reset you location to USA or somesuch, they don’t have pesky bureaucrats getting in the way of making yourself deaf

Ah, interesting. I’ll look into that. Cheers.

finbar, sony got rid of the awful Sonic Stage (or whatever it was called) software after a few years of people moaning about how awful it was.

Now they show up as USB mass storage and you can drag and drop in windows explorer. Or use Media Player/what ever else you’ve got.

Third Sansa Clip+, with location set to USA. Easier to navigate than a Zen Stone, doesn’t switch itself on in your pocket/bag, oodles of memory, great sound and you can add even more memory via a micro SD card.

I have a Sansa Clip+ with a 32GB Micro SD card that I use as my main mp3 player. As others have said, as long as you don’t admit to living in the EU it can produce a decent volume, though it isn’t as loud as some other players.

I also have an original Zen Stone that I use too. It has a good sound and its interface is simple but perfectly fine given its 1GB capacity.

Just get a Sansa Clip – I pair mine up with Creative EP635 earphones which means I wear it around my neck and forget about it.

I have 2 Sony ones, they are most robust and batteries great but iTunes wont give them the courtesy of acknowledging their existence so I have to use media player.

Search for iTunes Agent. That synchs any USB device with an iTunes playlist. First time through it clears all MP3s off the device, subsequently it just adds and deletes any that have changed.