Best Deals on Portable MP3 Players

Here you will find some of the best deals on portable MP3 players. There are actually a variety of choices when it comes to MP3 players. You have flash memory based MP3 players, compact disc (CD) based MP3 players, and even hard drive (HD) based MP3 players. I will give my advice on all of them and provide the best deals.

Flash Memory Based MP3 Players

Flash memory based MP3 players store the songs on some type of flash memory such as CompactFlash or SmartMedia. This makes flash memory based MP3 players very compact in size. Also, because there are no moving parts you do not have to worry about skipping. Another advantage is the battery life is very long lasting. The only disadvantage is the amount of memory for songs. Flash memory based MP3 players usually come with just 128MB or 256MB, although extra memory can be added.

CD Based MP3 Players

CD based MP3 players allow you to play all your tunes from a CD-R filled with MP3s. Just like a regular music CD player, CD based MP3 players are prone to skipping so each player is equipped with some form of anti-skip protection.

Hard Drive Based MP3 Players

That is right, there are HD based MP3 players out there. Last I checked, you can get models as large as 60GB in capacity. The hard drives used in these players tend to be more shock resistant than your typical hard drives. However, it is still possible for a HD based MP3 player to skip, but it will not skip as much as a CD based player.

MP3 Player Recommendations

The type of MP3 player you get really depends on how you plan on using it. If you are mainly going to use it when jogging, you will want a flash memory based MP3 player due to its compact size, durability, and light-weight design. I recommend a model with at least 128MB memory. You may think you can do with less, but trust me, you will find yourself constantly having to swap out songs if you do. For long trips on the road, in the sky or out hiking, I recommend either a CD or hard drive based MP3 player. Do not worry about the skipping. I know I talked about it a lot, but with the anti-skip protection, you will probably never notice it. If you plan on doing both jogging and traveling, you may want to consider getting both a flash memory based and a CD or HD based MP3 player.

Other general features to look for in a MP3 player:

• Backlit display - for viewing the LCD at night
• Equalizer
• Radio
• Voice recording
• Expandability (for flash memory based players)
• Carrying case

Try out my Total Tunes Calculator™ for an estimate on the number of songs you can carry based on the song bitrate, average playing time, and media capacity:

Remember, the total here is just an estimate. It may be a bit less then what is given here since there is some overhead associated with storing the songs.

For some great MP3 player choices, check out the top 10 MP3 players.