Hi. I am thinking of getting my daughter a MP3 player for her b-day. I know very little about them. My daughter will be 8 so the thing would need to be easy for her to use.

I was wondering if anybody knew what is a good brand to get, how hard is it to download music, etc.

We are looking at an I-pod shuffle - more so because I know the brand and they seem to be popular. Can I download music from where ever I want or do I have to buy the I-tunes package?

We use Lime Wire to download music on the computer - would that work on an I-pod or should I get a different brand?

I am clueless! Help!

Thanks!

The iPod Shuffle is fine. There is a lot of support with other devices that are now coming with an iPod docking port. More so than any other brand of player. As far as downloading music, the MP3 format is a standard. Attaching your player to your PC is similar to plugging in a memory stick. It is a device that holds files... in this case, music files. You can get free downloads in so many ways. Soft drinks will often have numbers under the cap that will give you one or two free music downloads. Signing up for a music download site will allow you to pay monthly rates for your downloads or you can purchase as you go. Since your 8-year old doesn't have a credit card yet, this will give you parental control over the content.

Thanks a lot for the information! We haven't gone to the store yet to compare in person. I have just been checking online and I am totally lost. I am gravitating more to the Shuffle because it's a brand we know.
(I actually saw one at her school today and boy, are they small!)

Again, thank you for your input!