Why Buy an iPod or MP3 Player

1. Have you ever been driving somewhere listening tofew seconds. IPod or MP3 players have a wide
your favorite radio station and all of a sudden thecompatibility with many online subscription and
station is nothing but static or fades in and out? Quick,pay-per-download music services. Some iPod and
grab your iPod or Mp3 player! Now, you have yourMP3 players are "PlaysForSure" compatible. When
favorite music or sport at your fingertips.purchasing your player, look for this logo on the
You can choose your favorite show or music on yourpackaging. Any music download service displaying the
digital media player at a touch. No more trying to adjust"PlaysForSure" logo will work.
the radio or be distracted from watching the traffic.5. Display screen size is a personal choice and can be
2. With an iPod or MP3 player along, that much neededas varied as the players themselves. Screens can be
exercise, whether its at the gym, jogging or justas small as a 4-line graphic LCD, similar to a calculator,
staying home to exercise, will not seem so boring.to as large as 3.6" color high-resolution LCD with 320 x
Some players allow you to monitor your mileage while240 pixel resolution.
you run. The time will go faster when you are listening6. You can press a button and transfer an entire CD
to your favorite music, sport or watching a video onto your player in as little as a few minutes using the
your digital media player. Put a spring in your step whileUSB 2.0 connectivity from your PC.
cleaning your home or shopping by listening to your7. "MP3" might be the buzzword, but it's not the only
favorite tunes.digital music file format out there. Fortunately, most
3. Your iPod or MP3 player can brighten your day,online stores and digital music players support a full
regardless of your activity.range of digital file formats. Here are the more popular
4. If you play sports, for fun or professionally, you canformats in use:
record your "moves", then analyze them to see if you· ATRAC3 which stands for "Adaptive
are following through or need to make someTransform Acoustic Coding 3", WMA, MP3, ACC
adjustments.(used only used by the Apple(R) iPod (TM) ), and
What to consider before you purchase an iPod orWAV/AIFF
MP3 player· There are many additional file formats used by
Ask yourself these questions:the MP3 and iPod industry, not all of which are listed
1. Do you want your iPod or MP3 player solely forhere:
music or for others things as well?· MP3, WMA, WAV and DRM are audio formats.
2. What size iPod or MP3 player do you want?· Display formats are JPEG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, and
3. What kind of display should you select for your iPodPNG.
or MP3 player?· Image formats and AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2,
4. What memory or storage capacity do you want?MPEG-4, MPG, MPE, VOB, DAT, ADF, QuickTime
Do you want to only play music or store pictures andMOV and WMV video formats
videos as well?8. Docking cradles, power supply, AC adapters and
5. Depending on the investment you make in your iPodcables, belt clips, personal speakers, headphones/ear
or MP3, it may be upgradeable to future formats andbuds, cases, car FM stereo transmitters, lanyards, sync
features.adapters and management software are some of the
6. What about battery life for your digital media player?accessories available with iPod or MP3 players
What type batteries do you want? Disposal ofAdditional considerations are: digital audio, micro-photo,
batteries is dependant on the state or principality youFM transmitter, PC compatible and voice recorder.
live in.Depending on the iPod or MP3 player you purchase
7. Do you have a favorite color for your player?will determine which options are available and work for
8. Is price a factor when purchasing an iPod or MP3you. Options like digital audio enhances the sound
player?quality. Micro-photo players can take and display photo
When shopping for an iPod or MP3 player considerimages. Some players have voice recording options
sound quality, durability, ease of downloading music,while others are PC compatible. You can also get
cost, benefits and design.players with FM radio receivers allowing you to tune in
What functions, features and accessories areyour favorite radio station.
available?9. Some players have vertical touch pads to make
Features and capabilities will increase or decrease thenavigation easier than ever. These are micro-sized and
size of your player. Digital media players are verycurved to fit your hand, allowing for enjoyable pure
portable going anywhere with you.ergonomic comfort and bliss.
They can be as small as a pack of gum and weigh10. Removable, rechargeable batteries are used in iPod
less than a car key. Depending on the capabilities willor MP3 players, some use lithium, rechargeable
increase or decrease the size.Lithium-ion or lithium polymer rechargeable type
1. Various iPod or MP3 player system requirementsbatteries, while others use alkaline batteries. Depending
are:on how you plan to use your player will help you
· PC: Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 98 SE, ME, 2000decide how much battery your will need. A 16 to
or XP, Intel(R) Pentium(R) II 350MHz or AMD K6(R)-224-hour playing time is a good length of time before
450MHz processorneeding to recharge. Recharging your iPod or MP3
· Macintosh: USB port, Mac OS X 10.2.8 or laterplayer can also be done in various ways, with either
(Mac OS X 10.3.4 or later recommended for use withcar chargers, wall chargers and/or the USB port on
low-power USB ports)your computer.
Additional system requirements can be: Windows11. If you get tired of your stored music, tune in to your
Media Player, CD-ROM drive (for installation and importfavorite radio station with the built-in FM radio. As
or playback from CD), USB 2.0 compatibility andmany as 32 preset stations are available on some
Internet connection, (broadband suggested).iPod or MP3 players. Some players have games
2. Large memory in your iPod or MP3 player enablesalready loaded, while others allow you to download
you to store thousands of songs for music on the gogames for playing, as well.
plus thousands of photos and videos. From 120 songs12. Use the recording feature for multi-function
to 10,000 songs, photos and videos.convenience or record music from the FM tuner. With
Memory or storage capacity is measured in bytes.the built-in recorder in your iPod or MP3 player, you
The more bytes, the more songs, photos or videoscan record your baby's first words, the interview at
you can store. The K in 512 KB stands for kilobytes orthe office, or anything else that is important to you.
1,000 bytes, and 512 KB player can store around 120Record messages to yourself and play them back
songs. The G in 30 GB for gigabytes or a million,later, never again forget that anniversary gift!!
1,000,000 bytes. A 30 GB player can store up to 10,00013. Personal organizers including daily tasks list, contact
songs. Below is an example of iPod and MP3 playerslist and calendar; which easily syncs with Microsoft
and their song capacity. As you can see, the size ofOutlook, are available on Ipod and MP3 players with
the players is as diverse as what they can hold.hard drives instead of flash drives.
Flash or Hard Drive Based on 4 minutes per song14. Make your ears happy!!! Enjoy skip-free playback,
512MB - - -120 to 350 songswith custom equalizer and pre-set EQ settings, this lets
1GB - - - - - 250 to 500 songsyou get your music just the way you like it - there are
2GB - - - - - 480 to 500 songssettings for acoustic, classical, disco, house, jazz, new
4GB - - - - - 1,000 or more songsage, pop, rock and vocal at the touch of a finger.
5GB - - - - - Stores 166 hrs of music15. Ipod and MP3 players fit on your arm, in your
6GB - - - - - 1,500 songspocket, on your belt, just about anywhere. Some digital
8GB - - - - - 4,000 songsmedia players weight as little as 0.8 oz. The lightweight
20GB - - - - 5,000 - 9,000 songsof the players makes them as portable as your
30GB - - - - 7,500 songslifestyle demands.
40GB - - - - 10,000 songs16. The price of a digital media player ranges from
60GB - - - - 15,000 songs$100 to $300 depending upon the features and
3. Some players have available expansion slots.memory capabilities you choose. Digital Media players
Expansion slots are integrated receptacles for installingcome in a wide range or prices - the price range is
additional memory via a removable memory carddependant on what features and capabilities you get.
(Secure Digital, Multimedia Card, Compact Flash, etc.).Ipod and MP3 players' general price ranges vary from
Installation is simple; the card simply pushes in and clicksup to $100.00 to $300.00 or more.
into place.17. Digital media players come in many colors and a
4. Via the USB 2.0 connection from your computer,wide variety of colored cases. You can make them
you can transfer your favorite tunes from a musicas distinctive and personal as you are!
website to your iPod or MP3 player in as little as a