Buying advice MP3 players

Newer models with color displays can show photos and videos

The MP3 player continues its evolution from simple audio player to complex multimedia device. Most players come with color displays and the ability to show digital photos transferred from your computer, sometimes with accompanying music. Many also play back movies, music videos, or TV shows, downloaded from the Web or videos taken with your camcorder.

As digital players morph, one thing remains constant: the brand name that’s on most of them. Apple’s iPod players account for more than three of four players sold. Hardware alone doesn’t explain Apple’s dominance. While iPods score well in our tests, so do players from other manufacturers, some of which offer capabilities and features that iPods lack.

Apple’s success rests in part on its creation of a self-contained digital-entertainment system. iTunes, its content-management software, works seamlessly--only with iPods. Its online iTunes store offers by far the largest library of online video content, supplementing its dominance over online music sales. It also offers comprehensive one-stop access to podcasts, the booming (and mostly free) online downloads that offer everything from National Public Radio broadcasts to music-preview shows to weekly self-help recordings.

And while you can play content obtained from the store (and use iTunes software) on virtually any computer, including Windows PCs and Macs, you need an iPod to enjoy it portably.

Not that all innovative content comes from Apple. Other legal online content sources include BuyMusic, MusicMatch, Napster, Real, Sony, URGE, Wal-Mart, and Yahoo. Unlike iTunes, some of these sites also offer subscription-based services that let you fill your PC or player with rented music for a flat $15 per month (the music stops playing if you don’t periodically dock your player an Internet-connected PC to confirm your account is in good standing). Downloaded songs from contemporary artists typically cost less than $1 per song, or $10 for an entire album; music videos, hit TV-show episodes, and short films cost $2 each. Players that support the copy-protected WMA formats, like those from Archos, Creative, RCA, and Samsung, allow access to the greatest number of online stores, and, because of the competition, cheaper music.

Before you buy any digital player, be sure your computer can handle it. New computers shouldn’t be a problem, but make sure any player you’re considering is compatible with your older Windows or Macintosh computer (including its operating system). Keep in mind that some operating-system upgrades can exceed the price of a player. Your computer must have a USB port. Consider high-speed Internet access if you plan to download much of your music. Also keep in mind that getting started can be tricky with some players. Even if compatible with the player, an older computer may not recognize it easily, so you might have to seek help from the manufacturer.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Major brands of digital music players include Apple, Archos, Cowon, Creative Labs, iRiver, Microsoft, Philips, RCA, SanDisk, Sony, and Toshiba. And MP3 playback has been incorporated into other handheld portable products, including CD players, cell phones, and personal digital assistants (PDAs).

Flash-memory players

These are the smallest and lightest players, often no bigger than a pack of gum, and they weigh no more than 2 or 3 ounces. They’re solid-state, meaning they have no moving parts, and tend to have longer audio playback time than players that use hard-disk storage. Storage capacities range from 512 megabytes (MB) to 8 gigabytes (GB), or about 120 to 2,000 songs. Some flash-memory players also have expansion slots to add more memory via card slots on the player. Common expansion-memory formats include Compact Flash, MultiMedia, Secure Digital, and SmartMedia. Sony players can use a MagicGate MemoryStick, a copyright-protected version of Sony’s existing MemoryStick media. Memory-card capacities range from about 32MB to 2GB. Memory costs have dropped. Price: $40 to $280 for the player; $20 to $50 for a 1GB memory card.

Hard-disk players

There are two types: microdrive and standard hard-disk. The palm-sized microdrive players have a tiny hard drive with a storage capacity of 4GB to 8GB (about 1,000 to 2,000 songs). They weigh about a quarter-pound. Standard hard-disk players are about the size of a deck of cards, and they have a storage capacity of 20GB to 160GB (about 5,000 to 40,000 songs). They typically weigh less than half a pound. Some hard-disk players with video capability have relatively larger displays, and as a result tend to be the bulkiest models. Price: $140 and up.

CD players with “MP3” compatibility

Flash-memory and hard-disk portable players aren’t the only way to enjoy digital music. Many of today’s portable CD players can play digital music saved on discs and can support the copyright-protected formats from online music stores. Controls and displays are comparable to portable MP3 players, and you can group songs on each disc according to artist, genre, and other categories. A CD, with its 650MB to 800MB storage capacity, can hold more than 10 hours of MP3-formatted music at the standard CD-quality setting. You can create MP3 CDs using the proper software and your PC’s CD burner. Price: $25 and up for the players; 15 cents to 75 cents or so for blank CDs.

Cell phones

An increasing number of phones have built-in MP3 players, some with controls and features that rival stand-alone players. Sprint, Verizon, and other cell-phone providers let subscribers download music over their networks. But music phones are pricey and most store fewer than 150 songs. Price: 99 cents to $2.50 per song; $150 and up for a phone with a two-year contract or $500 without one.

Satellite radio

Some pocket-sized XM and Sirius receivers have built-in memory for recording up to 50 hours of satellite programming and might also let you add your own MP3 songs to the mix. Not all models let you listen to live programming on the go; some must be docked at home. Price: $175 to $400 for the receiver; about $13 a month for satellite service.

How to Choose MP3 players

Decide whether to get an iPod. With Apple’s family of players so ubiquitous and so similar in many ways, it’s worth considering the advantages and shortcomings of iPods before considering other options. iPods are easy to use, thanks to their superb integration with the company’s iTunes software. The iTunes Store offers the largest selection of legal digital content on the Web, including almost all the available downloads of major TV shows. And with the use of iTunes software so widespread, it’s very likely that a friend or family member already uses it--so you’ll need an iPod to share their songs or videos.

As for drawbacks, iPods typically cost a little more than non-Apple players with comparable capacity. They also lack some of the features and accessories that adapter with many other players, such as an FM radio, voice recorder, and an AC charger. Equipping a new iPod with some of these options can add more than $100 to its price. And iPods have some special limitations, such as the inability to easily transfer music to any other device.

Weigh capacity vs. size

Consider a flash-memory model (4GB can hold about 1,000 songs) if a lower price, smaller size, and lighter weight are more important to you than a vast selection of tunes. Opt for the largest-capacity flash player you can afford. Look for models that can accept external memory cards if you want expanded song capacity.

If you have a large music collection that you want to keep with you, a hard-disk player might make more sense. Players with an 80GB capacity can can hold up to 20,000 songs and could serenade you for weeks without repeating a tune. However, a hard-disk player can be more complicated to manage than a flash-memory player. Hard-disk players vary in size, generally in step with capacity. Microdrive players are about the size of a credit card, and a 6GB model can hold about 1,500 songs, whereas models with 30GB hard disks are about the size of a deck of cards and can hold about 7,500 songs.

Consider download choices

Be aware that online music copy-protected sources are limited with some models. For example, Sony players work only with one online music store, while iPods are compatible with iTunes and Real.

Consider power consumption and battery type

With any portable device, batteries are a consideration. Our tests found a wide variation in battery life. Depending on the player settings, some will run out of power after only six hours of play, while others can play music for more than 150 hours before their batteries give out. Playing videos can run a battery down in a few hours.

Consider ergonomics and design

Whichever type of MP3 player you choose, make sure you’ll be comfortable using it. Look for a display and controls that are easy to read and that can be worked with one hand. Because sizes and shapes vary widely, check to see that the player fits comfortably in your pockets and is easy to access when you need to need to reach the controls.

Comparing Apple's iPod and Microsoft's Zune

As always, we can expect our good friends at Microsoft to try to corner a market. Whether it's a chokehold on video games or operating systems, to Microsoft monopoly is much more than a game. This time, however, Microsoft has endeavoured on a lofty, not to mention ironic, task: beating out iPod in the iPod market. During this centaury there have been two flavours of electronic music players: iPods and everything else. Creative tried to compete with the clicking giant with the Zen, but the iPod proved to be just too trendy. The solution? Create an mp3 player even more trendy, with more bells and whistles than a bells and whistles factory .The only company brave enough to do this? Microsoft. So let's get down to it.

The following is a comparison between the iPod 30GB player and the Zune mp3 player. Here is briefly discuss how they are similar, what the iPod has over the Zune, and finally what new features the Zune has to offer.

How they are the same:
- Li-Ion battery 14 hours battery life
- 30 GB storage
- $249 price tag

Comments:
Yes, deep down these weapons of mass consumption have similarities. They have very similar battery lives, right down to the understandably short battery life when watching videos.
What the iPod still has over the Zune:
- Thinner: 0.43" versus 0.58"
- Lighter: 4.8 ounces versus 5.6 ounces
- Compatible with Mac and PC
- Scroll wheel
- Tried and tested trendiness

Comments:
Although the iPod is a smaller package than the Zune, that's really just information and not an actual selling point. The fact that the Zune is incompatible with Macs seems a bit strange but is almost a non-issue; it's expected that Mac users will stick with the iPod. iPod's main selling point is what it always had: the immediately identifiable headphones, the clicking scroll wheel, the fact that portable music is virtually synonymous with iPod. Also, those looking for a smaller and/or cheaper alternative will be likely turned off by the current one size offered by the Zune and more inclined to pick up the Nano or Shuffle.

What the Zune plans to kill the iPod with:
- Wireless network: Wi-Fi access to Zune community, including file sharing, unique online tag, news blogs, as well as access to your Xbox
- Tactile control as apposed to click wheel
- Larger, better display
- Option to display in portrait and landscape mode
- Unlimited downloads ($14.99/month)
- FM Tuner (like we really care)

Comments:
As Neil Buchanan would say, "And now the messy bit."

Display:
Though the Zune itself is bigger, so is its screen. In fact, it is 44% bigger. You can use the Zune in portrait mode much like you would an iPod, but you can also turn the Zune over to its side and watch images in landscape mode. Given its high pixel density and refresh rates, this will allow you to effectively watch widescreen moves on your Zune. You can also have custom background pictures.

Wireless:
The Wi-Fi network offered by Zune is a great and novel idea. Your Zune automatically detects other Zunes in the area within a range of 30', identifying each by their unique ID tags. You can then choose to share pictures, songs or even entire albums. Shared songs can be flagged so you can go home and download them on Zune Marketplace. Why you ask? Because songs shared can only listened to three times before being automatically deleted. This greatly reduces the appeal of file sharing, especially to those who don't like paying for music, but I'm sure there's a way around it.

Miscellaneous:
Although the large, detailed screen and the wireless capabilities are the main selling point, the Zune still has more to offer. Zune Marketplace, the Zune version of iTunes, allows Zune users to download songs at 99 cents each or you can subscribe to unlimited downloads for $14.99/month. Zune Marketplace is said to have an extensive album art fetcher, a nice feature for those who don't like searching for images for each of their 500 albums. The Zune sports a scratch resistant "soft" body mad from 80 durometer plastic. It is worth noting that the Zune curiously does not function as a mass storage device. It's music, photos, videos or nothing for you.

Final thought:
With equal price tags, it is evident that the battle this Christmas will be between the Zune's superior features and iPod's near perfect marketing.

Microsoft tries to make Vista iPod-friendly

Microsoft released several patches for Windows Vista on Tuesday, including one designed to put the iPod and the new operating system back on speaking terms.

The software maker issued a patch that is designed to fix a problem that had left iPods vulnerable to being corrupted if Vista users select the operating system's Safely Remove Hardware option to eject the music player.
Apple had resolved several Vista compatibility issues in iTunes, but has continued to warn users to only use the eject function within iTunes to remove an iPod in Vista.

Microsoft and Apple representatives were not immediately available for comment.

Microsoft posted several other updates, including one aimed at fixing a problem that could have resulted in Canon EOS-1D users losing images if metadata was added to RAW files. Another update attempts to solve a video quality problem that some people were seeing when using video in interlaced mode, the type of video used by standard television.