MP3 question

[crabby_patty]

I was recently in Japan and they have flash memory players that I found pretty cool (512 memory) and I am debating goin with one of those players VS. the i-pod. From what I understand these players will not skip while the i-pod will (like when using in the gym).

anything else I should look for?

thanks

[plextor guy]

A flash player is a great way to go if the model you want has enough storage. The highest capacity flash player I know of is 512 MB's. And they're relatively expensive. You'd think that after several years the price of solid state memory for these devices would have dropped. There are several players that use the new 1" Cornice hard drive. The Rio Nitrus (my favorite) is probably the best of the lot all things considered. 1.5 GB's of storage. It's a great compromise between flash players and higher capacity players like the iPod and Karma. The Nitrus gets an honest 12+ hours of playback per charge. Larger capacity players like the iPod and Zen usually get about 8-10 and are heavier and bulkier than the Nitrus. Even the new mini iPod gets only about 6-8 hours of playback. The small clamshell form factor of the Nitrus disappears in a pocket and stays put. The iRiver 195T for example, a 512 MB flash player, is an amazing player but the form factor is awkward and likely not somthing you would find comfortable carrying in a pocket. Players with the Cornice drive are as stable and skip free as flash players in my experience. I've never heard it skip. For my money the Nitrus is the way to go. Compatible with all the major legal download services except iTunes. Rumored to be Audible compatible with a future firmware upgrade. If you do decide to go with the Nitrus, wait for the 4 GB version. It was supposed to be released in January but should be out any day now.

[crabby_patty]

Thanks Plextor. I just (today) saw an advert for the new B&O player--there were no details (the type of device) but it was surely good looking (as you would expect from B&O.

I will look into your suggestions...VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!