From video to motion sensors, there’s more to portable players than downloads, but what to buy? Mark Prigg has his finger on the pulse.
Choosing an MP3 player is a fraught affair. There are hundreds on the market, ranging from as little as £10 to hundreds of pounds. In the last two years, the MP3 market has been one of the fastest-growing in the electronics sector, due largely to one company – Apple.
The iconic iPod, first released in 2001, really did invent the genre. In true Apple style, the company made it as good-looking as it was practical, and was smart enough to tie users into its own download service as well.
The huge success of the iPod (it now has over 80 per cent of the MP3 market, and a staggering 150 million have been sold), has led to a world of copycats. Even Microsoft has had a go with its Zune player (although it has not done well – the company has never released it outside the US) and the gap between Apple and its competitors is closing by the day.
Buying an MP3 player does cause problems. With memory prices falling daily, there’s the worry that as soon as you get one, it’ll be usurped. You only have to look at Apple’s incredible slew of new products every year to see just how quickly MP3 players can become obsolete.There’s also the issue of software. Getting music onto players can be difficult if the software isn’t good, and means you won’t use the device, simply because it’s tough to keep up to date. Downloading music can also cause problems – not all download stores support all players, so it’s well worth checking if yours is compatible before you click the “buy” button.
And finally, an aspect of MP3 players which is, amazingly, often overlooked – sound quality. This really does vary, and it’s not helped by the terrible headphones most manufacturers supply. One of the best pieces of advice you can follow is not to bother with the supplied headphones – for as little as £15 you’ll get something far better.
Apple iPod nano
£109 8GB, £149 16GB
Pictures really don’t do the Nano justice – it’s without a doubt one of the slickest, best-looking pieces of consumer electronics you’re ever likely to see. Every edge is curved, even down to the glass covering the screen.
The menu system is familiar to any iPod user, but has been upgraded to take advantage of the Nano’s new bigger screen. Video is impressive, and simply putting the iPod on its side switches the display, thanks to in-built sensors. You definitely wouldn’t want to watch a film unless you were really bored, but for TV shows or music videos it’s brilliant.
The sensors are also used for the Nano’s newest party trick – “shake to shuffle”. This is actually a very nice feature, as you simply shake the player to put it into shuffle mode. It works really well, and will hopefully make its way on to Apple’s iPhone as well. There’s also the Nike + iPod system, which uses a nifty sensor you place in your shoe to turn your music player into a talking, stats-gathering personal trainer. The Nike+ site, where you can upload your stats for free, is superb, and even persuaded me to try jogging (once or twice, anyway).
Overall, the new Nano really shows just how far ahead of the competition Apple really is. It’s not a revolution, and owners of previous iPod Nanos probably shouldn’t bother, but this is undoubtedly far and away the best small MP3 player you can get at the moment.
Pros Superb design and perfect size
Cons Screen is too small for films
Apple iPod Touch
£169 8GB, £219 16GB, £289 32GB
Apple’s iPod Touch is, effectively, an iPhone without the phone. It shares the same look and interface, with a stunning touchscreen and a really well thought-out interface. The unit is very thin and includes wifi internet access, so you can get online easily.
However, it’s the music player which is the real gem – getting around your tunes is simple, and turning the phone on its side lets you browse through album covers on a virtual carousel, simply by swiping your finger across the screen. You can also view videos, podcasts and even buy and download music, all without having to go near a PC.
There are also added extras which really differentiate the iPod Touch (which is not really an MP3 player at all, despite Apple billing it is as one) from its competitors. This gizmo will surf the web, send email and let you play proper, fast-paced 3D games. It’ll even track your exercise via the neat Nike+ iPod system, which talks to a sensor in your trainers as you run.
The iPod Touch really is more than a music player, and this is the dilemma buyers face. If you think you’ll use the extra features, it’s an incredible device. However, if you just want to listen to music it’s total overkill, so perhaps the Nano would be a better bet.
Pros Screen is superb, far more than just a music player
Cons Thin but relatively large
Apple iPhone 3G
From free depending on tariff
The iPhone, Apple’s combined iPod and mobile phone, can’t be accused of being shy – it has dominated every magazine and newspaper’s gadget coverage for months. However, it remains the machine to be beaten, and the recent update which allowed users to download their own software on to it has only made it stronger in the face of some rather lacklustre competition.
Free to users on O2’s most expensive tariffs, and £99 for those on £30/£35 per month contracts, it’s now also affordable, although you will need to commit to 18 months with O2. The new version adds high-speed 3G connectivity and GPS, allowing the phone to work as a satnav. It is incredibly slick, thinner than its predecessor, with a glossy black plastic back. It is slender enough to fit into trouser pockets, while feeling incredibly solid and sturdy. However, fingerprints do show up badly on it.
Call quality is excellent, and download speed when viewing web pages is also much improved. However, although having 3G speeds is useful, it is the ability to download extra software to the handset which really makes a big difference.
Compared with the other music phones here, the iPhone wins by a huge margin. It’s slick, easy to use and, crucially, the sound quality is superb. However, the storage is relatively limited at 16GB, so there’s no chance of getting your entire music collection on it.
Saying that, third-party software has come to the rescue here, and we’d highly recommend the superb Last.fm software, which lets you stream personalised radio stations online. As with the iPod Touch, the big question is whether this is overkill? If you want the other features – ie phone, web-browsing and games – it is probably the ultimate music-playing phone. However, if you want a mobile first and a music player second, Nokia’s N96 really does give it a run for its money – it just doesn’t quite have the ultra-cool face of the iPhone.
Pros Stunning looks and incredible interface
Cons Limited storage
Sandisk Sansa Fuze
£83 8GB
Measuring a svelte 79 x 48 x 8mm, at first glance the Fuze looks like a pretty standard iPod rip-off. However, it’s actually a lot more than that. The first major advantage is that this is an expandable player. With 8GB of memory on board, you can also use a memory card to double that. Crucially, the player uses a micro SD card, so in theory you could easily swap music between your phone and MP3 player by swapping cards over. Sandisk is also trying to push record companies towards releasing albums on these cards, although that seems unlikely to take off.
Overall, the Fuze is a smart-looking device, with a clickwheel to navigate through options. The menu system is excellent and animations give it an edge over its rivals as you really won’t need to read the manual. It’s also very quick to react. It may not have the cool factor of the iPod, but at the budget end of the market it is an excellent buy, especially as it can be found heavily discounted online.
Pros Easily expandable
Cons Poor video playback
Creative Zen Mozaic 4gb
£60
Measuring 79.5 x 40 x 12.8mm, this is an incredibly small, light player, which Creative is unashamedly aiming at the budget market. Sadly, it appears they’ve employed a designer more used to working with floor tiles to create the frankly horrific look of this player. Once you get past the appearance, however, it’s a relatively capable little performer. It’s solidly built and exceptionally light. The “tiles” on the front are the control buttons, and are a little on the tough side to use at first, but you soon get used to their rather odd placement.
The menus are simple enough to get through, and the 1.8-inch colour screen is clear and easy to read. One rather odd feature is the inclusion of a speaker, which is so small and tinny as to be virtually useless. It’s perfect if you really want to irritate fellow passengers on the train in rush hour, but other than that it’s hard to see why it was included. There’s also an FM radio and a voice recorder, both of which work well.
To sum up, this is definitely a low-end player. It’s small, a bit flimsy and simply not attractive enough to compete with the Nano. That said, if you’re on a really tight budget, you could actually do a lot worse – just don’t ever be tempted to use the speaker.
Pros Tiny size
Cons Horrific design
Sony NWZA829B
£200 16GB
Sony has stood by and watched Apple dominate the portable audio market for years, but finally seems to be getting its head around the concept of MP3 players.
The NWZA829 is a well thought-out, well executed piece of kit. Its control system is easy to understand, and functions are intuitive and simple to use. For a 2.4-inch widescreen, moving images are surprisingly watchable, and this is an excellent portable video player.
One great feature is built-in Bluetooth, so it will stream wirelessly to speakers, car stereos and even headphones. However, Sony has taken things a step too far by including wireless headphones in the box – sadly, the sound quality just isn’t very good.If you can overlook the supplied headphones, this is a clear sign Sony is catching up with Apple. It’s not quite there yet, but for heavy Bluetooth users, or those who are vehemently anti-Apple, this is a good option.
Pros Looks great
Cons Wireless headphones are terrible
Creative Zen x-fi 16gb
£139
Creative’s tiny Zen X-Fi is a sleek little video and music player which is a worthy rival to the iPhone and the iPod Touch. Creative is arguably Apple’s closest competitor in the MP3 player market and this, its latest and greatest, does a fairly decent job.
It’s a tiny little gadget, but packs in 16GBs of storage and a full-colour screen, and there are a host of buttons to control it. Screen quality is excellent and video is crisp and sharp, although as the display is only 2.5 inches wide, you’d struggle to watch a film on it. The casing is rounded and feels far more solid than most other players here.
Getting around the menu system is easy, and it’s well thought-out, if a little ugly at times.
There is also a huge number of added extras, including wifi, instant messaging, a loudspeaker, an FM radio, a voice recorder, a calendar, a to-do list and a contacts book. However, these are all (with the exception of the voice recorder and the FM radio) a little disappointing. And although the Zen doesn’t quite cut it when it comes to watching films because of the screen size, it’s perfect for the odd TV show.
The music player is good and still pictures look superb. The advantages it has over Apple are its small size and its light weight, and if you’re not keen on iPods, it’s well worth a listen.
Pros Small size
Cons Awful controls
Nokia N96
From free depending on tariff
Nokia’s new flagship handset boasts almost every feature you could want, from GPS to access to the BBC’s iPlayer programme archive, yet in amongst all that lurks a very well-featured MP3 player as well.
It has the Symbian S60 interface, which is very easy to use and has loads of extra software you can download for free. It’s a reasonably good-looking phone with a piano-black finish and rounded edges – at least until you see it next to an iPhone. The camera is probably the best you’ll find on a phone – after a few days we stopped carrying a separate digital one.
The N96 music interface is starting to show its age a little now, and up against the iPhone looks positively prehistoric. However, in use it’s actually pretty good – it’s fast and quick, although setting up playlists can be a bit tedious. There’s 16GB of storage on the handset, and you can also add an SD card to expand the capacity to 24GB in all, enough for a large chunk of anyone’s music collection. Getting the music on the phone is relatively easy, at least using Windows Media Player, although we’d recommend Salling’s excellent Media Sync software for iTunes users.
Overall, this is first and foremost a superb all-round phone. As a music player it’s nowhere near as sophisticated as its arch-rival, the iPhone, but for a lot of phone functions it does trump the Apple product.
It’s really a question of how much you use your phone and MP3 player – if it’s predominantly an MP3 player you want, get the iPhone. However, if a phone is more important, the N96 is a good bet and is without a doubt the best Nokia has ever produced.
Pros Design and storage
Cons Not an iPhone
Mark Prigg is the Science and Technology Correspondent of the London Evening Standard.
