MUSIC players used to be one-trick ponies that let you blast out tunes wherever you go and little else.
Apple stamped its mark on the music scene by turning out slim, cool iPods that let users tote along hundreds of songs in their shirt pockets or handbags.Creative exploited its expertise in the home speaker arena by juicing up its MP3 players with sound enhancer technologies.
However, consumers want more. They do not want just Justin Timberlake accompanying their thumb-twiddling train rides. They want pocketable entertainment devices that play not only music but also stream videos and view images.
In comes the all-in-one portable media player that can play both audio and video files.
Gadget companies like Creative and Archos are two firms that have turned out these digital play-things allowing consumers to see movies and listen to thousands of songs in the palm of consumers' hands. An added benefit is that digital video formats can easily be exchanged from one player to another. This lets users send video files to their friend's players at a finger snap.
With the cost of flash memory falling faster than Britney Spears' popularity, the prices of flash-based media players are pushed so low users can pick up a decent 60GB player for just $350.
Portable media players like the Archos 5 Internet media tablet even flaunts Wi-Fi technology, letting you fire up the Web to surf Facebook, stream YouTube videos and listen to Internet radio channels. Perfect for users who are tired of listening to the same old tunes on their music player.
The best part is that this gizmo flaunts up to 250GB of digital space. With most high quality movies taking up no more than 1GB of disk space each, this means that movie buffs can easily pack in about 200 movies on their gizmo.
Game addicts do not have to spend extra if they want such portable media players. Their handheld PlayStation Portable (PSP) console can double as a portable entertainment device too. The PSP supports a wide range of media formats like UMD and MP3, which lets you watch videos and listen to tunes on-the-go.
Armed with a glorious 4.3-inch widescreen LCD and full-colour 480 x 272 pixel resolution, it also beams out crystal clear video.With a removable battery that lasts around four to six hours, you can watch a full-length movie and still have enough juice to blast some Kanye West.
stephg@sph.com.sg
Buying tips
Size does matter Self-confessed movieholics would do well with a huge screen so you do not have to crane your neck and squint painstakingly just to gaze into George Clooney?s eyes.
Juice it up Unless you are one of those users who like toting along a battery charger or refuelling your gadget's juice at a socket at Starbucks, you will probably need a gizmo that has enough fuel to last you for a few hours.
All the right connections For digital photography enthusiasts, built-in memory card readers and USB connectivity are useful features as they allow you to download pictures onto the player for you to flaunt your exhibition-worthy shots at your friends.
This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life on 10 December 2008.
MUSIC players used to be one-trick ponies that let you blast out tunes wherever you go and little else.
