Calling All Techno-Brains

First off, if you don't already know this about me, I am a techno-idiot. The computer and I are friends, sort of, if I can just do simple stuff and don't have to do html or any other geekspeak. I am about the polar opposite of a geek.

I never did learn how to program the VCR to make it record when we were away. We took a total of about 20 minutes of video on the videocam of our daughter growing up (how much do we suck?), because mostly we couldn't figure out how to make it work, or how to recharge the battery, or for some other pathetic reason. My microwave has a dial, not a keypad, and I have a brain-melt when I get to an office or someone's home and have to use a microwave that has a keypad on it. I have no idea how to make it work. I break every photocopier I touch. I can hardly figure out how to program numbers into the cell phone -- hell, I had to bring the cell phone into the Verizon store two weeks ago because I had what I called a "spam" text message that said, "buy this hot stock now," it was a streaming thing, and I could not figure out how to delete it from my phone. I did not want to get charged every time I tried to get rid of it. I also had an irrational fear that every time I turned the phone on, because it was streaming, maybe I was being charged for it. You should have seen the look the 19-year-old hottie at the Verizon store gave me. No, it was NOT that Mrs. Robinson lust. It was, "Oh, why are these old ladies so annoying, pathetic, and stupid? I will have to reach down to the tips of my Reeboks to find enough patience to deal with her."

We only just bought a DVD player last summer, and did not get it installed until Ryan came here for a vacation with Abigail in late December. It took him all of 40 seconds to install it. I still do not know how to make it work with the clicker. The clicker is not my friend. We have three in our family room. We only own one TV. I have no idea which, if any, of the three works the TV. (Although I highly suspect one of them works it, given the way my husband clutches it like life itself depends upon it, and I do notice that the channels change at extremely odd intervals on the odd occasions when I'm in that room. He, as most of the male members of the species, has the attention span of a gnat.)

Anyway, Abigail finally got a first-generation Nintendo when they were already practically obsolete. She never had a GameBoy, or Heaven forbid, an X-Box or any of those other scary freakboxes like that. Have I sufficiently explained to you how much of a technical simpleton I am? (Am I too uncool for words?)

So here's why I need your help. If you are still reading and haven't already clicked out of this-here STUPID ZONE, I feel safe telling you this now, even if it just serves as your amusement for the day. Abigail doesn't read my blog much anyway, but especially now, I know she is deep in the midst of studying and writing papers for midterm exams, and she's about as frazzled as she can be. So I know Mom's Blog is the last thing on her mind and she won't see this. But last year she bought an iPod mini for herself, (see how clever I am, bandying about fancy techno words like "iPod mini"?) and it was almost immediately too small. She, being not too much farther up the techno-food chain than I (as compared to her peers), realized her mistake as soon as she bought it and started loading her music on it.

So this year for the holidays/slash (haha, slash/slash) her birthday, I would like to buy her a replacement for it, and I need advice what to buy. I'll have her hand her mini down to me, since I have the pathetically small listening repertoire to match my lack of technical know-how. I would mostly be listening to books on tape, is my guess, on long car trips. (can one even listen to books on tape on an iPod mini? Will I have ANY CLUE how to load one?) I like her music, so I'll probably just leave it as it is and go from there - see if I can figure out how to charge that sucker. See what you're dealing with here? Please talk to me as if I don't understand English and I'm highly mentally challenged. Get it?  Best thing would be, just tell me what to buy. Don't confuse me the way a salesman would, by saying, "Well, it depends what you want to do with it." That just about FREAKS ME OUT when they do that to me!

All right. I know I've recently seen on TV these new ones that you can watch TV on. I am quite certain she will NOT want that one. I also saw these Nano ones, which I read hold 1000 songs. Well, I did hear her say that hers holds 1000 songs, and that although that sounded like a lot, she had not remembered all the CDs she had that she wanted to load. This was within a hour or two of starting to load the thing when she bought it. She is a very simple girl with simple needs. She loves her music, and she loves a lot of music, but I'm quite certain she will never have the urge to watch TV or a movie on a 2-inch screen. She is definitely my daughter in the pragmatic and frugal sense. And I think you know me well enough to hear what I'm saying.

Discuss, if you can stop jeering long enough.

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And.....since blogging has not yet proven to be a big-enough TIME SUCK, I have started updating my sidebar, adding some things, deleting some things, cleaning up some broken links, removing dead or stagnant links, reorganizing some things. I have started using categories, too. In that vein, some people asked for me to link to that post about my antiviral arsenal, which I had done, but I've now removed the link on the sidebar. It is under the category of "Norma's Medicine - You'll take it and you'll like it!" which I think will be fairly easy to remember if you come back here looking for it. As time permits, I will try to go back and categorize the older entries, and I will try to remember to categorize as I go along from now on. Of course, some of my entries defy categorization, so.....oh, well. They'll be under the heading, "miscellaneous crap," or something like that.

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And one more thing:  I don't know how many of you virtually knew a certain reader named Kristen, but she was a regular visitor here at my blog. She commented quite often and we wrote back and forth. Well, she's now doing something fabulously interesting. She's in Moscow doing research for her dissertation, and she's keeping a blog chronicling her adventures. If you want to read some interesting, fun stuff from a person who is embracing a challenging time as an adventure, with open eyes, an open heart and an open mind, go read. (She currently has one bloglines subscriber, and I know who that is. Hint-hint.)

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And oops, I forgot to photograph the tree. I doubt it's changed much, but later today there might be a change. It might be white. If there's anything exciting, I will be sure to rush right out there and take a photo.

Comments

[Jan]

I read all the way to the end because I thought your post was about ME! When Molly came home to visit this summer she was incredulous that I still had her voice on the answering machine...telling people they had reached us at our Cleveland #...from over a year ago. Obviously I can be of no help to you.
Kristen now has 2 subscribers! Thanks for the tip. I love reading about adventures in new places. (Other than the heartland.)
Hope you have some knitting if the weather gets nasty. *grin*

[Marie]

New, just out, video iPod. In black. Don't say she won't want to watch video on a two-inch screen, she will. This want, like all such, will creep up on her. Especially with the coming rise of podcasting, and other forms of digital broadcasting.

One easy way to determine her digital media needs is to make a list of her interests, and then Google to see what is available for download. If the amount of relevant stuff is on the rise, then her friends with similar interests will be downloading without her soon. If you still think she won't want video, or want to wait for a later generation of gadget, then get her a nano. It piggybacks on the iPod, I think.

If all this is too complicated, ask her buddies. Low-tech, tried and true method for divining a kid's wants.

[Marie]

New, just out, video iPod. In black. Don't say she won't want to watch video on a two-inch screen, she will. This want, like all such, will creep up on her. Especially with the coming rise of podcasting, and other forms of digital broadcasting.

One easy way to determine her digital media needs is to make a list of her interests, and then Google to see what is available for download. If the amount of relevant stuff is on the rise, then her friends with similar interests will be downloading without her soon. If you still think she won't want video, or want to wait for a later generation of gadget, then get her a nano. It piggybacks on the iPod, I think.

If all this is too complicated, ask her buddies. Low-tech, tried and true method for divining a kid's wants.

[Siow Chin]

I'm very close to you on the techno spectrum. I don't have a hand-me-down iPod, I don't even have a MP3. I'm still listening to something called the radio. I wonder if anybody still remember the radio?

[Donna]

Em and the hub are both getting ipods for xmas. Yes, the 12 year old. DH asked me if I wanted one. The horror on my face said it all. We went to Officeworks to look at the ipods. The mini ipod at the store was hooked up to cute little speakers. Somehow, I apparently turned it up *really* loud. I don't know how, and I didn't know how to turn it back down either. Hmph.
Em's is 4gb, and holds 1000 songs. It better be big enough! I'm told theres a 20gb ipod. That sounds good. Can't help you further than that, though.

[stinkerbell]

My Mom and I just made a deal for my Xmas present to be an Ipod too. So I have been researching the Ipod thing a bit myself.

Things to note- you may be able to find store display models and the like however since Apple has just launched the new generation, your choices really are between a Nano (2 and 4GB) or the new video screen Ipod (30 and 60GB).

The Nano is basically the upgrade of the Mini. So if storage size is an issue for Abigail (like it is for me) Nano is not the way to go. Thus you get to choose between either of the video screen Ipods.

I dont anticipate watching videos, but color screen and teh ability to store color photos is kind of cool. At this stage I left it up to Mom to decide how much she wanted to pay and told her the larger the better but that I would be happy with either.

There you go. My suggestion in 10 words or less: get a 30 or 60 GB Ipod.

[sandy]

I'd have to put Derek or Bethany on these comments to get any useful info about any such PODS. :) They each have one, they each love it. I just cannot imagine filling it up. THAT is how much of a geeksquad I am. I do notice, however, that I am in good company.
Happy snowstorm. The wind may just blow us into the sea. I'd better get some bottled water ready! :)

[Dave D]

Wow. I mean...er...um..well...wow. I'm a guy. I'm gay even. But, I can't help you there. I've never lived in an apartment less than 100 years old. I am in an old building, just moved into a newly-renovated unit. It has a dishwasher. WTF? I use it to store towels. The microwave scares the crap out of me, so I use it to store bread and stuff, like a bread box with a light. I have a VCR, but that's just to hold the whopping 9" (yes, nine inch) TV. Oh, we have light switches in all the rooms now. No more wandering into a room and looking for pull chains in the center of the room. How cool is that??? And they now have plumbing pipes *in* the walls, not exposed. Neato?
Music? I haven't a clue. The last time I listened to music was when Donna Summer was "in"...the first time...back in the early 80's. I don't even have any music equiptment. Boy, talk about pathetic? Yeah. Ipods? Like pea pods or snow peas? Wassdat??? I couldn't be any more clueless. Good luck, this is intersting reading about this stuff.
An after thought: Would a Walkman work for her? I hear you just pop in a CD thingy and it plays the music.

[JoVE]

No help on the techno thing. I listen to a radio, too (a wind up one at that -- there is technology that the frugal enviro-conscious Norma would like). But when you get the hand-me-down, you may want to check out knitting podcasts. I haven't listened to any but someone on my GLB list is planning one and she is a good writer and stuff so I have high hopes for it.

Glad to hear I am not the only one with a weather forecast including white stuff. I guess maybe I should go get that new pair of winter boots I was planning...

[Helen]

Sorry, can't help on the techno thing; I'm pretty techno challenged myself. Although I am the person that deals with any computer problems here and I'm the one who does the faxing too. I leave the tv and DVD player to my husband. The microwave is my domain. ;-)

And what is it with men changing channels WHILE a show is on for no apparent reason??

[Jeni R]

The new ipod, with the video is the way to go. She will already know how to use it, load it, everything and it will hold 7 times the music she has on her mini. The video is also nice, and is more "in addition to" than the main point of the player. Just got mine and I love it. As for her/your mini, yes you can listen to audio books with it. I have one of those also and that is mainly what I use it for. The new video is replacing my mini. Great for knitting and listening at the same time. With a few simple lessons (really!!) you will be loading and listening to your books and will be in love with the thing. When I got my mini last year it instantly became my constant companion. I rarely leave the house without it.
If I can give you any help, feel free to e-mail. (I don't work for Apple or any other Tech Company, I am a mortgage underwriter and a few years older than you so I know you can do this!!)
Jeni Ryan

[Annie]

Oh my gosh, ipods are my new favorite thing. Madeline has one, and I do all the loading of songs,etc. It couldn't be easier. Go to http://www.apple.com/itunes/ and click around. Once you download itunes to your computer, you just go to the music store and buy whatever you want. You can also get podcasts, books, etc. The podcasts are free (Marie Irshad's KnitCast is super). I listen to the music and podcasts on my computer as I'm blogging- don't even need the ipod. And the apple people are super helpful. As far as which one to get, I would get the Nano. That will last her and be just what she needs. She'll love it!

[Cara]

Can't help you with the iPOD thing - G is against them - he goes with Creative Minds. Same thing, not Apple.

Anyway, my point is I woke up sick today and the first person I thought of was you. WWND? My throat hurts. I hate a sore throat.

[Rachel H]

ya - what Stinkerbell said. I was going to suggest you go to the store and ask the guy to point out the one with the high amount of memory, but she's given you she's given you numbers to play with. Numbers are good when you're talking to the overly geek-enthusiatic salespeople of items like these.

[Teresa C]

I know that the iPod mini came with different amounts of memory, and though they are not the newest thing, you can probably still get one, if not in the iPod store, then on ebay.

I listen to books on my iPod all of the time. You can load cds onto iTunes and then onto your iPod. If I can do it, you can. You can borrow the books from your library, rent them from a rental company (like recordedbooks.com-I do that) or purchase them online (from a site like audible.com). Actually, sometimes audible.com has deals where you can join and get $100 off an iPod, but I don't know exactly which one they offer. If you can figure out how to take digital pics, load them to your computer, edit and resize them, load them to Typepad, figure out how to use Typepad to blog........you can't be that tech-impaired. Getting books on an iPod should be doable.

[Carole]

Okay, stay away from the iPod video. There are already problems with the screen scratching and I'm pretty sure there's already been a lawsuit filed.
That said, I'd go with the iPod click wheel in either the 40 GB which holds 10,000 songs or the 20 GB which holds 5,000 songs. I have the 40 GB and it's great. I'll never need 10,000 but the price difference was only about $50 and Dale thought it would be smarter to get the "bigger" one. Must be a guy thing.
Anyway, email me if you want more specific advice.
And, how cool! You added my blog to your links over there. Thanks, Norma!

[Vicki]

Oh, thank you, Norma; I'll be gleaning advice from your comments! I used to be with it, but I've been left in the techno-dust -- it's been years since I really knew what was going on. Anyway, I have at least one kid mentioning "iPOD" about once a day now...

How cute is Dave D.? A Walkman??

[Brynne]

If she's all about the music, go with a 40 GB iPod. Ours is functioning amazingly well after three years of use and the screen is hunky dory fine. My husband lugged it on the bus to andd from grad school the entire time and was also able to use it for data storage (eyes glaze over) in addition to a huge music collection. I put knitcast on it now that he has a job and can't listen to music all day.

That said, the iPod is easy to charge and load. It has a little dock like the Easyshare cameras. Good luck!

[Amber]

Get the 60 gig video for her, yes, she may never want to watch anything, but it's the newest model, costs the same as the other ones did when they came out, and has solid state memory (what happens when you drop a laptop? Bad things happen to the hard drive) With solid state memory, no hard drive crashes, only the nano has this technology otherwise. Also, it will have the service plan and warantee which you will want, as these puppies can die at any given moment. They just do, like any hardware. So those are the thoughts of someone who has been drooling on each consecutive model as it's come out, yet is still happy with her own mini ;)

[Lee Ann]

My husband is like Cara's, totally against the iPod, so I bought him a Creative Zen MP3 player, which is what he asked for. You can get the top of the line (read: the most expensive) model in their line and it will be compatible with any file she wants to download onto it, not just i-Music...

(I should say, he rushed out and bought it himself when I told him I would get it for him. And said to me, "thanks for the early b-day present." Takes all the freaking fun out of everything, I swear...what ever happened to good old-fashioned boxes to open and wrapping paper to tear?)

[Ken]

Stephanie sent me here with my 2¢ worth, so here it is:

Don't worry about whether or not she'll watch video, as it's an incidental. The deal here is that Abigail wants an iPod with more storage than her mini. The mini came with either 4GB or 6GB. You don't need to know what GB are, only that you want an iPod with more of them. That means a 30GB or 60GB iPod. End of story. Select from there based on price, amd how much bigger it needs to be than the mini. If the mini is only a bit smaller than she needs then get the 30GB model, as it's much slimmer and lighter than the 60GB. It'll hold, say, 300 CDs or so worth of music. Any more than that, or around that plus videos and pictures, and I'd recommend the 60GB model.

Also... GET A CASE!!!! The iPod scratches as soon as you take it out of the box, and maybe even when you just look at it. At the very least, get something to protect the screen from getting scratched up, because it isn't too hard to scratch up the screen enough to make things hard to read. I use PDA (personal digital assistant, like Palm computers) screen protectors cut to size. They're relatively cheap and easy to replace when they get scuffed up.

PS to Amber: The new video iPods still have hard drives... only the iPod nano is solid state. See http://www.apple.com/ca/ipod/specs.html

[Cathy]

WHAT are these people talking about? The only one I understood is the guy who commented about using his dishwasher to store towels. I use mine to store plastic containers with lids. In one place. I thoguht I had died and gone to heaven when I got extra storage for that crap. I guess I will go see if there's room for the kitchen towels too. Good idea, dude!!

[Lisa]

Looking at all the things you have put on your blog - sidebar stuff, buttons, etc. - I'm having a difficult time accepting that you don't get the technical stuff :). I'm atempting to set up a blog and haven't been able to figure out how to add the Warm HAnds KAL button to the sidebar. And do I have to play with the code to add things such as "What's on the needles" to the sidebar?

My 13 year old niece was quite shocked that I didn't have an ipod - from what she was saying I guess this is what she wants for Christmas/birthday. On our drive up to Rhinebeck, she was also shocked that I didn't have an EZPass sticker on my car and I don't have a digital camera. What can I say. Although if I start my blog, I think I may have to go shopping for the camera...

[Ken]

Oh, and yes, you can listen to Audiobooks on an iPod mini. Books on Tape, now, if they're actually on tape, are more complicated, because they have to get in your computer somehow, and I'd be mightily surprised if you have a cassette tape player attached to your computer. So, Books on Tape on CD would be a big yes, because you have a CD player on your computer (well at least it's exceptionally unlikely that you don't), and you'd just import them the same way you'd import music from CDs (Abigail can show you... it's really easy), but Books on Tape on tape would be more of a technical challenge, and not a simple one to overcome (without somehow attaching your stereo to your computer).

[Other Julia]

Norma, this is what my 28 yo techno-geek/music-lover daughter had to say:

Ipods aren't that hard to shop for. Amazon has a whole Ipod and Ipod accessories store front. So you can always read about them, find the one you want, then purchase it there or in a store (like Fry's, Best Buy, etc). There are basically four different kinds of Ipods (not counting the silly one with a TV). There is the Ipod Shuffle which only holds up to about 240 songs or so. It's very small and is mainly good for things like working out or for people who just want an Ipod, but don't want to spend much. There's the Ipod Mini which is what I have. It holds around 1000 songs and comes in several super cute colors (which it sounds like her daughter already has). Then there's just the regular Ipod. Those are the ones linked below that have bigger hard drives and bigger prices. The newest Ipod, the nano, holds as many songs as the Mini but has a slimmer design and also holds color photos. I haven't figured out why one would need that.

None of the Ipods are hard to use. They come with brief instructional guides and super intuitive software. And if her daughter already has one, then she can show her mother how to download music to the mini. You can also download 'books on tape' to the Ipod but the trick is they can't be on tape, it has to be CD versions. Once the iTunes software (which comes with the Ipod) is installed on your computer, any CD you put in your computer (whether it's music, books, or comedy albums) can be downloaded on to your Ipod. It's pretty much as simple as clicking and dragging. Finding free music online to download is harder. There's always the iTunes stores, but the songs are $1 each and the selection is atrocious.

She just needs to upgrade to something like this http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002OZXHO/qid=1130250211/br=1-1/ref=br_lf_pc_1//103-2273465-9511028?v=glance&s=pc&n=3221551

which holds up to 5,000 songs.

Or this one: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002OZXGU/qid=1130250211/br=1-3/ref=br_lf_pc_3//103-2273465-9511028?v=glance&s=pc&n=3221551

which holds 10,000 songs.

Oh, and if she wants to listen to it in the car, she'll want the iTrip accessory. It costs around $25 and can be a little complicated to set up the first time.

I am so glad I am not you and my daughter got hers from her techno-geek husband. Good luck

[Jenny]

Haha! I am techno-challenged as well!! Last night, my husband finally took masking tape, and clearly labelled all the plugs that go with our network, and computer based phone service, and in what order they are to be plugged in. This is so that when the internet goes out, I can re-set everything, and have computer and phone again, if he is not home to do it, or if he is home, and just doesn't want to get up off the sofa, haha!! I was only able to use our very first VCR, and then after that, I couldn't figure them out. I can use the dvd/tv we have that is not cable-connected, to watch dvds. If it was connected, I bet I couldn't!!

[Kendra]

Norma, just a word of caution regarding listening to books on i-pods. My library has downloadable audio books, but has given notice that they are not compatible with i-pods. It has something to do with operating systems. You may want to check with your library if you intend to check out your audio books.
Also, when I was thinking about venturing into this realm, a friend directed me to the Circuit City (no affiliation) web site. They have a chart comparing features of the i-pods and other mp3s.
Kendra

[margene]

I as big a NON-geek as you are. My boss is giving everyone an iPod for Xmas and Smith will help me with it. Otherwise I would remain empty!

Oh and I read every word of your post;-)

[Jenn]

Ditto to everything above, with one addition. If an actual iPod is not essential, look at Creative Zen Micro players. They're less expensive, also play and record FM radio, have voice recorders, and their batteries are removable so you can just pop in another battery and play for 12 more hours, which I understand you can't do with iPods. I've been shopping for one for myself, and I think I like these additional features enough to forgo the "status" of white earphones.

[Carrie]

Norma, I would skip the pod myself, and go for a knockoff. Last year I researched them and got my three stepdaughters Creative (brand) Zen Nomad (model) players, with 20 GB each of space (to hold approx 8,000 songs, if I remember correctly). Not one complaint from any of them, which I must say is amazing. At the time, I got all three of the Creative MP3 players for the same price as ONE of the 20 GB ipods.
Fry's Electronics had great web deals this time last year. Good luck with that. (Oh, and most websites will tell you what the hard drive size, in this case 20 GB, translates to in terms of numbers of songs you can store.)

[Elise]

The iPod Nano has replaced the iPod mini...they are the same except the Nano is smaller, sleeker and having many problems with its screens. I don't know that I would invest in the iPod with the video stuff (not sure how much it costs) but there is a regular iPod that will hold approximately 5,000 songs and one that is even larger capacity which holds almost 10,000 songs. I don't think you can go wrong.

The biggest problem you will have in transfering new items from your computer to your daughter's iPod comes with registering your computer. The easiest thing to do is to go to an Apple store...they tend to be very nice. you may even want to visit their website....as a techno phobic myself, I know how scary it can be, but it is easier to muck around on a website than to stutter and stammer in the store. Good luck.
Elise h.

[Kris]

Everyone else has weighed in on your hardware, I'm just adding my two cents to mention that I borrow books on CD from my library and listen to them on my iPod shuffle - it's as easy as drag and drop in iTunes. iTunes is your friend for loading music, but a word of caution - my shuffle was from a friend and pre-loaded, and iTunes wiped it out because the songs weren't in my iTunes library (no loss because I hated his music). If you really want to keep Abigail's music, you should skip iTunes, or have her load what you like into your own library.

[Marcia]

My eyes started glazing over whilst reading all those comments, so I'll just stick my 2c in here and repetition be damned. I tend to stay away from anything really "new" so I wouldn't recommend the video thingy yet. However, the iPods that hold pictures and display them on the screen would be the way I'd go if I hadn't just bought a 20g pod at Costco last summer. You can keep all kinds of stuff (files) other than music on them, including the aforementioned photos. Damn, I wish I had bought that!
Now, I am pretty technically challenged, but some very sophisticated digital camera equipment (have you SEEN the manual for the Canon SLR digital cameras?! bigger than the local phone book!) got me over that in a hurry. I use hubby's laptop, stick a CD in the slot, download (you have to be online) and then hook up the iPod and it updates. That's it. This is the kind of stuff that keeps the brain cells functioning, so go for it!

[Heather]

My kid just got the 20 gig iPod before the new one was released and he loves it. It holds something obsene like 10,000 songs. I have the mini and it works perfectly for me.

[anne]

I think that the compatibility of audiobooks and iPods has to do with getting the files converted into the type that iTunes reads. Simply saving the files into iTunes should do the converting trick.

And finally, Norma? I don't mean to insult if you've already got this part covered, but you did ask for basic advice, so while you're shopping you'll want to pick up something to connect the old mini to your car stereo. Driving with headphones is scary. :)

[Kathy]

I can so relate -- not a lot of technology around the Casa Knitigator. I did go to an art exhibit the other day where instead of a taped tour, it was on a I-pod -- pretty slick, eh!

[joan]

Wow, Norma, you've struck a gold mine:) With all this info, I've decided to buy the stepkids Ipods for Christmas...Thanks!

Now, for my own question, can you get people to tell you how to use a drop spindle??

[freecia]

Norma honey,

To keep it simple for the non-technical. Get the new video iPod and buy it with as much GB (more, the better) as you can afford. You want the video, not nano, because video holds more (and we've established that size does matter)

Then chip in some money for the case, 'cause these suckers are expensive.

Just that simple. Wait until it gets into November, but get it before Thanksgiving and give it to her as an early gift to avoid the hordes of people with high credit card limits. If she has any questions (doubtful, but you might) head over to the Apple Store and ask someone there to help you figure out the controls.

Lastly, since Abigail already has an iPod and uses iTunes, there's no reason to get anything else. Her songs will probably be in a "suitable for iTunes and almost no one else" format. She'd be mighty ticked if she had to import all her songs again.

[Lisa]

I can definitely help you, having recently researched about a gozillion different types of MP3, etc. players - all different brands, and whatnot. First question though, what's the price range you're looking at? And also, if you know anything about the iPods then I say stick with what you know. The advice about avoiding the brand new technology until it's been in circulation and had most of the kinks worked out is great advice too.

[Janine]

Go for the ipod not the nano. The nano is no bigger than what she already has and they always manage to find something to fill it with.
You are right about Kristen's blog is is facinating - she now has two subscribers:-)

[Elisabeth]

Basically, I agree with most of what has been said above. But to summarize:

Get an iPod because they are the coolest music thingies out there right now and everyone wants to be cool (even if it does cost more).

iPods have different names. Mini used to be the smallest. Now they are saying Nano because it looks smaller. When it just says iPod without mini or nano next to the name, you are talking about one that can hold more songs than the mini or nano. Oh, and stay away from the Shuffle which actually holds the smallest number of songs. Less than the Mini even.

Your daughter's mini has either 4GB or 6GB of memory on it, which tells you how many song you can hold on it. People may also say it has 4 "gigs" or 6 "gigs" (GB stands for gigabyte and so people shorten this by saying "gig").

Bigger is better. Therefore, in order to store more songs, you want more gigs. So, you want to look for something that has a number higher than 4GB or 6GB (like 40GB, for instance).

Since your daughter found out very quickly she didn't have room on the mini, I would say you want to go with the iPod that holds the most songs because it sounds like she has a very large music collection.

These silly things are expensive. The 6GB mini was around $200. So, to get one that will hold more songs, you are looking at $300 or more.

Since iPods are so expensive, some people prefer to go with a different brand. It's just the same as with the Apple computers. Macintoshes are expensive, so they go with a "PC" which are made by a variety of companies. So, just as the generic name for a PC or mac is computer, a generic name for an iPod is a MP3 player, so if you start looking at other brands, you are looking for an MP3 player that holds more than 4GB or 6GB. However, if you start branching out into this category, things get very complicated very quickly. The safest thing to do is get a recommendation in that case.

Hope that helps!

P.S. To one of those people who are using their dishwashing machine for storage: could you please send it to me? I would die to have a dishwashing machine. It's been on my wishlist since childhood. I hate washing dishes. Please? I'll send you a cabinet in return.....

[Libby]

Get thyself to thy nearest Apple store. Talk to the salesperson, tell him/her about the mini iPod situation. Ask them to show you the iPod with the biggest memory.

Forget the 20gB 40gB crap - that's too much to remember. (At least for me.) Just tell them you need lots of songs to fit on there. You should be helped forthwith. :)

[The Mysterious K]

For fucksake, Norma, get her a bigger iPod! ;-)

Let's see. The Nano replaces the Mini line. So if you get her a Nano, you'd basically be buying her another Mini. That won't work.

So your choice is the iPod 30GB or the 60GB. It really just depends on how much you love her. There's a $100 difference between the two.

They both play video, although I personally don't see the value in watching videos on it. I love my electronic goodies, but how pathetic is it to watch a movie on a 2" screen? Okay, rant over.

I'd definitely stick with the iPod family. (And I'm not just saying that because I live for Macs.) They are the industry standard. And Apple makes it easy to update and purchase music.

That's my opinion. ;-) TMK

[The Mysterious K]

And...I have a 4GB Mini and I love it! TMK

[Liz]

I would agree with the suggestion to get the new iPod; the video doesn't matter (and Abigail may want that capability later on), and it can store color pictures and other data files, not just music. I also agree with the suggestion of getting a case; with what you spend on these things, it's worthwhile to protect it.

I know several people recommended just going with some other MP3 player (like the Creative Zen). I wouldn't recommended this option if Abigail has purchsed any music from the iTunes Music Store; Apple has a proprietary music format (called FairPlay) that will not play on other players. I don't know what sort of computer Abigail has, but some of the non-iPod players do not work with Macs.

As for you inheriting her iPod Mini, there should be no problems; you would just need to have iTunes installed on your machine (you can download it for free from the Apple website). Audio books either ripped from CD or already in digital form can be played on the iPod. I know someone mentioned not being able to play audio books from their library, but I don't know if that is due to the books being stored in a Windows only format or something else... I do believe the new version of iTunes enables you to convert .wma (Windows media) files to iPod compatible (I'm not entirely sure about this as I haven't had a chance to look very closely at iTunes 6; it just came out with the release of the iPod Video).

If you don't have an Apple store near you, they do have an 800 number you can call to order, and I'm sure that whoever you get will be able to help with any questions about the iPods.

[melissa]

So. Being rather techie, and truly into iPods, I read all your comments, and can't give you better advice. I have a 60GB iPod, and love it. ( I also have an iPod Nano, and love it too, but it doens't hold more than the mini, so you don't want one of those.)

Go with something from 20-60, whichever you feel you can afford.

I do want to correct one commenter, though. Its not the black iPod video that has the class action suit pending, its the Nano. They do scratch more easily than the regular iPods. (granted, mine lives in a Koigu Cozy, so its fine:-) )

[Deb]

I went to Walmart's website to this link. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=96469
There's a nice chart that equates disk space to number of songs that can be stored.

Hope this helps.

Deb

[Kristen]

I'm clueless when it comes to these things and still use my now well outdated audible otis (it was free with my online subscription) and use the excuse that there'll be something better in another few months so it's best that I wait before I 'invest' in a new toy.

That being said, audible.com has a deal that often involves joining for a year; they have a fairly large selection of audiobooks available for downloading and though it doens't look like she needs the "mini" (one of their current promotions) they have several other players available for up to $100 off if you join the basic listener program for a year.

(I simply mention it because if I did have one I'd use it for the audio books!)

[Dave D]

Are you sorry you asked this question now? lol

[Isela]

Hmm, well, I am not an expert by any means, but, I would suggest going with the one with the most space and the smallest size. As far as the TV goes, well--the screen is too small to actually watch anything and enjoy it.
How about swinwing by Circuit City online and see what they offer.