How to: Buy an MP3 Player November 24, 2006

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Today being Black Friday (stateside) signifies the start of the holiday season. No matter if you’re shopping for Grandma, Little Billy Bob or anyone in between; chances are there will an MP3 player on someone’s holiday list. This can be a grueling and stressful time, but you can pull through.

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1. Identify the person you’re buying the player for.

Obviously, if you buying it for the family jock, then you’ll have to take into account weight and shock protection, whereas if you’re buying one for the family member with every rock band CD from the 70s, storage capacity and general ease of use.

2. Pick a Device

Ah, the fun part. Picking the (hopefully) automatic day-brightener for your gift’s recipient. The main points to take into account are:

Capacity – the amount of songs/photos/videos you can put onto the player. Usually measured in gigabytes (GB)

Size of Player – how big the player is. Small is ideal for younger children and the workout buffs.

Features – FM radio, video playback, photo playback, voice recording,

Software – almost always needed for syncing your player, features for this include overall ease of use and look/feel.

Ease of Use – when buying, ask these questions. How quickly can I find a song/photo/video? Will it be easy for all to use? Does the system freeze/lock up frequently?

3. Buy what you need

DO NOT be swindled by those clever salesmen into buying something you don’t want. Make sure you’ve done your research. This will prevent you from not knowing what will go into your recipient’s hands. If time permits, wait a while or shop online if the product you want is not there; if this is impossible, buy something similar or give a gift card with the same amount of monetary value as the MP3 player.

4. Accessories

This is optional, however is a nice addition to any gift. Popular accessories include cases, skins, and docks. Cables or adapters may be nice, but if you don’t know that they will be used, don’t buy them.

And that’s all there is to it. Remember, find the best deal possible, but don’t sacrifice too much quality, ’tis the season of giving! If you have any questions, comments or concerns, post a comment or shoot me an email (you’ll find the address in the about page).