Music players - Anyone else refuse to use a phone for "portable" music?

For me, being able to listen to music when I'm not at home is virtually a must for me. Has been my whole adult life.

A few cheap MP3 players, then a bunch of ipods, until a few years ago, when I lost an ipod classic in work somehow - to this day I don't know how, and it never turned up. So I went to a Sony "Walkman" (they still use that branding for their portable music players) and it served me well for a long time. It helped me get away from iTunes as well. I use other software for listening off my PC.

Anyway, my walkman was ailing, and I bought something new, apple don't do ipods now. The touch carried on for a while, but even that's gone. All phones now. Which brings me on to this:



A Hifi Walker H2. A lot of DAPs (Digital Audio Players) have gone the touchscreen route, some will have a few buttons on the side for track skipping, play/pause and stuff, but the interface is the touchscreen.

This thing? All buttons. And that "wheel"? It's not just clone of the famous ipod clickwheel. It's mechanical, it spins. Metal vody, glass back, feels great to hold and use

Entirely drag & drop, so I don't need to fiddle with itunes to put my music on either. Just hook it up via USB or put the SD card into my computer, and copy stuff over.

The only thing I've done, is ditch the firmware for Rockbox, there were a few quirks with the stock firmware I didn't like and this is an inprovememt. There are loads of themes to change the look, so I've actually gone with an old-looking iPod display, because I miss it.

If Apple weren't such cowards and kept making iPod Classics, I might still be using one. This suits me just fine now.

I've been on buses and things without a means of blocking out external noise. I don't know some people cope.

If I held on a few more days, could have got this on offer during the Prime Day bollocks, but worth the money anyway.

What other non-phone things are you guys using for music on the go?

Oh hell noes!!! Why have another device? My phone all the way.

Why for you not want to use your phone?

rcole_sooner said:

Oh hell noes!!! Why have another device? My phone all the way.

Why for you not want to use your phone?

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1) Battery. I'd rather not have to worry about that. I already use my phone for a bunch of other things as it is.

2) if my phone goes off while I'm out and don't really want to be distracted by it, then it's easier if I'm not using my phone for music.

2) The job I had until 2 months ago, meant I could listen to music on headphones as I worked. For security reasons phones had to be off and put away in lockers. So a separate device was the solution there, too.

4) A phone is all touchscreen. I don't want to get the phone out of my pocket to see what I'm doing if I don't need to. When you know where all the buttons are and what they do, you rarely need to take it out of your pocket.

It really is a better solution.

I don't use my phone for music or podcasts. Why work that phone battery that you can't replace any harder than you have to?

I also buy hard copies of albums. No streaming or digital downloads if possible at all. I like to pay the musicians by buying CDs and LPs from the band's website; that way they get some lunch money. Streaming and downloads don't pay shit.

I’m in agreement.
I DO NOT use my phone for every damned thing 24/7.

Ten years ago, when I finally got a smart phone, I could plug my Android into my computer and click & drag whatever music I wanted straight to it.
It was handy, but I hated everything else about Android phones.

I went to an Apple, but never managed to get past being frustrated with streaming services and iTunes bullshit.

It’s MY fucking music.
Why the headaches?

I don’t use (or pay for) any storage or streaming from Apple.

If there is a music device that gets me back to the old days of ripping MY CDs to MY computer and then moving that music over to MY device, I’m all in.

I tried to get my old sony minidisk player up and running but i f*cked it up. For no reason other than nostalgia.

I have most of my cds copied to mp3 so I can have my own music on my phone that i can listen to when ever, whereever, it really doesnt use much battery. If i don't want calls i just put it in airplane mode or do-not-disturb. No big deal.

But it is non-google android so i can control it instead od the other way around.

Leee said:

I’m in agreement.
I DO NOT use my phone for every damned thing 24/7.

Ten years ago, when I finally got a smart phone, I could plug my Android into my computer and click & drag whatever music I wanted straight to it.
It was handy, but I hated everything else about Android phones.

I went to an Apple, but never managed to get past being frustrated with streaming services and iTunes bullshit.

It’s MY fucking music.
Why the headaches?

I don’t use (or pay for) any storage or streaming from Apple.

If there is a music device that gets me back to the old days of ripping MY CDs to MY computer and then moving that music over to MY device, I’m all in.

Click to expand...

Bingo.

I have used streaming on occasion, but I want an album, I still like to go into a shop and buy a physical copy if I cam. I kinda like the ritual of then ripping the CDs to my computer to use on my MP3 player.

But, even stored on a hard drive, my music collection is MINE and mine alone.

Everyone's on Spotify? Everyone just has the same stuff. At most you can make playlists or mark stuff as favourites, but that just isn't the same.

I also have bootlegs and things not available on streaming services.

Spiteface said:

1) Battery. I'd rather not have to worry about that. I already use my phone for a bunch of other things as it is.

2) if my phone goes off while I'm out and don't really want to be distracted by it, then it's easier if I'm not using my phone for music.

2) The job I had until 2 months ago, meant I could listen to music on headphones as I worked. For security reasons phones had to be off and put away in lockers. So a separate device was the solution there, too.

4) A phone is all touchscreen. I don't want to get the phone out of my pocket to see what I'm doing if I don't need to. When you know where all the buttons are and what they do, you rarely need to take it out of your pocket.

It really is a better solution.

Click to expand...

I keep a little charger handy. Never worry about battery.

I never want to miss an important communication. I can put it on silent and look at the notification and decide then.

No phones, but devices allowed? That is odd, but understood. I'm not in either boat, thank gawd.

I guess I'm lucky. I'm damn glad I only have one device to worry about. Don't know how I'd survive if I went back to life without my smart phone.

Some of us aren’t always in a immediate proximity to 120-volt wall outlets or 12 VDC in a car.

Or more precisely, my phone is not as vital to my life as oxygen - like many people I see around me.

Sometimes, my phone is not even in my hand!

Leee said:

Some of us aren’t always in a immediate proximity to 120-volt wall outlets or 12 VDC in a car.

One more precisely, my phone is not as vital to my life as oxygen - like many people I see around me.

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2 words.

battery charger

Dozens of full charges off of it. It is smaller than my phone.

Right on.
I have a magnetic iPhone battery that snaps to the back of my phone.
I can count the times I’ve actually used it on one hand.

rcole_sooner said:

No phones, but devices allowed? That is odd, but understood.

Click to expand...

I'm guessing its a high security, highly sensitive environment. Smartphones are the most prolific piece of spyware available today.

Steven said:

In these instances it is usually as Lee stated, a nasty dirvorce or break-up and the female has the ex's guitar and throws it away.

Since things "come around" if I give you my address can you throw the guitar in my dumpster ? Thanks ahead of time <BSEG>

Click to expand...

Leee said:

Right on.
I have a magnetic iPhone battery that snaps to the back of my phone.
I can count the times I’ve actually used it on one hand.

Click to expand...

And the other hand got blown off when the phone battery exploded without warning! Oh wait... it was all just a bad dream. Carry on.

Knoby said:

I'm guessing its a high security, highly sensitive environment. Smartphones are the most prolific piece of spyware available today.

Click to expand...

This is precisely why.

Without getting into where I used to work, I dealt with a lot of documents with sensitive, personal data. So anything with a camera on it, was a huge security no-no in there. If you needed a phone on you for some reason (family emergencies, that sort of thing), you needed to clear it with the line managers first.

But as we could listen to music/podcasts while we worked, then a music player of some sort was fine. Some later iPod nanos and touches weren't allowed because they had a camera.

Spiteface said:

This is precisely why.

Without getting into where I used to work, I dealt with a lot of documents with sensitive, personal data. So anything with a camera on it, was a huge security no-no in there. If you needed a phone on you for some reason (family emergencies, that sort of thing), you needed to clear it with the line managers first.

But as we could listen to music/podcasts while we worked, then a music player of some sort was fine. Some later iPod nanos and touches weren't allowed because they had a camera.

Click to expand...

Some places also don't allow smartphones into meetings because they are always listening.

I have a 5th Gen iPod that works fine if it's plugged into something, whether it's the dock, the car, a PC or an external battery. Its own battery doesn't hold a charge for long.
When it's plugged into the car, it's controlled by the stereo. Cool for a 19 year old device.

On the other hand, my phone can do double duty in the car. Android Auto will play my music, and Google Maps will appear on the screen. I use the USB socket in the car so that the phone stays charged and more importantly, my phone is set to stay awake as long as it's plugged in. I never lose the map display.

I haven't thought about it. I don't listen to music much. I listen after business hours in the car, via streaming. I listen to music, via my phone and a bluetooth speaker, when I am swimming in my pool. But that's not for hours and hours, and battery isn't an issue. I'm not someone that listens to music on the go with AirPods or whatever. I have two sets of AirPods and some Beats. They're used for phone calls.

If I started listening to music much more, I'd use my phone and not give it a second thought. No way I'd get some other device. Not a chance.

I still have 2 click wheel Ipods.
I paid about $20 to get new batteries put in them.
A local guy who fixes cell phones did it for me.
They are 260GB so they have a massive amount of music on them.
It's all stuff I ripped from CDs. None of that Apple I-tunes rip off download stuff.

Nah. Wireless Android Auto is pretty damn nice. I listen to most of my music and podcasts when I'm driving, so I just get in my truck, and it picks up right where it left off. I don't need to bring another device into this.