Tech questions (music)
 

I decided to finally step into 2003 and buy a portable MP3 player. Probably going with the SanDisk® Sansa®, pretty much because a friend recommended it and I don't know enough about these things to look elsewhere.

Questions:

Is it possible to download songs hosted on sites like Myspace (or other sites where there is no obvious "download" option)? There is some music I can't find anywhere but an old Myspace playlist.

When ripping songs from CD's onto my computer, is it possible for me to edit the track? For example, there are a few hidden tracks I want to rip, but they are in fact just extensions of existing tracks. The last song on the CD will play, followed by three minutes of silence, followed by the hidden song. Can I cut the first song and the dead air off the track?

Sansa - Menu selection sucks but since you're new to it all, its not a big deal for you. My old Sansa 8gb has lasted me awhile and i still keep it as a back up in my bag (incase my iTouch battery dies)

There is an add-on for firefox that allows you to rip those files off Myspace\Youtube\interwebz. the name escapes me but its probably one of the more popular addons if you browse around on mozilla.org.
I keep an old XP box with an audigy2 sound card in it to use the "Record what you hear option" when all else fails.

Audacity should be able to do whatever you want (manipulate music) (Free and awesome)

I also have a Sansa Fuze which I bought when I briefly lost my iPod Touch a few years ago and I havent used it since. The menu system and the way it orders playlists is really anoying on the Sansa but it does play mp3s and its cheap which is fine if thats all you need.

If youre going to keep your entire audio library on one of these devices (like i do) the interface is going to be invaluable anbd its worth paying more for something that really works. Ive been frustrated a lot with the way the Sansa would re-order my playlists making it almost impossible to listen to some audiobooks.

I didn't even bother with playlist on my Sansa. The huge benefit to the sansa over my iTouch is drag and drop\multiple formats. Much quicker to load stuff on it and the battery life rocked.

Not really a big fan of interface (for music) on my itouch but it gets the job done. So far my best experience has been with Creative products, but it has been awhile since I had one.

For music, drag and drop works great but when you have an audio book or a backlog of podcasts you need to be able to control the play order.

I have my own question.. how the hell do I get my music from itunes onto my iphone from my PC? I can\t seem to get it to synch music.. wtf? ( would synch from my work mac, but I dont have that this year on maternity leave)

It should detect it just like any other iPod device...

Install latest iTunes.
Plug phone in using USB cable after itunes is installed
you have to authorize the device in itunes
the iphone should show up.
You can either use itunes to manage your libraries or you can open up windows explorer and drag them (music and folders you want to add) onto the iphone icon in the itunes window

You guys are not speaking a language I understand.

I want a device that plays music like one really long CD, or like my online playlist. A bunch of individual tracks I can play in order or scroll through.

I have had a few mp3 players, still think ipods are the best option, ease of use for noobs is nice and they have a really user friendly system for finding music/organizing. Plus they have nice continuous playback options and stuff. If you're worried about the price, hit craigslist up and buy a used one. I don't have any of the touch screen ones.