With the rise and fall of Napster, just about everyone knows what an MP3 is. But in case you have been hiding under a pile of vinyl records for the last 18 months, here are the basics.
MP3 is short for MPEG-1 Layer 3, a format for digital audio storage. The audio is compressed to reduce the file size with only slight reduction in sound quality. The MP3 format can be used for music distribution over the Internet, but can be also used in portable players.
Compressing an uncompressed audio file (for example, a WAV file created from a track on an audio CD) to MP3 can decrease the file-size to less than a tenth of the original file with minimal loss in quality. This means that an original 50MB WAV file (about five minutes of CD quality audio) will end up as an MP3 file using only about five megabytes of space with little or no audible loss in quality. The size depends on the length of the song and the bitrate (quality). The data is automatically decompressed while the MP3 is being played.
This month we have a collection of assorted devices with one thing in common--they all play MP3s. They may also be mobile phones, take photos, fit in a tape deck, play the radio, or capture movies, but they will all pump out your favourite tunes.
We have storage ranges from 16MB to 10GB. Size ranges from that of an egg to a ream of paper, and speaker sizes from tiny earphones to multiple 50 and 70mm drivers. Prices range from AU$299 right up to a sizeable AU$999.
| Product | Review | |||
| Editors' Choice | Read Review | |||
 Creative Nomad IIc |
Read Review | |||
| Creative Nomad IIMG | Read Review | |||
| Creative Nomad Jukebox |
Read Review | |||
| Ericsson MP3 Handsfree (HPM-10) | Read Review | |||
| Iomega HipZip | Read Review | |||
| Kodak MC3 | Read Review | |||
| TrackZ! Player | Read Review | |||
| Exonion MPZoo |
Read Review | |||
| Philips eXpanium EXP101 | Read Review | |||
| Rome II (UP-322) | Read Review | |||
| Rome Juli | Read Review | |||
| Samsung Baby Yepp | Read Review | |||
| Samsung MP3 Phone (SCHM105) | Read Review | |||
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