Best MP3 players for running - Is there like an ipod shuffle for panadora?

To be short, not really.

Pandora requires a smartphone and an active internet connection since there is no offline mode. Spotify and Google Play music both have offline modes, but again require a smartphone.

The smallest Android phone on the market is 2.4" and is on Amazon for $50. It might be worth looking into. From here, add an SD card and get a Spotify/Google Play subscirption and get offline mode

https://www.amazon.com/Smallest-Lightweight-Android-Smartphone-Unlocked/dp/B013788R24

Sansa Clip Zip or Clip Plus.

https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Full-Color-SDMX22-008G-A57K-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B005FVNH04

Illinoisphotographer wrote:

To be short, not really.

Pandora requires a smartphone and an active internet connection since there is no offline mode. Spotify and Google Play music both have offline modes, but again require a smartphone.

The smallest Android phone on the market is 2.4" and is on Amazon for $50. It might be worth looking into. From here, add an SD card and get a Spotify/Google Play subscirption and get offline mode

https://www.amazon.com/Smallest-Lightweight-Android-Smartphone-Unlocked/dp/B013788R24

I picked up a Sony Smartwatch (SWR50) for $150. (Now $133 on Amazon:

)

Download new music from Google Play (I'm a subscriber, it's not music I own), pair with a bluetooth headphones and the watch even has standalone GPS (not as good as garmin though).

I will never run with a smartphone.

Since you have the iPhone get either the iPod shuffle $49.00 or the iPod Nano $145.

The nano has a nice little touch sensitive display and you can download your playlists and select from them. You need a little pocket to carry it. I will admit that the earplug has broken on two consecutive purchases, so I've resorted to a VERY CHEAP knockoff and in fact I've got two very cheap knockoffs.

Unfortunately, the cheap knockoffs I can't recommend because you can't manage playlists. So, I put one playlist on one and another playlist on the other and I just choose between devices when I go out the door.

Alternative, and what I should have done was just go with a couple of the iPod shuffles.

Only hobby joggers use MP3 players.

But yeah these Sansa devices are the best, they have a clip and you can insert a SD card (to upgrade your storage to 64 GB or more).

Tom Tom Spark is a GPS watch and a mp3 player built into one, it has worked great for me so far. Just need Bluetooth headphones with it.

Proud hobby jogger here.

I run^H^H^Hjog with a Sansa Clip+ and Monster iSport Victory buds, both of which I highly recommend. Only issue is that most companies, including Monster, are discontinuing their wired buds in favor of Bluetooth, and there seem to be zero decent small BT players. The expectation is, I guess, that everyone will carry around a mobile phone. And of course mobile phones have grown to almost tablet sized. F*cked up world in which we live.

get bluetooth headphones and stuff the phone in a flipbelt. you won't notice it just have the phone on your lower back

I wish, I've argued that there's a market for this type of device, but clearly no one else believes so. Apparently people are actually willing to run with a giant ass phone around their arm.

You'd think one of the streaming services would sell a tiny LTE device capable of running Spotify, Pandora or whatever exclusively.

minong wrote:

I wish, I've argued that there's a market for this type of device, but clearly no one else believes so. Apparently people are actually willing to run with a giant ass phone around their arm.

You'd think one of the streaming services would sell a tiny LTE device capable of running Spotify, Pandora or whatever exclusively.

Glad to see that I'm not in the minority. I wonder if John Legere of T-Mobile - a big runner - would be interested in making one.It would be great if it could also receive or make calls - at least to 911.

I would suggest a 9.7" Ipad connected to a selfie stick with 3G connectivity.

Don't forget your Camelback to keep the weight on the torso properly distributed.

Sansa Clip is the best mp3 player (plus has FM radio to stream TV sound at health club)

rojo wrote:

Glad to see that I'm not in the minority. I wonder if John Legere of T-Mobile - a big runner - would be interested in making one.It would be great if it could also receive or make calls - at least to 911.

rojo, the "Pebble Core" is due to come out later this year or early 2017:

I'm not up to date enough for Bluetooth headphones.

What I did years ago was buy an iPod shuffle. I download enough music for a few runs. I use a koss headphone that costs $10. I just bought 5 pair right from koss as Menards quit carrying them. I wrap the cord around the headphones, plug in the iPod and clip the iPod onto the headphones. No dangling cords. IPod is on top of your head so doesn't get ruined by sweat which can happen when strapped to your arm. Only 4 buttons once you turn it on so you can control volume while running.

Been using this set up for years.

runr over wrote:

rojo, the "Pebble Core" is due to come out later this year or early 2017:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0l_4GlN9c8

Hopefully he can get himself into shape before then.

I prefer earbuds, and use a similar setup with a ballcap and tuck the wires up into it with the Sansa Clip on the back. Even in the rain, the Sansa has held up very well.

Land of the free... wrote:

I'm not up to date enough for Bluetooth headphones.

What I did years ago was buy an iPod shuffle. I download enough music for a few runs. I use a koss headphone that costs $10. I just bought 5 pair right from koss as Menards quit carrying them. I wrap the cord around the headphones, plug in the iPod and clip the iPod onto the headphones. No dangling cords. IPod is on top of your head so doesn't get ruined by sweat which can happen when strapped to your arm. Only 4 buttons once you turn it on so you can control volume while running.

Been using this set up for years.

Samsung Gear IconX...wireless earbuds with built in storage for music. Available in several countries now, but not yet the US.

Use your smart phone with a hip pack (not a fanny pack) that sits at the base of your back. You don't have to worry about the rm band phone cases cutting off your circulation.

I use the Nathan Phantom Pack and my iPhone 6 fits just fine and you can fit a couple dollar bills and an ID/credit card up against it, too. I'd recommend something similar rather than the Nathan since the zipper has broken on every one I've worn (including my wife's, who wore it no more than once a week for a couple months). They sent me two replacements and the zipper again broke on my wife's. I still use them with the broken zipper since the phone won't fall out.

I listen to Spotify while I run and it's good to have my phone in case my better half needs to get a hold of me while I'm out. Plus, now that I no longer really care about stopping during a run, it's cool to be able to take photos of things I see or nice views.

rojo wrote:

So I'm trying to get back into running. I'd like to run listening to music until I get in good enough shape that runners will actually want to run with me. I don't want to take my huge iphone 6splus with me.

Ideally, I'd listen to Pandora on some sort of ipod shuffle type device.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I was also looking for a running MP3 player about a year ago. I was looking for something simple and inexpensive. I purchased the Sansa Clip and have no complaints. It was about $50 at bestbuy. It holds about half of my music collection, it has a radio, stopwatch and some other features I don't care about.

minong wrote:

I wish, I've argued that there's a market for this type of device, but clearly no one else believes so. Apparently people are actually willing to run with a giant ass phone around their arm.

You'd think one of the streaming services would sell a tiny LTE device capable of running Spotify, Pandora or whatever exclusively.

A major point of these subscription services (Spotify and Google Music) is that they allow me to download albums THAT I HAVE NOT BOUGHT. (No so with Pandora).

A new album comes out? I can download it to my phone and/or watch "FOR FREE". I can then go for a run with it (my watch is offline, no LTE or connectivity needed, the music is stored on the watch).

That's the major advantage of this over a traditional mp3 player/ipod shuffle, which requires you to OWN the music first.

I can download a new album for every run and never pay more than the 9.99 per month Google Music subscription fee.

Since I will never run with my phone, a smart watch that supports Google Music or Spotify (almost all Android Wear watches) is a unique product already made.