Finding the Best MP3 Player for You
Until 2001--when Apple launched its first iPod--taking your
music with you was somewhat limited. Remember those bulky CD wallets? Or mix
tapes, anyone? Sure, the music was portable, but taking the bulk of your
collection on the road meant shoeboxes of cassettes and CDs. Alas, the advent
of iPods and MP3 players has created the ability to take thousands of songs
with you wherever you go on a device that fits in your pocket. That's the good
news. On the other hand, hundreds of MP3 players are on the market, and finding
the ideal player for your needs can be overwhelming.
Last week, Amazon.com launched the MP3 & Media Players
Knowledge Center, an educational resource that answers your most pressing questions
about these must-have gadgets. Questions that are answered include what is an
MP3? Do MP3 players show videos? What kinds of features do MP3 players have?
How do you add music to an MP3 player? What about videos? Which MP3 player is
best for working out?
The Knowledge Center also features Tips of the Week (how to extend your battery life, for example), Discussion & Forums, a glossary of related terms (everything from "auxiliary input" to "Zune"), explanations of players' ecosystems (the Zune Social, for instance), and much more.
So, before you make your next player purchase, check out the Knowledge Center to help determine which one is best for you.
--Andi
Mike D on August 26, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Once upon a time there existed a little known device called a mini-disc player/recorder. Not only could you take your tunes with you, five hours of music on a 2.75" square disc, you could even record a concert with it as well. The Minidisc player/recorder were often only slightly larger then the discs themselves.
I still use mine and will continue right up until it dies, then I will get a large capacity Ipod. I liked it better than Ipods, until the larger (10 gig and up) ones came out.
Unfortunately, the mini-disc suffered from poor marketing by Sony and other makers (Sharp)and truly, really, terribly, awful, horrible software. By the way, did I mention just how bad the software was? Version after version, each made all the same mistakes the ones before it did. It was very hard to organize. Which is to say, you couldn't organize your music. One big long list of songs, hopefully grouped by CD, often not. When you copied a CD, the songs often got re-arranged. Even songs from different CDs got mixed up with other CDs. You could make up a playlist order, and the stupid software would copy it in a completely different way.
To anyone who has ever tried to complain to Sony about a product and give a suggestion as to how to improve it, well, you know what the definition of the words 'insulting' and 'demeaning' means.
They send back your original letter, attached to a form letter from their lawyers stating that they cannot accept any ideas. Thank you for your support, but screw you, please.
And Sony lets yet another product go down the tubes because they ignore customers and fail to properly push it. Betamax, Mini-disc, PSP. Yes, the PSP. Another great product that has been neutered. Imagine a PSP with a small wireless keyboard and a simple word processing software plus graphic calculator software compatible with the TI-83. Not only would every student want one, every student in grade 10-11-12 would NEED one. You could use it in Math class and every other class to take notes.
Instead Sony makes sure that the PSP can only play games and movies and music. And they kill every attempt by third party companies to make a keyboard. PSP could have been a product that not only kids (and certain young at heart adults) wanted, but everyone would want.
Sony has a real problem with different divisions stifling other divisions products. Since Sony already makes Palm like devices, that division made sure that the PSP would not be a really great product like the Iphone or Ipod. Sony would rather sell a so-so number of a lot of mediocre products rather than a lot of a few really great products.
Lastly on my Sony rant, almost all my Sony products have broken soon after the warranty expired. Three CD walkmans, one tape walkman, two minidiscs, one CD player, one Play Station. I no longer buy Sony products.