MP3 Buyers Guide

Digital audio players, also known as MP3 players, have become a major staple for those who have embraced technology. These little electronic marvels go anywhere conveniently. Whether they are used on the treadmill at the gym, on the bus on the way home from work or sitting in your living room, mp3 players are fast becoming a favorite among many.

Physically, mp3 players are very small. For instance, a 40GB player measures the size of roughly one-and-a-half cigarette packs. Many are much smaller than that. Also consider that the MP3 player market is flooded with designs to suit pretty much all tastes.

Several types of MP3 player exist, each having distinct advantages and drawbacks. MP3 players fall largely into 3 types:

MP3 flash players

Hard drive players

Multimedia players

Depending on your requirements, an integrated memory mp3 player may be better suited than a hard drive mp3 player, or vice-versa.

Hard drive players typically store between 1,000 to over 15,000 tracks depending on their storage capacity. Storage size varies from around 2GB to over 40GB. The devices themselves are usually pocket sized and are equipped with the same basic functions as their integrated memory counter parts. The larger capacity of these hard disk MP3 players is their biggest selling point. The downside with hard drive models however, is that they tend to have movable parts, which means that if you are bouncing along on the treadmill, your music may skip if your player doesn't have a memory buffer.

These models are small and sleek, usually fitting into your pocket with no problem. They are great for more active users but are offset by the fact that they can't carry more than a few dozen songs unless you add a usually expensive memory card.

These portable media players are really more than an mp3 player. Multimedia players use large hard drives and are larger and heavier than other mp3 players. The extra size and capacity accommodates a larger color screen for displaying of photographs and for video playback capabilities. Because of this feature, you can view movies, the latest music videos or even pictures easily.

If you have never owned an mp3 player before, you may want to consider a memory flash player. It is perfect for those just starting out in the mp3 world. These include with integrated memory, separate memory cards and USB drives. Because they are cheaper, they are the most affordable and the smallest in size. With few moving parts they are unaffected by movement so your music is unlikely to skip.

You can typically expect to store between 15 to 100 tracks of quality audio. Capacity on these types of mp3 players varies from 64mb up to around 1GB. They are easy to use, making it simple to transfer music files to and from your computer. In addition, they are ideal players for every day listening, for use in the gym or as an inexpensive introduction to portable MP3 players. Styles vary, ranging from tiny, discrete devices that can be worn around the neck, to more futuristic or elegant designs.

In order to control the unit, mp3 players offer robust displays and menu systems. In addition, the buttons to control the unit should be comfortable to operate. All come with a built in menu that allows for various tasks such as downloading and storing music. The screen or display usually come with a two or four line screen and are generally easy to read. Pay particular attention to back lighting and clarity of text. Since the display screen tends to be on the small side, the main things to consider are that you can see the display under all conditions, including being outdoors when there is a glare, as well as being able to read the characters on the screen without going struggling. It may suit you well to try one in the store before buying it to make sure it fits your needs and comfort level.

Flash solutions tend to run off standard AA or AAA batteries and will give you several hours of playback. Since just about all mp3 players come with a Li-Ion battery, you can get at least ten hours of playback. In addition, try to purchase a player that supports USB 2.0 if your PC has it - it will genuinely save you a lot of time.

Connectivity is important because it allows your digital audio player to talk to your computer so that it can transfer music files. Though a few players are beginning to offer the ability to wirelessly transfer files, you currently have two options:

USB: This is the more common and is something supported by both PCs and Macs. It is also somewhat slower in regards to how quickly it transfers music from your computer to the player then the other standard,

FireWire: This is primarily supported only on Macs.

Both require connecting a special type of cable such as a USB cable from your player to your computer. The computer then recognizes the player and you can begin moving your music. In addition, you will need software to help you rip and manage your tracks. Most players ship today with some type of software, which will allow you to compile play lists and copy files.

When music is copied onto your computer from a CD or downloaded from a web site, it can be saved in various file formats. While it will often default to the .mp3 format, which is the most widely handled by digital audio players today, it could also end up as a .wav, .aac, .wma or something else. It is therefore important to check what types of music files your player supports. You need to make sure it is compatible with your mp3 player.

Storage refers to the amount of data that the MP3 player can hold. The larger the capacity, the greater the number of songs you will be able to store on your player. Memory size is usually stated in Megabytes (MB) for multimedia card mp3 players and secure digital mp3 players. Gigabytes (1 GB = 1024 MB) relates to hard drive players. On average, a song is around 4 megabytes (MB) in size.

Don't be fooled into thinking you need to hand over the £300 that Apple's asking in order to enjoy a quality portable digital solution. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, mp3 players actually start from under £50. If you're planning on spending around £100, you should be able to purchase around 256MB of storage, whereas you need to spend closer to £400 to get your hands on at least 40GB of storage.