Introduction
The digital revolution has caught up with the venerable Walkthing. An MP3 player is the perfect tool for people on the go who have moved their music collections onto their computers. Because they're digital-- some with absolutely no moving parts--MP3 players don't skip or warble if you're running, skiing or biking.
Instructions
Step One
Shop for price. MP3 players range from $60 for a bare-bones RCA Lyra to $500 for the top-of-the-line Apple iPod. Other popular brands are Creative Labs, SonicBlue, Archos, Samsung, Sony and Panasonic.
Step Two
Get a player with as much storage as you can afford. The more storage, the more music it can hold. One minute of MP3 music takes up about 1 megabyte (MB) of memory, so a 128 MB MP3 player can hold about two hours of tunes. Unlike computers, memory and storage are sometimes used synonymously in MP3 players, since the storage in smaller devices (under 128 MB) is usually made of Flash memory chips.
Step Three
Make sure any potential purchase works with your computer. Many MP3 players don't work with Macintosh computers, though that's improving.
Step Four
Try the controls. Less-expensive players often have control panels that can charitably be described as "minimalist." Make sure they make sense to you.
Step Five
Pick up the unit to gauge its size and weight. Would it be comfortable in your pocket or on your belt? How about when you're moving around?
Step Six
Check out the player's advertised battery life. Manufacturers' claims aren't exact, but they can be used for comparison.
Step Seven
Choose a unit with USB or FireWire, rather than a parallel connection to your computer. USB and FireWire are fast and flexible.
Step Eight
Look for a player with an FM radio receiver. Some models can record music from the radio, and will identify the artist and title the next time you connect the player to your computer. Some also double as digital voice recorders.
Step Nine
Look for expandable storage, especially on units without much built-in memory. CompactFlash, MemoryStick and SecureDigital media are common choices. Newer models with more storage have internal hard disks that can store computer data.
Step Ten
Have a listen. MP3 players use standard stereo headphones. If you don't like the headphones that come with a player, there are a variety of styles you can purchase.
by eHow Electronics Editor
Friday, October 19, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Secrets Of How To Buy A Cheap mp3 Player
There is no doubt that, since the advent of the original mp3 players some years ago, it has become considerably easier to make your music or downloaded audiobooks truly mobile.
But, if you look to buy a branded machine in your local high street or at the mall, like an iPod, for example, you’ll quickly discover that it is not a cheap mp3 player.
So, do you have to spend large sums of money to avail yourself of an mp3 player?
Absolutely not! It is actually not that difficult to buy a cheap mp3 player, and these articles will show you how to go about it.
If you are looking to buy a cheap mp3 player, it is safe to assume that you are working to a budget. So, the first step, way before you attempt to locate and buy a cheap mp3 player, is to decide what your budget actually is, exactly how much money you can afford to spend on your cheap mp3 player.
Now, this may seem very obvious, but often, it seems to be forgotten.
However, there is a simple reason for this, I believe.
Imagine for a moment that you are NOT in the market to buy cheap mp3 player, but are, instead, able and willing to shell out for a branded model.
Then, the pricing structure is very easy to understand. You want an mp3 player with 1GB of memory it will cost you less than a player with 2GB. Likewise, a 512MB memory machine will cost less than a 1GB player, but more than a 256MB.
At the top end of the range, an 80GB video iPod will cost more than a 30GB video player.
And so on, and so forth, ad infinitum.
Thus, it’s all very logical and straightforward.
You decide the specification that you want, how much memory storage your branded mp3 player should have, whether you want video or not and so on. This points you to a certain model, and you can either afford it or you cannot.
You can afford it, you buy it. If not, you reduce your expectations, and go for a lower specification model.
If you want to buy a cheap mp3 player, however, the picture is far less clear, for several reasons.
Firstly, to buy a cheap mp3 player, you are going to have to look beyond the stores in the high street or local mall. Those stores will concentrate their efforts on selling higher margin branded models, and probably carry very few cheap mp3 players, if any at all.
Secondly, once you look beyond the high street and actually find good places to buy cheap mp3 players, you will the second problem, the problem that makes it so important to decide on your budget first.
And this is, because of the competition in the cheap mp3 player market sector, the pricing structure is not at all logical!
Thus, Company A might offer you a 2GB player for $100, whereas Company B may only offer 1GB for the same price. So, the first reaction would probably be, go with Company A, and that could be 100% the correct decision.
But, it could equally be 100% the wrong decision, simply because, when you are in the market for a cheap mp3 player, the specifications of machines vary far more widely than seem to in the branded market.
It could be something as simple as the quality of the earphone set that comes as standard with the cheap mp3 player. It could be the warranty that you get from Company B, in our fictitious situation above, offers 12 months protection, rather than the 6 months offered by Company A.
In the final analysis, when you go to buy cheap mp3 player, you have to pay far more attention to the “small print” than you do when you buy in the local mall.
Steve Cowan is a self titled music aficionado and avid mp3 fan. Discover what his “Top 6” cheap mp3 players are, and get a unique free report “Top 99 Free mp3 Downloads” at his website a http://www.buycheapmp3player.info/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_John_Cowan
But, if you look to buy a branded machine in your local high street or at the mall, like an iPod, for example, you’ll quickly discover that it is not a cheap mp3 player.
So, do you have to spend large sums of money to avail yourself of an mp3 player?
Absolutely not! It is actually not that difficult to buy a cheap mp3 player, and these articles will show you how to go about it.
If you are looking to buy a cheap mp3 player, it is safe to assume that you are working to a budget. So, the first step, way before you attempt to locate and buy a cheap mp3 player, is to decide what your budget actually is, exactly how much money you can afford to spend on your cheap mp3 player.
Now, this may seem very obvious, but often, it seems to be forgotten.
However, there is a simple reason for this, I believe.
Imagine for a moment that you are NOT in the market to buy cheap mp3 player, but are, instead, able and willing to shell out for a branded model.
Then, the pricing structure is very easy to understand. You want an mp3 player with 1GB of memory it will cost you less than a player with 2GB. Likewise, a 512MB memory machine will cost less than a 1GB player, but more than a 256MB.
At the top end of the range, an 80GB video iPod will cost more than a 30GB video player.
And so on, and so forth, ad infinitum.
Thus, it’s all very logical and straightforward.
You decide the specification that you want, how much memory storage your branded mp3 player should have, whether you want video or not and so on. This points you to a certain model, and you can either afford it or you cannot.
You can afford it, you buy it. If not, you reduce your expectations, and go for a lower specification model.
If you want to buy a cheap mp3 player, however, the picture is far less clear, for several reasons.
Firstly, to buy a cheap mp3 player, you are going to have to look beyond the stores in the high street or local mall. Those stores will concentrate their efforts on selling higher margin branded models, and probably carry very few cheap mp3 players, if any at all.
Secondly, once you look beyond the high street and actually find good places to buy cheap mp3 players, you will the second problem, the problem that makes it so important to decide on your budget first.
And this is, because of the competition in the cheap mp3 player market sector, the pricing structure is not at all logical!
Thus, Company A might offer you a 2GB player for $100, whereas Company B may only offer 1GB for the same price. So, the first reaction would probably be, go with Company A, and that could be 100% the correct decision.
But, it could equally be 100% the wrong decision, simply because, when you are in the market for a cheap mp3 player, the specifications of machines vary far more widely than seem to in the branded market.
It could be something as simple as the quality of the earphone set that comes as standard with the cheap mp3 player. It could be the warranty that you get from Company B, in our fictitious situation above, offers 12 months protection, rather than the 6 months offered by Company A.
In the final analysis, when you go to buy cheap mp3 player, you have to pay far more attention to the “small print” than you do when you buy in the local mall.
Steve Cowan is a self titled music aficionado and avid mp3 fan. Discover what his “Top 6” cheap mp3 players are, and get a unique free report “Top 99 Free mp3 Downloads” at his website a http://www.buycheapmp3player.info/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_John_Cowan
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