Portable Media Players

A music library to go

By The Vann’s Editorial Team

It's hard not to notice the number of people running around these days with headphone wires sprouting from their ears, listening to their personalized life soundtrack on their portable music players. With the amount of material readily accessible today, and with file sizes getting smaller while storage capacities get larger, it's never been easier to carry your favorite music for every mood with you wherever you go. Whether you enjoy listening to music while you're working out, riding the bus, or doing most anything, personal portable audio is the way to go.

So where do you start? After all, manufacturers everywhere are jumping on the bandwagon, coming out with digital audio players of all shapes and capacities. Well, after a certain point, it's just going to be personal preference, especially when it comes to storage space and design. But there are a couple of things to keep in mind as you're shopping for a portable audio device.

In the most general sense, there are two categories of digital audio players to ponder. iPod, which makes up a category all by itself, and the Windows-based media players that are offered by a variety of manufacturers. As many people know, Apple and Windows-based systems don't always play well together, and compatibility is often an issue. Call it annoying or call it healthy competition, but it's something of which you as consumer should be aware. Until all of these manufacturers can "just get along", you're going to have some decisions to make.

iPod — Singing Its Own Tune

iPod. Where to begin? These popular players (how's that for an understatement?) feature hard disk drives and come in a variety of sizes and with varying capabilities. From the tiny iPod nano to the roomy 60GB iPod Video, there's a model that fits most anyone's needs.

Over the years, Apple has earned a reputation for intuitive, easy-to-use products. While Apple products aren't always compatible with their Windows counterparts, by doing their own thing, they've been able to ensure that all of their products and services work together seamlessly. This is true of the iPod as well as of their other products. Apple created the iTunes Music Store to provide a place for iPod users to download music compatible with its player. But, the iPod is not compatible with digital music sites like Napster, MSN Music and other stores that sell music in the Windows Media format.

The iPod and the iTunes Music Store were literally made for each other. While it may be annoying that you can't download content from a majority of providers out there, the simplicity of the iPod/iTunes combo makes it a non-issue for many consumers. The iTunes music store offers a huge selection, not just of music, but also audiobooks and television shows. If you don't already have subscriptions or lots of files from Windows Media stores, chances are you can get everything you want from iTunes.

And while we're on the topic of everything you want, the iPod accessory list has become quite extensive. From docks that play your iPod tunes over stereo speakers to cases of every color, you can quickly spend as much accessorizing your iPod as you spend on the iPod itself. Even though the iPod isn't compatible with the majority of music stores, it is without a doubt a much-loved and respected product.

Windows of Opportunity

In a competitive marketplace, manufacturers aren't going to sit back and watch one company walk off with all the marbles. Since the iPod blasted onto the market, everyone else has been busy trying to get their fair share of the gold. Using either flash memory or hard disk storage, electronics manufacturers offer a wide variety of Windows Media format players. Available in a wide range of designs, most non-Apple digital media players have one thing in common — affording online music buyers more choices. Whether you shop Musicmatch, Wal-Mart, or any other of the growing number of online music stores, chances are your Windows Media-based player will let you load up with your favorite recorded material. Compatibility varies somewhat, but these MP3 players often support a variety of formats, including WMA, Secure WMA, MP3, asf and ogg.

The volume of content available for download for these players is seemingly never-ending, coming from any of a large number of sources. While this is comforting, the fact that there are many manufactures and many content providers means that things don't always match up as effortlessly as the all-Apple option. You don't need to have an electronics engineering degree to figure it out, but you may have to go through several steps to load up your player.

If you already have subscriptions or music downloaded from a Windows Media store, one of these players may be the option for you because you won't have to start over and can avoid buying the same music twice. Many of these players also add value by including radio tuners, voice recorders, stop watches, and other functions that you may find useful.

Let The Music Play

A lot of your decision has to do with personal preference and what exactly you plan on using your portable audio device for. If you have a Windows system and don't want to be limited as to where your content comes from, you'll probably be happier with the Windows Media-based player. And if you already have content that falls under the Windows Media umbrella, an iPod purchase may mean that you won't be able to use that content. You may have to go through a little more effort to get it all up and running, but that's a small price to pay if you really appreciate freedom of choice in choosing online music stores.

If, however, you're attracted to the iPod for its intuitive operation or sleek design, and don't care to spend time shopping around the various online music stores, you may want to go for it and enjoy easy integration with the iTunes Music Store.

Of course, a lot of people use MP3 players as a place to gather all the material from their CD collection, and don't purchase all that much music over the internet. If you're one of them, you're basically free from the digital audio format wars, and can go any direction you'd like. All iPods and Windows Media-based players should easily load and play back content from CDs you've transferred to your computer.

Hopefully this will help make your portable audio purchase a little easier. If you know what you're getting, there won't be any unexpected surprises in store, and you can concentrate on the important stuff. Like creating your own, personal, ultimate playlist.