Guide to buying an MP3 Player

Guide to buying an MP3 Player

Has your teen been asking for a new MP3 player? Here is a basic guide to help you buy one.

MP3 players are the rage these days. Everyone, from the teen-next-door to his grandfather, seems to be strutting about with headphones plugged into their ears. What's more important is that your teen has finally popped the question and asked you to buy an MP3 for her. For someone who is not techno savvy, the range of different features and options available in MP3 players may seem to be all Greek and Latin.

If you want a solution to portable music, then MP3 players seems to be the only solution. The portable discman CD player is fast dying out. Today, with the advent of the digital age, the popularity of digital music is enormous. MPEG -1 audio layer 3, or MP3 as it is popularly known, is one of the most common formats of digital music. Here's what you need to know before buying an MP3 player.

Types of MP3 players

There are a number of MP3 players available in the market that can easily suit each need. At the higher end are the hard drive-based MP3 players. At the lower end of the market are the Flash-based MP3 players. Each has its pros and cons. The important thing is to try and select a player that matches your needs and your pocket.

Hard drive-based MP3 players

These players, as the name states, have a miniature hard drive. They can store a large number of songs as they have a capacity of 20-80 GB. The disadvantage of these drives is the fact that they have spinning parts. This means that it is not the ideal MP3 player if you plan to use your player while doing vigorous exercise. This is because, you might damage the MP3 player due to the amount of vibrations that it would have to cope with.

However, the capacity of these MP3 players, and the fact that they have wider screens, make these players the perfect choice to double as media viewers. This means that you can even watch music videos or movies on these players' screens. Another advantage of these players is that they can often be used as a portable hard disk.

Micro Hard drive-based Players

Micro hard drive players are very similar to hard drive players. In fact, you could think of them as miniature hard drive MP3 players. These players are smaller in size and have a lesser capacity to store songs. They do away with the larger screens that the hard drive MP3 players have and have a storage capacity of around 12 GB. These MP3 players can store up to 1,700 songs. These drives are slowly losing popularity as Flash-based MP3 players are starting to increase their capacity.

Flash-based MP3 Players

These are probably the oldest form of MP3 players. Originally called solid state players, Flash-based MP3 players have a flash drive in them. This can be thought of as a hard drive that has no moving parts and thus is more robust. These drives come in sizes from 512 MB to 8 GB. They can store from 10 to 1,000 songs depending upon their storage capacity. Size is the main allure of these players, ideal for those who want to avoid the bulkier players.

Other features to look for

When buying an MP3 player, talk to friends who already own the model you are planning to buy. This will give you valuable feedback on the quirks of the respective players. Find out the method of transferring MP3 files to the player. Is proprietary software like i-tunes required for this process, or can you simply drag and drop MP3 files to do this? This is a factor to consider when taking into account the convenience of the MP3 player's usage.

If possible, try to get a live demonstration of the MP3 player. This will let you get a feel of the controls, the menu system and the headphones provided. Check for clarity at different volumes and the bass sound reproduction. There is no substitute for a first-hand trial. The most popular MP3 players include Apple Computer's iPod, Creative's Zen, and Microsoft's Zune.

Do you think that as other gadgets start integrating MP3 capabilities, the need for MP3 players will reduce? Will MP3 players replace music systems in the future? To share your views and experiences, click here.

Back to Previous Page

Email this Article to a Friend