violetduck

Any electronically challenged seniors or others purchased iPod or other mp3
players for travel? Was it a negative or positive experience and why?
Thanks.

fieldtripcoordinator

Using an iPod is very simple. If you can operate a cassette player or Cd player, you can operate an iPod.

The hardest part is loading music onto your iPod. It's easy if you use the apple software called iTunes. You can download it free from their web site.

I've loved using my iPod for audio books. audible.com is a great source for them.

Ackislander

There are 6 important factors:

1. How easy it is to load and manage music and audio files.

2. How much content the device will hold (8g, 128g, etc)

3. How long the battery lasts

4. How hard it is to recharge

5. What kind of storage medium (hard disk or flash drive -- flash drives are more durable)

6. What will you listen through?
All the content and all the battery in the world won't do you any good if you can't keep the earbuds in or the background is too noisy to listen (airplane noise)

Nikki

I love using an iPod for travel. I have bought little speakers to attach for times that I am not in a public space because I find earphones uncomfortable, but I do use noise reducing earphones on planes. The little ear buds don't work for me, my ears are the wrong shape or something.

There is the potential for endless music, podcasts (radio shows, for instance), lectures and whole college courses, books, more than enough to keep one entertained for life. ITunes is very easy to use and you can easily put all your CDs onto it. The iPod just copies whatever you have put on iTunes in your computer. And then you can get lots of stuff from iTunes, and much of the material other than music is free.

Christina

I have a Sandisk MP3 player and really like it a lot in terms of portability, of course. It is great for travel as it takes up so little space.

However, it is not that simple, and there is a learning curve and it's not as easy as operating a CD player. That's because you have to load the music and manage it. On Sandisk, I didn't expect it to be as klutsy as it is, and it took me a while to figure it out and get around it. I am not electronically challenged, though, so I think it would be hard for someone who was.

The problem is that I just wanted to copy things from my own music collection, not pay or download from anywhere else. I have hundreds of my own CDs, and that's what I want. So I first copy the song from the CD to my computer, so it's in the proper file format, then copy it to the MP3 player (having had to load their software onto my computer). None of that was so bad (although you should learn differences in MP3 and other formats, and optimal sizes), but Sandisk simply organizes the "songs" alphabetically by the name I typed in, they aren't listed next to each other, unless I deliberately name them a certain way. For example track 10 would follow track 1, not track 9 or something, and then to get tracks next to each other (eseential for a classical album), I'd have to be sure to name them appropriately.

There might have been some other way to do it, but even though it's a good MP3 player, I wouldn't recommend Sandisk for electronically challenged. If you download songs from the computer and pay for them, it carries a lot of info with it.

suze

Well I'm not a senior yet but I am electronically challenged. I never bother to travel with any gadgets or electronics. I like to pack light and not have to worry about things like that. In-flight on long haul I've been lucky to always have movies, music, etc. provided by the airlines. That (along with my own reading material) is plenty to keep me entertained in a low-tech fashion.

thursdaysd

I resisted the mp3 craze for years, but finally gave in for my last trip. Not because I wanted to listen to music (I'm practically tone deaf), but because books weigh heavy. I bought an 8gig nano iPod, and promptly fell in love with it! I loaded my (small!) collection of CDs, a bunch of podcasts (through iTunes) and then borrowed some audio books from the library and loaded those.

It was a great companion during five weeks in Italy, plus the earbuds that came with it finally allowed me to actually hear the audio track for the movies on the plane. I had no problems loading or using it, but although I may be a senior (what's the definition these days?) I'm computer literate.

Padraig

I like books -- real books.

thursdaysd

I like books too, believe me! But I travel very light and real books weigh heavy. In addition to cut-up guide books I take a max. of two paperbacks, and they don't last long.

JoanneH

65+ I have a IRiver H10 20g harddrive mp3. You can load the books on it. Also to get free books there are several groups on ebay you can join where you can exchange books, some you have to do book for book, some once a week. Mine also has the standard FM radio with it. Works with standard windows media player. I pod is different format so if you choose it you will need to stick with I pod web site and will have to get a book converter, just as I have to have one to convert stuff posted in Ipod format to make it work on my I-river. Battery can sometimes be a problem in either case. I have a spare. Mine stays charged for about 4-6 hours, recharges in about 2. Check on Ebay and talk to the Ipod folks it's the standard, also there are ones that play video Archos, Creative Zen etc. mine does not.

JoanneH

NOT groups on Ebay I mean yahoo groups.

Gretchen

You know, the flight is 6-8 hours at the most. Some of that is getting settled into the seat, eating a meal, drinking a drink, going to sleep, getting up to maybe brush teeth. It is such a short time, I would never even bother to bring a device. Or if so, the device would be a "book".

violetduck

Thanks to all for the helpful information. I have lots to think about and since I have an iMac think I will make a trip to the Apple store and check out an iPod first and see how that goes. My 9 year old grandson knows all about iPods so I can get help from him on loading, etc. if needed and surely I can push the right buttons afterwards. I have never seemed to like much offered on the flight to watch or listen to so thought things I enjoy would help on the 9-10 hour flight. I always run out of books and since I travel with only a carry-on I can't take many and they do get heavy.
Any more suggestions or ideas appreciated.

Merseyheart

Violetduck, if you really are electronically challenged, then just take a CD player. Take a few of your favorite CD's, and maybe buy a few while you're on your holiday. That might be simpler for you than learning how to use an MP3 player and operate an iTunes program. On my last flight over, we had individual screens, and that spoils you! I could watch movies, or listen to their music selections, so I didn't listen much to my own music.

grandmere

I have the tiny little Apple Ipod Shuffle, and it is perfect for travel b/c it is so lightweight. I bought a "thing" to charge it with, so it's a snap to use overseas, on planes, etc. And I am pretty electronically challenged!

pittpurple

My grandmother bought an iPod a few years ago and absolutely loves it. My brother helped her set it up initially but once she got the hang of it, she was ready to go. She downloads radio podcasts to it and has tons of pictures on it to look at and audio books. I think the software is really user friendly.

I have a Zune and it's a bit more complicated - I like it better for a few reasons, but my husband works with computers so can help me through it!

My mom bought a smaller iPod last year and has had no problems - and she is very "electronically challenged"!

Sher

violetduck.
I decided to get an MP3 player because I like books too, but find that I get eye strain if I read too long in the plane.
Also, I took it to Mexico with me and it was lovely to just sit on the beach, close your eyes and listen. But I like audio books.

Audible.com had a great offer o an MP3 player and $50 worth of credit for $59 and that is what I decided to go for. If I didn't like it I wouldn't have invested too much.

Those ear bud things don't work for me either. And the player is so tiny and easy to use. I have not downloaded music as that is not my thing. Just books.

P,S. I had to get a tutorial from my grandson!

sallyjane3

Gotta say, Gretchen, my 11 hour trip from Greece sure felt like 11 hours and I imagine my 11 hour trip to Moscow will also...

Sarvowinner

My mother - 77 - initially had a shuffle which she loved. We gave her a nano and she has my daughter help her sometimes but she finds it quite easy to use. She mainly downloads music from her own or our cds. If you use itunes, there's no problem with converting the files to the right format. It also makes it easy to sort the music/books/podcasts in the order you want.

I also download podcasts from my favourite radio programs in Australia that I've missed. I can catch up and also play them in the car when travelling long distances using a fm converter so it comes through the radio.

I think it quite offhand to assume that all fodorites are only making 6 hour flights. Any flight I make is a minimum of 8 hours and at least once a year over 24 hours, not counting the waiting time where it is a relief to have some type of entertainment. There are also a lot of other times such as hotel rooms where the ipod comes in handy.

Nikki

Books and iPods are not mutually exclusive. I usually am listening to music while I read at home; why not on vacation? And my latest iPod discovery is courses and lectures (there are some especially good ones from Yale University at http://oyc.yale.edu/, and for those who understand French, from the College de France at http://www.college-de-france.fr/defa..._pod/index.htm) , which have led me to read all sorts of books I've ignored for many years to fill in the gaps in my education.

I also use it at home. Very easy to set up music in any order I want or have it all shuffled around. With over 1900 songs, I have my own personal radio station catering completely to my tastes.

The place I use the iPod the most, however, is in my car. It makes me enjoy the drive, no matter how long it is, and no matter how much traffic I hit. Really.