Choosing an MP3 Player

  1. Player must support Windows Media Player/Digital Rights Management (WMP/DRM) encrypted files. IPods do not, so they cannot be used.
  2. Player must be able to play 34kbps WMA files. eAudioBooks are downloaded as WMA files, not MP3.
  3. Adequate memory: The average eAudioBook is 140 MB. The files cannot be broken up into smaller files. So 256 MB capacity is probably the minimum, assuming that you will also want to have some music files on it as well.
  4. Bookmarking feature: This is the ability to set place in a large file and return to that place at a later time. True bookmarking will let you save your place in multiple files, so that you could listen to several eAudioBooks or an eAudioBook and music, and switch back and forth as your fancy dictates. This is not required, but you will find it very convenient. The Creative Zen Micro and Toshiba Gigabeat F10 players both support bookmarking that has been proven useful for listening to long eAudioBooks. There may be others; but it is difficult to be sure, since most players are designed for listening to short songs, and this feature is often not mentioned or promoted. Most players will remember where you were when you turn them off, so those will work fine if you just listen to one thing over a long period of time. Some players will go back to the beginning of a file after being re-started, which is a pain for a long audiobook.
  5. Full Time Display will help you keep track of where you are in these large files.
  6. Fast Forward and Reverse are helpful.
  7. Downloads of these large files does require a high-speed (cable or fast ISDN) Internet connection. Transfer of the files from your computer to your player will be fairly fast if your computer supports USB 2.0 or above. Older (more than 4 or so years old) computers may only support USB 1.1, which is much slower.

IMPORTANT: Always check the list of Tested Players, maintained by NetLibrary/RecordedBooks, before buying a player for use with these audio files. Read the notes carefully. Most players are designed to play shorter music files and even the manufacturers will not be of much help resolving issues. Do not rely on a salesperson in a store for advice; they are probably not familiar with the particular problems that these long files present!