MP3 stands for Mpeg audio layer 3 and is essentially a compressed digital form of music that, unlike the audio cassette tape, suffers no noticeable reduction in quality during recordings. The sound quality is indistinguishable from compact discs, and the gadgets are often no bigger than a deck of cards. There is nothing illegal about converting your entire compact disc collection to MP3 format and then listening to your favorite tunes, in any order, on a portable MP3 player. No more lugging around a briefcase full of CDs or worrying that you'll damage discs in the car. The players are also great for joggers because they have no moving parts that can cause the music to skip during a workout.
Additional memory is still expensive.
MP3 players are more expensive than portable CD players and they are best suited for computer savvy people. Creating MP3 files and transferring them between your computer and player is a lot more involved than popping a CD into your Discman. This is the best player on the market right now. Sleek and light, it fits in your shirt pocket. While it's a little more costly than most other players, the Nomad II comes with 64MB of card memory and full-sized headphones instead of the usual earbuds.