ipod equivalents

[html]

im looking for a portable mp3 player, not from apple, and I know there are quite a few alternatives to the famous ipod but I don't know any of its competitors.

Here's what im mainly looking for:

must have:
-ability to play radio am/fm
-usb connection to the computer(not firewire or other type) and I think it's possible but not sure, power recharging via usb

Things i'd really like:
-longer battery life then most competitors
-longevity of the player (won't break after 2-3 years)
-good warranty/company

Things that are not really important:
-size of the player
-capacity of storage of the player ( 2 gb would be quite enough for me, more is always better but not needed)
-cost (well ofc im looking for the best quality/price ratio but if it's pricey to get a better battery it's np)

any suggestions?
oh and I posted this here to get serious replies, and I guessed that technically you could call an mp3 player "external hardware".

Thanks for the help.

 

[IceDragon]

I have a brilliant one:

Packard bell audiodream colour. It's very old though, so you won't find it I fear.

Paid it 70euro or so 4-5 years ago. Tiny. Light. 512mb memory (which is enough, because I recharge through USB, so I can change the music any time). Incredible battery autonomy. You can even record speech and line in (a bit rubbish though).

Durability is fine, because I've had it for 4 to 5 years and it's still awesome. It's even got a screen. And it was cheaper than the ipod shuffle back then.

Usually I hate Packard Bell, but this is one of the exceptions.

 

[IceDragon]

^it doesn't have am/fm though.

what a lousy piece of shit.

 

[subZ]

Whatever you do, don't get a Creative Zen.

Bought the the non xfi one a year ago, broken right out of the box, with the whitescreen bug, returned it and got a replacement, 1 week later - same thing. Couldn't be arsed to return that one, just been collecting dust ever since.
Got an iPhone 3g now for my mp3 needs - but that is obviously not an option either..

Just wanted to share my input before you went with the wrong brand.

The sony walkman might be a viable choice for your needs?

 

[m1cr0]

buy a new mobile.

 

[pogogo]

SanDisk Sansa e250

i have this got it for 30$
its durable enough

has microsd slot if you want more than 2gb
can put custom firmware on...

charge over usb, fm radio.. i dunno any that have am radio?

 

[X-Bomb]

or the sandisk sansa fuze the newer version of the e250

has 8gb + micro SD slow, fm radio, usb charging

 

[pykenike]

my nokia works great!

 

[html]

yeah thanks pogo and everyone else for your input, I didn't find any either that had an am tuner.

think i'll check out the sandisk thingy

 

[uZi]

AM tuners are hard to find on small mp3 players as they need a large antenna

 

[html]

ordered a sandisk clip, its only 1gb but half the price of the fuze, and from what I saw, besides the storage capacity, the only fuze advantage was being able to play video files which isn't appealing to me at all.

I ordered it at midnight directly from sandisk's website and the same day at 4 pm I received an email to inform me that it had been shipped. I might post again if I encounter any problem with my sandisk clip, or if I find myself completly satisfied and recommend it to anyone. (it only costed 35$ US for 1gb)

 

[Ulv]

I'm quite happy with my iRiver T10 2GB
aside from the fact that it runs on AA-batteries altho one of those suckers last about 60 hours.

 

[Nephilim]

Ive got the sansa clip and know a few people who use it as well, we're all really happy with it I'd say. You'll have to get used to the ergonomics a little, placing the volume buttons on the side below the headphone jack is a little odd but you'll be ok with it. rest is top notch really, great sound quality and battery life. even the radio tuner is good enough for some easy listening every now and then. size is obviously incredibly small but not too small to use it properly.