1. Mostly, I listen to my tuneage:
a. On the “L” to work.
b. I drive to work, so it’s at the gym or during my run.
2. My music collection is:
a. Vast and constantly growing.
b. Big enough. Besides, music has been weak since Cobain/Tupac died.
3. The following is true most of the time:
a. I don’t leave the house without my purse/messenger bag/backpack.
b. I hate carrying extra stuff around with me.
If you chose “A” most often, you’re better off with a multigigabyte MP3 player such as an Apple iPod or a Sony Network Walkman. They have hard drives that can carry up to 40 gigabytes of music in a device that fits in the palm of your hand.
If you’re a “B” kind of person, you’re a perfect candidate for a flash MP3 player. Slightly bigger than a AA battery, a flash player doesn’t have moving parts, so it can handle your toughest workout while strapped comfortably to your arm. But they can hold only up to 1 gb of music.
But here’s the deal: If you don’t need an MP3 player as a workout buddy, spend the extra bucks for a hard-drive MP3 player. You’ll get more musical mileage out of them (they hold thousands of songs, as opposed to hundreds in a flash player) and you will be less likely to hear the same tunes over and over.
If you’re stepping up to a hard-drive player, go the 20 gb route. That’s more than three weeks’ worth of music, if you listened 24 hours straight every day and to every tune. For most people, anything more than that is overkill.
Here are six 20 gb hard drive players to check out.
SONY NETWORK WALKMAN
COST: $400
SIZE: 2.5 x 3.5 x 0.5 inches
WEIGHT: 3.88 ounces
BATTERY LIFE: Up to 30 hours
PROS: Great battery life.
CONS: It’s awfully pricey.
iRIVER
COST: $330
SIZE: 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.75 inches
WEIGHT: 5.6 ounces
BATTERY LIFE: Up to 16 hours
PROS: The included remote displays song info; can record live concerts; built-in FM radio.
CONS: The type on the screen is small and hard to read.
APPLE iPod
COST: $299
SIZE: 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches
WEIGHT: 5.6 ounces
BATTERY LIFE: Up to 12 hours
PROS: Timeless style; works with Mac or PC; records in MP3 and WAV formats, as well as Apple Lossless. Works elegantly with iTunes Music Store, which is still the top dog in online music stores.
CONS: If you rebel against icons, you can heed Apple’s old line: Think different.
SAMSUNG YP-920
COST: $300
SIZE: 4.2 x 2.4 x 0.65 inches
WEIGHT: 6 ounces
BATTERY LIFE: Up to 10 hours
PROS: Hooks up to Napster 2.0 online music store.
CONS: If you don’t use Windows 2000 or XP, you’re out of luck.
RIO KARMA
COST: $300
SIZE: 3 x 2.7 x 1.1 inches
WEIGHT: 5 ounces
BATTERY LIFE: Up to 15 hours
PROS: It’s small, light and highly portable.
CONS: Designed for one-handed use, it’ll have lefties feeling like afterthoughts.
RCA LYRA RD2850
COST: $350
SIZE: 3.25 x 2.8 x 0.9 inches
WEIGHT: 11 ounces
BATTERY LIFE: Up to 12 hours
PROS: The MusicMatch Jukebox software makes it easy to organize and create playlists.
CONS: The navigation controls on the front take some getting used to. Pressing the “select” bar on the left or the right didn’t come naturally, but after some practice, it was a breeze.
