In search of another MP3 player!! Argh!!

What is it with Toys R Us?? They advertise a $20 MP3 player, 512MB, and
the very next day - they're all OUT!! Doesn't it make sense to order
MORE of what you advertise and make sure there's plenty on the shelf??
WHAT GIVES? I'm So frustrated at TRU for doing the Lure People In but
have only 3 of anything that's in their stinking ads!!!

Not surprised to see all the Tamago-chi Version 3s out. But still!!!
512MB for $19.99!! Dang it!! Toys R Us - ORDER MORE OF THE AD ITEMS.
IMPOSE QUANTITY LIMITS. OFFER RAINCHECKS!! ARGH!!!!!!!

So why are all these USB thumbdrive based MP3 players so dang popular
that everyone buys too many or more than they actually need?

Well, iPods, like all Apple Computer products, are Overpriced. the iPod
Shuffle, a 1G model is $74.

iPods have an internal rechargeable battery. Well, it recharges until it
doesn't anymore. Then it's expensive to replace, most of the time. In
order to put anything on it, you need a crash-happy Mac computer (which
can and do get viruses - shame on you liars for those misleading Mac
commercials - and with you having Intel processors now, it'll get even
easier to write Mac viruses!) or Apple's iTunes software on your Windows
computer.

I don't want iTunes on my computer. I don't want anything Apple on
there, but I'll put up with Quicktime. For the moment, anyway.

These thumb drive MP3 players are - cheap, easy to use, and use
replaceable batteries, usually a single AAA. You don't need any software
other than an MP3 ripper, and Windows Media Player 10 can do that. And
perhaps audio editing software like Audacity to optimize sample rate to
pack more files on your player. Copy the files onto it, and you're done,
ready to enjoy music.

In 1986, I had wished for there to be a way to reproduce music or audio
without any moving media (tape) or spinning parts (record or CD or hard
drive). 20 years later, I have a 128MB USB thumb drive MP3 audio player.
The only moving parts are a few buttons and the electrons in the
circuits!

I predict at some point we won't have hard drives anymore, but instead
flash memory like that seen in memory cards and thumb drives. I have a
1G thumb drive that's about the size of a cracker, and yet it can store
the entire contents of my Win95 laptop hard drive with some room to
spare, in both meanings of the phrase!! Sugoi nyo!!!