Karl Bantleman asked:




MP3 players are portable media players to listen to your favourite music, store video files and images. Without question the most famous one is the Apple iPod but other brands are catching up quickly with the technology and features.

The development started with portable cassette players followed by CD players and finally Mini Disc players. However, the devices were not able to store music in digital files and relied on external storage drives. As they were much bigger than today’s MP3 players and had a limited functionality their use wasn’t as handy and the audio quality often suffered from movements. Consequently, portable audio devices were not best for outside activities, running and exercising in those days.

This all changed in 2001 when Apple released the first iPod with 5GB storage for more than 1000 songs in the new mp3 format. Supported by iTunes and thanks to the small size and huge storage capacity, the iPod is still the most popular MP3 player on the market. According to recent surveys it is not only the best selling MP3 player but also has almost no substitute product.

Today, the Apple product range comprises the iPod classic, iPod nano, iPod shuffle and the latest iPod touch as well as the iPhone. These small portable MP3 players can play audio files like mp3 and others but also display images and play videos. Recent models also support the new MPEG-4 format.

In a nutshell, the Apple iPod provides an all-around solution for portable audio. The Apple software iTunes can be regarded as the most popular programme for organising and storing music and other audio and video files. Whereas it was previously only available for Apple computers like the Mac, it can now be downloaded by everyone. It offers the user the benefit of automatically updating the iPod as soon as it is connected to the computer. This makes it easier to organise the music library and saves a lot of time, too.

Even though other manufacturers like Sony and Samsung try to gain some market share, the iPod is still the outstanding market leader due to Apple’s innovation focus this is unlikely to change in the near future.

Johnny

John Gibb asked:




Portable mp3 player has changed the way people use and listen to music. Due to new technological innovations both in software and hardware, this has kept this field fresh and exciting and may be a bit confusing for any first time purchaser. The hardware for the MP3 players and the software needed to run these have been developed on a day to day basis adding a variety of features in these MP3 players to satisfy the needs of each and every type of users of these new era Gadgets.

It might seem difficult to choose the right mp3 player for you as there are many portable mp3 players available in the market today. Try to gather some information about the mp3 players available and their price range. Compare their features and decide which one shall suit you the best.

If you are a music lover you would always wish to have an in built FM tuner. If you love to play games then you would ask for something else. The major criteria for mp3 player comparison would include its music store download system, its capacity in gigabytes, music storage in hours, music formats supported, video formats supported, image formats supported, built-in FM tuner, built in microphone, accessories included, other third party accessories available, navigation, dimensions, weight and price.

The major factor that differentiates between players is that whether they form a part of a closed download music store system or an open download music store system. Closed systems have all elements such as online music store, PC music store, portable software and portable player that are fully integrated to work together.

The Apple ipod that operates iTunes is an example of closed system company. Open system provides you a selection of music stores and portable players from different companies as they share the same music file format you can easily mix and match players and services.

The largest open system is Microsoft’s windows media audio. The terms “closed system” and “open system” describe the online music store to software to portable player relationship and the copy protection their respective formats use. You can download and play mp3 files from other kinds of internet websites such as band websites and pod casters.

You can import music from your personal CD’s to your computer and then transfer the songs to your portable player in your preferred format of mp3. Now using of Music is ever easy due to the emergence of various user friendly technologies and new Gadgets that add more spicy music in our Lives.

Juanita

Brian Lupichuk asked:




Panasonic SL-SX430 Portable MP3 Player is a absolutely great portable disc MP3 Player. This portable disc MP3 Player also plays CD’S and CD/R’S and CD/RW’S. It has a 45 Anti-Skip System which is a great feature. Panasonic is absolutely great with innovation, quality, performance and ease of use of there products. It looks forward to a bright and leading edge in the technological future, and to playing a leading role in the digitally networked world we live in, it also looks forward to its creativity and dedication of its employees all around the world to make it a house hold name that we have come to know.

The webmaster for this site have this Panasonic portable disc MP3 Player [http://www.worldofmp3players.net/portable-mp3-players.html] and enjoys it alot. This Panasonic Portable Disc MP3 player can be used in a car with the help of a car kit. . Here are the some of the product features that are on this Panasonic portable MP3 disc player: The Digital Amplifier for high sound quality, you will notice this feature very easily on this mp3 player when you start to listen to your MP3′S.

This is another great feature the Digital Audio Gain Control (DAGC) and S-XBS for clear bass, adds a little more crisper sound and you will notice right away.

The New Active Style Headphones for high quality digital sound ,yes you do get great sound from these headphones, but if you are not satified with them you can always go and buy a different set of headphones.

The CD round form design with LCD on top cover, this is a great feature because you can see what number on your mp3 list is playing and the songs time. Also there is a bar meter for battery life.

You can get up to 85-hours of playback (MP3) with two AA alkaline batteries. WOW! That is great and true. However ,do not use alkaline batteries. You should be using AA rechargable batteries, they will save you a lot of money and can be recharged over 100 times. Recharging takes about 3hours.

It says that there is a heat-resistant polycarbonate body but direct heat or sunlight is not at all good for this or any portable mp3 player.

The slide-lock full open top cover, just push a button on the side of this mp3 player and the top flips up very handy.

You get neckband headphones included, but you may want different haedphones. You get a 6-key Remote Control with detachable plug, this is a great feature that has play, stop, pause,forward, rewind, but using this remote ***** battery life bigg time.

On the top of this portable mp3 player you have buttons for play, stop, volume up and down, arrows buttons indicating forward or rewind,you have an EQ, a mode, and memo.

Alice

David Fishman asked:




In today’s world MP3 players are the fastest and easiest way to listen to music, they are very light and are easy to carry around especially those who are on the go. However, MP3 players are substantially cheaper than CD players with advanced error-correction and anti-shock features. With so many options, it can be tough to know what MP3 players are worth shelling out the cash for – especially if you’re working on a budget. The cameras and MP3 players are fun, but the next wave of add-ons for cell phones and laptops may help users keep track of their health. Technology has progressed to so much that the hard drive MP3 players are now reaching the 100GB mark. The players with flash that are released have more memory and are on the rise. Most of the headphones that ship with MP3 players are mediocre at best. MP3 players are increasingly replacing traditional CD players there.

You can create standard Audio CD that can be played in regular CD players as well as MP3 data CD that can be played in portable MP3 players and DVD players. You are able to keep many songs on the these small players, some even as much as 100 tracks of quality audio. Most players can support the following formats mp3, wmv and mp4.

Controls and displays are comparable to portable MP3 players, and you can group songs on each disc according to artist, genre, and other categories. Many portable MP3 Players can double as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). A portable digital audio player sets your music free so you can easily mix and match songs in any order and take the tunes with you. The small portable players can store a many cd’s and have many fantastic features, here are some of the cool features voice recording and FM tuners. With the introduction of MP3 digital audio files, music went portable as a new market sprouted up for MP3 players. Luckily, the new portable audio players are much more affordable that the home audio thearter systems. The totally new iPods have been redesigned are able to play music and play video on the same unit . Even if the iPod doesn’t do it for you, the wealth of MP3 players on the market suggests that there is something out there to suit your needs. To sum it up, only 7% of iPod users and 25% of those using other mp3 players download music illegally.

Touted as the “next big thing” in personal audio, MP3 players are the newest digital audio devices to hit the market. MP3 Players are very small and lightweight. MP3 players are very hot and many people are trading in their old walkman. MP3 Players are the best way to carry your digital music with you. MP3 players are quickly replacing Portable CD players. That shouldn’t be too surprising, because MP3 players are continuing to increase in popularity. Nowadays MP3 players are as common as walkman once were and gadgets like the Zizzle iZ and iDog are making MP3 players even more enjoyable. Portable MP3 players are no longer limited to storing and playing a few of your favorite songs. MP3 players are now tough enough to exercise; you are able to take them on jogs to the gym and even weight lifting. The three main types of MP3 players are as follows; flash players and hard drive players. Choose the right one for you.

Harry

Lee Blue asked:




Kids have always loved listening to their favorite music, and the louder the better – much to their parents’ dismay. In the 1980s, the portable tape recorder with headphones – which came to be known as the “Walkman” – enabled teenagers to listen to their music as loud as they wanted, anywhere they wanted, without disturbing anyone around them.

But the more modern rendition of the Walkman – portable MP3 Players and iPods – pose a major threat to our children’s hearing health, and to ours.

The problem is a combination of the technology of portable digital devices that creates a non-buffered crystal clear sound, and the type of headphones typically used with them, which do not have a buffer either. In December 2005, Dean Garstecki, an audiologist and professor at Northwestern University reported that more and more young people were being diagnosed with the types of hearing loss typically found in older adults. He attributed this trend to the “earbud” type headphones that usually accompany iPod and MP3 Players. With the earbud headphones, the sound frequencies are not buffered as they are with the more traditional, ear cup-style headsets.

Newsweek Magazine recently reported that researchers at the House Ear Institute found that listeners can unfortunately increase the volume of today’s portable digital devices without the “signal distortion that occurs with traditional analog audio.” The older-model headphones that were popular just 15 to 20 years ago – that have ear cups outside of the ears – had that distortion when the volume was turned up, which functioned as a much-needed buffer to protect our hearing. Today’s technology does not provide that buffer – the earpiece is placed in the ear, not outside of it, and the digital devices do not create that distortion, no matter how high the volume.

In addition, people often listen to these devices while they are on the go, and have a tendency to crank the volume in an attempt to drown outside noise, further posing a risk to our hearing. Using the earbud style headphones during activities such as exercise, for example, puts the user at a greater risk. During exercise, blood, which can act as a buffer, is diverted from the ears to other parts of the body – so our already vulnerable hearing is in even more jeopardy.

Headwize reports that a study conducted on music listeners using headphones revealed that while indoors with no background noise, the participants were comfortable with their music at 69 decibels. Outdoors, where the background noise was recorded at 65 decibels, participants using their headphones turned the volume up to 82 decibels and as high as 95 decibels to drown out the surrounding noise. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines limit exposure to noise at this level to no more than four hours each day. The study concluded that the participants were at risk for hearing damage and recommended “avoiding continuous use of [portable stereos] in noisy conditions.”

Northwestern University’s Dean Garstecki offers more specific guidelines: His 60 percent/60 minute rule – listen to MP3 Players and iPods for “about an hour a day and at levels below 60 percent of maximum volume.” The problem is, most of the population using headphones – young music fans – listen to their music for much longer than one hour per day. But, you can help minimize hearing loss, damage and problems while listening to your favorite music as long as you want to – the secret is in the headphones.

Headphones such as the EX29 Extreme Isolation Noise Reduction Headphones help block out external noise allowing you to hear the fine details of your music without blowing out your ear drums. The ear cup fits over the ear, and not in it, and the headphones are lightweight, don’t require batteries and can be used with your MP3 Player or iPod. With 29 decibels of isolation from outside sound, the quiet headphones block outside noise and there is no need to crank the volume of your music.

Aging rock stars like the Who’s Pete Townsend, who has some permanent hearing loss from years of exposure to loud music, and Mick Fleetwood, who has teamed up with Energizer batteries to promote hearing loss prevention, have brought public attention to the fact that many of us take our hearing for granted. But there’s no need to turn off your music – just be smarter about how you listen to it. If you are using your MP3 Player or iPod when you’re exercising, in a noisy environment or you just want to hear the fine details of your music, ditch the earbud headphones and reach for a set of noise reduction ones instead. And you’ll be enjoying your favorite music for a long time to come.

Georgia

Victor Thomas asked:




Portable MP3 Players have taken the world by storm primarily owing to its compact size, solid-state technology and large memory capacity. MP3 Players enjoy distinct advantages compared to portable music players chiefly because there is no room for MP3 players missing whether the user is taking a bumpy car ride, having a jog or cycling on an uneven road or path. All your favourite MP3 songs or other audible forms of media can be normally stored in Flash Memory systems that is either built-in on the Sony Memory Stick, Compact Flash cards or SmartMedia – the same type of cards & sticks we use for digital cameras and that can also be operated with the portable MP3 players in the same manner.

The process of preparing MP3 files has become quite simple these days. First, MP3 files are prepared on a PC by either downloading songs form the Internet, compressing music from a CD format or producing its original source on MP3 software. You can then download the files through the computer’s USB port or parallel port straight away into the MP3 Player or reader or removable drive that accepts the card/stick of choice. Most portable players nowadays are packed with software programs to facilitate the process of downloading.

Compared to CD Players, Portable MP3 Players have solid state memory that determines the amount of data they can store. You can make use of the compression format for compressing a 32MB stored on a CD to 1.6MB that can be stored on a MP3 Player. Therefore, even a low-cost portable MP3 can hold roughly about 4 hours of quality music.

If you are going to use the portable MP3 Player in moving vehicles or carry it around while you are jogging, cycling or walking – a model that has a microdrive is a welcome option. Microdrives like hardrives are used in PCs but they are much smaller.

Similar to a regular hard drive there is a chance of occurrence of a skip in case the MP3 player is jostled. But compared to flash drive, MIicrodrives have the advantages of both storage capacity and is much economical. Like a Flash drive, Microdrives can carry anywhere from 10 to 15 times media clearly making the portable MP3 Player a musical powerhouse.

Jesus

thegadgetshow asked:

On this Critical List, the team look at ultra-portable mp3 players, including the Samsung K5, the iPod Shuffle and the SwiMp3

Lewis

winterized asked:


I have a Sandisk Sansa e260, and I usually load it up with speeches that I don’t need to hear more than once. But there is no way to delete the MP3s that I’m done listening to unless I hook the Sansa up to a computer.

I’d rather just delete the file right there on the device.

Are there any inexpensive MP3 players that can do this?

RICARDO