How to Buy a Flash-Based MP3 Player.

The Flash drive/ USB flash drive ,we use it for storing data with the capacity up to few GB.it's a portable back up device used for storage and transportation of data and applications.How about the Flash device come with the MP3 function?It store data at the mean time it a mp3 player.The flash-based MP3 player .

Intro by:e.elvin

They are the choice for listening to personal music, hours of it.. With no delicate moving parts, flash mp3 players can withstand the most rigorous workouts

How to Buy a Flash-Based MP3 Player- by Michael Kobrin

The flash-based MP3 player market has gotten fairly complex, thanks to an ever-changing cast of characters and an explosion of new features. But there is a path through the maze, and it begins with understanding what you need, and what you're willing to spend.

Let's start with what you need: something that works with whatever computer you have. If you have a Windows-based PC, all players are compatible, including Apple iPods. If you have a Mac, you've got two options: an iPod, or a device that is USB Mass Storage Class–compliant (USB MC), meaning it can be plugged into a computer without software installation and be managed via drag-and-drop. Many popular players work only with Windows Media Player (WMP) on machines running Windows, and some USB MC players can work with WMP as well.

You should also consider how tech-savvy you (or the person you're buying for) are. There are no-fuss-no-muss players that you simply take out of the box, plug in to your computer, and drag music onto; then there are players that require a little bit of fiddling around with software like iTunes or Windows Media Player—and in some cases, with additional proprietary software. USB MC players are best for nontechies who don't have huge music collections. Of course, iPods are also very easy to use, thanks to their excellent integration with iTunes. Devices that work only with Windows Media Player tend to be somewhat more challenging to manage because the hardware/software integration isn't as polished.

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If you plan on using online download or subscription services like Napster and Yahoo! Music Unlimited, you need a player that is compatible with Microsoft's PlaysForSure (aka Windows Media DRM 10). Note, too, that tracks purchased from Apple's iTunes Music Store will work only on iPods.

Right Hear, Right Now It's best to figure out in advance how much listening you plan to do per day and how long you're likely to have to go in between charges. Some MP3 players use alkaline batteries, which may be the best solution for those who are away from computers or outlets for extended periods of time. Also, many players don't come with an AC adapter, so you have to charge them via a PC's USB port. The average player gets between 12 and 16 hours of battery life, though a few can go for several days before running out of juice.

Next, figure out what you want in terms of physical size, capacity, and features. (If you don't care about how big or what shape the player is, skip directly to capacity.) Style mavens will want something thin and sleek like the iPod nano or Samsung Yepp YP-Z5 that can slip into any pocket without ruining the lines of your clothes.

Flash players' capacity currently tops out at 4GB with the lone exception of SanDisk's 6GB player. Unless you use your MP3 player only at, say, the gym, you'll probably want at least 1GB of storage space. The general belief is that you can fit 250 songs per gigabyte, but this depends entirely on the quality of your music files. In real-world usage, you can expect from 200 to 225 songs per gigabyte.

The iPod nano and iPod shuffle aren't the most feature-rich players out there, but they do what they do very well in terms of sound quality and ease of use. That said, the sound quality of most MP3 players is more than adequate, though I do run across some that just don't cut it. Ease of use is another matter: Apple's click wheel is still king, though manufacturers like iriver are looking to change that with some interesting new designs. I dislike the little joysticks and touchpads on many players because they're just not very precise; I prefer buttons, with very few exceptions.

Aside from music playback, the three most important extra features for many users are photo/video playback, recording, and FM radio. Handy features like photo playback, FM radio, and voice recording are quickly becoming standard on MP3 players, as are less-useful features such as line-in recording. If you like to watch movie trailers or other short video clips, there are a host of video-capable flash players, though none of them have impressed me with the quality and smoothness of video (not to mention that the screens tend towards the eye-squintingly tiny). Language learners and aspiring musicians may want to look for other niche features like A-B repeat, which lets you loop a section of a song or audiobook.

Right on Tracks All digital music players can play MP3 files, which is sufficient for most users. Be aware, however, that iPods won't play WMAs, and very few non-Apple players play AAC files (and none but iPods play protected AAC tracks). If you're concerned with getting the best sound quality possible, and you're planning to upgrade the player's headphones for something better, you may want your player to support a lossless compression format like Apple Lossless (iPods only), FLAC (supported by a few non-Apple players), or WMA Lossless (supported only by a small handful of Windows Mobile-based players).