With so many MP3 players available today, in so many shapes, sizes, colors, and electronic capabilities, just how do you go about choosing an MP3 player that will meet your needs?

Even with your own consumer research completed, you might feel insecure right up to the moment you are about to checkout your shopping cart.

One method to help narrow down the choices is to focus on how you plan to use your MP3 player. What type of role do you see your MP3 player taking in your daily activities?

 Will your MP3 player be your training assistant, your kick in the pants that you need to stick to your fitness regime? If so, you probably want a lightweight and durable MP3 player.  Since you will be in motion, you won't want any moving parts in your player.  As long as the song capacity lasts as long as your workout schedule, then the flash MP3 player is the one for you. Their compact size and lack of moving parts make these ideal as gym buddies. How small you want your MP3 player will be, and what accessories you'll need for your sport, will help you decide which one to get. For example, joggers might find it useful to have their MP3 player on an armband.

Will your MP3 player be your trip partner?If you're always on the go, whether it's a short commute or a long trip, you might want to go with the better storage capacity of a hard-drive MP3 player, to avoid listening to the same music over and over. This is particularly true if you don't travel with a laptop containing your music library. High-capacity hard-drive MP3 players are ideal for these situations. Although not ultra-compact, they are small enough to fit in your pocket or a purse or other bag. Most hard-drive MP3 players come with multimedia capabilities, a real plus.  Depending on the bumpiness of the ride, you might want to consider models with an anti-skip audio feature.

Will your MP3 player be your personal librarian? If you are going to listen to digital audio books, it makes sense to go with the lowest MP3 compression rate that meets your audio standards, in order to conserve on memory space. Since hard-drive MP3 players have higher memory capacities in general, this is probably  your best choice.  You will need to pause and continue on each audio book, so look for this function.  You should also buy an MP3 player with the ability to sort files.  And also be sure your MP3 player is compatible with the company from which you obtain your digital audio books.

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