I'm saving up for a good MP3 player. With the amount of music I download, I need one that holds about 20 gigs. I had my little heart set on an Ipod, but the price tag is steep. Dell makes one called the Digital Jukebox which has the same capacity as the Ipod with a more budget friendly price.

My question is, had anybody used either or both of these? Is the Dell comparable to the Ipod or just another knock off?

Since most of my music is downloaded, I need an MP3 player which will allow me to upload my Limewire and Kazaa files. I had issues with a CD/MP3 player I bought a few years ago. I could only rip my CDs with the software they provided and it was the only software which was compatible with the player. This wasn't an MP3 player, it was an MP3/ATRAC burner.

Before I invest in either unit, I need to know if I'm able to do this. I tried to check Consumer Reports, but you need to be a paying member to read reviews. I checked CNet and the customer reviews were little help. Can anyone point me in the direction of a good site where I can learn as much as possible? $200-$300 is a large investment for me and I want to make sure I'm not stuck with a very expensive paperweight.

Thanks in advance.

I have a 20 gb Dell DJ and absolutely love it. It's a sinch to use, the sound quality is good, and it is small. The iPod is smaller, but not by much. The iPod is also a little cooler looking and trendier, but I wouldn't say that is worth the extra $100. I mostly love the battery life my Dell DJ gets. 16 hours off a single charge! I haven't tried much uploading of downloaded music, but I'm sure if you call Dell and Apple you could ask them.

Just a question, have you tried looking for reviews at places like cnet.com or epinions.com?

You could also just go to google and search +ipod +review

I did check CNet, but I'm looking for something a bit more constructive than "It's not an IPod, so it's no good."

I completely forgot about Epinions. Thanks for reminding me, I'll check there.

http://www20.tomshardware.com/mobile/20040130/index.html

This was helpful for me when I made the decision.

Thanks for that link. I did some reading on Epinions as well and I'm almost sold on the Dell model. I'm not paying an extra $100 because Ipods are trendy.

One question for you loveoflearning, have you had any problems with the battery? I've read that the battery is not removable and I'm worried about having a very expensive paper weight on my hands.

No problems as of yet! Dell will usually fix things if they break, but I only got a one year warranty. I've had mine since October, so it is still pretty new.

Okay, I have problems. But that is only because I dropped it in the toilet. Whoops! Just so you know, the DJ is NOT water proof.

I just got my DJ today. I'll keep that not waterproof thing in mind and keep mine clear of the toilet.

So far, so good. Except, the darn thing copied every music file on my computer, so now I'm stuck with my husband's techno music too. Oh well, small price to pay for storing over 500 songs in one unit. The thing holds around 5,000 songs, so I'm set for music for a while.

Indie, to avoid that I use Media Player instead of Music Match. I use version 10, and I can just drag and drop the specific songs I want. Also, the techno songs are easy to delete. Glad you like it!