More than just music

A simple buyers guide that will help consumers pick the best of portable media players as per their requirements.

A simple buyers guide that will help consumers pick the best of portable media players as per their requirements

The humble CD was invented way back in the 80s. High time we ditch those archaic media and switch to electronic storage right? A good MP3 or MP4 player these days is much more than just that. These little devices are multi-functional power tools too. Many have FM with recording,ability to view photos,videos,function as a dictaphone and as portable storage. The market is flooded with options including Chinese ones of different types,brands,memory capacities,features and prices. And this is exactly why this buying guide should help you.

A media player is actually and definitely not one-size-fits-all. Available in different shapes and sizes,these players make use of different types of memory and support varying formats. So the idea is to realise your requirements as well as the budget,and then buy the suitable media player. Broadly,the market showcases a slew of media players comprising a portable media player PMP with huge storage space to accommodate voluminous data like music,videos,pictures etc. Apart from this,if you want something light and small,then you can get a flash-based player,which is more durable. Moreover,hard drive-based players will give you more megabytes per rupee that you spend.

If youre looking to take along your MP3 player for your morning jogs and warm up exercises in the gym,a flash-based player would be ideal since they dont skip a beat,are resistant to shocks and temperature variations and easy to carry owing to their smaller size. Moreover,they are engineered to offer comfort with no moving parts and battery backup to look for. Some examples of small flash based players are the Creative Zen Stone Plus,iPod Shuffle,Samsung U3,iRiver iFP-899,Zune HD and Sandisk Sansa Clip. To make sure that you sweat out without hassles,the player is designed in a way that they can be clipped on to a piece of clothing or be strapped on your arm for your daily workout.

Adding something novel to the list is the new Sony NWZ-W250 series,which is also apt for people looking for something voguish while sweating out. The series comes with improved water-resistant exterior and design. Moreover,the player comes in wearable style and is completely free from tangled wires.

There are larger flash-based players with colour screens that can display photos,text and video too like the Philips GoGear SA1ARA08,Samsung Yepp T10,Sandisk Sansa View,and the Apple iPod Nano. Music enthusiasts,who have an extensive music collection,can opt for a 80 GB or 120 GB player like the Apple iPod Classic,Creative Zen Vision M or Microsoft Zune. These players usually have bigger screens,extra features like games,Wi-Fi and organiser and feature a longer battery life.

Spanning across the slew of portable media players with memory up to 80 GB,one can come across Archos 605 Wi-Fi PMP and Archos 704 Wi-Fi PMP. The versions lie mid-way between a PC and a TV,helping in streaming of content from PC to the PMP. Other versions also support recording of TV programmes and songs as well as videos.

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How much storage? Youll always need more,is something that you should remember. Get the maximum storage space,and if the player has a card slot to further expand the memory,nothing like it! If you have a larger memory capacity,you carry a larger number of files,but you can also carry higher quality high bitrate files with ease. Plus the advantage that you can use the extra capacity as portable storage. Generally the thumb rule applied is 1 MB of memory will give you approximately one minute of music playback with standard quality files. If you are going to watch a lot of video on your device,then the amount of space you need will go up dramatically.

A 2.5-inch screen is good enough for viewing photos and videos. The Apple iPod Touch has a 3.5-inch wide screen and is great for photos and videos. You can also install apps on it and use it like a PDA.

Weight,size and in general the form factor of your PMP is a crucial factor. This will dictate how much you carry it around and how useful it becomes,especially if you travel around a lot. There can sometimes be a variation in weight from 30 to 350 gms and form factor the size of a thumb to a pack of cards or even bigger.

If you want a player to function as your complete entertainment centre,the choices are narrowed down. The Apple iPod Touch has many of the features which a PMP has plus more. It has built in Wi-Fi so you can configure your email on it,browse the Web,watch YouTube videos etc. And thanks to the thousands of apps available in the App Store both free and paid,you can add on functionality and games,just like you do with a smartphone. Other players like the Cowon A3 and Creative Zen Vision W have extras like games,FM with voice and FM recording,an organiser clock,calendar,alarm and in some cases even a document viewer.

Vineeta Tiwari

CyberMedia www.LD2.in

Mail: talkLDcybermedia.co.in