Full-on MP3 Madness:

Big honking hard drives, difficult to misplace, packed with features. Full sized hard drive MP3 players are what we think of when we talk about portable digital music.

iPod Photo (30GB)

Design The iPod Photo is a real beaut’. As with all Apple players, it sports a sleek, white case. Its streamlined casing and few buttons makes it the coolest looking player out there, especially when the power of the brand is considered. Interface Apple is cool, but the real reason that iPod took off is the interface. You can’t get much better than the click wheel for ease of use and fast navigation. The play list system works the same as iTunes, and anyone that’s used it can tell you how easy and intuitive it really is. Software Speaking of iTunes, you can absolutely not find a better audio program anyway. I use it on my home PC and I don’t even own an iPod. It’s extremely easy to navigate, has a cool, pleasing face, it’s easy to make and change play lists, and, let’s not forget that iTunes is not only the #1 retailer of legal MP3s on the net, it’s also probably the best. Sound Quality The sound quality on the iPod is nothing special. Music sounds just fine, but, I hate to tell you, the ear buds aren’t really all that great when you get down to it and the sound quality is probably not as good as a decent Discman. Features For features the iPod photo outstrips almost all competitors. Like most devices you can store non-music files on it, but the large full-color screen allows for the viewing of lavish photographs. The photo viewer is as easy to use, if not easier, than play list navigation. You can even listen to music and view photos simultaneously. Accessories In terms of accessories, you can’t beat Apple. With the success of iPod came a whole new industry: the iPod accessory industry. Bose sound dock lets you to fill a large room with your favorite tunes. There’s also skins, headphones, and, for the photo, connectors to link your iPod with your digital camera. Batter life is poor, so make sure you pick up an AC adapter. Battery Life In terms of juice, you’ll be lucky to get 15 hours out of the iPod photo with even moderate use. That big, backlit screen sucks up some serious power, and iPod has never been the vanguard of battery power to begin with. Plus, if you need a new battery (which happens frequently if reports can be trusted) you actually need to bring your iPod in for service. There’s no way for the user to change it by themselves. Also, if reports can be trusted, there’s a good chance that the iPod you get back from the service center will not be your own. Durability Like all high-tech electronics items, it’s best not to drop the iPod photo. Apple has taken little action to make the iPod more durable since its debut, and the Photo is no exception. Expect trips to the service center sometime in the life of your iPod. Price Even at the recently rolled back price of $349 ($449 for the 60 gig version), the iPod Photo is still probably the priciest player out there, but at only 50 dollars more than the non-photo iPod, it’s probably worth the price.

Sony Network Walkman NW-HD5 (20GB)

Design The NW-HD5 has a classic Sony design: Cool and black. The square button interface on the front of the player is reminiscent of the old-style Walkman, which is very cool. The monochromatic screen may not be as eye-catching as the full color iPod screen, but it certainly gets the job done, and it’s easy enough to read. One major advantage it does have compared to the iPod is size: The Sony Network Walkman is much smaller and lighter. Interface Very easy and intuitive to set up play order and navigate through play lists, with simplicity rivaling that of iPod. However, it may be a little more difficult once you actually fill the 20GB hard drive to capacity and have to jog through 20,000 songs. Software The only way to get MP3s onto this sucker is via the Sony Soundstage software, which is abysmal when compared with iTunes. No question about it, this is the player’s weakest area. Sound Quality What it lacks in software it makes up in sound quality however, and we expect nothing less from Sony. They’ve been leading the pack in sound quality for decades now, and the new Network Walkman is no exception. Sound quality is leagues ahead of iPod. Features This is a quality player, but that’s about all. It doesn’t have an FM tuner (though neither does Apple), it doesn’t view photos, it doesn’t have a color monitor, which means no album art of pictures. Accessories Sony’s got a variety of headphones of course, and speakers, but nothing like the iPod sound docks. The Network Walkman has dispensed with the frills like skins and instead just focuses on doing one thing and doing it well. Battery Life Battery life is where the NW-5 really shines. On one charge, you can take your Sony out and listen to it for up to 40 hours. That’s the best performance you’ll get out of any player on the market. Plus, when the thing dies, you can replace it yourself instead of bringing it in to the service center as with the iPod. Durability This is a durable player, with a matted aluminum exterior that’s difficult to scratch. It’s got some hi-tech safety devices in place, such as the impact detection system that disengages the hard drive if it senses a shock, like a drop. This helps insure fewer trips to the service center and a longer life in general. Price It’s got a $300 dollar price tag, which is about equivalent to the non-photo iPod, and if you shop around you can probably find it for a little cheaper. It’s cheaper than the iPod photo by about 50 bucks, but also has less memory. Bottom line, the NW-5 is priced aggressively, but it’s no bargain.

iRiver H10 (20GB)

Design The design on the iRiver H10 is somewhat snazzier than the others in the iRiver series. It comes in four cool colors including the ultra cool Lounge Gray and equally vibrant Trance Red. There face of the player sports a full color display comparable to the 4th generation 20GB iPod and a smart looking touch pad for navigation. Interface The interface seems intuitive, with the touch pad acting as a surrogate click wheel, however this isn’t the case. Navigating with the touch pad is easy, but in order to select a song or folder you need to reach to the other side of the player to use the awkward ‘select’ and ‘back’ keys. Also, in order to change the volume you need to return to the main menu, which normally involves pausing whatever song you’re currently listening to. Software If you have Windows XP and WMP you have all the software you need to export play lists to your machine. It’s a pretty good program, though not better than iTunes by any stretch of the imagination it is leaps and bounds ahead of Sony’s Soundstage. Sound Quality Sound quality is not bad. If you pick up some better headphones (it seems like “buy better headphones” is the magic word for all mp3 players) the sound quality is about equal to iPod, only the volume doesn’t go quite as high, which could turn some people off. Features If you want a lot of features, and we mean a LOT of features, than this is the player for you. Like the iPod photo, the viewer let’s you store and go through a ton of photos, though the screen isn’t as nice and the photo interface isn’t as clean. But unlike the iPod photo it does a ton of other stuff like play FM radio, record audio, radio, and line-in audio. You need a special cradle for line-in audio which I don’t think is out yet, but when it does come out… woah boy. This also plays more formats than any competing product including subscription services like Napster To Go, Rhapsody To Go, and Yahoo Music Unlimited. Besides viewing photos, you can also view text files, which makes this unit extra-convenient for file storage. The only negative about viewing files is that it’s not album-cover viewing ready. Accessories The yet-to-be-released audio in recording cradle of course, other than that there aren’t many accessories to speak of besides connectors. Battery Life iRiver seems to have taken a page out of Apple’s book for this one. Battery life is just shy of the 15 hour mark, which is ok, but definitely not great. Also, unlike the other iRiver players, the 20GB model does not have a removable battery, which means, you guessed it, going to the service center when you need a replacement. Durability Comparable to iPod. Be careful not to drop this player. Price The player retails at about $300 bucks, which is par for the course, but you can find deals for cheaper, around $280 bucks. Compared to other players with many fewer features, the price is right.

Cowon iAudio X5L (30GB)

Design The Cowon iAudio X5L looks cooler and more hi-tech than others in the X5 series with a big color monitor and silver jog dial. Interface Songs (and other media) are navigated with a small, silver jog dial that appears just under the screen on the right side of the player. You might want to read the manual before diving into navigating this bad boy, but it’s not exactly brain surgery either. Songs and files are arranged in a file-tree system with folders through which to navigate. Software No software necessary for this machine, which is both good and bad. Good because, well, no software required, and no software to screw up. Also some people enjoy the simple file-tree system. On the down side, this means its more difficult to organize play lists, since its not IB3 compatible, though the tags are viewable under the information. Sound Quality Sound quality is exceptional, superior to the iPod by all reports and with a great equalizer. Features Features are comparable to the iRiver H10, except that it also plays full DVD movies. This is a very cool feature, but the screen is a bit too small for prolonged video usage in our opinions. If you want a portable media player, you might as well shell out the extra cash for something with a big screen. However, it plays a ton of formats, stores and views pictures, and records audio, FM radio, and line-in (without the cradle required by the iRiver). All in all, it has more features than any other player in the market. Accessories None available, non required. Battery Life If used only as an mp3 player, the X5L is rated for about 35 hours of play time, which is exceptional, second only to the Sony Network Walkman. However, when used to view other media, like movies, the batter life is significantly reduced. Durability This may be the most fragile player out there, and still has a view bugs in it. Expect frequent returns to the service center. Price The price tag is a firm $330 dollars, the most expensive player out there save for the $350 iPod Photo. However, feature for feature, the Cowon X5L far outstrips the iPod Photo and every other player on the market.