 Player type
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If you don't need a very small, skip-free device, you're probably better off with a player that uses a cheaper form of storage. MP3 CD players leverage your CD burner and let you store the most music on the cheapest medium. Hard drive-based players contain the most music but are generally bigger in size and cost more. More memory means longer playtime, though battery life is also an important issue. For flash players we recommend looking for a flash memory unit with at least 1GB of onboard memory and an expandability slot, though it is no longer a common feature in MP3 players nowadays.
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| Things to consider |
| • | What you looking for? Flash memory, a CD drive, a hard drive? Each has its own merits. |
| • | Expandability |
| • | Does it feature anti-skip technology? |
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Sound
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For louder audio, go for players that have a headphone output rating of at least 10mw. Plus, do not buy an audio player with a signal-to-noise ratio of less than 85dB.
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| Things to consider |
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The type of headphones you intend to use (Low powered or high powered) |
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Equalizer settings to tweak the sound |
| • | Train/silent mode to muffle the volume on public transports |
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Battery
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Go for flash memory players if you want a model with long battery life (30 hours or more). With hard drive MP3 players, you'll end up having to charge the battery each day since they give only an average life of 15 to 20 hours. Players with removable cells are also convenient for long trips.
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| Things to consider |
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Battery type (removable or non-removable) |
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Battery life |
| • | Battery recharge time |
| • | Recharge from power outlet or USB port? |
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Software
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Most audio players include software for synchronizing music directly to the device. However, watch out for proprietary DRM (digital rights management) software. These schemes can require the creation an encrypted copy of every song that you want to put on the player, making a generally beautifully designed hardware ugly to use.
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| Things to consider |
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What operating systems does it support? |
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Ripping/track tagging features |
| • | Supports Digital Rights Management |
| • | Other features like volume normalization and playlist support |
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Music formats
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New portable devices should play other music formats like Windows Media Audio (WMA), Advance Audio Coding (AAC), OGG Vorbis and even high-quality Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC). Also check whether a player supports the playback of encrypted music. Some models won't recognize DRM-enforced files downloaded from online musical pay sites such as iTunes and Rhapsody.
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| Things to consider |
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Is the format supported by your computer's OS? |
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Does your software offer encoding into that particular format? |
| • | If you change player, can the format be played on your new device? |
| • | Supports ID3 tagging or track name labelling? |
| • | Can the format be converted into other formats? (i.e. for archival) |
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Other features
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Consider extras such as voice recorders, FM tuners and memory card expansion slots. For the fastest possible file transfers to a hard drive-based MP3 player, look for USB 2.0 or FireWire.
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| Things to consider |
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Do the added features--like FM tuners and voice recorders--take extra toll on the battery life? |
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Are the features easy to access and operate? |
| • | Can copy media to the player without any software? (i.e. plug-and-play feature) |
| • | Digital photo wallet feature? |
| • | Video playback? |
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