Beginner’s Guide to Shopping for MP3 Players

Posted on 13. Oct, 2009 by Helena Enteerha in Computer, guest, Hardware

Even though the MP3 Player is a great innovation to our society, it can be confusing to a lot of people. It’s also important to understand everything you can about this gadget, so you can enjoy everything it has to offer. There are tons of them out there, but several only offer mediocre quality. Others double as video players, have high tech audio functions, and can even record. Older versions that just played music are becoming a thing of the past.

Playing music is just one of the many features you can find on the Apple iPod. In fact, they are so far ahead of everyone else, some of the benefits aren’t found on other units. Simplicity of use is perhaps their biggest feature, and it took some time before other companies were able to challenge them in usability. Using an iPod is as simple as downloading songs, and playing them for your enjoyment.

There are many iPod knock-off brands out there, especially at smaller local stores and gift shops. These are typically to be avoided however. They might be cheap, but their lifespan is usually comically short. And obviously they will be sorely lacking in features.

Another thing to think about is the battery life. Most of the cheaper models will use triple As, which fade out quickly. In today’s world most of the models will use rechargeable lithium ion batteries. What it will come down to is whether or not you want to purchase batteries every month or just recharge the unit.

One of the most important, but overlooked MP3 player basics is the durability. People will often flock to a new product because it has a certain feature, but they will not wait and see how it holds up to user tests. This can often result in buying a fragile product that can be damaged very easily. Replacing your player in two months is not something you want to have to do because of poor craftsmanship.

This happens very rarely with major name brands and outlets, but cheaper companies and stores cut corners where they can. This is why it’s best to do your research before committing to buy any particular player. The Apple iPod for example is subjected to various manufacturer tests before being allowed on the market. You can still break it if you try, but it won’t break from general usage.

Oh, and we can’t forget about the button layout. On some occasions, you can find cheap alternatives that only have 2 buttons; stop and play. These are actually out there, but you find these in lower income outlets. This is truly the bottom of the barrel, and if you get one of these you’re just waiting for disaster to strike.

Before you go out and buy any type of player, remember to look at all the functions, check the battery life, and anything else that would give you a clue to its overall quality. Of course if you don’t want to go through the hassle of lots of research and testing, you can always just purchase an Apple iPod. They’re considered the best on the market for a lot of reasons. An iPod Nano is good introductory buy, the Classic is great for users that demand more features and a larger screen, and a Touch will give you internet wherever there’s open Wi-Fi. If you want to save some money, get an older generation iPod – there’s usually not much different in practical features you’ll actually use, and you say save 10% or more on the price.

Computer Doc Note

Computer related issues to consider are how to save items recorded on an MP3 player long term, synchronization with the computer and sources for music.

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Tags: apple, Computer, Computers, electronics, Hardware, internet, mp3 players, music, shopping, technology