MP3 players are the latest addition in music players. The successor of the records, 8-track and cassette tapes as well as cds, mp3 players have become the most popular as they are the handiest of the group and allow the most control for the users. Depending on the built in memory and the type of player, users can carry up to thousands of files, not even limited to just music but also of videos and photos and other files.

MP3 came from the term Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Layer III. The MP3 software is used to compress video and music data to smaller data with the quality of its predecessor -the CD. However, some of the quality in the MP3 is lost due to its size. The compression done in MP3 allows for easier and faster transfers between different MP3 players, the PC, and the internet. MP3 players act more as a storage device and compared to its predecessors, there is no more need to carry an additional device such as walkmans or CD players -a convenience indeed.

There are many kinds of MP3 players and this all depends on how big its storage is and how much it costs. The latest kind of MP3 players are players integrated in cell phones. These hybrid players were integrated in the mobile device to allow users to use phones not only for calling and texting but for listening to music as well. In fact, hybrid players are now even integrated into sunglasses -however, they are not as popular as flash memory players. Flash memory players are packed as a very small device but can store up to 8GB of fun with a playing time of 28 hours. Hard and mini drives, other members of the MP3 player breed can store 80GB of files and 8GB respectively.

MP3 players lets users pick songs to be included in the storage without having to buy the whole set of songs in an album. Audio files for MP3 players can be found in myriads of ways, you can rip your audio files from CDs using a special kind of software, you can download from various websites or even recording from radio stations or CDs straight away without the aid of a PC. Some MP3 players have voice recording as well

Today, buying accessories for MP3 players has become as vital as which among the MP3 player breed to choose. Items that allow more portability or convenient carrying are being sold as well as additional batteries for a longer playing time. Portable stereo systems are also available.

MP3 players are brought just about everywhere -either to work or to school or to wherever it owner goes. However, users can easily harm their hearing by blasting up the volume in their ears.