The beauty of MP3 players is that there are so many different types to choose from, based on your needs and wants, budget and design preferences. Understanding the different types of MP3 players is an important step in deciding which type best fits your needs.
o Flash Memory MP3 Players: The most common MP3 player, the Flash Memory Player is the smallest and lightest of the different types of players. There are no moving parts inside a Flash Memory Player and they are also quite affordable. Most Flash Players only store about 1 GB of memory, but this still supplies you with 17 hours of listening power. There are current efforts being made to increase flash players to 2 GB and higher to increase listening capacity. If you only need to listen to a limited amount of music, flash players would be a good fit for you, as their batteries last longer because of the player’s size.
o Hard Drive MP3 Players: Although Hard Drive Players store considerably more files, they are a bit larger and are therefore heavier and don’t last as long on batteries. These devices can store an entire music collection, or up to 120 GB. These players are the work horses of MP3 Players and give you a big bang for your buck.
o MP3 CD: If you feel more comfortable with the way things used to work and tend to resist change, you can still get the benefit of listening to customized MP3 files while playing them in a portable CD player. Basically, this type of MP3 player plays Mp3 files that have been burned to a CD-R/RW disc. These CDs can hold about 10 hours of music, and a CD burner is required to have in order to burn the MP3 files off of your computer onto the CD. The advantage of this apparatus is the price. It is cheaper but does run the risk of skipping your music and is much larger than the other types of MP3 players.