Apple’s iPods are now a a mainstay of 21st century lifestyle, although all portable media players (PMPs) don’t have to begin with the letter “i”. The majority of apple products have non-apple competitors, and several of these choices would most likely be a more suitable decision for a few particular buyers. This article seeks to compare some of Apple’s PMPs to their non-apple counterparts. Another nice option might be Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise Canceling Headphones.
The Apple iPod Touch is pretty much the best performing PMP on the market. The iPod Touch is quite simply an iPhone minus the phone, and no other machine has that level of applications on hand. Not everybody wants all of such an array of applications, however. Sony’s X Series Walkman works as effectively as an iPod Touch in terms of storing and playing music, gives you terrific sound and incorporated Wi-Fi, and actually offers a touch pad. Unfortunately, at nearly $300, the Walkman costs the equivalent of an iPod Touch, yet delivers less. Another great alternative is Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise Canceling Headphones.
You won’t mind the loss of the applications you won’t plan to use, yet in that case, why purchase them? Microsoft’s Zune HD is also a thoughtfully engineered portable jukebox with a touch screen, web browsing capabilities and a wireless music store. It won’t work with iTunes and isn’t remotely as versatile, but for a $200 retail cost, you can get used to that.
Apple’s iPod Nano is on its 5th generation and has advanced during every single upgrade. Apple’s most recent Nano is tiny, adorable, and completely stuffed with features. For around $180, this gadget is the best made PMP in that price range, however if you’re trying to find another range, you could find a number of possibilities. Samsung’s Q2 provides many Nano-like features such as an intuitive interface and is just about as cute, although it gives you slightly less storage space. It also costs about $50 less, so if you don’t actually need three or four thousand tunes on hand, this could be a reasonable substitute. The most inexpensive Nano contender, the Coby MP705 gives you somewhat less file storage than the Q2, while it still features MP3 technology as well as video, photo and FM radio features, as well as a couple of good earbuds. Even more importantly, the Q2 may be bought for slightly below $50. Another good item to look into is Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise Canceling Headphones.
The Apple iPod Shuffle is Apple’s entry level PMP, and for $60 it works quite well, however this particular gadget has a few competitors that in fact out-perform it. The Shuffle’s most obvious discrepancy is the lack of a screen, which restricts the consumer to either listening to playlists or putting up with random tunes selected by your Apple brain. The SanDisk Sansa Clip gives you a micro SD slot to improve its memory, plus a screen to enable you to scroll through your lists, and is available for merely $40.
