The take-your-music-with-you trend

A brief history of portable music players (through the eyes of the author)

by Paul Lima

I was eight years old when my parents bought me my first transistor radio, a Flavor Radio — Cherry Red — from Radio Shack. The sound was scratchy but I loved it. When I went to bed, I’d surreptitiously plug in the earphone and listen to rock and roll, baseball or hockey games. Of course, I’d fall asleep with the radio on and wake up to the sound of silence, my batteries having died.

Fast forward a couple of decades. I was working for an electronics retailer when the Walkman hit the market. It was incredibly small but packed big sound. Still, if you wanted to listen to a variety of music, you had to lug along a stack of cassette tapes. And, of course, if you listened to it for too long, the batteries would die.

Fast forward again. For our daughter’s 10th birthday, my wife and I bought her a portable CD player. The sound was excellent, but the CD was prone to skipping. If you wanted to travel with it, you’d have to load up on CDs. And, of course, if you listened to it for too long, the batteries would die.

Three years later, we bought our daughter a portable digital music player, generically known as an MP3 player. It’s much smaller than my transistor radio, the Walkman and the CD player. The sound is “better than CDs,” according to my daughter. All songs — hundreds, even thousands, with some players — are on the unit, so no lugging of CDs or tapes. Of course, if you listen to it for too long, the batteries do die, which is why we now use rechargeable batteries. Mind you, some MP3 players have up to 24 hours of battery life. And some, like Apple’s iPods, are rechargeable devices: no batteries required.

The evolution of digital audio players

Digital audio players (DAPs) are portable devices that can be used to store, organize and play audio files. Commonly referred to as MP3 players because they generally play audio files with the .MP3 extension, some DAPs include FM radio tuners and have microphones for voice recording. Many DAPs also let you listen to other audio file formats, as well as view video files and digital images.

Initially, most music played on DAPs was downloaded illegally over the Internet. The arrival of Apple Computer’s iPod in 2001, combined with the opening of the iTunes Store in 2003, created the legal music download industry.

Early DAPs had enough storage space, measured in “bytes”, to hold about 15 to 20 songs. Over time, the storage capacity expanded to dozens, then hundreds and even thousands of songs. For storage, some players use hard disks, others use flash memory cards. Flash players have no moving parts and are unlikely to stop playing if dropped. Fewer songs fit on flash memory than on hard disks, but flash memory users can store different music collections on different memory sticks. DAP owners use headphones to listen to music, although they can often connect players to car and home stereos or to computer speakers.

As DAP technology evolved, manufacturers began incorporating music players into cellphones. Today, in addition to calls, email and web surfing, many cellphones can be used to take digital pictures and to play music or videos.

Music to go

If you enjoy taking your favorite music with you, then you’re in the market for an MP3 player. Here are a few of the coolest players on the market today:

The ZEN Stone Plus MP3 player from Creative Technology has an FM radio with 32 stations that you can preset, and a clock that doubles as a stopwatch for those who like to listen to music while they work out. The key chain included lets you attach the ZEN to your keychain or belt. Or add an armband to keep it close when working out. Available in six colors, the unit is so tiny it will fit into your jeans, jacket or shirt pocket. For $69.99, the 2-gigabyte (GB) version will hold about 500 songs. You can transfer music from CDs to the ZEN Plus, a process known as ripping, and you can transfer music downloaded from the Internet.

Starting at $79.99, the ZEN V Plus is a step up. You can look at digital images and watch video clips, like music videos, as well as listening to FM radio. Available with up to 8 GB of storage (2,000 songs), the device includes a 1.5” LED screen and lets you record to it directly from a CD. You can also record notes, thoughts and meetings, using the built-in voice recorder. The easy-to-use ZEN user interface lets you quickly navigate through your music, photos and videos. And, if you want to mix business with pleasure, you can sync the player’s personal organizer with Microsoft Outlook to transfer contacts, your to-do task list and calendar appointments to this ZEN.

If you want to go crazy with music, photos and videos, the ZEN Vision W has a 4.3” widescreen display, up to 60 GB of storage space — that’s 15,000 songs or up to 240 hours of video — and includes a compact Flash slot to transfer photos directly from your digital camera. The rechargeable battery lets you play up to 13 hours of continuous music or watch 4.5 hours of movies. The optional car charger means this Zen won’t die when you’re traveling. Starts at $299.99.

More information on ZEN MP3 players: http://us.creative.com/products/static/213featured.asp.

If you’re looking for an ultra-slim MP3 player, consider the K3 MP3 from Samsung Electronics. At .27-inches thick, it fits any pocket. The one-button design lights up into a 1.8-inch LED screen to reveal a navigational menu system. In addition, a JPEG (image) viewer lets you create slideshows set to your music. With the built-in FM radio, you can catch up on news and sports. The K3 player features up to 25 hours of battery life and comes in models with 2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB of flash memory.

Most MP3 players are a solitary experience — you plug in ear buds and listen to your music. If you want to share the beat, you have to plug your unit into external speakers. However, Samsung’s K5, which has all the K3 features, boasts built-in speakers that slide out with a push of the thumb. With the speakers out, you can even use the K5 as an alarm clock and wake up to your favorite tune. Available in up to 4 GB, the K5 offers 30 hours of battery life using the earphones, or six hours in speaker mode.

Samsung’s K3 starts at $119. The K5 starts at $149.99. More information: http://www.samsung.com/products/mp3player/index.asp.

Apple is considered a leader in portable music technology, even though some of its players have had technical problems, which the company seems to have overcome. In April, Apple announced that the 100 millionth iPod had been sold, making it the fastest-selling music player in history. The iPod has also sparked an unprecedented ecosystem of over 4,000 accessories, made specifically for the iPod, that range from fashionable cases to speaker systems. More than 70 percent of 2007-model U.S. automobiles currently offer iPod connectivity.

Every iPod features seamless integration with the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com), which has over five million songs, 350 television shows and over 400 movies. The iTunes Store has sold over 2.5 billion songs, 50 million TV shows and over 1.3 million movies, making it the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store.

Apple’s iPod shuffle, with 1 GB of storage capacity for 240 songs, gets you into the groove for $79. It comes in five brilliant colors, for those who like to make musical fashion statements. You can easily set your play list on random, or “shuffle”, with the slide of a switch. You can also connect to iTunes and automatically refill your devices with random songs. As with all Apple iPods, the shuffle Click Wheel gives you one-handed navigation. It plays music up to 12 hours straight. A built-in clip lets you clip the unit to your shirtsleeve, purse strap, waistband, and so on.

The iPod nano, starting at $149, is available in 2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB models. The latter holds up to 2,000 songs. You can also play podcasts and audio books, view photos, and store contacts, your schedule and data files on it. The nano includes a 1.5-inch color display and gives you up to 24 hours of battery life. The rechargeable unit recharges to 80 percent capacity in 90 minutes. With its anodized aluminum enclosure and rounded edges, the sleek iPod nano feels smooth and cool.

Apple’s classic iPod, starting at $249, can play up to (drum roll, please) 20,000 songs on the 80 GB model. For those who don’t mind cutting their playlist down just a tad, the 30 GB model plays up to 7,500 songs. Of course, if you want more than music, you can use the iPod to watch up to 100 hours of movies and TV shows on the 2.5-inch color display. Or you can listen to podcasts and audio books, view pictures and play games such as Bejeweled, Cubis 2, Mahjong, Mini Golf, Pac-Man, Tetris, Texas hold’em and others.

You get up to 20 hours of battery life. But, remember, multimedia applications consume more power. So expect about 6.5 hours of video playback before you have to recharge the device. Because you can pack so much on the iPod, the navigation system is important, and Apple makes it easy for you to find songs, podcasts, audio books and other data using its search feature. More information: www.apple.com/itunes.

Other MP3 players include the Motorola m25 and m500, the Microsoft Zune and a variety of devices from iRiver, SanDisk, Panasonic and other companies.

Paul Lima has been a professional writer and writing instructor for over 25 years. Since 1988, he has run his own communications business and often writes clearly about the latest technology.