 From Apple's iPods to a number of other companies like iRiver or even Microsoft with its swanky MP3 player 'Zune' are all vying for your attention to pick them up. However which MP3 player is going to find place in your hands will depend mostly on how much you are willing to spend on a gadget which may seem too old considering the fast rate of technological advancements today. Other than that, of course you need to take a look at the features and a number of other things like music compatibility also.
In this guide to find your perfect MP3 Player, we will discuss the type of MP3 Players available, the uses you can make of an MP3 player and which can be the right on for you.
Important Considerations
The first major consideration that you must make is whether you want an Apple iPod for an MP3 Player or you will be willing to pick up other companies' products also. iPods though extremely popular due to the brand and basic ease of use, lack in a number of features that other MP3 Players provide. For instance, iPods do not have any option of FM radio and even come in a greater price bracket. If you do not want an iPod and are looking for some other company?s reasonably priced MP3 Player you still have a number of options to choose from.
While starting to hunt for a useful MP3 Player decide whether you will be using it for mostly watching videos or largely for listening to music. You also would need to find out the kind music/video download compatibility that your MP3 Player has as such players only accept a specific format of music/video files. You can also consider buying a set with wireless connections like WiFi for easy transfer and download of music.
While for downloading music you would need to see if the music you are downloading can be played on your player. Also, there are online music stores that have copyrights to sell there music only to specific players. On the other hand, if you are going to use your player to mostly watch videos, then you need one with a large screen with a good resolution.
Types of MP3 Players
Basically, there are two types of MP3 Players available, Hard Disk MP3 Players and Flash Drive Players. This categorization is done on the basis of their storage type and capacity. The size of your player also depends largely on which type of player it is.
1. Hard Drive Players:
These are high capacity players with a hard disk drive that can store your entire music collection. They start with a capacity of 20GB up and can store up to 40,000 songs for you. Microsoft's Zune and Apple's iPod Classic are two very good examples of this category. The downsides are that due to the Hard Drive they have to have a Large, bulky body and since they have movable parts like these, they cannot be accompanied in heavy movement activities. At the same time however, they provide you with a large display screen also for watching your favorite videos comfortably.
2. Flash Drive Players:
Players that do not incorporate any additional drive for storage run on their own memory known as flash memory. These players are compact in size and do not store a large collection of files. The maximum storage that you can expect from such a player is up to around 30GB. However, they also are very lightweight and since they do not have any movable parts you can take them along just about anywhere. Another good thing about such cards is that they may have a slot for memory expansion which will enable you to increase your storage later if you need so.
What Do I Want from my Player?
An MP3 Player is basically a music player. However, there are a number of add ons that the manufacturers are providing to give out the best. Besides listening to music and video playback, a number of other features make one MP3 Player different from others. You can choose your player on the basis of the additional features that it provides which may be useful for you.
Radio:
You can download your favorite music on your player but sometime it is just refreshing to listen to the local FM radio and feel more connected. A player that supports an inbuilt FM radio reception and sometimes even radio recording can be the first extra that you could look for.
Wireless Connections:
It is always convenient to go wireless. Rather than getting tangled in a mess of wires it is always better to have a wireless networking option like WiFi for easy download and transfer of files. You can also look for a Bluetooth option that allows you to listen to your music through a hands free Bluetooth earplug.
USB Host:
Some MP3 players can also have ports to accept media cards for easy extraction of files and pictures without using a computer. Your card can also be used as something like a pen drive to transfer files from one device to the other.
Music/Voice Recording:
An inbuilt microphone provides you the ease of recording what you say or sing. You can later transfer these files to other formats or listen to it simply from the player itself. On the other hand a line input will help you record music of your choice in your player.
Other than these advanced features the normal features that any MP3 Player provides is a music/video playback, volume control, forward/backward control, a display screen and maybe basic software to convert your music into a format that can be played in it. Other than that, it also allows you to form play lists, albums and other categories for easy selection of the kind of music that you want to listen.
Smart Shopper
Once you know all about MP3 Players and have decided what is it that you want from it, it is time now to set out to buy your favorite player. There are a number of brands offering the product in the market like Apple, Microsoft, Sony, Samsung and SanDisk etc. apart from selecting which is the brand you trust the most, there are a number of smart shopping ideas that you should keep in mind while visiting the store.
For one, see if the player design suits your purpose. If you want a gadget to accompany you on workouts, then you need a lightweight compact design that can fit in your pocket. A built in clip for attaching it with your cloths can be a plus. Other than that you must see if the headphones are comfortable and of good quality.
The battery life with music playback should be checked if you need a companion for vacations or journeys. Also find out the compatibility of the player with your computer/laptop. You don't want to pick up something that you later realize is not capable to get connected with the machine where your entire collection is stored!
All in all, remember to pick up something that has features that you will indeed use and also serves your purpose of getting one.
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