Taking Music on the Road
In recent years MP3 players have grown in popularity, especially across college campuses. Students often listen to music while walking to class, surfing the web or waiting for a ride. There are, however, more to MP3 players than meets the eye—choosing the right hardware, finding audio files and storing music to name a few.
Three types of players: hard drive, microdrive and flash
A variety of MP3 players are on the market today, but most fall into one of three categories—hard drive, microdrive or flash memory players. Hard drive players generally provide the largest storage capacity to hold songs. Flash models are smaller in size, inherently more dependable with less moving parts, but have less storage capacity. In between the two are microdrives.
Storage capacity is an important consideration. 128 MB will hold approximately 4 hours of play, or 60 songs. Apple currently dominates the MP3 market with their iPod models. Apple’s hard drive players come in 30GB and 60GB models and their flash drive player, the Nano, in 2GB and 4GB models. Apple is not the only manufacturer of MP3 players. A wide selection can be found with companies such as Creative Labs, iRiver, SanDisk, Dell, Sony, Gateway, and Rio.
There are many ways to get audio files to your player, but check compatibility
The combination of MP3 technology and the Internet has made it possible for MP3 users to find audio files online. Some people simply copy songs from their CDs, while others choose to subscribe or purchase their music online from services like Apple iTunes, Napster, Ruckus, Real Networks Rhapsody, or Yahoo! Music Unlimited. The features of each service should be carefully weighed with the benefit. Apple iTunes, for instance, works well with your Apple iPod but does not provide monthly subscriptions allowing you to download (or “lease”) unlimited songs onto a player as some of the other services do. Leased services are not always compatible with certain MP3 players (like iPods) so if you plan to use a service, be sure to verify the compatibility of the MP3 player with the service before purchasing.
Before purchasing an MP3 player consider:
- Storage capacity
- Physical size
- Compatibility
- File formats
Learn more about MP3 players by reading Choosing the right Mp3 player for you. Information and pricing on MP3 players are available at the MSU Computer Store at 110 Computer Center, (517) 432-0700, http://cstore.msu.edu.
