Can you recommend a good portable MP3 player

Asks alicevida

A. There are loads on the market now, expect to pay an average of �200 for a good one. We recommend the following models:

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Toshiba MEA210
Price: �230
This MP3 player looks great as it is housed in a thin silver shell and supports both MP3 and AAC advanced audio format) formats. It enables 30 minutes of playback and has 32MB of internal memory. It has USB connectivity and is very small (about half the size of a cigarette packet) so very portable indeed.

Website: www.toshiba.co.uk

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Samsung Mini Yepp
Price: �69
Samsung has just launched the smallest MP3 player in the world; it fits into the palm of your hand(matchbox size) and only weighs 28g. It has 32MB of memory, a bass booster and a USB for connection to PCs and Macs and a very tiny LCD that displays the date and time, plus details on the music playing. It also comes with some full-length audio tracks embedded. Currently on sale in the US, it is expected in the UK later this year.
Website: www.sansungusa.com

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Samsung Yepp New D
Price: �219
This is a big brother to the Mini Yepp from Samsung, with 64MB of memory, USB connection and fantastic sound quality.
Website: www.samsung.com

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Diamond Rio 800
Price: �299
The Diamond Rio comes with built-in Soundjam software; 64MB of memory (which can be upgraded to 128Mb of memory with an optional back-pack, which would provide an extra four hours of playing time), USB connection and an oval-shaped LCD. It is very light and easy to use.

Website: www.riohome.com

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Sony Network Walkman NW-E5
Price: �300
This small and compact player has been a massive hit in Japan where it first launched, and comes complete with 96MB of memory, great sound quality and inbuilt Open MGJukebox software for converting MP3 and CD tracks into ATRAC3. Unfortunately, it is only PC compatible, so not the one to choose if you've only got a Mac.
Website: www.sony.com

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Sony CRX10U-RP
Price: �400
Technically this is a portable CD-R/CD-RW drive, with a USB connection for compatibility with PCs and Macs, and allows you to transfer huge files, which justifies its hefty price. But it is all this and more because it is also a portable MP3 and CD player, with a very easy to read LCD.
Website: www.sony-cp.com

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Thomson Lyra PD2211
Price: 229
The PD2211 is a bit bulkier than the other models mentioned, but that's because it comes with an inbuilt FM radio. It comes complete with USB, 64MB
of memory and supports MP3, WMA and G2 files. It has good sound quality too.
Website: www.thomson-lyra.com

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Iomega HipZip
Price: �200
The HipZip comes without internal memory, opting instead for 40MB PocketZip disks ' which means you just save everything onto mini disks instead of the hard drive. It is small, but chunky, plays well and supports MP3 and WMA. It has a USB for PC and Mac compatibility.
Website: www.iomega.com/Europe

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Q. Is there any way of storing MP3 files separately from your hard disk

A. There are a few devices on the market that allow you to store MP3 files on a portable hard drive, which, is connected to your main computer. One of the best is the Archos Jukebox 600, which has recently launched in the UK. It is basically an additional hard drive that offers 6GB of memory for storing MP3 files. To store files onto the Archos 600 that you already have on your PC, you simply drag them onto the Archos 600 icon once you’ve installed it and it automatically moves the files without any hassle at all. The Archos 600 costs �249 and supports both PC and Mac. It is available from www.primaryuk.com.

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The Hango PJB100 is a close competitor and costs �529. It is available from www.pjbox.co.uk.

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By Karen Anderson