Flash Players Vs. Hard Drive Players

MP3 players store data either on internal hard drives or flash memory. Each of these systems has benefits and drawbacks, and understanding these can help you buy the MP3 player that best fits your needs.

Capacity

Flash-based MP3 players are quickly gaining in capacity. However, at the same price point, a hard drive-based player will have far greater capacity---as much as 10 times more.

Size

The average hard drive-based MP3 player is roughly the size of a deck of cards. Flash-based players can come in any size, however. The smallest are comparable to a stick of gum.

Battery Life

Because they have no moving parts, flash-based MP3 players generally offer battery capacity superior to that of hard drive-based players. However, this disparity has begun to even out because of more efficient batteries and flash-based players with more capabilities such as video playback.

Durability

Flash-based MP3 players are more resistant to being shaken or dropped than hard drive-based players. A hard drive has one or more rotating platters, with a read/write head that hovers over them. If the head ever crashes into the platters, data will be lost.

Display

MP3 players come in a variety of sizes. The largest-screened MP3 players tend to be flash-based such as the iPod Touch, with the screen taking up the entire surface of the player.

References

• Flash memory vs. hard drive