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April 22, 2006

How to Buy a Flash-Based MP3 Player

The flash-based MP3 player market has gotten fairly complex, thanks to an ever-changing cast of characters and an explosion of new features. But there is a path through the maze, and it begins with understanding what you need, what you want, and what you're willing to spend.

Let's start with what you need: something that works with whatever computer you have. If you have a Windows-based PC, all players are compatible, including Apple iPods. If you have a Mac, you've got two options: an iPod, or a device that is USB Mass Storage Class–compliant (USB MC), meaning it can be plugged into a computer without software installation and be managed via drag-and-drop. Many popular players work only with Windows Media Player (WMP) on machines running Windows, and some USB MC players can work with WMP as well.

You should also consider how tech-savvy you (or the person you're buying for) are. There are no-fuss-no-muss players that you simply take out of the box, plug in to your computer, and drag music onto; then there are players that require a little bit of fiddling around with software like iTunes or Windows Media Player—and in some cases, with additional proprietary software. USB MC players are best for nontechies who don't have huge music collections. Of course, iPods are also very easy to use, thanks to their excellent integration with iTunes. Devices that work only with Windows Media Player tend to be somewhat more challenging to manage because the hardware/software integration isn't as polished.

If you plan on using online download or subscription services like Napster and Yahoo! Music Unlimited, you need a player that is compatible with Microsoft's PlaysForSure (aka Windows Media DRM 10). Note, too, that tracks purchased from Apple's iTunes Music Store will work only on iPods.

Right Hear, Right Now
It's best to figure out in advance how much listening you plan to do per day and how long you're likely to have to go in between charges. Some MP3 players use alkaline batteries, which may be the best solution for those who are away from computers or outlets for extended periods of time. Also, many players don't come with an AC adapter, so you have to charge them via a PC's USB port. The average player gets between 12 and 16 hours of battery life, though a few can go for several days before running out of juice.

Next, figure out what you want in terms of physical size, capacity, and features. (If you don't care about how big or what shape the player is, skip directly to capacity.) Style mavens will want something thin and sleek like the iPod nano or Samsung Yepp YP-Z5 that can slip into any pocket without ruining the lines of your clothes.

Flash players' capacity currently tops out at 4GB with the lone exception of SanDisk's 6GB player. Unless you use your MP3 player only at, say, the gym, you'll probably want at least 1GB of storage space. The general belief is that you can fit 250 songs per gigabyte, but this depends entirely on the quality of your music files. In real-world usage, you can expect from 200 to 225 songs per gigabyte.

The iPod nano and iPod shuffle aren't the most feature-rich players out there, but they do what they do very well in terms of sound quality and ease of use. That said, the sound quality of most MP3 players is more than adequate, though I do run across some that just don't cut it. Ease of use is another matter: Apple's click wheel is still king, though manufacturers like iriver are looking to change that with some interesting new designs. I dislike the little joysticks and touchpads on many players because they're just not very precise; I prefer buttons, with very few exceptions.

Aside from music playback, the three most important extra features for many users are photo/video playback, recording, and FM radio. Handy features like photo playback, FM radio, and voice recording are quickly becoming standard on MP3 players, as are less-useful features such as line-in recording. If you like to watch movie trailers or other short video clips, there are a host of video-capable flash players, though none of them have impressed me with the quality and smoothness of video (not to mention that the screens tend towards the eye-squintingly tiny). Language learners and aspiring musicians may want to look for other niche features like A-B repeat, which lets you loop a section of a song or audiobook.

Right on Tracks
All digital music players can play MP3 files, which is sufficient for most users. Be aware, however, that iPods won't play WMAs, and very few non-Apple players play AAC files (and none but iPods play protected AAC tracks). If you're concerned with getting the best sound quality possible, and you're planning to upgrade the player's headphones for something better, you may want your player to support a lossless compression format like Apple Lossless (iPods only), FLAC (supported by a few non-Apple players), or WMA Lossless (supported only by a small handful of Windows Mobile-based players).

The most important consideration for many is price. If you're looking for something for $100 or less, you've got plenty of options; you can expect few extras and a capacity of 1GB or less. For around $150, you can get a player with lots of extra features, and at $200 you start moving into the higher capacities like 2GB and up. The highest-capacity flash-based players cost $250 to $299, and I'm not expecting those prices to drop very much before the end of this year.

Your best bet for getting the biggest bang for your buck, of course, is to read PC Magazine's MP3 player reviews and use our online comparison tool to see the differences among players side-by-side. And nothing beats going to your local electronics shop and checking out your potential purchase in person before plunking down your hard-earned cash.

Below are three of the best flash-based MP3 players I've seen so far. The iPod nano (up to 4GB) is still the winner in terms of style, ease of use, software/hardware integration, and sound quality. The Samsung Yepp YP-Z5 (up to 4GB) is very similar to the iPod nano in design and pricing. Its controls aren't quite perfect, but it does offer PlaysForSure support—as well as impressive 30-hour battery life. While not offered in the large capacities of the other two, the Cowon iAudio U3 (up to 2GB) blows them away on extra features. (And it is now PlaysForSure-compatible via a recent firmware upgrade.) The iPod nano has a constellation of optional accessories available for it to add in other functions like FM radio, and accessories for the Z5 are starting to appear as well. Find out what else distinguishes these flash-based MP3 players from one another in our comparison table.

If you're looking for a little flash in your life, one of these MP3 players could be right up your alley. Read on to find one that fits your listening needs.

Posted by pajaro at April 22, 2006 5:16 PM