After half a year with a 40 GB iPod, I realise it’s not the thing for me. First off, I do not need to carry around an entire music collection, nor do I need a portable HD. Also, the battery life seems kind of short to me. How does that compare to the battery life of other MP3 players?

Is there anything with around 5 GB capacity, perhaps smaller in size and with really good battery life? The iPod Mini looks kind of cool… Any other recommendations?

iriver has a 512 stick that has usb2.0   i was thinking about that until i realized that i needed a hd instead.

i dont thing u can get any better than a colored mini w/itunes 4.6….let me know if u are selling the 40gb i have a freind here in nepal that really wants one bad after playing with mine. good luck! :D

The Creative Labs Muvo2 4GB is a decent choice. It has the same 4GB drive as the iPod mini and costs $50 less. It has a USB2 interface, is tiny, and the battery life is pretty decent at 10-14 hours.

iRiver’s new stuff (they are promising release soon), looks pretty good. I think it’ll definately get me to buy and try over an ipod

I am a bit worried about having an actual HD in the player, another reason for my move away from the iPod. It’s also not the most convenient MP3 player to take when running.

What kind of drive is the 4 GB one in the iPod Mini/Muvo2? How is it different to the 1.8” HD in the 3G iPods?

I have had the mini iPOD for about 4 months, its an excellent choice I have no regrets.  About jogging with it that should not be a problem as Apple sell the armband to use it while exercising.  I have used it while jogging, cycling and weight training and have had no problems.  It has been nothing but good for me, but the Creative Muvo HD MP3 player is cheaper and also a good player.  One thing about the Muvo is that the user interface is not as good I think, I previously had the flash type Muvo player and found the interface to be not as good, but maybe Creative have improved it for the HD based players.  :D

I guess if you’re looking for something with a small harddrive, you should either check out the MuVo or the ipod minis. I personally use the Creative Nomad Zen Xtra. It’s got a 30 GB hd, cost half of what a comparable ipod would cost, get’s better battery life, has a removable battery (useful for after years when they lose their charge) and the best sound quality of any mp3 player (but most Creative Labs mp3 players excel in that department). Granted, ipods are a little bit prettier (but my Zen Xtra matches my TR better), they are overpriced and you get so much more value from Creative. Buy Creative, just find the player that fits your needs best.

[quote author=“babahi”]I am a bit worried about having an actual HD in the player, another reason for my move away from the iPod. It’s also not the most convenient MP3 player to take when running.

What kind of drive is the 4 GB one in the iPod Mini/Muvo2? How is it different to the 1.8” HD in the 3G iPods?

You’re not going to find large capacity non-HD players since they would cost way too much.

The 4GB drive is a Hitachi MicroDrive CF sized HD player. It’s a lot more shock resistant that 1.8 or 2.5” kinds of hard disks. I took my Muvo2 on runs and had no problems. (Of course, I later gutted my Muvo2 to take the drive out to use for other purposes). I put in a 512MB CF card in it and the battery lasts even longer!

I see what you mean. I am leaning away from my 40 GB iPod also because of battery issues I will have later on.

Right now, the iPod mini looks good to me because of the easy controls/GUI. But then I have the battery issue again. However, after having checked out the Muvo, I see that I do not like the tiny 2-line screen. Spoiled by the iPod’s big screen, I guess. I wonder if there is anything with a big screen like the iPod but not its battery issues?

I did check out the Creative Zen series. They look good, nice screen there too. But what about the size? Do they use a 2.5” HD?

I’d recommend against Creative. First off, they’re big. Here is a comparative pic with a 3rd gen iPod, my iRiver and the Zen NX. Secondly, the people I know that have them consider them to be of much poorer build quality than the iPod.

Oh wow, they are huge! And I’m trying to get something smaller than the iPod…

Looks like I’ll bite the bullet on the battery issue—I just ordered an iPod mini. It’s only drawback is the battery issue, but I otherwise like everything about it!

Thanks to all the advice everybody gave, you all rock!