Gone are the days of choosing which CD to bring to the gym, or deciding how many CDs to bring on a trip. Today's MP3 players allow us to carry our entire CD collection in the palm of our hand. We can even take along our favorite photos and video. But this convenience comes with a dizzying array of options. Apple seems to have cornered the market in this industry. The iPod player is known for its innovation, reliability, and ease of use. And the iTunes Store offers a comprehensive selection of video and audio content. But before jumping on the Apple bandwagon, be sure to check out some of its worthy competitors whose performance, features, and download options that might better fit your needs. Pronto's MP3 Player Buying Guide can help you sort it all out.
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Computer must have a USB port and meet minimum operating system requirements for the MP3 player you have chosen. For downloading content, you will want high speed Internet access if you don't already have it.
Storage capacity and size
Decide how you will use your MP3 player before making your selection. If you need all of your music at your fingertips and size isn't an issue, consider a hard-drive player. If you'll be using it at the gym, consider a more lightweight flash-memory player that has no moving parts and can withstand jostling and strenuous activity.
Download compatibility
Take a look around at various online music stores and subscription services before you pick your MP3 player. There are a lot of different formats out there, and you'll need to know which ones your favorite MP3 player will accept.
Features
While Apple iPods have an impressive roster of features, don't forget to check out some of the other brands. Many have features that equal or even surpass those of the iPod with FM tuners and voice recorders.
Power consumption and battery
Hard-drive MP3 players will most likely have a rechargeable battery that will need to be replaced by the manufacturer when it can longer carry a charge. Flash-memory players use AA/AAA batteries or can be recharged through the USB port and playback time will be considerably longer than with a hard-drive model.
The 80GB Apple iPod Classic ($249). There’s a reason that three out of every four MP3 players is an iPod. The iPods are stylish, hold a ton of music and are easy to use. The 80 GB is the perfect balance of features (video, volume control, photo display), capacity and price.
The 80GB Apple iPod Classic ($249). There’s a reason that three out of every four MP3 players is an iPod. The iPods are stylish, hold a ton of music and are easy to use. The 80 GB is the perfect balance of features (video, volume control, photo display), capacity and price.
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MP3.com - “The Samsung U3 MP3 Player is the proof that a basic MP3 player doesn't have to be ugly and featureless; it's simple, inexpensive, cool-looking, and perfect for the gym.” Source: MP3.com
CNET - “The iPod Nano MP3 Player is small, stylish, user-friendly, and competitively priced - a great player all around and suitable for a variety of users.” Source: CNET
Apple recently changed up their iPod line to wide fanfare. Most significant changes were to the iPod Nano, which got a shape change, a new color line up and two new pieces of functionality—video support and ‘cover flow’ an application that lets you browse through CD art as if you were flipping through them in a store’s bin. Additionally, they created the iPod Touch, which is borrows liberally f...
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Apple recently changed up their iPod line to wide fanfare. Most significant changes were to the iPod Nano, which got a shape change, a new color line up and two new pieces of functionality—video support and ‘cover flow’ an application that lets you browse through CD art as if you were flipping through them in a store’s bin. Additionally, they created the iPod Touch, which is borrows liberally from the iPhone’s design in shape, wireless capability and touch-function, but lacks the phone technology. Like the Nano, it is a flash-based drive, in contrast to what is now called the iPod Classic, which is still hard-drive based.
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Flash-memory players with lots of extras and up to 8GB of storage. Low capacity hard-drive players starting at 30GB ($150-$300). GOOD PICK: Creative Zen Vision:M 30GB
What are the terms and definitions I need to know about?
AAC
Advanced Audio Encoding. A compression format that has better compression and is thought to provide better sound quality than the popular MP3 format.
AIFF
Audio Interchange File Format. An audio file format from Apple that is used on Apple computers and if often used in professional audio and video applications. The data in a standard AIFF file is uncompressed.
Bitrate
The amount of information (bits) transferred in a second. For MP3 files, you will see this referred to as 'kbps', or thousand-bits-per-second. The higher the bitrate, the better the sound quality of the MP3 file. A fairly standard bitrate for MP3 files is 128 kbps.
DRM
Digital Rights Management. Any technology used to protect digital media from copyright infringement.
Jukebox
Refers to audio software applications that allow you to turn your computer into a music playing machine with the ability to play several different audio/video formats, set up playlists, and add music to the queue while listening to something else.
MP3
A popular audio compression format that compresses files to one tenth the original size while still maintaining sound quality comparable to the original.
WMA
This is a compressed audio file format developed by Microsoft. It was developed to compete with the MP3 format and has become one of the most widely supported audio formats.
A lot of people forget that people make MP3 players besides for Apple because they are the most hyped. I used to own a Creative Nuvo and found that to be an awesome MP3 player with great usability and functions. I've since upgraded in size and went with an iPod, and while it's a nice product, I'v... more »
