This category of players uses a different type of memory than the hard drive players. As opposed to using a spinning magnetic disc, this device uses sta-tionary media similar to RAM to store the files. The player accesses the songs from this memory and plays them back. The memory can either be stored in the device or added to the player via an external card.
In some respects, these types of players are similar to hard drive portable audio players. You connect them to a computer via a USB or FireWire cable, and you transfer files to them via either your media player or the portable audio player’s proprietary software. That’s about where the similarities end, though. In many other aspects, these are totally different animals. A flash memory audio player is shown in Figure 9-2.
Benefits
These are usually the smallest players available on the market. Because they don’t use memory that takes up a large amount of physical space, it’s possi-ble to condense the players to a couple inches in size. If you don’t want to worry about carrying something large around with you, this type of player could work for you.
Flash memory is also very durable. You should be able to move the player around and jostle it without fear of it skipping or getting damaged. Computers can also access it like any other memory. If the player allows it, you can put files on it in a manner similar to the hard drive portable media players. Finally, flash memory can easily be increased. If the player allows the use of smart cards or other removable memory, you can put over 1GB of additional memory on the player and carry around that much more music.
These players also cost less than the hard drive portable audio players.
Whereas hard drive players usually start at around $200, flash players begin at less than $100. If you’re just concerned with getting into portable digital audio for a smaller amount of money, this type of player should work for you.
Drawbacks
While the flash portable audio player is small and portable, it also offers the least amount of built-in memory. At this writing, the internal memory of a flash player tops out at about 512MB, and most players start out with 64–128MB.
Some have the expansion slots I talked about earlier, but even with those slots, this type of player pales in comparison to the storage space offered by the hard drive players. This is okay if you only want to carry around a few albums’ worth of music with you, but you’ll be disappointed if you digitize your entire collection.
Because they’re small and compact, flash players may be a little harder to control than the larger hard drive players. The controls and screens are smaller, and it could be a difficult go for those of us with poor vision or big sausage fingers (like me). They can also feel a little less stable than the hard drive players just because they are made more inexpensively.
These players tend to offer fewer features than the hard drive players. Don’t expect to find any calendar functions or games on this type of player. This is a device devoted only to playing music, and space allows for little of anything else. The small size also means that you probably won’t get an internal recharge able battery with the player. You’ll have to keep buying AA or AAA batteries to power your device.
Who this player is made for
Flash players are a natural marriage with the active lifestyle. The small size and weight make it perfect for those on the move, and because it’s likely to be used for only a couple hours at a time in those situations, the smaller memory isn’t likely to be a factor. You spend more time shuttling files back and forth between the player and the computer, but that’s a small price to pay for the other benefits.
MP3 CD Players
You’ve seen a portable CD player before, and these types of portable audio players look like their regular counterparts. However, this type of player has additional capabilities beyond the standard player. The MP3 CD player can still play regular audio CDs, but it can also play data CDs that carry digital audio files. At 700MB per CD, you can hold the entire catalog of some artists on one CD. This vastly improves the amount of music you can carry with you at one time.
Some players (mainly those made by Sony) use a format called MiniDisc, or MD. These discs are significantly smaller than CDs and use a different encod-ing scheme, but you can still store a great deal of music on these discs. It’s also easier to carry a larger number of small discs around.
MiniDisc is a proprietary format of Sony. You might see small CDs floating around that play in regular CD players — these are not MiniDiscs. They’re just smaller CDs that hold less data and are often distributed as novelty or promotional items. If it doesn’t say MiniDisc on it, it’s not playable in a Sony MiniDisc player.
Benefits
The MP3 CD player can be the least expensive portable digital audio player.
Models start at under $40, and even the most expensive models usually top out at about $100. If you’re comfortable with portable CD players and want to get going with digital audio at the smallest price, this is the way to go.
You also don’t need to install proprietary software on your computer to use the MP3 CD player. Just burn the files to disc and you’re ready to go. You’re also only limited by the amount of CDs you can carry around with you. Put 20 CDs in a binder, and you have 14GB worth of storage.
These players can also handle either audio or data CDs. You can carry around a data CD full of digital audio, but you also don’t have to wait until you get home and digitize an audio CD to listen to it. This is a versatile player when it comes to dealing with CDs.
Drawbacks
These are the largest players on the market, simply because they have to accommodate a CD or MiniDisc to function. This size is coupled with the fact that to gain the benefits of increased variety, you have to carry around more discs. This can get bulky, and you can still lose music that you don’t have backed up on some other source.
These players often offer skip protection — that is, the player reads ahead and stores music so that if the disc starts skipping, it can continue playback uninterrupted for a minute or two. Still, if you’re very active or in a place where a lot of vibration exists, this could be less than adequate. This type of player is more likely to skip or stall than the other players.
CDs can also be easily damaged compared to flash or hard drive storage.
Normal use can result in scratches or smudges, which can cause playback problems. Unless you’re careful, you may end up cleaning the CDs or skip-ping scratched tracks. MP3 CD files can carry song information with them, but it’s more difficult to transmit the playlists or other track configurations with them. You’re pretty much stuck with the order the files are burned in, coupled with a shuffle or random play function.
Who this player is made for
If you don’t mind size or carrying around multiple discs, this is an inexpen-sive way to listen to digital audio files. Also, if you’re already familiar with portable CD players and want to stick with that design, you can retain that familiarity with these players.