There are two main types of mp3 player that you can buy in the shops today. Flash or hard disk drive based. Flash based mp3 players are smaller in dimension compared to hard disk mp3 players. They use a flash memory chip so there is no moving parts, hence your music will never skip or jump.

Hard disk mp3 players are larger in size but can hold far more data than flash mp3 players. This usually makes them slightly more popular as having a larger selection of music appeals more to the younger generation. A popular choice of a flash mp3 player is the Apple iPod Nano. With its fashionable design and ease of use, it is the leading flash based mp3 player. A popular hard disk based mp3 player would be the Apple iPod Video 60GB. Videos, pictures, mp3s and videos are all features of this mp3 player. It can hold up to 60GB of media which is equivalent to 15,000 songs, full-colour album art and up to 25,000 photos, the new iPod makes the most of your music and more.

Another device that is emerging which is an alternative mp3 player is the hand held mobile phone. Sony Ericsson released the K800i which comes with built in 125MB flash memory chip and an optional 512MB chip space. So you could kill two birds with one stone and buy a mobile phone with mp3 player capabilities. This is also more convenient and money saving. Instead of carrying around two devices, you could simply use one single device. Although mobile phones are good mp3 players, the new Sony Ericsson K800i has a built in radio which would allow you to listen to music free and not need to download media from the iTunes website. So before buying a new mobile phone or mp3 player, remember you could save yourself a packet and get a multimedia cell phone at half the prize of both items put together.