MP3 player, also well known as digital audio player has become a
staple of our gadget life. There are many brands of MP3 players
on the market today. So, which MP3 player are the most suitable
for you? That's where this MP3 player guide comes in.
Basically, there are 3 types of MP3 player based on capacity: -
1. Hard drive MP3 player
- highest capacity - largest in size - heavy - often labeled as
an "Jukebox MP3 player" - has moving parts - example: Apple iPod
video, Sony Network Walkman NW-HD5
2. Micro hard drive MP3 player
- use smaller hard drives - lighter than hard drive MP3 player -
lower capacity than hard drive MP3 player but higher capacity
than flash memory MP3 player - example: Apple iPod mini,
Creative Labs Zen Micro
3. Flash memory MP3 player
- smallest in size - lowest capacity - very light - has no
moving parts - often labeled as an "portable MP3 player" -
example: mobiBLU Dah 1500i, Apple iPod nano
What should you concern when you want to buy a MP3 player?
1. Use / Purpose a) MP3 player good for travel Hard drive MP3
player is good for people traveling or away from computer for an
extended period of time, where they can't transfer music files
from their computers. Micro hard drive MP3 player is another
option for travel since it is slightly smaller and lighter than
hard drive MP3 player. Flash memory MP3 player is also popular
for travel if you do not mind to listen to the same music.
b) MP3 player good for sport / jogging / gym Flash memory MP3
player is good for people exercising and jogging since it is
very light. No moving parts for Flash memory MP3 player make it
ideal for sport.
c) MP3 player good for home use Hard drive MP3 player is good
for listening song in living room. It is suited to be connected
to external speakers.
2. Connectivity There are two main options to transfer files
from your computer: USB or FireWire. USB supported by both PCs
and Macs whereas FireWire is supported only on Macs. For PC
users, they need to ensure that the MP3 player support USB 2.0
which is faster than USB 1.1. Most of the MP3 players on market
today are support USB 2.0.
3. Display screen Majority of MP3 players have LCD screen. Some
MP3 players have color screen instead of dull black and white
screen. The main things to consider are all the information such
as battery level, song name & elapsed time are easy to read.
4. Compatibility PC or Mac compatibility. Mac users should
ensure the MP3 player can support Mac since some MP3 players can
only support PC.
5. Battery MP3 players come with either rechargeable batteries
(some can be charged via USB port) or disposable batteries.
6. Music format Music files can be one of several types of
formats, such as MP3, AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), WMA (Windows
Media Audio) and Ogg Vorbis. Ogg Vorbis is a completely open,
patent-free, professional audio encoding and streaming
technology with all the benefits of Open Source.
7. Functionality Some MP3 players have extra features such as
voice recorder, FM radio, FM recorder, image viewer, video
player.
8. Memory capacity Most of the flash MP3 players come with
256MB, 512MB and 1GB. For hard drive MP3 players, they have
gigabytes of storage capacity. If you would like to store many
songs or CD collections in one, hard drive MP3 player or micro
hard drive MP3 player is a better choice for you.
About the author:
Alfred Ang is an author and web developer. Read more reviews at
MP3 Player
Review web and
MP3 Player
Accessory web.
