What to look for in an MP3 player...
2.Portability.
Following directly on portability is also an important consideration and as a general rule a unit will be more bulky and less portable the more storage capacity it has, however this will depend upon the quality of the manufacture and design, and the other features the player may have, i.e. if it is a camera/video player as well.
Choosing a player with a good design and from a quality manufacturer will often mean a sleek and stylish player with a high storage capacity, a cheap imitation may look similar but actually be much bigger, less robust and less reliable but there are some excellent quality budget mp3 players to be had out there. The choice will depend on your requirements, do you want a player that you can slip into your inside pocket? Will you want to take it out in hot weather maybe on holiday when you wont have that jacket on? How will you carry it? Are there accessories available for carrying the unit, and if so how well protected is it? Are you going to listen to it while skateboarding, or jogging in the rain? If so it would need to be a very robust unit, be showerproof, or have a special carrying case. If you are not an endorphin junkie or you are more likely just to listen to your music calmly in the garden, then perhaps it wouldn't need to be quite so hard wearing (unless you're accident prone).
OK so you found one that can strap to your belt, or even has a neat carry case, but can you reach all the controls you need or will you have to keep taking it off, or out, to adjust it? A small device that you have to keep taking out of your inside pocket on a busy tube ride can be so inconvenient it will soon become more of a burden than a pleasure.
Again if you want a tiny, very hardwearing and robust unit with a large storage capacity and well designed accessible controls you are going to have to pay for it, in contrast a larger less stylish unit with a lower storage capacity might be all you need, and should be relatively cheap.
