ipod?

magsmag

Hello There, I am 50 in August and my husband has asked me do I want an ipod? I wasn't sure what one was so I looked up the net and really feel sensory overload. Let me tell you about me:
I have a laptop.....I can work it...I use it all the time but don't do anything complicated. I am always on e mail and internet.
I have a very basic mobile....I can text now...but mainly use it for phone only.
I listen to my music through a portable dvd player. I don't own or know anything about mp3's or ipods.
I fancy getting a new gadget.....but not sure what the apple ipod is all about...I see at least one of them has e mail and internet on.....but there are so many different types.....I don't know which would benefit me most. What are blackberries all about?...Other makes? Of what?
O.K......I think we're talking about up to £150(hubby doesn't know this)..I want a new phone.....I want the email.....I would love the internet.....but will it be dead slow and only limited use? Something I could put my music on? I am open to ideas but it will be outright buying and no monthly fees for anything.....and no contracts...Thankyou in advance for any input. Mgt x

penrhyn

If you want to listen to music whilst on the move then an ipod may be of use to you.
You listen via headphones.
You put music tracks on them by downloading them from your PC. To do this you need iTunes software available as a free download from Apple.
Why not download it now and you will find out all about it.
iTunes will convert CDs that you have in your collection into a form suitable for you ipod, and you can buy albums/songs/videos etc from the itunes shop.
If you are new to all this what about an ipod nano?

Blackberry's are th 21st Century version of the Filofax, combining the functions of a phone, internet browser, PDA etc. Ideal if you live to text like my daughter does!

amcluesent

>I want a new phone.....I want the email.....I would love the internet...Something I could put my music on<

Nokia E65 or E51 on Pay as you go contract with 200Mb/month data option? The Nokia PC Suite installs on your laptop and makes synchronising contacts etc. and moving music to the phone pretty easy.

foreversomeday

If you listen to your music at the moment using a portable CD player, I would think that a new phone which has mp3 capability would be much more up your street than an iPod.

The type of phone you are looking for would need an MP3 player, a memory card slot and headphones. Off the top of my head, I would recommend a Sony Ericsson but I don't know about prices and different models. You can set email up on this too - but your best bet is to take it to a local computer/mobile phone shop and get them to do it as it is very complicated from what I've heard. Most modern phones can access the web, but it can be expensive because you can't just plug into wireless like with a laptop - you have to pay to access the mobile web. On pay as you go this is expensive, you can reduce the cost by buying add-on packages dependent on your network, (but still annoying to have to pay when you already have broadband!) It's not too slow, the cost is the main barrier.

You get the songs onto the phone by putting a CD in the computer and copying it off the CD using Windows Media Player. You will need to change a setting (easy) so that they come on in MP3 format, but ask about that later or you will probably forget by the time you need to do it. You then plug the phone into the computer and drag and drop the music across - and you will be able to listen to it.

HTH

magsmag

whats the difference between an mp3 and an ipod? Speak to me in very basic language....Thankyou for replies so far.....I don't understand all of them ...but ideally to let you know...I would like an all in one gadget...not just an ipod by itself...or an mps.....I want it combined....maybe I want too much..well maybe it's too much for the money I have but I'll be looking at all responses and looking things up.....also...just a thought...can you use the same e mail address on your phone as your home computer?..it's an ntlworld one?

Hungerdunger

An ipod is just one brand of portable players which are referred to as mp3 players. Mp3 is a type of computer file. You convert your music tracks to mp3 files as they are a way of compressing the music into a relatively small file without losing too much quality.

So foreversomeday (above) has advised you to get a phone which has the facility to store and playback these files. Other choices are, of course, the ipod which I believe is currently the most popular brand, but there are many other equally good ones on the market. If you have an Argos catalogue at home, a quick browse through that will give you an idea of the huge variety available.

magsmag

Thankyou x

Domokun

Might sound obvious to some, but remember you're going to have to create these files yourself. You will need to pay for the CD, then use software to remove the files from the CD, change them to an MP3 (this process is known as 'ripping'), then plug the phone or MP3 player into your computer and transfer them.

Alternatives are buying music already in MP3 format online, this way is slightly cheaper as the companies don't have to pay for the CD, the case, booklet and so on.

Among the other common misconceptions are that MP3 players don't come pre-loaded with music, and a computer is required to use them.

Best of luck with it.

Marty_J

Apple's Digital Music 101 might answer some of your questions:

http://www.apple.com/itunes/godigital/

foreversomeday

magsmag wrote: »

can you use the same e mail address on your phone as your home computer?..it's an ntlworld one?

You can but it will need to be set up - I am fairly technically minded, and don't have a clue how to do this as the instructions seem conflicting so if I wanted to access email on my phone I would go to a computer shop to get them to set it up for me. You would need to give them some details e.g. your email address and pasword (They will let you know) so best to see if they can do it while you wait!

Apparently you can now do it on the Sony Ericcson website (If you go for an SE) but I don't know how easy that is to do. Perhaps employ a teenager to help!