Grooveshark

Buying a portable music player has several advantages over purchasing a dog–few of which are applicable to this article.

No moving parts, the ability to download music from your computer and listening to select songs rather than entire albums are just a few reasons to purchase a portable digital music player. Other reasons include not being a loser, being able to tune out annoying co-workers and the option to ride the bus in creepy, self-induced solitude.

The reasons for buying a a digital music player are obvious. But which one to get is the question. Other than purchasing an iPod for the sole reason that everyone else has one, it’s not easy to know what’s important when choosing a portable digital music player.

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Here are a few factors to keep in mind:

Price

How much cold, hard cash you drop on a portable digital music player directly correlates to the amount of gold encasing those vital little electronics inside. In the world of digital music players, you get what you pay for. Besides paying for the name on the side of the player, digital music players go up in price as the player goes down in size and up in storage capacity. The key is to find the right balance by sacrificing the features that mean little to you and splurging on the ones that do matter. If you want my suggestion, be willing to spend a little more than you originally planned. It’s better to be happy with what you get than to cut corners and be disappointed from the beginning.

Size

Go small or don’t go at all. Players are getting smaller by the second. Think for a moment about the original iPod. Can you think of anyone who still sports one of those giant bricks? Probably not, because in today’s world, they are too big to even be considered portable.

Purpose

If you plan on using your portable music player to exercise with, get something with an armband, which allows you to quickly change out songs and is water resistant. There’s no need to buy the top of the line, ridiculously expensive, largest capacity player if you only plan on using it during your once-a-week 10-minute “jogging” session.

Capacity

Holding half a million songs sounds like a great feature for a music player, but is it really necessary? Most people usually listen to the same 20 songs over and over again anyway. And if you can switch out songs whenever you’re around a computer, why opt for more space when you could emphasize the features that really matter the most to you?

Compatibility

Please don’t go out and buy a PC only digital music player if you own a Mac computer. Also, don’t forget to consider the software necessary to upload and download music for your player. When looking to purchase music online, check out the sites the player is compatible with (note: Or just use Grooveshark, which is compatible with all players).

Player Design

Be sure to check out the buttons, navigation, and screen size before purchasing your player. It’s comparable to switching between a Motorola and Nokia cell phone. If you get something you’re not comfortable with, you’ll spend the first month complaining about your new digital music player instead of listening to music. The same goes for screen size. If you’re used to having a big display, don’t get something without a display at all. Likewise, if you’re not used to having a screen, don’t get something that requires the extra care if you don’t care.

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