Buyers' Guide: Digital Music Players

Digital music players come in various guises, and it's not always easy to know the differences. We explain the main types of player.

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The mp3 music format recently celebrated its tenth birthday and in that short space of time it has revolutionised the music industry. On the way, it has spawned a global market for digital music players, none more famous than Apple’s Ipod and related offerings.

There are two main categories that players can be divided into: Flash memory-based players, which range in size from 256MB to 1GB and mini hard drive-based
models, which run from 4GB to 60GB.

Prices for a 256MB player start as low as £20 rising to around £300 for a 60GB player. In terms of songs, the difference is the ability to hold 40 on one and 15,000 on the other. If you just want something for using on-the-move, then Flash-based players are the way to go, since they are
very small and light.

The software used in many players determines how easy it is to use in terms of tracklisting and organising songs.

If you need a portable record store, then start by looking at the wide range of 4GB–6GB players and, if that’s not enough, head for the 20GB, 40GB and 60GB models. Ensure whatever you buy supports playback in different formats. The ability to
listen to FM radio and record voice is also a bonus. Most importantly, check out the battery life, since this can vary wildly between similar devices.

Recommended Digital Music Players:

Apple iPod
All the usual Ipod features but now with the ability to play video
Read review >
Check prices >

Creative Zen Nano Plus
1GB flash player that houses a radio, voice recorder and mp3 encoding from a line-in source
Read review >
Check prices >

Philips HDD6320
Limited audio format support, but it’s easy to use and both looks and sounds great
Read review > 

Apple iPod Shuffle
Small yet perfectly formed, it’s easy to use, has good sound and is set to be a big hit
Read review >
Check prices >

Iriver H340 SE
A good all-round player with a colour screen and built-in FM tuner
Check prices >

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