Originally Posted By ajnhollysmommy I am having a very hard time getting DS a good gift this year LOL His fingers are too small for the guitar so Guitar Hero is now out-- Rock Band -- he does not have room for the drum kit. The next thing on his list is an ipod. He wants one that plays video but I cant see spending $$$ on something at this age -- so I am looking at other brands. Sears has one called Element 2G Touch. plays videos, ect. and it has a spot for a micro SD card. Black Friday price is $39.99 Have any experiance with other brands?
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains Have you seen the Guitar Hero for his DS? It's in one of the Black Friday ads in a two pack....
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains We got both the younger kids the Ipod Shuffle - We chose it because it clips on so no dropping it. It has gone through the washer and once we let it dry out and recharged it - it was fine. My older son had the Zen by creative labs - it was as durable...
Originally Posted By ajnhollysmommy Andrew is the most responsible kid I know. Just this last weekend he lost his 1st stylest to the DS. He still had the second on in the box the DS came in! He got the DS for last Christmas! I should go out and buy him an ipod but I cant spend that kind of moolah right now
Originally Posted By nevadarebel we got our kids mp3 players last year and we got the samsung (sansa) players from circuit city for about $50 each. They came with 1 month free from rhapsody to down load music and then it was like 9.99 a month after that for unlimited downloads. My kids changed their music daily on it so it was worth it. They recently decided that they didn't use them much anymore so we cancelled our subscription. There are other outlets for music that you pay a 1 time fee and have unlimited but you have to be careful with that because alot of downloaded music carries virus to computers. (my sil runs a repair center and 70% is from music and games downloaded) that is why I chose to stay with rhapsody. If you get the ipod, then you can go through itunes and others can buy giftcards for him to buy music.
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains What about having the grandparents chip in for it? I actually have the pirate mp3 player from Disneyshopping.com - If you want it email me and I will send it to you - Richard got the shuffle and doesn't want this anymore.
Originally Posted By Kira If he absolutly HAS to have one that can play videos then I recommend the Creative ZEN. I bought one over the summer (2G @ wal mart for $90) and I love it. My guess is you will be able to find one with more memory on sale this holiday season. It holds music, pictures and videos. The Zen also has a spot for a SD card so you can always add more memory later on. The picture quality on the screen is clear and it's perfectly sized for little hands =) IMO I find ipods highly over rated and outrageously priced compared to some other brands on the market that do the same exact things.
Originally Posted By ecdc If he's got to have the video and he's responsible and old enough, then the only way to go is the iPod touch. The video quality can't be beat, and you can rent or buy through iTunes. If you don't want that extra expense, plenty of simple, free programs for Windows or iMac will rip your current DVDs and convert to iPod format video. Also, a lot of DVDs now include the digital copy - the WALL-E special edition did, and the Dark Knight special edition will as well. Pop the disc into your computer, click a few buttons, and voila - a high quality version of the movie is on your iPod. It might be cost prohibitive, but like someone else mentioned, if you can get other relatives to go in on it, or give an Apple gift card and then let him save up from other gifts and earnings, it's well worth it.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Sorry to derail this Sis, but ecdc, why the touch and not the classic? The Classic seems to have far more storage capacity.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>Sorry to derail this Sis, but ecdc, why the touch and not the classic? The Classic seems to have far more storage capacity.<< I think it depends on how serious one is about watching video on their iPod. If it's a passing fancy, something you might do occasionally, the classic is probably the better way to go. Me, I watch a lot of video on my iPhone (had an iPod touch before) and it's well worth it to me to have the larger video screen. It's not too much of a hassle to just use iTunes once every few days or once a week to swap out the video and the music. I also prefer the touch screen to the click wheel, but that's just a personal preference I also listen to a lot of audio books on my iPhone. If I have a long file (say a few hours) it's easier to just drag the time indicator to where I need it instead of holding down the fast-forward button for several minutes.
Originally Posted By DAR I have the classic in which I can watch video. While the picture is pretty good it becomes to much of a hastle. So I just use mine for music and podcasts. And in regards to the digital copies, if I had a lap top it might be worth but for now it's just an extra disc I have.
Originally Posted By mawnck Go with an ipod. There are some areas where saving a few bucks is not the way to go. That having been said ... <a href="http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipod" target="_blank">http://store.apple.com/us/brow...als/ipod</a>
Originally Posted By mapleservo I think the refurbs are a great idea, and the little fat Nano would be perfect for a little guy if you can afford the $79. And Apple is celebrating Black Friday online again this year. I don't think the refurbs will be on sale, but you never know. Apple also has discounts for school staff as well, so if you know any teachers, you could save a couple bucks by having them order. My wife has an iPod touch and I'm sure any kid would love one of those - video is great, and the App store makes it a new toy everyday. But tough to justify when money is tight.
Originally Posted By Liberty Belle >>My wife has an iPod touch and I'm sure any kid would love one of those - video is great, and the App store makes it a new toy everyday.<< Really sorry to go so far off-topic especially with a question that shows what a techno-dimbulb I am, but I have a new iPod Touch and I got a couple of apps for it, but can't actually find them on my iPod itself and therefore can't use the apps!! Can you point me to where I'm going wrong, please?
Originally Posted By ajnhollysmommy well, this year that really cool gift will have to wait. My christmas budget sank when I found out for the next 2 weeks I am only working 5 hours each week. Good thing I have stuff stashed away! Thanks everyone for your advice- I think when the time does come I will go with ipod after reading all the reviews ect.
Originally Posted By Mr X Sorry to hear that ajn! Times sure are tough these days. When I was a kid and wanted a "big" gift (I think MY idea of "big" was around $20 though lol), sometimes my parents offered an "incentive plan"..something along the lines of "this will be your present NEXT Christmas" (or birthday, or other future date), and you have to work for it. Every time you take out the trash (for example), you get a "point", and those points count towards your gift. Your job as the parent, of course, it to make sure to throw in $2 or so into a jar every time junior scores a point. It's a little tough both ways, but rewarding for all in the end I think. PLUS, if the iPod touch is the only way to go, isn't it worth the wait? Your child will learn patience, and working for something you want, and all that good stuff. Good luck!
Originally Posted By Tinkerbell819 AJHM, I just bought Marky a video MP3 player at CVS today. (I think CVS is nationwide???) It's on sale for $25 and you get $5 extra bucks back, which makes it $20, I had a $5 coupon, which made it $15, then with my $5 extra bucks I had from before it was down to $10. lol The brand was called Craig. It has 2G of memory. (MY DS told me that was good? I know nothing, I just know Marky wants an "ipod" like his brother has, but he wants one with video! He doesn't even watch anything! lol) If you want me to pick one up for you tomorrow, I have more coupons. (I'll see if I have your email address...)
Originally Posted By Tinkerbell819 Oh, I forgot to tell you, I w*rked 5 hrs. this week and have 6 scheduled for next week. I'll bet the 6 gets cut to 3 by next week, tho.
Originally Posted By mapleservo >>Can you point me to where I'm going wrong, please? Sorry for not responding sooner, Liberty Belle. I'm not an expert (My wife won't let me touch her Touch). I checked with her, and her first suggestion was that maybe your apps are on a second screen? If you're main screen fills up, new apps will move to a second screen which you can get to be swiping across the screen right to left (kind of like flipping a page in a book.) This may sound brain-dead obvious but it's easy to miss. If this doesn't answer your question let me know and I'll get some more advice from the Mrs.
