Portable MP3 Players

From LoveToKnow Music

There's a massive world of portable mp3 players on the market, from do-it-all devices to music storage powerhouses and simple mp3 players. Each brand tries to attract your buying dollars with a host of bells and whistles and competitive prices. But do you really need all of that bloat? Use this guide to buying portable mp3 players to learn some of the jargon about shopping for music on the go.

Basic Buying Information

Before you spend the cash on a portable mp3 player, here are a few terms you'll need to be familiar with.

Flash player - Flash music players have no moving parts and are the smallest type of portable player. They're also the least expensive but offer less storage capacity.

Hard drive player - Hard drive mp3 players will hold your entire music collection. These devices are a little larger than their flash player cousins and have moving parts, making them more prone to skipping or internal damage. Hard drive players are more expensive than flash players.

Proprietary software - Many portable players force you to use special software to put music on your device. Others allow you to drag and drop any type of file. Always opt for the latter, non-proprietary style for the greatest flexibility and ease of use.

Photos and video - Many modern mp3 players have the option to store and play videos or image files. These will cost more and have a lower battery life than plain music players.

Cell phone music - Lots of new cell phones come with mp3 playing abilities, but don't be fooled by the flashy advertisements. Cell phones offer poor quality sound and hold very few songs. They're good for keeping a few tunes, but don't rely on your phone as your sole mp3 player.

Recommended Brands

Out of the myriad of mp3 player brands on the market, these four consistently rate the best in price, functionality and durability.

Creative Zen

Creative Zen produces a line of excellent portable music players that force the iPod to stay on its toes. Though the company has been focusing more on full-featured multimedia players as of late, there are still a full range of products for any taste or budget. Their Neeon models are very lightweight and useful music players.

iPod

Arguably the king of all portable players, Apple's iPod series started the handheld music revolution. Delivering simple and sleek designs and a very easy to use interface, the entire line of iPod products are some of the best on the market. The iPod Nano, one of their latest models, incorporates a large storage capacity with skip-free flash playing and an attractive price tag. The downside is the software can be a bit frustrating for experienced users.

iAudio

The Korea-based iAudio has a full line of mp3 players ranging from inexpensive flash based to full-featured hard drive players. The JetAudio iAudio U2 is a remarkably easy to use flash player that has an attractive price and loads of great features you'll be glad you have. Their more robust media players such as the X5L are good competition for the iPod. All iAudio players let you drag and drop music to and from your device without installing any proprietary software.

iRiver

The iRiver brand of portable media players offer good functionality for good prices. Some of their larger players, such as the H10, give the iPod a run for its money, though they suffer from clumsy navigation controls and a slightly clunky interface.