Mp3 Player Buying Guide

MP3 PLAYER BUYING GUIDE my dumb sister's guide to a perfect mp3 player

MP3PlayerNow.com

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A B O U T MP3P L AY E R N OW . C O M Totally User friendly, MP3PlayerNow.com is a website that allows users throughout the world to buy from a horde of MP3 players available in the market. Because of the large library of products it contains, anything and everything related to MP3 players can be found on MP3PlayerNow.com. Not only is MP3PlayerNow.com, a trusted e-commerce website, it is also a platform that would allow you to increase your knowledge about MP3 players with the help of articles and buyer guides. Whether you want to buy yourself a new MP3 player or dress your MP3 player with some exclusive gear, MP3PlayerNow.com is the website to shop for all your MP3 player needs.

TABLE OF CONTENTS ..the Beginning Of It All...................................................................................................................7 MP3 Player Buyer's Guide.................................................................................................................9 Types Of MP3 Players.....................................................................................................................10 Hard Drive-based Models ..........................................................................................................................10 Flash-based Models...................................................................................................................................12

Understanding The Working Of An MP3 Player...................................................................................13 Step1: Conversion Of Analog Into Digital Signal...........................................................................................13 Step2: File Compression ...........................................................................................................................14 Step3: Playback ......................................................................................................................................14

What Can I Do With My MP3 Player?................................................................................................15 Image Viewing And Video Playback.............................................................................................................15 Wireless Connectivity ...............................................................................................................................16 Radio.......................................................................................................................................................17 Music And Voice Recording .......................................................................................................................17 Information Storage..................................................................................................................................18 Personal Information Management.............................................................................................................19 Sound Customization Features...................................................................................................................19 Better Playback Options............................................................................................................................20 Battery Life..............................................................................................................................................20

How To Pick The Best Suited MP3 Player?..........................................................................................22 Commuting And Travelling.........................................................................................................................23 Physical Exercising....................................................................................................................................23 Listening To Audiobooks ...........................................................................................................................24 Sound Recording And Video Playback Feature..............................................................................................25

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What Does Music Compatibility For An MP3 Player Refer To?................................................................26 Music Stored On PC..................................................................................................................................26 CDs.........................................................................................................................................................27 Internet-based Music Stores......................................................................................................................27 Subscription-based Music Sites..................................................................................................................28 Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Networks.............................................................................................................28 Cassettes And Vinyl..................................................................................................................................29

The Accessories Should I Buy Along With My MP3 Player?...................................................................30 Headphones.............................................................................................................................................31 Other Accessories.....................................................................................................................................31

Finally..........................................................................................................................................32

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PR EFAC E

..the Beginning Of It All

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uying an MP3 player couldn’t have been more fun! All you need is a dumb twin sister with a fad for music and no sense of technology to you get an amazing story out of it! My dumb twin sister had always been a music freak and she always lived in this false assumption that she is way too clever and intelligent than other girls of her age (including me!). The only thing that could defeat her was technology and she tripped at the very mention of this word. Like all young wannabe girls she had this freaking craze for hip-hop (though she had no knowledge of it). This ever increasing craze to look hip pushed her into buying an MP3player of her own where she could store all her favorite music and flaunt it to an odd bunch of her batch-mates. Once again, buying a suitable MP3 player was not her cup of tea so she approached every single person (known or unknown) about Mp3 Players but as expected, nothing seemed to work.

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Well, just like every other desperate soul on the planet who is looking for an MP3 player, she too approached every known person to help her buy a MP3 player but as her days of MP3 player hunting went on, she felt more and more confused by the sheer multitude of preferences different people had! While her brother wanted to go for an MP3 player that supported oodles of memory for his never-ending music collection, I was gung ho on the cute little pink ones that made me a style diva. Yes, you guessed it right, all this confusion was a bit too much for my sister and thus, to take respite from it all, she took the friendly advice of our very own Mr. Google. A couple of searches and a bit of website hopping later, she got herself a perfect recipe for the ultimate MP3 player she always wanted. Her great find was this not-so-interesting user guide which didn’t appear to be worth reading at first but when she started checking it out, she realized that it was even easier than learning a recipe online. It didn’t interest her at first but she had no other alternative so she started browsing it. She had always thought that such user manuals are goodfor-nothing-crap written by senseless creatures that spend their lives sitting in dark rooms while gazing at their computer screens as they eat, drink and even sleep. It was only after she got actually engaged with the manual that she realized that the case was exactly the opposite. The first thing that she needed to know was the types of MP3 players available in the market and to her surprise the information was there, available in a concise form right in front of her eyes. She didn’t know that people writing these user manuals are very well aware of people like her and they have in fact dedicated websites that cater to the needs of people just like her. The buyer’s guide was not like an ordinary user guide, it was an absolute informative package that had the capability to amuse my dumb little sister who was so unlike me. This buyer’s guide taught her to do everything ranging from choosing the perfect MP3 player to comparing it with its rivals and event getting a perfect deal! Not only this, all the pictures and illustrations made it really easy for her to visibly see what an different types of MP3 players and their accessories look like and that too in bright vivid colors. To her, all this ready-to-serve information was just like someone serving the most eclectic food from around the world and all she had to do was to gulp it down without giving a second thought to it! And the best thing of all… it didn’t cost her a penny as it was all FREE!!! Don't believe me? Still need a proof? Well, what could be better than having a look for yourself! Read on to find an MP3 player buyer's guide you may also be looking for. Believe me, if she could find herself the perfect MP3 player after reading this, so can any other living being on the planet!

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IN TR O DUC T ION

MP3 Player Buyer's Guide

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hings are never easier when it comes to choosing the most suitable MP3 player.

You’d need to look into several key aspects, such as size, capacity, features, price-tag, color, style-quotient, to name a few before making the all important purchase. Unfortunately, there is no one size that fits all in case of MP3 players. Even the most sophisticated players available in the market offer limited choices in terms of portability, colors, and configurations to music enthusiasts. The same happened with my twin sister who had always been a music freak and wanted to buy her own MP3 player. The guide helped her in a major way. Someone like her who had no knowledge of technology and current trends benefited a lot through the user guide. This buying guide broadly underlines two prominent types of MP3 players currently thronging over the marketplace. Furthermore, the guide details the crucial features you should look for, music compatibility, various uses to consider, and different accessories you’d need to buy along with your MP3 player. First of all let’s start with discussing some of the key differences between Hard Drive-based and Flash-based MP3 player models.

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KN O W YO UR MP3 PL AY ER

Types Of MP3 Players Hard Drive-based Models With Hard Drive sizes running from 20 GB and up, you can possibly store all your favorite tracks onto these players. Several large capacity players, such as Apple iPod Classic 120 GB, give you the flexibility to store a whopping 30,000 tracks, 25,000 images, or 150 hours of videos, on a single device.

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Hard Drive-based MP3 players enable you to store all your music onto a single device. They further tend to include advanced features, larger display screens and score impressively on user-friendliness parameter. They also offer you the best value for money in terms of cost per gigabyte.

Illustration 1: Apple iPod Classic 120 GB Black

In spite of the aforesaid benefits, these players are usually bulkier than their Flash-based counterparts. This is because of the fact that these players are often built around using a 1.8-inch hard drive, making the device considerably larger as well as heavier than the other available models. In addition, these players are not found fit for exhausting physical activity, primarily owing to moving parts integrated with the hard drive. Above all, a majority of Hard Drive-based players are powered by rechargeable batteries which you can’t replace at your own. This simply means that after several years of regular use, you’d either have to pay to purchase a new model, or to get your battery replaced. These hard-drive based MP3 players could have served my sister’s purpose but then she wanted to have a look at other available options as well.

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Flash-based Models Flash-based players are widely acknowledged for their shock-proof operation and compact designs. These players have no moving parts at all and therefore dubbed good to use while performing some tiring physical activity. Owing to their small sizes and rigid inner structure, these players found fit to be carried along while jogging, bungee jumping, or performing other such strenuous physical acts. In addition, they generally have batteries that last comparatively longer, and host lots of extra features, such as line-in and voice recording.

Illustration 2: Microsoft's Zune 8 GB

Despite their great portability and commendable sturdiness, these devices are generally a bit complicated to use. They also turn out to be very pricey when it comes to calculating the cost on the basis of price per megabyte.

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MP3 PL AY ER IN DETAIL

Understanding The Operation Of An MP3 Player Before getting familiar with some of the handy tips for buying an apt MP3 player, it’s imperative for us to have a glimpse on how these devices actually work. Some of the important steps involved in the inner working of an MP3 player can broadly be studied under following steps:

Step1: Conversion of Analog into Digital Signal My twin sister had never heard of these terminologies before but the user manual actually helped her understand the technical terms more closely. She got to know that digital music file largely resembles to a typical computer file, comprising a series of 1s and 0s. The process of converting an analog signal into a digital series needs analog-todigital converter (ADC) software, which gauges the signals periodically to figure out the sampling rate. If these gauged samples are found adequately close, then they form an almost precise depiction of the original analog signal in order to represent the transmission using 0s and 1s that can be read by computers as well as MP3 players.

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Step2: File Compression Since each second of high-quality CD sound usually consumes a considerable 1.3MB of disk space, file compression technology is indispensable for digital audio, particularly when it comes to portable audio. Applying psychoacoustics principles, coupled with perceptual codings, engineers build up algorithms, known as ‘codecs’, which compress tracks into minimum possible sizes without sacrificing its quality at all. In this case, sound depends upon two principal factors; the effectiveness of this compression algorithm as well as the bit rate at which the track is encoded.

Step3: Playback Playback is actually the reversal of analog-to-digital conversion mechanism. During this process, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) to transform all 0s and 1s back to form analog signals that can further be amplified and transmitted by the speakers or headphones. The quality of the digital sound you receive depends upon the characteristics of the digital file, the in-built DAC chip, the extent of disturbance contributed by the interference caused by other components of the device’s circuit, and the audio output efficiency of your speakers or headphones.

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MP3 PL AY ER AN D ITS USAG E

What Can I Do With My MP3 Player? To someone like her who had seen an MP3 player only in her dreams it was difficult to figure-out what exactly she can do (apart from flaunting it) with her gadget. The cut-throat competition in the domains of MP3 players has prompted manufacturers to spruce up their devices by adding several extra features. These players have simply gone beyond their original purpose of playing music to offer a wide array of other add-ons including Image viewing and Video playback, Wireless capability, Radio, Music and Voice recording, Information Storage, Personal data management, just to name a few. Let’s have a look into these added capabilities in a rather detailed manner in the following section:

Image Viewing and Video Playback A majority of contemporary MP3 players come equipped with colored display screens capable of showing JPEG and digital BMP images. This comes handy for those who like carrying their touchy images with them. Color screens also provide easy readability and much smoother feel than their monochrome cousins. Always go for the MP3 players incorporated with OLED display screens that offer enhanced viewing angles and consume lower power. Most of the contemporary MP3 players have video playback feature. This lets you enjoy your favorite videos, in addition to tracks, on the go. Although display screen of a typical MP3 player is too small to offer video viewing experience comparable to desktop screens, but this feature comes as a real boon for regular commuters.

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Illustration 3: iPod Touch with Image and Video playback

Wireless Connectivity Wireless connectivity has emerged as one of the latest technologies cropping up in the latest versions of MP3 players. A noticeable example is the Microsoft Zune, which employs Wi-Fi feature to enable to share tracks with other Zune users over the air through a beaming feature. Other such examples include SanDisk Sansa Connect, which has the feature to connect with any wireless network to access Yahoo Music store for buying and downloading music wirelessly. Wireless functionality is still in its early stages, so the performance mayn’t be that impressive on some of the players. Nevertheless, you should go for the players equipped with the Wireless capability if you are looking for class-apart players.

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Radio FM reception is one of the most widely available features in MP3 player devices these days. However, the feature is common in Flash-based models, which don’t have spinning hard drives and CD-playing capabilities to intervene with the signal. Other features related to radio include FM transmission and recording, as well as presets.

Illustration 4: Sony XDR-S10HDiP HD Radio with Dock for iPod/iPhone

Music and Voice Recording MP3 players boasting the feature of recording audio in top-quality are generally good for music recording. However, some of the devices also have this feature to record digitally or directly from mike-level sources. While the former turns out to be great for dubbing songs from stereo components, the latter lets users use a portable mike for live recording. In case you are looking for premium quality recording, ensure that your player boasts of a notable ADC and has the capability to record uncompressed WAV files too.

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Illustration 5: iPod Nano comes with Sound Recording feature

In addition to music recording feature, some players have built-in microphone for speech recording. These players come particularly handy in documenting conferences, lectures, and conversations. But, these are simply inapt for topquality music recording. Mono recording ability and low sampling rate are the main underlying causes for such inability of music players.

Information Storage Modern MP3 players also emerged as spacious information storage utilities, allowing users to shuttle their information with PCs. Some of the players don’t even need drivers for the purpose. Besides, some devices have in-built USB connectors to carry out data transfer, and thereby save you from carrying transfer cables wherever you go.

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Personal Information Management Some MP3 devices are further tailored to help you manage your personal contacts and plan your week ahead. Apple iPod and Creative’s Zen line-up are the leaders in this category of music players. These devices let you entering data into Outlook, or other such PIM program, followed by syncing to the device where you can only access the data, without the capability of making any changes in it.

Sound Customization Features Look for a MP3 player that offers you customizable sound-tweaking options. Since digital files usually come from distinct sources and music enthusiasts have their own characteristic sonic priorities, equalizer and other digital sonic processing (DSP) settings can prove to be very useful. Watch out for a MP3 player with customizable EQ options, comprising at least five bands, along with standard presets, including Jazz, Rock, Boost, Bass, to mention a few. Under spatial enhancers, DSP options like SRS Wow addition can truly amplify the sound coming through headphones. Although it entirely depends your personal taste, but generally music sounds soothing with some extent of customization.

Illustration 6: MP3 players like Microsoft's Zune come with Sound Customizations

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Better Playback Options Nowadays you’d find almost every MP3 player with smart playback features, like shuffle, resume, repeat and advanced playlist options. However, some newer models have their playback options spruced up to offer listeners an entirely distinct experience of listening to music. Latest versions of MP3 players provide the flexibility to create playlists on the fly without using a PC, coupled with better playlists that can help you categorize your songs in a commendable way. These models further incorporate song-rating procedure, which makes your preferred playlist to show more often. In addition to these, automatic volume controls, which keeps the sound at constant level for every track; cross-fading that integrates awesome transition between different tracks; as well as various other artificial intelligence techniques to make your listening experience like never before.

Battery Life Users generally prefer MP3 players with considerably long battery life. As we’ve already discussed, a majority of Hard Drive-based models come bundled with non-replaceable Lithium ion battery that has a life span of two to four years. Nonetheless, some manufacturers do provide damage repair for some duration. So watch out for the warranty policy before making the purchase. MP3 CD players as well as Flash players are generally available in models integrating AA or AAA batteries, and models with an in-built rechargeable battery. As flash players required being synced more frequently and it is easier to recharge while syncing, flash players sporting rechargeable batteries are generally preferred.

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Illustration 7: Kensington Mini Battery Extender and Charger for iPod

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C HO O SE YO UR MP3 PL AY ER

How To Pick The Best Suited MP3 Player? Selecting the perfect MP3 player is not as simple as it seems. This is because these devices come in varied ranges of shapes, sizes, configurations, battery-types, memory options, and support various formats. On the basis of these characteristics and other important features, certain MP3 players are tailor-made for some specific purposes. So, go for the MP3 player device that best aligns with your requirements. Users generally have their own purpose, in addition to listening to music, of buying a MP3 player. While some users see a MP3 player as a perfect pastime during traveling or commuting, some users prefer to have a robust player that can help them concentrate while exercising. In addition, many people these days seek a MP3 player on which they can comfortably listen to their audio books. Voice recording and watching videos have just become common add-ons to contemporary MP3 players. The discussion above pinpoints some of the important uses you should keep in mind before buying the most suitable MP3 player. Go for a MP3 player that can suffice most of your needs. Let’s take a peek into the features and benefits and figure out the most relevant MP3 players for them:

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Commuting and Traveling A fully featured portable MP3 player is highly called for to fill up your commute as well as sojourns with your favorite music. If you prefer traveling by a car, opt for a hard drive-based MP3 player model. Size doesn’t have much role to play in this case. You can easily connect your MP3 player with the car stereo system using a Bluetooth transmitter, an FM transmitter, or a cassette adapter. On the other hand, if you travel via a bus or a subway, look for flash-based compact model that can easily slip into your pocket. Furthermore, an MP3 player with long battery life and huge memory capacity is indispensable for your long journeys.

Illustration 8: Zlive Docking stating for Zune

Physical Exercising If you love passing most of your spare time in gymnasiums doing strenuous work outs, you require a small yet sturdy MP3 player that can keep up with the task. The MP3 player should be operable by using one hand and sport userfriendly controls. Instead of going for one with huge storage capacity, watch out for an ultra small flash-based model, with a pair of headphones that stay firm while performing tiring work outs.

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Illustration 9: iPod fitness gear

The MP3 player must have a sweat resistant casing to avoid any damages that may otherwise occur due to excessive sweating. Besides, some MP3 players also feature host of fitness-friendly add-ons, such as a pedometer, to cater to the requirements of fitness freaks.

Listening to Audiobooks Some of the modern day MP3 players are designed keeping the needs of book worms in mind. Average MP3 players are generally of smaller sizes and have higher storage capacity than their CD and cassette counterparts. Book lovers are increasingly opting for listening to audiobooks on MP3 players due to their economic merits as well as high storage capacity. So, if you like listening to audiobooks during your spare time, look for a MP3 player that offers you this unique feature and is compatible to with some of the prominent audiobook platforms, including iTunes or Audibles.com.

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Sound Recording and Video Playback Feature Contemporary MP3 players generally lack portable recording peripherals and not often incorporate a mike level input. However, most of the currently available MP3 players boast of the feature to record sounds from line-level sources, including CD and cassette players. Henceforth, these devices are of great help in converting CDs and stereo outputs into varied digital formats, such as MP3, WMA, or WAV. Users looking for live audio recording with modern MP3 players can attach a powered microphone that can produce line-level signal as output. In addition to sound recording, video playback is perhaps the most commonly available feature of modern MP3 players. In spite of small-sized screens, MP3 players with video playback features turn out to be a big advantage for travelers and commuters. If you are really looking for a better video viewing experience on MP3 players, look for the ones sporting big screens.

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MP3 PL AY ER – C O MPAT IB IL IT Y ISSUE S

What Does Music Compatibility For An MP3 Player Refer To? With a wide variety of digital music formats currently floating over the web, finding the ones that run on your MP3 player often turns out to be a troublesome task. In order to do away with format compatibility issues, you should take various music sources into account. Let’s look into different music sources and understand the notion of music compatibility in a comprehensive manner.

Music Stored on PC If you’ve done all the hard work in ripping and downloading music onto your computer, then an MP3 player that can support the existing formats should be purchased. However, MP3 format is suitable for any player, but watch out for rather rarer formats. So, while purchasing an MP3 player you better go through its specs closely to find out different supported formats.

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CDs If you have all your music stored on CDs then you can go for any MP3 player, as in any case you’ll first have to convert your CDs into MP3, OGG, or other supported formats. This can be achieved with the help of good format conversion software.

Internet-based Music Stores The emergence of online retailers in music domains has paved the way for releasing music downloads in the universally acceptable MP3 format. However, if you’re an iPod user then you can get all your music directly from Apple’s iTunes Store, which offers music in a variety of formats, ranging from AAC and MP3, to AIFF and WAV.

Illustration 10: iTunes music store for iPod

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Subscription-based Music Sites Citing the users’ appetite for music, online space is flooding with a number of subscription-based music services, which enable listeners to fill up their devices by renting music on monthly basis. This gives users the flexibility to legally get all of their favorite music by paying some fixed monthly fee. Check out if the formats being offered by your music provider are suitable for your existing MP3 player.

Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Networks A majority of tracks available on P2P file sharing networks are in MP3 formats, so there are no compatibility concerns pop up as such. However, the quality of audio files available through these networks varies significantly. In addition, legal issues surrounding these networks can also push you in some serious troubles.

Illustration 11: Napster File sharing p2p Network

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Cassettes and Vinyl If you have loads of your music stored on cassettes, you need to record all your music onto your PC, followed by converting it into MP3 format, and eventually moving the tracks to the MP3 player. You can take all the hassles out from the task by going for an MP3 player that offers line-in recording as well as enables you to encode MP3 straight from your stereo. However, if your stereo boasts of a digital optical output and you are looking forward to record MP3 in this manner, then go for a player that sports a digital optical input. This will keep the sound quality intact during the process of recording.

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MP3 PL AY ER – W HAT ' S N EX T ?

Accessories - Should I Purchase Them With My MP3 Player? After getting well versed with the essential tips for buying the perfect MP3 player, it’s time to look on to some of the necessary accessories, without which an MP3 player seems to be incomplete. There are a large number of MP3 players accessories are currently available to choose from. However, barring few essential ones, the decision of buying the accessories depends on your choice to use the device the way you want to. For instance, accessories to help you using your MP3 player as a car stereo, a speaker system along with a clock radio, a speaker case, just to name a few. Some of the major types of MP3 player accessories are discussed herein:

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Headphones Perhaps, a nice-looking pair of headphones is the first thing to strike our mind as soon as we think of accessories for an MP3 player. Most of the users tend to ignore the significance of a top-quality pair in having a great listening experience unless they have tried them out. If you are looking forward to enhancing your audio experience, then gear up to buy a high-end pair of headphones. These sophisticated headphones ensure that you don’t miss a single note of music while enjoying a wonderful listening experience.

Illustration 12: Sony MDR-IF540RK Wireless Headphone System with Rechargeable Battery

Other Accessories As it has already been discussed, the choice of buying additional accessories entirely rest on your discretion. If you’re a fitness enthusiast, for instance, then accessories like jogging kits and pedometer can be very useful. Other examples of useful MP3 player accessories include a FM transmitter, speakers and speaker case, flash memory adapters, additional rechargeable batteries, car chargers for MP3 players, USB kits, docking stations, and many more. Pick the accessory that suits your needs the best and spice up your MP3 player device in your own personalized manner.

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AN EN D NOT E

Finally... My sister was delighted that she came across this “not-so-interesting” user manual and realized what it takes to buy an MP3. Now she was all set to flaunt her brand new MP3 player equipped with all the latest features (that she will actually use) to all her wannabe friends!

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