I want a portable mp3 player with alarm clock features as follows...I
want to program it to play a track, for example, for 15 minutes, shut
off for say 7 hours, then turn itself on again to play additional
material on the same (or different) track until I turn it off. Must
be PC compatible.
Ideal Solution
The ideal product is something like the Rio S10 or Rio S30 (S35S at
Amazon) with an auto-OFF sleep timer and an auto-ON wake-up timer.
See:
http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/shop/_templates/item_accessories.asp?model=89&cat=53
These models have a clock and a stop-watch, however the clock/watch
function does not control audio OFF or ON.
Comments
A hybrid portable CD/MP3 is okay, but I don't recommend wasting much
time on this route.
The best I have been able to come up with is an MP3 jukebox with a
sleep timer function. See the following at Philips. The good news is
that it has an auto-off sleep timer (bad news is no timed ON
function):
http://www.consumer.philips.com/global/b2c/ce/catalog/product.jhtml;jsessionid=I004KHLS2KVZNJ0RMRCRX23HKFSESHAW?divId=0&groupId=AUDIO_GR&catId=PORTABLE_AUDIO_CA&subCatId=MP3_PLAYERS_SU&productId=HDD060_17
Note that to discover this feature, I had to scan the User Manual
*.pdf provided on line.
User Guides and User Manuals
Some manufacturers make them available, some don?t. ?Product Details?
on the individual product pages at Amazon often has guides/manuals in
*.pdf format.
Research Instructions
The quintessential listing of MP3 products seems to be here at BizRate
(502 players):
http://www.bizrate.com/buy/browse__cat_id--499.html
The strength of BizRate is that it has a very complete catalog;
however it is weak in feature listings.
My recommendation is to go to the manufacturers' sites based on
listings at BizRate:
http://www.bizrate.com/buy/refine__att--259,att259--more,cat_id--499.html
Then check out offerings and features on the individual mfgrs site.
At BizRate, first, go to the manufacturer sites for the brands with
more than 10 offerings (about 15 brands). For example, BizRate tells
us RIO has 27 models. To check out the manufacturer site, you have to
use Google to learn that the RIO site is http://www.rioaudio.com.
There, you will be able to see the specs. Most mfgrs site URLs are
easier than this example.
Also, try your own research process. |
Request for Question Clarification by
lotd-ga
on
31 May 2004 11:34 PDT
Hi mp3gj,
I believe I have found the mp3 player you are looking for, it has both
a sleep-timer feature and a wake to music feature.
The player is the Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra which comes in 30,40
or 60GB options.
http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=3&subcategory=21&product=9288
The manual - http://files.americas.creative.com/manualdn/Manuals/7829/0x1DC890B2/Zen-Extra-Manual.pdf
- clearly details how these features work.
The sleep timer feature is detailed on page 101.
The Wake to Music feature is detailed on page 103.
Please let me know if this mp3 player meets your requirements, in
which case I will post this as an answer and attempt to find other mp3
players which also contain these features. If not, I will continue to
search for you.
Kind regards,
lotd
|
Clarification of Question by
mp3gj-ga
on
31 May 2004 12:45 PDT
This is the feature set I want. Any others you can find much
appreciated, particularly options at lower price points. Thanks.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
lotd-ga
on
31 May 2004 13:14 PDT
Hi mp3gj,
I have been searching for additional mp3 players since my original
clarification request and I am yet to find another mp3 player with the
features you require. I will continue to search but I think it is
highly unlikely I will find another mp3 player with the same (or even
lower) capacity and required features as the 30 GB version of the
Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox for less than $229.87 (the price at which
it retails on Amazon.com - please see links below.)
Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra 30 GB - $229.87
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000DFZ67/qid=1086032972/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl23/104-1306055-9678361?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846
Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra 40 GB - $249.88
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000DFZ67/qid=1086032972/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl23/104-1306055-9678361?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846
Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra 60GB - $340.99 (after $50 mail-in rebate)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000EW9M8/qid=1086033239/sr=-9/ref=sr__9_etk-pc/104-1306055-9678361?v=glance&s=electronics&n=541966
Did you have a particular price range and storage capacity in mind?
Kind regards,
lotd
|
Request for Question Clarification by
lotd-ga
on
31 May 2004 14:21 PDT
Sorry,
The link for the 30 GB model directs you to the 40 GB model. The
correct link for the 30 GB model is:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000DD7P2/qid=1086038311/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1_etk-electronics/103-5768982-6939806?v=glance&s=electronics&n=172282
It also now appears that the price for the 30 GB model has been reduced to $227.99!
Thanks,
lotd
|
Clarification of Question by
mp3gj-ga
on
31 May 2004 14:24 PDT
On price, under $200 is an improvement. Sites I did no work on that
are worth checking (sampling the high end models) are Archos (25),
BenQ (28), iRiver (33), iRock (14), Pogo (20) and RCA (19). Odds are
that if there is anything worthwhile to discover, it will be in these
groups. Thanks.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
lotd-ga
on
31 May 2004 15:46 PDT
Hi mp3gj,
I have conducted a detailed search of the brands you specified in your
last clarification.
The following models meet your requirements of sleep timer and wake to
music features:
iriver iFP-800 Series - http://www.iriveramerica.com/products/800.aspx
iFP-899 (1 GB) MSRP: $399.99
iFP-895 (512 MB) MSRP: $279.99
iFP-890 (256 MB) MSRP: $179.99
IFP-880 (128 MB) MSRP: $129.99
iriver iFP-700 Series - http://www.iriveramerica.com/products/700.aspx
iFP-799 (1 GB) MSRP: $399.99
iFP-795 (512 MB) MSRP: $279.99
iFP-790 (256 MB) MSRP: $179.99
IFP-780 (128 MB) MSRP: $129.99
The iriver models specified above are all flash-based players and have
significantly less storage space than the Creative Labs models.
Unfortunately none of the other brands specified met the requirements.
I have now searched through most of the brands listed on the BizRate
site.I can search some of the more obscure brands listed which I
decided to leave until last (as I expect these to have less features).
If you would like me to continue searching, I will do so.
Thanks,
lotd
|
Request for Question Clarification by
lotd-ga
on
31 May 2004 16:01 PDT
Just to let you know I am continuing to search anyway. I will cover
all the brands listed on the BizRate site. I should have the search
completed shortly.
lotd
|
Request for Question Clarification by
lotd-ga
on
31 May 2004 16:28 PDT
Hi mp3gj,
I have now completed the search of the brands on the BizRate site and
unfortunately have not found any futher mp3 players that satisfy your
requirements.
Would the mp3 players I have found suffice as an answer to your question?
Thanks,
lotd
|
Clarification of Question by
mp3gj-ga
on
31 May 2004 19:45 PDT
Sorry to be away from the computer for a few hours. I accept your
answers and the assignment as complete. It has been a pleasure to
work with you. 8-) Blessings!
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