Though many people choose iPods, there are many other brands of portable music players, commonly called MP3 players because they play digital music files called MP3 files. Many also play other digital file formats such as WMA.
Popular brands of MP3 player not made by Apple include Zune, Creative and Sansa MP3 players. Prices range from $30 to over $300, with a wide variety in the range of features.
How it Works
The most familiar MP3 player is the iPod. Those who own iPods visit the iTunes store and purchase songs, movies and download other content. They use the iTunes software to transfer the content to their iPod.
Those who use MP3 players that are not made by Apple can still buy content from the iTunes store. They can also buy content from other sellers, and they can sign up for subscription music services.
Transferring songs from a computer to the MP3 player can be accomplished using Windows Media Player. This process is also called syncing. The user creates a list of files to sync to the player while the player is connected to the computer.
Purchase Options Other Than iTunes
Amazon.com sells MP3 songs and has a large selection and reliable setup similar to iTunes. Other services such as Rhapsody provide access to a large library of songs as long as users pay a monthly fee.
Features to Look For
MP3 players come in various sizes. Smaller sizes are good for use when exercising. Larger players sometimes have more features and often have a large screen for viewing album art, photos and sometimes videos.
Another measure of size in an MP3 digital audio player is the amount of storage space, usually measured in gigabytes (GB). This might range from less than 1 GB for really low-end players to 30 or more GB in high end portable MP3 players. The amount of storage needed is an individual decision. One GB of space holds about 500 songs or almost 40 hours of audio content.
Battery life and type are another important feature. Some models have rechargeable batteries and others require AAA batteries. Rechargeable batteries save the expense of purchasing replacements frequently, but some rechargeable batteries can't be replaced, so when the battery eventually dies, the unit no longer works.
Audio Books
Books read aloud can be purchased and downloaded from services such as Audible.com. Local libraries also often have auditory ebook versions of many popular titles that can be listen to on any MP3 player. Players that have a bookmark feature are well-suited for listening to audio-books.
Podcasts
Podcasts are Internet radio shows that are produced on a regular basis, either daily, weekly or monthly. Users subscribe to these using an RSS reader and they are often free or ad-supported. The topics vary as much as anything else on the web, so everyone can find one on their favorite subject.
The best portable media players for listening to podcasts are ones that remember where in the file they were playing when turned off and continue from that spot when turned back on.
FM Radio
Another useful feature in an MP3 player is an FM radio tuner. With an FM MP3 player, the user has the option to listen to FM radio stations as well as whatever content is on the player.
Some players with FM tuners have the option of saving song information from an FM station and using it to buy the song. Many MP3 players, even inexpensive models, have FM tuners.
Individual Choice
The wide variety of choices in portable music players is good for consumers. It encourages competition and innovation among the manufacturers and also among those providing digital content for sale. Everyone has a wide variety of choices and some people even opt for two players: one for music and one for podcasts and audio books. The choices are almost endless.
 |
