Hi folks,

I'm looking to buy a new MP3 player. I haven't had one for some time. The last one I had was an old Archos model, the buttons of which broke before it suffered some sort of power connection problem.

I'm sick of smashed LCD screens, which I've seen in various mobile phones and Creative Zen Vision players that my friends have owned. I'm sick of cheap buttons, like those on my old Archos that broke too quickly. I'm suspicious of newer input methods, like the touch sensitive parts of the iPod and iRiver and all the rest, as they look liable to failure. I don't like over-complicated firmware that crashes. Also, I don't like the idea of album-centric organisation. I saw one player recently where the only way to search for your music was by album. I have 2000 vinyl singles, and about 3 albums, so this would be a nightmare.

So, what I ideally want is something sturdy and reliable. I don't care if it doesn't look fancy, and I don't even care if the power switch is something a little like this. It just wants to work, and for a decent amount of time between charges.

Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

Try something simple. Just like thumb drive. They are small and simple.

What about Sony NWZ-A818 ( http://www.testfreaks.com/mediaplayers/sony-nwz-a818/ ) ?
As for me - it's very nice mp3-player. Also I have read a lot of positive expert and user reviews about this model. Anyway it's up to you!

Gudzon is right, Sony Walkman is a pretty good mp3 player.

I got Sony Walkman 8Gb from CaseyEquip.com for $164.95 and they had free shipping

check out this CNET review
Looks like I am not the only one who is happy with this mp3 player.