I Liu asked:




Everyone loves music — so buy some cheap MP3 players and give them a fun gift they’ll be thrilled to receive. They’re easy to use and won’t break your wallet. And these music players are perfect for kids or for a first-time MP3 player. If you have your own, you might want to pick up one of these budget music players for the gym or trail hiking (or whenever you don’t want to tote your expensive iPod around).

Here are our Top 3 Cheap MP3 Players Picks:

1. Sandisk Sansa Shaker 512MB MP3 (Pink or Blue)

It’s cute design and affordability makes this a great choice for kids, teens, and adults. Just shake the player to skip to the next song and listen with earbuds or the built-in speaker.

Just shake, rattle, and roll! The Sansa Shaker gets its name from its most exciting feature–the ability to jump to the next song by simply shaking the device. You can also use the colorful controller bands for advancing/rewinding and changing volume.

This MP3 player is all about sharing your favorite songs. You can use the built-in speaker to enjoy music without headphones, or listen with friends and family. It’s also got two headphone jacks, so you and a friend can both plug in for a more intimate experience. For only about $29.99 and free shipping, it’s a great buy for everyone on your list.

2. SanDisk Sansa M240 1 GB MP3 Player (Silver)

This tiny player is another practical option from SanDisk that is a good value and great for adults, teens, and kids. It has a sleek design and small size so it’s easy to take with you while you’re on the go. A good quality and cheap MP3 player, the SanDisk Sansa M240 1 GB MP3 Player makes a great choice for kids and adults of all ages. And for just around $25, it’s a smart value music player.

3. Creative Muvo Mix 256 MB MP3 Player

One of the best bargains is the easy-to-use Muvo Mix. It’s the perfect choice for a first MP3 player, as a gift, and as an affordable music player to take with you anywhere and anytime. The multi-tasking Creative Muvo Mix is both a lightweight, easily pocketable digital audio player as well as a USB flash drive, which allows you to store and transport your most important files.

While it doesn’t offer all the bells and whistles of other digital audio players, the Muvo Mix offers an easy way to enjoy your favorite music while working out, commuting, or just hanging out. You can navigate your songs and data files easily with the Muvo Mix’s simple, easy-to-use controls, and it provides up to 15 hours of continuous usage. It’s a great value (steal) for only about $15, so you can pick up a few Creative Muvo Mix MP3 players for yourself and for the kids as stocking stuffers.

Whichever music player you go with, you’ll be getting the most bang for your buck with one of these quality, cheap MP3 players. Please visit our best MP3 players reviews website for more information on these featured players, along with special holiday deals and coupons while they last.

Elmer

Alden Jerry asked:




It can be availed for many purposes like: MP3 with recorder, car MP3 players and portable MP3′s etc. These players come in all your famous brands like: Sony, Samsung, Archos and eBay. So, visit these places and buy a right MP3 player for yourself. It can also become a perfect gift for your family or friends. This device comes in so many styles and varieties to provide you full entertainment options. MP3 players have many advantages like: light weight, the memory capacity, which can store a lot of songs.

Expandable memory can also allow the users download songs through the Internet. You can enjoy your favourite music at your fingertips. Basically, they are available in four types: Hard drive based players, Micro Hard Drive Players, Flash Based Players and MP3 CD Players.

Hard Drive Based MP3 players generally have large screen with some easy to use features. These type of MP3s contain their own hard drive. These highest capacity devices are the first main type in MP3 player. It has 20GB of memory, where you can listen every song of your choice. These models are available in less or high price range in the market. Another type is Micro Hard Drive Players, they are low in price but high in quality. This portable device is quite similar to hard drive MP3 player. This good model offers lots of features in your price range.

Flash Based Mp3 Players are easy to access and small in size. This player is based on high advanced technology with high memory storage. This flash based MP3 player has no moving type and can be perfectly carried while jogging, cycling, hiking, driving or anywhere. This player is rich in features and its music allows many options to play. MP3 CD Players are consider as the analog form of technology and rarely used these days; but old is gold. They are still in trend and in use to play some romantic songs for their loved ones. You can put some selected songs from the list on a 650 MB disk. It can play around 10 songs in one round.

If you want the MP3 player in your budget, then Sandisk Sansa Shaker is one of the cheapest MP3 player available in the market. It has 512MB storage memory, which is available in vibrant pink or blue colours in the market. Its vibrant and charming colours mostly attract kids and teens. This shaking device makes you dance. You just need to put the ear buds and enjoy the rocking music. It also has one of the most exciting feature which helps to jump to the song by shaking the player. With the help of built-in speakers, you can enjoy the loud music with or without your friends.

Creative Muvo Mix is also the another type of cheap mp3 player. It can also become the perfect gift at affordable price. It is filled with 256 MB storage memory. This multi tasking device is light in weight and completely portable to carry anywhere. This pocket-able digital audio player also has USB flash drive, which allows you to store or share your data. This creative device is a perfect music player for yourself as well as for the kids. Now the the decision is totally yours. Which one you want to buy and for whom? There are numerous types and categories available in the market, which makes your search easier.

Brad

John Gibb asked:




MP3 is a term that is related to a standard of digital audio processing that allows digital audio files to be compressed in size and therefore made more portable. While choosing Mp3 players certain points should be noted.

You can choose a player that has a hard disc for program storage, one that uses flash memory (memory sticks, flash cards, etc.) or one that uses standard CD format with music stored in mp3 or other compressed formats. The online music and video programming is now widely available from all manner of sources, from artist direct through to iTunes and Hard-Drive players, such as Apple’s iPod.

They are available with up to 100GB of storage which are physically small. If you need to store large video programs then a Hard-Drive option might be good option. Flash memory offers some outstanding benefits. At the time of writing, flash memory goes up to 4GB, which allows about one thousand mp3 songs. Flash memory has no moving parts and so can withstand slightly rougher treatment. Portable CD players can play mp3 and other compressed audio formats as well as standard CDs.

Using this technology, you can download your music to your computer and burn it onto a CD in mp3 format, and can play it in your portable player. . A single CD will hold 700 MB of music, or around 175 songs. There are two aspects to being able to control your audio through your mp3 player.

One is its connectivity. In the first instance, you need to be able to download the music you want to hear in the format that’s going to suit your player, and vice versa. So first you need to make sure you choose a player that is compatible with the source. (There are many other options, including Virgin, Napster, Sony, all of which offer different media options.)

Second, you need to have a simple connection between the computer you download your program onto and your portable mp3 player. Most players these days use USB serial interfaces. You connect your mp3 player to your physical self through earphones, or you can plug it into your computer, your hi-fi system, and even use a wireless connection in your car.

The importance of weight, physical dimensions and battery life cannot be understated. Most manufacturers promote a battery life. Devices with Hard-Drive storage weigh more. They are bulkier than devices with flash memory. Most players on the market have acceptable sound fidelity and the biggest weakness can often be found in the headsets and loudspeaker systems that they are connected to.

Kristen

Mike Singh asked:




According to the latest market studies, the iPod has sold over 1.5 million units as compared to the other MP3 players. The iPod video 30gb holds over 15,000 songs, 25,000 photos, or 150 hours of video with a battery life of 14 hours for music, and two hours for videos. This is exciting when we think about having no choices a few years ago, or carrying around a lot of CDs. Of course, we could always listen to the car stereo! But when a person is out shopping for a MP3 player, is the iPod really any better?

First of all, we need to understand that the iPod is an MP3 player, not that iPods and MP3 players are identical and in competition. A good rule of thumb to remember is this: when you look for a DVR, you don’t say you are looking for a DVR. For example, you say you are looking for a Tivo. An analogy would be this – when you go to buy a carbonated beverage or soda, you don’t say you are looking for a carbonated beverage, you say you are looking for a Coke or a Pepsi. Both are carbonated beverages. When you look for an MP3 player, you don’t say you are looking for a MP3 player – because it could be any brand, including the iPod. You say you are looking for an iPod. This, and other subtle differences, is the difference between an iPod and an MP3 player. And when recognizing this, understand that of all the negative reviews of any of the MP3 players, all the complaints of errors were 95% user errors – not reading what the item was actually capable of doing.

The iPod is the most popular MP3 player out there. This is not even open for discussion. Owned by celebrities in the Rolling Stone Magazine or on Entertainment Tonight, you never see them talking about the benefits and features of their Creative Labs or iRiver, other brands of the MP3 players. Why? Because it is not considered “hip” or “cool” to talk about anything other than an iPod. It HAS to be an iPod for a person to fit in, to be with it, and to be accepted as one of the leaders in MP3 players.

But then, don’t most of us grow up? We begin to see all options that fit our needs, not just what is hip. We begin to see ourself as an individual, not just as one of a group – with no separate identity. We pass through Junior High and High school, and head into college, begin a family, or just get on with life. And with this, we begin to see the benefits of more affordable MP3 players, not just one. We begin to look at what we want in a MP3 player beside a brand name.

The most important focus for most buyers who are paying their own bills is money. The iPods are very expensive, with a nonreplacable battery that loses its resiliency in about a couple years. And if money is issues with the ol’ pocket … consider how much extra space you can get for your dollar by going with a different brand name than iPod. If the price tag on the iPod 60GB player is $399 and the price tag on the Toshiba 60GB player is $249, then a person has something to consider. Another option could be the MP3 CD players, which offer more megabytes per dollar with CDs that hold 10 hours of music each. Some people get hung up on the fact it is not a hard drive-based player, while others feel it is comparable enough to go for the extra saved money. It’s all about choice.

Additionally, the iPod video and audio formats can sometimes cause problems with people who like to use certain types of media formats. Apple uses a few exclusive types of video and audio formats, like the AAC-encoded files, because they are Apple where other manufacturers use multiple formats to become more attractive to the consumer. Many reviews consider this an extremely negative drawback to the iPod, as they feel “hemmed in”. Other MP3 players allow the choice of “BuyMusic”, “Musicmatch”, or “Napster”. Most MP3 players support a wide range musical service choices. Make sure you investigate what formats are supported by iPod and other manufacturers you are considering, it could make or break your purchase.

Apple’s iPod is the industry leader for a reason, because they make tremendous products, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other great products on the market. With many drawback such as a high price, review complaints of limited support, limited memory, limited types of music that can be recorded or played, or with unlimited ability to record online music. Other brands to look would be Rio, Creative, Samsung or Dell – it may be time to do a comparison study!

Jesus

Denny B Mays asked:




When you go on your daily run, a mp3 player would be a great companion. After all , everyone likes to listen to music, so why not do it while on the run? You can select vigorous music if you are sprinting, relaxing music if you’re jogging or just some great beats if you’re running. Either way, a mp3 player would be perfect for you, if running is part of your ordinary routine.

In the last couple of years, folks have been lugging about various gizmos for music during their daily runs : tape players, CD players and radios, as an example. All these things proved to be quite awkward to carry around, though, since they were quite cumbersome in size. And, their music was limited since tape and CD lengths were limited back then, also. CDs had tendencies of skipping and radios had sundry receptions, if they even existed when you run. Since that time, mp3 players have changed things seriously for runners, even though several still have their kinks. But if you can locate a suitable mp3 player for running, it might make things way easier for you. Carrying your music around will be more compact, light and full of great personal music selections.

As years have gone by, folk have been taught about flaky computer hard drives, too and the importance of taking care of them. We have been told about the downsides of shaking or dropping them and how hideous sectors could happen, like complete loss of information and damaged boot sectors. Mp3 players were then invented for runners and might be run on these PC hard drives with ultimate shock protection built into them. Sadly , the harm that hard drives suffered from didn’t end with this ; it just made folk stop having to cope with music tracks that kept skipping.

PC technicians know that mp3 player hard drives need replacements at a minimum of 2 times for each two years that go by. This occurs because of overuse during the day and is also thanks to a frequent runner’s habits. It has been conspicuous that there are differences between mp3 players as some aren’t actually made to withstand powerful activity and a large amount of folk fail to realize that the particular problems may be caused by frequent runs. If this happens to be the situation, it would be smart to use solid state mp3 players for longer runs of about 25km to dispose of the issue and avoid needing to purchase a new player or replace the hard drive too often. It might be advised to only use solid state mp3 players when it comes to running because they also happen to have at least two hours play time of music. These units also don’t have moving parts, so shock movement can never damage the music’s quality or storage.

Bonnie

Debra Brian asked:




There are over a thousand varieties of MP3 players in the market, as this is one device that almost everyone wants and thus every company has tried to fulfil this huge demand. The different MP3 players are all different in shape and size, and the functions they perform, making it difficult to choose one, especially if you are a novice where technology is concerned.

Here are the top MP3 players on the market to make it easier for you to choose from all the variety. The first four are the best ones to have for their small sizes, and the last four are the best where storage and performance is concerned.

Size:

1. Apple IPod Nano: Apple’s IPods are undeniably the market leaders where MP3 players are concerned. The Nano is one of their newer additions to the IPod family, with an extremely thin body, and 2 GB and 4 GB storage. Like a hard-drive player, it prevents songs skipping but its size provides all the comforts of a flash player. It has a colour display and the famous click wheel for navigation.

2. Creative Labs Zen Nano Plus: The Zen Nano has Line-In encoding, for when you want to record directly from your CD player, as well as the ability to connect to your laptop directly with ease. It comes in 512 MB and 1 GB models, available in 10 colours.

3. Cowon iAudio U2: This MP3 player provides great quality sound, with its BBE sound system. It comes in three colours (red, black, blue) and the display even shows song lyrics. It comes with a built-in batter, which can be charged via USB or AC adapter.

4. Apple IPod Shuffle: The Shuffle weighs less than an ounce, and is the smaller IPod on the market. It’s a great option if you’re on a budget or love exercising while listening to music. There is no screen, and it plays songs on random, so it’s great if you aren’t one for making play lists and like being surprised. It connects to your computer via USB and randomly downloads a number of songs onto its memory, and so you’ll never know what songs are on it till you listen.

Storage:

1. Apple IPod: Known as the Video IPod, this IPod comes in 30 GB and 60 GB sizes, in black or white. The display and the size make it possible for you to watch movies or TV shows on it as well as store your entire music collection.

2. Epson P-2000: This MP3 player will replace your CDs and your photo albums completely It has a 3.8 inch display, and a 40 GB hard drive which can download pictures directly from your camera.

3. Toshiba Gigabeat: This device transfers music really fast from your computer and can store 10, 20, 40 or 60 GB, depending on the model. It comes with a subscription service, and allows you to copy music from a CD with a touch of a button.

4. Iriver H10: This is an extremely durable MP3 player which comes with its own protective sleeve. It comes in 5, 6 or 20 GB varieties and a replaceable rechargeable battery.

Katie

Mike Selvon asked:




iTunes mp3 players are a wonderful addition to someone’s electronic device stash, but they will only play a certain authorized musical format, and if a person has anything other than an iPod, they may be out of luck in using the music they purchased.

What can a person do if they have bought these forms of music for their computer, but have something other than an iPod for a portable mp3 player? Answers are available if one only takes the time to look and not get too frustrated with Apple.

Many may ask why their iTunes mp3 players need to say iPod in order for them to work with music they have purchased. iTunes are protected because of the DRM or Digital Rights Management.

This group was created to ensure that musical piracy was hopefully stopped. The only problem with this is that when a person purchases iTunes for their computer and tries to transfer to a player brand other than an iPod the transfer fails. Many people do not realize this is an issue until it is too late.

Although these players are limited to just iPods, ways do exist to get around this road block. An easy method is to burn the tracks onto a CD.

Then an individual can open the CD in iTunes and the Convert Selection to MP3 option will allow a person to do whatever they wish with the music. What must be remembered is that when burning the CD, a person should burn an audio CD and not a data CD.

A data CD can keep a person from importing tracks from the CD. The only problem with this method is that a person will have two copies of their tracks. But, if one is persistent, then they can be assured that their efforts to make their iTunes mp3 players compatible will not go wasted.

However difficult this may seem to convert iTunes mp3 players music to use in any portable mp3 players system another way does exist to ensure that a person can listen to their purchased music without the use of an iPod.

Software exists to help one who has a huge amount of music on their computer to convert. Types of software such as NoteBurner or CD Emulator can help. Another brand of software is JHymn, and it can help a person to make sure their fair-use rights under copyright laws will help free the iTunes that a person has from the restrictions of the DRM.

The Apple iPod ones are a great asset to have for the iTunes mp3 players that they operate with. However, a person who has anything other than an iPod can be out of luck in a hurry.

If one is not aware of what they are doing, iTunes can be purchased with the intent of transforming them onto a portable mp3 player. But, this is not the case, and one can spend a ton of money on something they cannot use in the future if they do not do through research.

Tyrone

Jan g asked:


whats the difference between mp3 players and ipods? and can itunes gift cards be used with mp3 players?
do they work the same?

Ron