Introduction to buying a MP3 Player
MP3 players have transformed the way we listen to music over the last few years. A compact digital music player that we all know as an MP3 Player is also transforming a whole industry.
This technology takes digital data and compresses it allowing these small portable units to hold potential Singles are now able to get to number 1 in the charts based solely on downloads and the trend is continuing.
The Apple Ipod was not the first MP3 player and today there are many cheap mp3 players to choose from but the Ipod helped turn a new technology into a mass market. Whilst Apple continues to dominate the market with new products like MP3 players with video, the Nano and the Shuffle it is worth remembering there are still lots of other mp3 players out there.
Like most mp3 gadgets, MP3 players are evolving quickly and you will need to do some work before selecting which model to buy.

As always start with a clearly defined budget and then think about what you will use the player for. If you just want to listen to a few tunes whilst
jogging then you'll want a smaller memory flash player. These cheap MP3 players have fewer moving parts and are perfect for a running partner. However if you want to store your enormous record collection then you'll go for a hard drive player that has a hard disk allowing you to store thousands of songs dependent on size.
Finally you will need to be aware of how you intend to connect to your online music library. All Apple products use the iTunes platform whereas many other MP3 players are not compatible.

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MP4 Players
MP4 players are often called Digital Media Players.
This term has evolved for the next generation and uses the versatile Mpeg-4 files for video and audio. MP4 players can store and play music files but can also download video clips, photos and even used as additional and portable storage for your PC data. The key considerations before buying an MP4 player are the screen size, memory for storage and battery life.
It's not going to be good if you can barely get through watching a film before needing to re-charge the battery.

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Mp3 Memory and Storage
The small memory flash players typically have up to 1 GB of memory and store anything from 100 - 200 songs. With the
hard disk models 40 GB was the upper limit but you can now get an 80 GB Ipod and Archos do a media player (MP4) with 160gb of memory. As a rule of thumb 10 GB delivers around 2500 songs. You may think you will need to store 10 000 songs but think about this carefully as it will have an impact on the budget and model you buy and importantly any accessories you may need.

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MP3 Accessories and connectivity
This is an important part of the buying process. If you are going to use your MP3 player regularly then it is likely
you will want to upgrade to some high quality headphones.
Depending on your requirements this can add to your spend but why spend $200 on the latest Ipod only to get a tiny sound from the standard headphones? There is also a wide range of docking stations and external speaker systems available for all MP3 players. These vary from travel speakers to high end stereo quality speaker systems for your home.
There have also been a flood of neat little MP3 accessories to add to your player.
Here are some poplular searches:
MP3 Cases ,Ipod Skins ,MP3 Cradles ,MP3 Docking Stations ,MP3 Headphones ,MP3 travel Adaptor

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