Music on the move is something we all treasure. But how do you pick the right MP3/MP4 player for the best audio experience that can make you forget the elbowing in buses, and wash away the stress of the longest and most tiring day? Here's how…MP3 players are all about player performance, sound quality and battery life. Now this is common knowledge but just to refresh, all MP3 players can play other file formats too such as WMA, ATRAC3, OGG, or AAC.

Firstly, what you need to figure out is the kind of user you are and why you need the MP3 player. Is it for daily commute, is it your workout companion or is it your travel mate? Accordingly, the type of player you want will differ. While there are dime-a-dozen devices that incorporate the MP3 feature such as mobile phones, digital cameras, car stereos that can playback MP3 files, it is always better to go for dedicated MP3 players as only these can deliver optimum sound quality. Serious audiophiles always prefer the dedicated MP3 player over the hybrid types.

One leg above the MP3 device is the portable media player, popularly known as the PMP, capable of playing both audio and video files. These players also offer video recording feature, especially for those who have a penchant to record and watch movies and their favorite TV shows everywhere they go.


TYPES OF PLAYERS

Hard drive-based players
These are high-capacity players that can store just about every song you've ever heard as well as plenty of those you've never heard. Hard drive memory starts from 20 GB; some large-capacity players also store 60 GB worth music, which means you are easily looking at around 15,000 songs.

Micro hard drive-based players
These are a hybrid of the hard drive and flash type – these come with a miniature hard drive, with about 8 GB capacity, and are much lighter than regular hard drive-based players.

Flash-based players
These are known for their shockproof operations as well as extremely compact bodies. Players in this category range in capacity from 32 MB to about 6 GB.


FEATURES TO CONSIDER

Storage
This is really critical for those of you who like their quality in large quantities. Hard drive-based players have maximum storage—60 GB. Flash-based players provide around 8 GB memory and the affordable options offer about 1 or 2 GB.

File management
MP3 players use the ID3 tags through which embedded information such as artist, song title and album is provided to the player. However, different players organize this data differently. Since most players come with an in-built LCD screen, solving the mystery of data organization won’t be too difficult.

Transfer speed/port type
Most MP3 players use the USB 2.0, which is much faster for download and transfer of audio files. Most MP3 players require you have a PC with a USB 1.1 or 2.0 port.

FM Radio
Most MP3 players, except iPods from Apple come with an inbuilt FM Radio and some with FM Recorder as well. There are also players which come with Voice Recording facility.

Software
All MP3 players come with bundled software that allows you to download songs from a PC. However, there are players that work with a variety of other programs as well.

LCD screen
How important is an LCD screen for a music player? Very Large screens helps you to organize and look for the audio file you want to play more easily than players with puny screens. This is specially required if you want to view videos in the player.