Portable MP3 Music Players
CD ripping isn’t an end in itself, the point is that you can listen to your digital music when and how you please. For many of that’s while we’re on the move.
Over the last few years Apple has come to dominate this sector with the all conquering Apple iPod. Of course that will happily play MP3 music files. You can pick an iPod from their range - the humble iPod Shuffle, the iPod nano range, the iPod touch and finally the massive iPod classic. Prices range up to £193 for the classic which has a massive 160GB hard drive for which Apple claims a capacity of 40,000 tracks.
Is there any alternative? If you want to enjoy MP3 music on the move does it have to be Apple? I turned to my local IT source, the Argos guide, to see what might be available from other suppliers. Here’s a selection of what I found.
Philips
They have a handy alternative to the iPod shuffle at just £30. It has twice the memory of the shuffle and sports a handy tiny display screen.
Pitched against the mid-range iPods Philips offer a 16Gb MP3 and video player in black or pink, for £60. This unit also seems to include an FM radio too.
Top of their range seems to be the GoGear Opus. Top not due to capacity but thanks to its larger 2.8” video screen. It looks good, is priced at a modest £100, with sound isolating headphones; but delivers only a modest 8Gb although they do claim 30 hours battery life.
Creative
While Apple get the plaudits for the iPod this is where the portable media player started life, albeit under another brand name.
Today their lowest priced MP3 player also delivers video in a very iPod like package, 8Gb for a quoted 8000 tracks; black or pink finish and just a tad under £50. The pink model seems to have cloned Apple’s earbuds too.
They offer several other models but where they score is in potable video players at reasonable prices. The Creative Zen MX is 16Gb (user upgradable), touch screen, radio and it slides in at under £100.
Sony
Once upon a time portable music was the preserve of the Sony Walkman. They had a market command you could only aspire too if you were Apple. Where did it all go wrong? Why did they think ATRAC would get back the market they threw away?
But Sony are still in the game, embracing MP3 players. They enter the market with a 2Gb unit, with a lozenge shape but an unappetising price of £40. You can hop up the range into a special hannah Montana edition (4Gb, £100 - why?) to their top MP3 / video unit at £120 for 16Gb. Personally I’d still be inclined to push the boat out a bit and go with an iPod Nano for another £18.
Sansa
These guys got rave reviews not so long ago. They offer a compact MP3 player (no video), 1” screen, FM radio, in black or burgundy for a start price of £50. One great feature is that you can upgrade this units storage capacity by slotting in micro SDHC cards to a maximum of 16Gb. Very clever.
The Rest
If you’re not taken by brand names Argos offer other units you may or may not have heard of, and may or may not spring to life on the same production lines as the other units.
Radmango Angora - 2Gb - £15
Bush - 2Gb - £27
Alba - 2Gb - £23 plus interchangeable covers
Samsung - 4Gb - £70
NB - prices correct as at end May 2010
