Buying an MP3 player without knowing how much memory it has is like buying car without knowing how many people can fit inside. Memory can make or break an MP3 player. Generally, more memory is better, but it’s more complicated than that. The most expensive part of flash memory players is the flash memory itself. So if you know that you’re only going to use the player for half an hour at a time (if, for instance, that’s how long your commute or workout lasts), 250MB is enough. However, we recommend looking for a flash memory player with at least 500MB of onboard memory and an expandability slot so that you can add more memory if things change. Of course, at Thriftycomputer, we are just like you. We want cool equipment that works seamlessly with our PCs and laptops and does not cost the earth. Our SanDisk Sansa MP3 Player prices will blow you away, so just take a look and see just how competitive we are.

Connection
MP3 CD players are the only portable audio players that don’t need to be connected to your computer in order to load songs onto memory. The basic rule of thumb is that if you have Windows 98 or above or a nonbeige Macintosh (beige Macs don’t have USB), you should choose a player that uses the USB port, which will make those crucial file transfers faster. For the fastest possible file transfers to a hard drrive-based MP3 player, look for USB 2.0 or FireWire. Just be sure to buy the appropriate adapter card, because only new Macs currently come with FireWire installed as a standard component.

Sound quality
With a few notable exceptions, all of the players that we’ve reviewed have decent sound. Any aural limitations tend to have more to do with the inherent limitations of the MP3 codec rather than one player’s rendering. Still, you should never buy an audio player with a signal-to-noise ratio of less than 85dB.

Software
Watch out for proprietary DRM software, which is usually found on devices from large, established corporations such as Sony, Panasonic, or Toshiba. These schemes can require the creation an encrypted copy of every song that you want to put on the player, making the companies’ generally beautifully designed hardware ugly to use.

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Long-time Apple iBook users have watched the explosive popularity of the iPod with glee. Finally, the rest of the world is getting a taste of the simplicity, dependability, and fun Apple users have been enjoying all along. Although there are many different portable audio players on the market that match or even exceed the iPod on some features not many have hit upon the iPod’s near-perfect combination of utility, style and seamless interface. For many, the iPod has become more than just a portable music device — it’s become a lifestyle.

As the public’s love affair with the iPod continues to grow, the number of accessories designed for it also increases at a phenomenal rate. While some are standard portable audio player accessories that have just been given an iPod restyling, many are new items, specifically created for the iPod. Out of the plentitude of “iproducts” out there, here are a few we’ve spotted that can help you get more out of your iPod.

The iPod at home - Making the computer connection
When using the iPod at home, usually it’s linked to a computer. One of the iPod’s strengths is its complete integration with the iTunes® computer program (in either its PC or Mac® incarnation). This makes transferring and managing music a pleasure rather than a chore.

Although the iPod can just lie flat on the table next to the computer, many users use the Apple iPod Dock. It securely holds the iPod upright for better display, and takes up less space on the desk. The iPod plugs into the dock’s base, and through it can be connected to the computer via FireWire or USB. Through that connection you can simultaneously transfer data, and recharge the iPod’s battery. Apple provides a dock with its 40GB Click Wheel iPod, but if you have a 20GB, 15GB or an iPod mini, you’ll have to purchase one separately.

Accessories for your iPod:

Griffin RoadTrip FM Transmitter & Auto Charger
Perfect for the road warrior or the executive on the move the Griffin Technology RoadTrip FM Transmitter and Auto Charger and Cradle for iPod combines a high-powered FM transmitter, an iPod auto charger, and a convenient iPod cradle in one package.

Kensington Digital FM Transmitter and Auto Charger for iPod
This all-in-one model lets you blast your iPod songs, audiobooks, and podcasts through your car stereo using the FM radio. Charge your iPod while using its push-button technology to enjoy its on-board music library in your car.

Speck Active Sport Armband for iPod
Essential equipment for the athlete on the move who cannot be parted from his music collection. This is one cool iPod Accessory you simply cannot do without.

Speck ActiveSport iPod nano Armband
If you’re agonizing whether your iPod Nano will be perfect in a gym environment then the Speck ActiveSport iPod Nano armband is the perfect solution for you.

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Every month, manufacturers unleash even more MP3 players to an increasingly confused public. Not only do these devices have wildly divergent features, but ongoing format wars mean the MP3 player you choose dictates where you can buy your digital music. These devices are anything but one-size-fits-all.

Luckily for you, you now have a handy guide to demystify everything for you.

First, there’s the question of design. A player can have every feature in the world, but if the design doesn’t match your lifestyle or if the interface is impenetrable, you still won’t enjoy it. You’ll want to look closely at performance; sound quality and battery life can make or break a player, especially if you travel a lot or have the so-called golden ears of an audiophile.

Before you start checking out specific models, you should have a basic understanding of the types of MP3 players available. Note: All types of player mentioned below can play other formats besides MP3, such as WMA, ATRAC3, OGG, or AAC, but we still refer to them as MP3 players.

Hard drive-based players
Most likely, a high-capacity player can accommodate every song you’ve ever purchased or ripped from a CD. Hard drives run from 20GB on up, and large players such as the 60GB Apple iPod can hold around 17,000 songs, assuming an average file size of 3.5MB per tune.

Pros: They store all your music on one device. They also tend to have more features and larger screens and are overall easier to use. High-capacity players give you the best bang for your buck in terms of price per gigabyte.

Cons: These players are usually built around a 1.8-inch hard drive; thus, they are larger and heavier than the others. Also, hard drives have moving parts, so these players aren’t ideal for strenuous physical activity. Finally, most use rechargeable batteries (usually lasting 8 to 20 hours per charge) that you can’t replace yourself, so after several years, you might have to pay for a new model or pay to get the battery replaced.

Straddling the line between full-size hard drive-based MP3 players and compact, flash-based players, these models aim to give you the best of both worlds by using miniature hard drives (about 1 inch or less in diameter) with capacities of up to 8GB. Players such as the Creative Zen Micro Photo can’t store as much music as a 30GB Cowon iAudio X5L, but they feel a lot lighter in the pocket.

Pros: They’re smaller and lighter than high-capacity players but still hold more tunes than flash-based models with the same price.

Cons: You get fewer megabytes per pound than you do with a larger player, and these models have many of the same disadvantages of larger hard drive-based units, including the moving parts that limit physical activity and nonremovable batteries that eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Luckily, many new micro drive-based players such as the Creative Zen Micro feature a user-replaceable battery.

Flash-based players
The original MP3 player design, these have no moving parts and are known for their shockproof operation and ultracompact dimensions. Devices range in capacity from 32MB to 6GB, though most new players don’t go below 512MB. SanDisk’s MP3 line, for example, includes exclusively flash-based players.

Pros: Flash-based players are tiny. They also have no moving parts, so their batteries last longer, and you can jog, snowboard, or bungee jump with them without causing skipping or damage. Many flash players include lots of extra features such as voice and line-in recording.

Cons: The aforementioned extras can make flash players a bit harder to use, and they have the highest per-megabyte cost and max out at 6GB.

At thriftycomputer.com of course the price differential tends to come down quite a bit so there’s no need to worry.

MP3 CD players
These look just like portable CD players, except they can read data CDs filled with digital music. You can burn approximately 150 MP3 songs (10 albums) on one 650MB disc. But if you want to take your CD collection with you, no worries–these devices can play standard CDs, as well.

Pros: These are the least expensive of all types of MP3 players, and they use incredibly cheap replaceable media (CD-R/RW discs).

Cons: They’re large and can skip when jostled.

Which one you go for now depends really on budget, looks and personal requirements and, oh, of course the fact that you can buy from a merchant with a solid reputation for customer service and quality MP3 players at incredible prices.

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Bluetooth has become synonymous with freedom and, these days, it also means cool. Bluetooth headsets allow you freedom from cables and the ability to effortlessly achieve a futuristic hands-free look that joins you to your cell phone without the need for an umbilical, unsightly wire.

When it comes to choosing a Bluetooth headset a number of factors really matter. Fidelity is one of them. You don’t want to listen to garbled noises and a lot of white noise each time you use your cell phone to take a call. This is why Motorola Bluetooth Headsets like the Motorola H500 offer great fidelity and the ability to connect to more than just your cell phone.

After fidelity in your Bluetooth Headset you need to consider weight. A good quality Bluetooth Headset will give you up to at least eight hours of talk time off a single charge. The Bluetooth Headsets at thriftycomputer offer fidelity and longevity in terms of talk time after a single charge, like the Motorola H550 which has an amazing 130 hour standby time and at least 8 hours talk time which means that if you have a Bluetooth Headset hanging off your ear for anywhere that long you don’t need it to be the weight of a brick.

After weight and fidelity you know you need to check out looks. Sleek, stripped down, futuristic looking Bluetooth Headsets like the Motorola H700 have become style accessories as much as they have become necessary communication equipment.

With technical capabilities like that, cool looks, perfect fidelity and comfortable weight the Bluetooth Headsets at thirftycomputer.com leave only one last item to consider: price. Luckily thriftycomputer.com takes care of that as well with incredible prices and fantastic offers.

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Cell phones are a necessity but they do not have to be a ball and chain. The days when a cell carrier could lock you into their service simply for the pleasure of owning one of their snazzy, stylish cell phones are over thanks to the unbeatable deals offered by thriftycomputer.com.

The legendary Blackberry Pearl is a cell phone that’s been immortalised in countless reviews as well as by being the favourite of executives on the move who never want to be away from their email and Wall Street warriors who take the office with them.

Thirftycomputer.com have freed those who do not want to be tied to a carrier by unlocking those who buy them to a carrier of their own choice. BlackBerry 7100G Unlocked QuadBand GSM PDA Phone is a legendary piece of equipment. Blackberry gives you email on the move, downloadable ringtones and Bluetooth connectivity which allows you take all your files with you.

The Blackberry cell phone is the perfect phone for browsing the web. You can get up to date looking at quotes, catch up with information, browse the web on the move. The Blackberry Pearl is nothing less than an office on the move. Synchronise it with your PC and laptop applications, send and receive full file attachments and store all your information and files.

More than that, use its full web messenger support capability to chat on the web in real time as if you have never left your laptop, your computer or the office. In fact the Blackberry Pearl has so many capabilities and options that the concern has always been the price rather than what it can do. When the cell carrier locks you into a contract the price becomes manageable but when you get an unlocked Blackberry Pearl cell phone from thriftycomputer.com you are guaranteed a great price. In fact the Blackberry Pearl is so cheap at thriftycomputer.com that the real question has to be why have you not got one yet?

Are you ready to find cheap computer accessories?

Would you like unlocked cell phones?

Ready to find best priced iPod Accessories?

We have some excellent quality Bluetooth Headsets

Top-quality, competitively priced MP3 Players

Headsets, Keyboards & Mice