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How to buy an MP3 player
By Brandon Gee
Size matters
Your Mp3 player's size - in terms of how much music it can store and how it stores it - will be the biggest deciding factor. Memory size is measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB). There are roughly 1000 megabytes in a gigabyte and the average song is about 4MB.
Hard drive-based
These models range from 20GB to 60GB. They are the biggest and heaviest of Mp3 players, but will usually still fit in a pocket. They are ideal if you want to store your entire music collection, and the larger models tend to be multimedia devices that can also hold photos and videos. They run from a low of £130 to over £500.
Micro hard drive-based
These are smaller, with a maximum memory of around 20GB. Bottom-shelf models can be found for as low as £50, but you'll most likely be looking in the £100-£150 range.
Flash-based
These models have no moving parts inside, making them perfect for people who want to listen to music while exercising, because they can be jostled without skipping tracks. Prices start as low as £13 for 128MB (32 songs) - the largest flash model is the iPod Nano 4GB (1,000 songs), which starts at around £170. Flash models are typically cheaper, but you'll pay more per megabyte of space.
Compatibility
Competition between online music stores such as iTunes and Napster has led to a 'format war'. This means that Apple iPods, for example, are the only Mp3 players that can play songs bought from Apple iTunes. So make sure your player is compatible with the music store you want to use.
Accessories
The market for these is almost as big as for the players. There's a huge variety of cases available to protect your player (see Take 3, left). FM transmitters hook onto your player to transmit music through your car or home stereo. Voice recorders connect to your player to record voice memos, interviews or lectures. Remotes clip onto the headphones cord and allow you to control the player without taking it out of your bag or pocket.
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