Second-generation flash media based MP3 players are at an impressive price point right now. AFAIK, major players in the portable audio market like Creative are looking to move to miniature hard drive models since flash media is reaching certain price/offered space barriers. In short, it's a really good time to invest in a 128MB-capable MP3 player to take with you.
I personally think you should look at articles like the
Portable USB MP3 Player Roundup at Neoseeker and get a feel for what 2nd-gen player you might want to pick up. I'll run over a few quick points, though.
- All of these 2nd-gen models connect using the USB port and only take about 10 seconds per song during download. Obviously, make sure your computer can support USB transfers.
- Know that on buying any MP3 player, you'll soon also be investing in a rechargable battery package. That is unless you want the cost of batteries to quickly equal the cost of your MP3 player itself.
- Sound quality is not superb across all MP3 players, but the 2nd-gens have mostly worked out all of their troubles. There are still some stars and some duds, though. Be wary of no-names.
- Flash media is expensive, but not as expensive as HDD-based models. Thus if you've got large CompactFlash cards lying around from your digital camera, maybe tailor your search for CF-based MP3 players? (Not many out there.)
- You'll quickly find MP3 player user reviews littered with comments like "it broke after 3 days." This is a load of bull perpetrated by the same numbskulls and repeated by the have-nots. For the most part you only break it by being extremely rough with it.
I picked up a
Creative Nomad II which is SmartMedia based, supports 128MB cards and is pretty damn slick.
They're being discontinued so if you want one, get on that in a hurry...
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