The digital music player continues its evolution from simple audio player to complex multimedia device. Most MP3 players come with color displays and the ability to show digital photos transferred from your computer, sometimes with accompanying music. Many MP3 players also play back movies, music videos, and TV shows downloaded from the Web or videos taken with your camcorder. Some MP3 players can make their own recordings from a TV or download and share their content wirelessly over a Wi-Fi connection.
Digital music players vary in price and performance. Which models will give you the most value for your money? Recommended models are those that, based on my evaluation, deserve special consideration. I highlight this high-scoring model that combines performance, features and value, so that you may choose this product if it best suits your budget and lifestyle.
Your decision in a player doesn't end with brand and model; you often also need to decide how much storage you want. Price rises with capacity, but performance, size, and weight should remain fairly constant within a model line. My advice: Buy the biggest capacity your budget allows.
Flash-memory players typically offer the smallest, lightest, and most affordable way to enjoy MP3 music on the go. But capacity maxes out at 32 gigabytes (GB)--or about 8,000 songs at standard MP3 compression format--about a fifth of the most capacious hard-disk models. Hard-disk models offer more versatility and capacity than any flash player. But they tend to be bulkier.
All players accept music you already own on CD, which you convert into digital music files and transfer to the player using software such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, and other programs. And all can play copyright-protected music downloaded from online stores. Non-iPods can play songs downloaded from a variety of online stores; iPods work mainly with iTunes, but you can also download songs from Amazon, Wal-Mart, Real and Rhapsody.
For the best balance of high capacity and price:
The 80GB and 160GB Classics are gone, so the 160GB is extremely rare. Now there's now only one: a 120GB model (30,000 songs) stuffed into the same case as the old 80GB model, with the same price tag. Despite its diminished specs, the Classic is still one of the most capacious players you can buy, with enough room for 40,000 songs. Battery life is still among the best, audio playback time is 62 hours, compared to 48 hours on the 120GB model. Video playback is 7 hours. And since the Classic costs only a little more than some rival players with a fraction of the capacity, it's also a great value. It has a volume limiter and can play its content on a TV with an optional accessory. Very Good ease of use. Very-good-sounding headphones and very good picture and video quality. Has slideshow with simultaneous music, a volume limiter that can be pass-code protected, an alarm, stopwatch, games, volume leveling, calendar, contacts appointment application, text viewer, lock control, multilingual menus, and Mac support. Can view video or images on a TV with optional accessory. Can edit playlist on player.
Packed with all the usual features like a calendar and contact display, audiobook playback, photo slide-show playback and video podcasts, the iPod now also features three new games, Vortex, iQuiz, and Klondike, and more can be downloaded from iTunes. You can also download music videos and your favorite television shows from the iTunes store and watch them wherever and whenever you want. The impressive 2.5" LCD Screen has a brightness adjustment mode so you can get more from your battery life as well as adjust the brightness to fit the rooms light level.
The classic iPod Click Wheel combined with the new and improved interface make the new iPod the perfect combination of new features and proven design for anyone who likes to carry their entertainment with them.
Easy to use, excellent sound quality and huge Memory. You will love iTunes Store and super long battery life. Best Uses: Movies, Music, Photos. Easy to use Interface, Elegant Design, Good capacity, Unlimited accessory possibilities. Durable. Genius feature is awesome. High Music clarity. Easy to organize. Loud Sound and huge options.
This 160gig has huge memory for all your music, pictures, videos and TV shows. You can buy fantastic accessories to use it with. It can be used with a portable sound system and the iPod just slides right into the base in front. If your car has a direct cable hookup for the iPod, you can take it with you everywhere and let it shuffle so driving is safer with no distractions from pushing buttons, etc. You won't give up you iPod 160 gig up for anything! If you have an extensive music library, this is perfect for that.
Apple makes really well designed devices. You can also use a third party application and load your own music without having to load Quicktime or other invasive programs on your PC. iPods are easy to use, easy to understand and easy to hold no matter how bulky. They last forever.
And to clear up any "i can't fast forward the song/video" you press the center button while in the song/video to where it is a line with a diamond and then you use the click wheel to search through the song/video. iTunes is really easy to search with. Plus they actually use regular money, not points. Easy to load. Plenty of room to store music, podcasts, audio books. Apple help site can help you re-set it to get it back up and running, no matter how badly you treat it.
Basic Specs
Capacity provided
The total memory that comes with the player, combining the memory that's built into the unit plus those of any external media supplied with the unit. See Expansion Memory Format for the external media type.
160 GB
Internal memory
Also called onboard or built-in memory. The amount of internal memory to store music that comes with the player. Some MP3 players have additional memory slots into which removable media such as CompactFlash, MultiMedia, Secure Digital, and SmartMedia cards can be inserted.
160 GB
Expansion memory format
The format for the removable memory medium used in a flash-memory player. Most are external cards (some the size of a matchbook) that install into the player. Among the most common are CompactFlash, MultiMedia, Secure Digital, and SmartMedia. In addition, some players use a proprietary memory format, such as Sony's MagicGate Memory Stick (a copyright protection version of Sony's existing MemoryStick media). Such formats may work only on products of the brand for which they're designed--a disadvantage if you want to swap memory media with another brand of handheld device. You must get the correct type of storage for your player; check with the manufacturer or retailer if you're uncertain. Some hard-disk players have removable memory media for transferring files; however, you cannot play music directly from the card.
None
Audio playback formats
The most common audio format(s) the player will recognize and be able to play. These include: Audio Book. Allows audible spoken-word content playback from Web services such as Audible or iTunes, where you can download digital audiobooks, radio programs, audio magazines, and newspapers, for instance. Apple Lossless: Apple (Mac) format for an uncompressed sound file. ATRAC: Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coupling. FLAC: Free Lossless Audio Codec. MPEG: Moving Picture Experts Group. OGG: Short for Ogg Vorbis, a free, open source music format. WAV: Uncompressed Windows standard for waveform audio files. WMA: Windows Media Audio.
MP3, AAC, AAC-DRM, WAV, AA
Mac compatible?
All players work with a Windows PC, but that's not always the case with a Macintosh computer. Check the ratings or the manufacturers' Web site to make sure the player you're considering will work with your computer.
Yes
Height (in.)
The player's height is measured to the nearest tenth of an inch, and listed the way the player would be oriented if you were viewing the screen.
4.1
Width (in.)
The player's width is measured to the nearest tenth of an inch, and listed the way the player would be oriented if you were viewing the screen.
2.4
Depth (in.)
The player's depth is measured to the nearest tenth of an inch, and listed the way the player would be oriented if you were viewing the screen.
0.4
Weight (oz.)
How much the player weighs in ounces, including batteries but not including accessories. For models with no internal memory, the memory card is included.
4.7
Display size H x W (in.)
The player's display dimensions are measured to the nearest tenth of an inch, and listed the way the player would be oriented if you were viewing the screen.
1.5x2.0
Color display?
This is typically a backlit liquid crystal display (LCD). Some displays instead use organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). Virtually allAll players with a color display, except one- or two-color OLED models, can show pictures taken with your digital camera.
Yes
Batteries
Some flash-memory players use AA or triple A batteries and can accept either standard alkaline or rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. Standard AA or triple A alkaline batteries cost $1 or less each; the rechargeable batteries cost about $3 each. If the player you buy doesn't come with rechargeables and a charger, purchasing them separately could save you money in the long run. Some hard-disk players use a more expensive and harder-to-find rechargeable non-standard "block" or "gumstick" shaped Nickel Metal-Hydride (Ni-MH) or Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) removable battery. Beware of players that use a non-removable rechargeable battery. When they can no longer hold a charge, the player has to be sent back to the manufacturer to be professionally serviced, which can be costly.
Non-removable
Headphone type
The type of headphone or earphone included with the unit. Some can fold up or may have volume control. You may find that a player comes with no headphone or a different headphone than we list, depending upon where the player is purchased.
Earplug
Ease of use
Ease of use mainly covers player characteristics that aid in convenience, versatility, and portability. These primarily include navigation and scrolling features; the accessibility and readability of the controls; and the readability and breadth of the information in the display (such as music-track data and battery-life indicator); size and weight; and ease of use while walking or jogging. Some features and capabilities considered include the presence of an FM radio, built-in microphone, upgradeable firmware, equalizer, data storage, software assessment, and the player's ability to be recognized as a hard drive by the computer without the installation of additional drivers.
Very Good
Headphone quality
Headphone quality reflects judgments from a listening panel comparing the player and its supplied headphone to a test audio CD and a high-fidelity headphone. All uncompressed (audio CD or WAV) test music sources were ripped (encoded) to MP3 format (128, 192, and 256 kbps CBR rate) using a high-quality encoder.
Very Good
Audio quality
Audio quality reflects judgments from a listening panel comparing the player to a test audio CD, using the high-fidelity headphone for both. All uncompressed (audio CD or WAV) test music sources were ripped (encoded) to MP3 format (192, and 256 kbps CBR rate) using a high quality encoder.
Excellent
Audio playback time (hr.)
Audio playback time (hours) reflects lab measurements of continuous playback time to the nearest hour, using a selection of music tracks encoded to MP3 format at a 128 kbps constant bit rate (CBR); fully charged rechargeable batteries; backlight at the minimum setting; with included headphone; and volume set at a reasonable level. For players that can use standard batteries such as alkaline, expect a bit longer playback time. Our measurements should not be compared with those stated by the manufacturer, which may use different testing methods and criteria.
62
Damage resistance mainly reflects drop-test results; scratch- and wipe-resistance results were also considered.
Excellent
Still picture quality
Still picture quality reflects judgments based mainly on viewing angle, display size, and clarity and color in different lighting conditions, using the JPEG format.
Very Good
Motion video quality
Motion video quality reflects judgments based mainly on viewing angle, display size, and clarity and color assessed in different lighting conditions, using a compatible movie format. Results are given only for players with screens measuring more than 1.2 inches diagonally.
Very Good
Features
Video playback?
Some players support MPEG-4-based video formats such as DIVX, XVID, and WMV. Some players may also handle copy-protected videos.
Yes
Plays copy-protected music?
Most songs purchased from online music stores are copy-protected by digital rights management (DRM) software.
Yes
Slideshow capability?
Allows pictures to be displayed in slideshow fashion, complete with fade-outs and other transitions. Some allow you to adjust how long each picture is displayed.
Yes
Picture-audio capability
Some players have the ability to display pictures in conjunction with music, sometimes in slideshow fashion.
slideshow with simultaneous music
FM radio?
Adds FM-radio functionality.
No
FM radio recording?
For a player that has an FM radio; can record from an FM radio station onto the player without the use of a microphone.
No
Built-in microphone?
Useful for recording interviews, lectures, from a radio, etc. See also Voice Recording
No
Volume limiter?
A player control designed to protect hearing by preventing the volume from exceeding a safe level, either preset by the manufacturer or programmed by the user. Some players allow the setting to be pass-code protected, such as by a parent, to prevent users from bypassing the limiter.
Yes
Firmware upgradeable?
Signifies that the firmware--the player's built-in operating instructions--can be upgraded so the player does not become obsolete. Upgrades can add or enhance features, fix "bugs," and add support for other audio and video formats and operating systems. Check the manufacturer's and music-management software application Web sites for upgrades.
Yes
Equalizer
Most players have some type of equalizer, which allows the listener to adjust tone in various ways. Separate bass and treble controls or adjustable equalizers found on players give you the most control over tone. Presets are settings such as Jazz, Rock, Pop, Classic, Rap, or Normal "mixes" that you may or may not like. Some players have just a simple bass-boost control, which we do not consider to be an equalizer.
Preset
Data storage?
The ability to store files other than digital-audio files, including text, image, or video files (see Hard Drive Recognition for additional information).
Yes
Lists tracks?
On the player's LCD screen, songs within a playlist are listed to make selection easy.
Yes
Connections
Line input?
A digital, optical, or analog line input allows you to record from an external audio system to the player.
No
Video input?
Allows video recording and scheduling when connected to an external video source, such as a TV. Useful for watching on the go. May require optional accessories, such as a docking station or cables. Models denoted by a [1] require the purchase of an optional cable or docking station.
No
Video output?
Allows you to connect to an external video source, such as a TV or monitor, for playback. May require optional accessories, such as a docking station or cables. Models denoted by a [1] require the purchase of an optional cable or docking station. Some players block copy-protected video files from playing on TVs and other external displays.
Yes
Pal Anand
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