Choose the right MP3 player for you
Published: June 17, 2005
Digital music has freed us from loading one CD at a time to listen to our favorite tunes. Our computers have become digital music jukeboxes that enable us to create our own playlists, burn custom CDs, download the exact songs that we want from music services, and take our digital tunes with us wherever we go. There are tons of different portable players on the market—how do you know which one to choose?
There are basically three types of players: flash memory, microdrive, and hard drive. They differ in the amount of songs they can hold, their price range, physical size, durability, battery life, and more. We put together this chart to help you figure out the right type of player for your lifestyle.
|  Flash |  Microdrive |  Hard drive |
 How much music will it hold? | Approximately 1-20 CDs, depending on the size of the flash drive. | • | 128 MB—about 2 CDs | | • | 256 MB—about 4 CDs | | • | 512 MB—about 8 CDs | | • | 1 GB—about 20 CDs |
| Approximately 50-120 CDs. Think of these players as mobile, personal, mini jukeboxes. If you're selective about what CDs you add to your player, you can probably fit all your favorites. | • | 2.5 GB—about 50 CDs | | • | 4 GB—about 80 CDs | | • | 5 GB—about 100 CDs | | • | 6 GB—about 120 CDs |
| These players will hold virtually your entire CD collection; unless you're one of those people living in a house built out of CD cases. 20GB and bigger players are mobile, personal, jukeboxes. | • | 20 GB—about 400 CDs | | • | 30 GB—about 600 CDs | | • | 40 GB—about 800 CDs | | • | 60 GB—about 1200 CDs |
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 Price range? | You can easily find a player for $150 and under. | Generally in the $150 - $250 range. | These players tend to run in the $250 and up range. |
 How big is it? | These players can be pretty small. Don't lose it! | Smaller and more compact than a hard drive player with some really cool designs. | These players are the biggest size and they hold a lot of music. |
 Good for travel? | Not really; unless you like listening to the same music over and over again. This is particularly true if you don't have easy access to your computer to swap out your tunes. | These players carry enough music to ensure variety on your trip. They're usually compact, making them ideal for stashing away in your bag, without the added weight. | These players are great for travel, particularly if you want all of your tunes with you at all times. Ideal too if you're going to be away from your computer for an extended period of time. |
 Good for workouts? | These players are ideal. They're light, they hold just enough music for a good workout, they don't skip, and you can clip or strap them onto your body. | The microdrive is a hard drive so it has moving parts and is not the best for a strenuous work out. However they're great for low-impact exercise, like walking or riding a stationary bike. | Not the best for workouts, unless you want the weight of the player to be part of the workout. Hard drive players are really overkill for your normal workout routine. |
 Best for my lifestyle? | Fantastic for walks, workouts, a short commute to work, or a quick chill on the deck. Not the choice if you want a lot of variety at your fingertips. | Great option for an all around lifestyle on the go or at home. Not necessarily ideal for intense workout sessions. | If you have a lot of music and want to have it with you all the time, this is the ideal option. Not well suited for intense workout sessions or just to grab a quick listen while on the go. |
 Battery options? | There are some rechargeable options available, but most will require you to purchase disposable batteries. | Most of these players come with rechargeable batteries. You'll get pretty decent music listening time on a full charge. | Like their microdrive brethren, most of these players come with rechargeable batteries. You'll be able to make that cross-country trip with music to spare. |
 Browse and organize? | Look for a player that has a screen showing what's playing or you'll be at the mercy of skipping through songs or shuffle play. | You'll be able to choose the CD or song you want to play and most players have the option to create playlists. You can also let the player choose songs in shuffle mode. | You'll be able to choose the CD or song you want to play and most players have the option to create playlists. You can also let the player choose songs in shuffle mode. |
MP3 players can do more than play music. Look for features like FM radio, voice recording, and stopwatch.
Looking for even more? There are portable media players that will allow you to play video, view photos, and listen to music.
How to fill your 20 GB player? You can sign up for subscription services, like MSN Music and download all the music you'd like for about the cost of 1 CD per month.
Learn more about digital music and video
