MP3 Players -- Which to Choose?

After my old MP3 player broke, I've been searching around for a new one. While I originally had my eyes set on Apple's iPod Touch, I was a little intimidated by its price. Also the fact that the iPod requires use of iTunes in order to transfer songs turned me off, particularly because iTunes doesn't work on my computer. Every time I try to use iTunes, it either freezes my computer, forcing me to restart, or says that I have no local Internet connection when I try to download items. So, after that, I took a look around the web and I have to say that I found myself quite a nice collection of possible MP3 players to choose from. However, it is also because of this that I'm having trouble deciding which one I want. Each model has its own pros and cons and I could never find a MP3 player that contained all of the features I wanted. Let's take a look at the different models I found:

Latte Espresso 8GB: The Latte Espresso 8GB MP3 player comes from the Korean company known as Latte Communications. I have to admit that every time I hear this name I want to go buy myself a coffee from Starbucks LOL. The device comes in two different colors: Gun Metal and Black, though the Black version is much more difficult to find online. In every sense, the Latte Espresso can be considered a knock-off of the iPod Touch. It has a 3" touch-screen, but it is smaller than the iPod Touch's 3.5" touch-screen. Reviewers have noted the touch-screen's good sensitivity and easy user interface and navigation. There is also a haptic sensor which causes the screen to vibrate when you touch it to let you know that you actually did press a button. The G-Sensor allows the screen to turn from horizontal to vertical when you rotate the Espresso and is true for the completel 360 degrees. The Espresso has quite a nice screen resolution (420 x 240) for video and photo playback. The device also includes an internal clock, a calendar, and a voice recorder. The Espresso also comes with four free games for your entertainment. Also available is a FM transmitter, which I could not care less if the device came with this feature or not. Reviewers have also noted the excellent sound quality and easy transfer of songs onto the device (a simple drag and drop). The battery life can go up to14 hours for audio playback and 4 hours for video. Not too bad for a player with touch-screen, though I wish that it could be longer.

Some cons seem to be that the device tends to freeze if you work too quickly through the menus, that the device turns on every 2 to 3 minutes to remind you that it's locked (which wastes battery time), and also that the touch-screen is too small for accurate touch-screen use. Also noted is the lack of a built-in speaker, which is rather disappointing. While quite a few like the player's sleek gun-metal finish, I'm not quite a fan of its design. To me, I think it looks more like a cheap alarm clock or that someone just randomly stuck a screen onto a kitchen counter. Other than that, the Latte Espresso 8GB seems to be the way to go.

Latte Ice 8GB: The Latte Ice also comes from Latte Communications. However, instead of touch-screen, the player focuses on regular tactile button use, a thing that I'm trying to get away from. However, the good thing is that there is a separate button for each task, which can be quite handy as compared to other players that assign ten or more tasks to a single button and relies on the pressure you give to the button to determine which task you want (often times unreliable). The Latte Ice has a smaller screen compared to the Espresso, with a screen size of 2.8" instead of 3". Other than the touch-screen, it comes with all the features of the Espresso, including a FM transmitter, a voice-recorder system, and a high resolution screen for video playback. There is even a built-in speaker, which is certainly a plus. I believe the battery life lasts somewhat longer than the Espresso, but I'll have to check on that later. Another bonus is that the player comes with a wall charger so that I won't have to rely on my computer to charge the device (like the Espresso). Ice also comes with the game Tetris, though I have to admit that I'm not too much of a crazy fan about Tetris. I rather like Ice's sleek and expensive-looking design. It really reminds me of a camera that my sister bought in Nanjing this year. So far, the Latte Ice is also a strong contender for possible purchase.

Sony Walkman NWZ-S545: Departing from Latte Communications comes Sony's Walkman 545 model. Like the Latte Ice, the Sony Walkman requies the use of tactile buttons. I'm not quite sure but judging by the picture on Best Buy, the button usage seems to be modeled after the iPod Nano, with a scroll wheel and a separate button for going back to the Home menu. It also has a smaller screen (2.4"). The Sony Walkman comes with a built-in speaker and also has one of the longest potential battery lives I've ever seen with audio playback reaching up to 42 hours. The Sony Walkman also comes with a detachable stand for use while watching movies. I personally am not quite interested in the Sony Walkman, despite its nice features, as I am currently leaning more toward the Latte lines. Also the 545 model of the Walkman happens to be the most expensive out of all my choices. If I were to buy this device, I would be looking at the Black model. One thing I find funny is that the Red model seems to be $40 cheaper than the Black model on one particular website I forget its name.

Archos 3 Vision 8GB: The Archos 3 Vision used to be at the top of my potential purchase list, that is before I found the Latte line. The Archos 3 Vision has a 3" touch-screen. It has most of the same features as any other MP3 player: FM transmitter, voice recorder, photo playback, etc. Unlike the Latte Espresso and Ice, it doesn't come with games but it is most certainly lighter than both of them. There is also no built-in speaker. However, it has the highest screen resolution out of the MP3 players I'm currently interrested in (420 x 320). That plus the fact that its sleek and minimalist design still remains to be my favorite. However, countless people have criticized the resistant touch-screen, which often requires two or more presses before a response is given, and the ineffective scroll wheel while navigating through songs, let alone the unfriendly user interface. The Archos 3 Vision comes in two different colors: Chocolate Brown and Red.