Tips on Buying a MP3 Player

laarni080 · 01-29-2007, 03:21 AM

Different Types
What many people don't realize is that there are different types of MP3 players. They don't all use the same technology. There are three (3) basic types:

Flash
Micro hard drive
Hard drive

Flash Players are very similar to the USB Flash Drives that I talked about when I discussed external storage. Overall, these tend to be smaller and more compact.
They also don't tend to have a huge capacity. So, a big flash player is around 2 gigabytes. While the cost keeps coming down this type cost more per megabyte of all the various types. There are advantages because flash drives don't have moving parts. Why is that an advantage? Well, if you want to get an MP3 player for the runner in your life, a flash player won't skip while they're running. Battery life tends to be good so these types of players are great for really active people. I've owned ones by iRiver and Creative and both were excellent. The one from iRiver even had built-in FM radio which was nice too.
Micro Hard Drive Players tend to have more capacity because they use teeny, tiny hard drives. Most hold about 6 gigabytes, which is a lot of music. On average one (1) gigabyte can hold about 240 songs. Just remember that because they use a hard drive they are more likely to have problems if used while you're playing football or wrestling. Seriously, though, if you aren't doing really strenuous exercise a micro hard drive player should be fine.
Lastly, we come to the Hard Drive Players. Your basic iPod falls into this category. Hard drive players tend to have lots of storage. My wife has an iPod Photo with 60 gigabytes of storage. That's room for about 15,000 songs. Don't have that many songs? Then you can use the space for pictures and even videos depending on the device. Remember, if you're looking for something that can do music, photos, and video, be sure to check.
The hard drive players are heavier than the other types. Most have rechargeable batteries. Once again, because it uses a hard drive it's more susceptible to problems during heavy exercise. As with most things in life, there are always trade - offs. Let's look at some guidelines.
Picking A Player
First off, in my opinion, size isn't the biggest factor. If you can get 240 songs on 1 gigabyte you can get nearly 1,500 songs on 6 gigabytes. So, if you want an MP3 player just for music then you can go with a flash drive player or a micro hard drive player. The flash drive players are also better if you're very athletic. If you're more sedentary, you may want to go with one of the micro hard drive or hard drive players. If you want to carry every song you've ever heard with you you'll probably need a hard driver player. You'll also want one of these if you want to carry photos on your device.
In my experience another big factor is the controls on the unit. For example, I have big hands so I like a device with controls that are really easy-to-use. You may want to buy an MP3 player in person rather than on the Internet so you can try the unit out. If you're buying online all you have to go by is a description. Either purchase it in person or be familiar with the controls.

sportsguy · 03-31-2007, 09:45 PM

I've never heard of a distinction between micro hard drive players and hard drive players. I just group players into flash and hard drive categories.