Hi Dale, Most, if not all MP3 players use USB connectivity to transfer music onto the player.
Yes, in some cases, some of the players will use SD cards in order to enhance it's memory capacity, however, those are very few and far between. As a side note, I have sent numerous e-mail to people on various lists about a sale that Creative Labs is having on a player called the Muvo T100. It's a screen-less MP3 player that is, for the most part, accessible, in so much as it puts blind and sighted folks on the same footing, i.e. no screen in which to navigate the player. It's strictly an audio player, as opposed to other players of this memory capacity, that will display movies and pictures, making sight necessary to navigate the menus and such, and has only three actual moving parts. I have included a description of the model and it's buttons below for your information. It's a 4 gigabyte model, and Creative Labs is selling it for 24.99 US. The only problem is that the shipping is quite cheap for US residents, however, Canadian residents will get a 30 dollar price tag on shipping. Disgusting as the unit is so small, and yet commands such a huge price tag for shipping. It's no bigger than two sticks of gum, you know, the classic kind that came in fruit, spearmint flavours, and just as flat. It really is tiny. The other great thing about this player is it's ability to resume playing from where you left off. Most other players, when you turn it off, will start playing from the beginning of a track. Not so with this player, as it will start playing from the point you shut it off. Turning it on is a breeze, in that all you have to do is press a button, hold it for a second or two, and the unit starts playing from where you left off. There is single track navigation, as well as folder navigation, along with three base boosts settings. There is also a shuffle mode, if one is listening to music, or an alpha mode, which allows you to listen to tracks in alphabetical order. Either way, if you would like Creative Lab's telephone number, let me know, and I'll send it along. In the meantime, check the description of the player below, and see if this is something you would like. Several people took advantage of the sale they had not too long ago, and our fearless leader, Phil, also got one for himself. ***Begin Description Here*** Hi Folks, As a number of you have contacted me letting me know that you've purchased this player I told you about, and since I wrote the below information for someone else, I thought I would post it to the list so people can know how to use the player right out of the box. First and foremost, the player is about the size of a stick of gum, you know the kind, like the ones called double mint, or spearmint? I don't know if you're old enough to remember those, but I sure as hell am. Smile. Anyway, they're about two inches long, by about half an inch wide, and about just under a quarter of an inch thick. There are three buttons in all. On the flat side of the player is the multi-directional joystick, or touchpad. This is the main controls for the player. Pressing the circle up or down will increase or decrease the volume of the player. Press the circle to the left or right will skip a track back or forward, and holding each left and right side down will fast forward and rewind the track. Pressing the center of the circle will play/pause the track. You said you already own a Zen Stone, well the circle on this player is exactly like the circle on the Zen Stone. I don't think I have to tell you that to turn the player on and off you simply just have to press and hold the center of the circle for a second or two until the player turns on and off. Along the left side of the player is a bi-directional switch, which moves up and down the side of the player. This is the shuffle/alpha control. If you flick the switch up, the layer goes into shuffle mode, and if you flick the switch down towards the bottom of the player, it will play the files in sequential order. You can also press down on the switch to skip to the next folder, and if you keep pressing down on the switch repeatedly, it will keep skipping folders. Along the right side of the player, there is only one button, that being the base boost button. Pressing it once will switch to the next base level up, pressing it a second time will jump to the next base level up, a third time will go to the next base level up, and a fourth press will bring the base level down to the first level again. Now, I should note, when you get the player in your hands, make sure the circle is facing you, and is at the top of the player, meaning the bottom of the player should be sitting in your palm, and the directional circle will be at your thumb. That is the top of the player, just for directional purposes in the directions I stated above when describing the different functions of the circle. Along the top edge of the player, just above the circle is the jack for the ear buds, so place the ear bud jack in the jack, and press firmly down. Now, you're probably wondering where the hell the USB is? Well, on the end that is sitting against the palm of your hand, the end comes off to expose the USB connection, and that's the part that connects to your computer. This is also the end that charges the lithium battery in the unit, so you can load it up and charge it at the same time. Keep in mind that if you want to charge it without plugging it into the computer, you can do so, but you'll have to purchase a USB Ac adapter, which will run you anywhere from 10 to 15 dollars at most electronic shops, and those things really come in handy for charging the unit when a computer isn't readily available. As I said, it is a 4 gig model, and you can place up to two levels of folders on the player, however I've never placed more than one level, but I guess you can experiment with that once you get it. I do know that the unit comes with a mini-CD containing the Creative Media Light software and the owner's manual in PDF, so unless they've changed that, this is what you'll get. I think that's all I need to tell you, so if you have any other questions, let me know and I'll help you where I can. If you want, send me a message with your phone number once you get the unit, and I'll talk you through it, and maybe arrange something with the list for those who did get the unit and we may do a Skype conference call. Oh, almost forgot... You should first charge the unit for a good four hours before using it, and after that, it only takes about two hours to fully charge it, so for now, enjoy the unit, and happy listening. Smile. Victor Co-moderator Blind Movie Buffs List Guidedogs List
