|
What is the Best MP3 Player?
I’ve recently had a good friend e-mail me and ask what MP3 player to get. They have just started working out in the gym and going jogging and wanted to know what MP3 player I thought would be the best for them. My first thought was “How the hell should I know!” But, I suppose, I do have a tendency to research particular topics into the ground until I can give an educated “opinion” (Which an opinion is all I can really give on most topics) For MP3’s, I should first break down what I feel is important in a player.
For each of these four questions there are a ton of “sub” questions, almost all of which are preference oriented.
What Will It Be Used For? There are two basic types of MP3 players, one for music on the go, and one for massive amounts of data storage and transport. The latter refers to the Hard Drive storage style of player. These are great if you have a ton of songs or data that you like to take with you in a backpack or car but hard drives have lots of moving parts and can be damaged if bumped, dropped, or shaken, which is why you would not want to use them for a “workout” Mp3 player. If you were to wear one of the 30 GB ipod players on your arm when you went running, not only would it continuously skip and stutter, it would also quickly become inoperable. Having its tiny parts bounced up and down for hours at a time makes hard drive players grumpy and dead. The most common type of MP3 players for sports and gym activity are the non-volatile or flash memory players. The data on these MP3 players is recorded on to a chip instead of a disk, so there are no moving parts, and therefore nothing to wear out and break. Happy day! They also tend to have a much longer battery life (because there are no moving parts) and can be made smaller and lighter (same reason). The one downside for these players has been the small amount of storage capacity, but now, thanks to nanotechnology, the amount of storage that can fit onto a tiny chip has exploded! When I last checked (a couple of months ago) a 9 gig chip was set to come out soon. 9 gig!
What Is The Storage Capacity? There are a few options when it comes to how much storage is on a particular MP3 player, and it really is personal preference as to what you get. Usually the cheapest and smallest in physical size are the MP3 players with integrated memory. These players have a set amount of memory and cannot be upgraded to hold more. Typically the integrated memory amounts are 128MB, 256MB, 512MB and 1GB models, and normally, the bigger the better. There is nothing wrong with this; in fact it is why they are cheaper and smaller. They don’t have to have extra ports or hardware installed which adds both expense and complexity. If you just want it to “Play MP3’s damn it!” than this is the way to go. If, however, you wish to be able to upgrade the memory at a later date or don’t want to have to use a USB cable to transfer songs onto the player, than one with an expansion slot is for you. These MP3 players are particularly handy if you have a lot of songs and some extra money. You can buy extra memory chips and put additional songs on them, so when you get tired of the songs on one chip all you have to do is swap it for a new one with different songs on it. Yea! With a little planning you can find a MP3 player that uses the same memory card that you’re other devices use, like your digital camera.
How Much Do You Want To Spend? The smart assed answer is of course “Nothing, I want it to be free”, but we all know that doesn’t work. So, this is time for another preference decision. If you want the brand new trendy and flashy player you’ll spend A LOT more for the same basic options, and if you have the money, why not? Personally, I get last years models, sometimes refurbished, for less then half the price. It won’t have the latest features or gimmicks, but I almost always find the one that does exactly what I want and nothing more. Either way, you will still need to decide how much space you need or want? If you don’t mind hooking up to your computer all the time to change songs a small player will work. If you want all your songs on it (if that’s possible) so you don’t have to worry about changing them all the time, than one with more storage is a must. More storage, higher price. Also, if you are looking for a particular feature, such as voice recording, than that too will ad to the price. As you can see, it all comes down to preference.
What Kind of Software Do You Need, If Any? Many MP3 players insist that you use their proprietary software that comes with the unit. AAaahhhh! I HATE THIS! Wow, I feel much better. If I buy a particular unit I don’t want to have to look at the manufactures advertisements or only be able to use their songs from their company and pay them more money! That’s so much BS it makes my eyes cross. So I try to only buy or recommend players that have basic drag and drop functionality through Windows Explorer. Yes, yes, I’m a Windows guy. Sue me. Proprietary software like this usually has too many functions and options and preferences and blah blah blah. I want to be able to select my songs or folders and drag and drop them into my play list, period. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, is it? Well, for most it apparently is. It’s true, most of the programs they force you to use are easy enough to figure out and use. It’s also true that a lot of the extra functions are kind of cool, but I never use any of them. Not ever, that I can remember. So there!
Oh, I almost forgot the battery! I’m not all that fond of integrated rechargeable batteries in MP3 players. If you’re at the gym and in the middle of your workout and you forgot to charge your player the night before, you’re screwed. If you have one that uses regular batteries you can just reach in your gym bag and grab a new one. Just one more preference to think about.
So I did some research, like I do, and found one that I think is perfect. The ZEN Nano Plus by Creative. Some even come with a handy armband so you can wear it while you're jogging (Be sure to check the box contents list. I did see a few that did not come with the armband. Go figure). There are literally hundreds of MP3 players on the market, not to mention ones from years past that you can find on EBay, so you may have your own favorite. But, if I was to buy a new MP3 player for my girlfriend of myself to use while we work out, the ZEN Nano Plus would be the ticket.
Why the ZEN Nano Plus? For the use of a Mp3 player to listen to wile working out you really need one that's small and light enough to not be distracting. The ZEN Nano Plus is quite small and light (hence the armband) so you won't have to take steps to accommodate using it. The ZEN Nano Plus comes in the classic storage ranges, but for me, anything less than 512 is a little too time absorbing. I have a lot of Mp3's and like to "keep it fresh", so with a 512mb chip I'd be spending more time than I would like transferring songs back and forth. Personally, the 1gig would be for me. The Nano Plus is also priced decently. It's not as flashy or trendy as more expensive models, but they are usually more expensive only because they are flashy and trendy. And last, but not least, the ZEN Nano Plus works with Windows Explorer. That's worth it's weight in gold to me right there!
Oh, crap! The battery again. The ZEN Nano Plus also does not have an integrated rechargeable battery. I know it may seem more wasteful in today's recyclable world, but sometimes convenience wins out. Unless you are a person who can remember all the little things in advance (which I am NOT) being able to pop in a fresh batter at the last minute is the only way to do it. Otherwise your Mp3 player becomes another unused gadget in the back of the junk drawer. Just my opinion.
Next question please!
|
|
|||