People have been able to take music with them wherever they go for almost 90 years – but it wasn’t always convenient. Battery-operated transistor radios were better, but you were limited to whatever stations you could pick up. Today, MP3 players offer a world of musical choices, letting you customize your playlists and share them with speakers.
This is the beauty of such a device. You can download an entire album, or create your own custom playlists, depending on your own individual tastes and inclinations.
There are numerous makes and models of MP3 players to choose from. The amount of memory also varies, and this is a significant issue: the more memory you have, the larger your playlist can be. The good news is that MP3 files are relatively small, so even a player that does not have a lot of memory can provide you with a large playlist. You can determine the order in which these play, though by default they’ll play in the order in which they are loaded.
In addition you have a wide range of choices regarding the look of the device itself. You might want a very small device that can easily be concealed or you may want something a little larger that you will be able to easily read the display.
It should be noted that many of today’s cell phones have MP3 playing capability. You can upload your music and listen either through the phone’s own speaker or with a pair of headphones. Of course, MP3 files can also be played using any personal computer or laptop. For a PC, the Windows Media Player or RealPlayer is most common; on the MacOS, QuickTime player usually handles this task.
Issues to consider when deciding what to buy include cost; MP3 players can be gotten for under $20, or may cost over $250 and more, depending on how much memory comes installed and other factors. Another thing to consider is other formats that may or may not be supported (such as .wma, .wav or even .mid). MP3 is almost universal, but if you want to be able to play music in other formats, you’ll probably need special software.
Find out ahead of time what accessories are included and which you’ll have to pay extra for. One of the things you’ll need is a USB cable if you plan to upload and download files from your PC or a laptop, which plugs into the USB slot. Otherwise, you won’t get much use out of it.
Find out of the MP3 player includes headphones. Most of them come equipped with a small pair. If not, you will need to find a compatible pair on your own.
Should you desire to play your MP3s for others when entertaining, you’ll need a pair of speakers as well. Most of these are battery operated for maximum portability. Get the best pair you can afford if you don’t want to have to change batteries every other day.
To find the best devices for entertaining, including MP3 players and more, consult personal technology expert Anne Harvester, whose articles appear here regularly.