Best MP3 players for audiobooks
Donald Bell
Senior editor July 26, 2011 (updated on: August 24, 2011)
MP3 players have quickly become the medium of choice for listening to audio books. Compared with CD and cassette players, an average MP3 player is much smaller and has the capacity to hold many hours worth of audio. When shopping for an audio-book-friendly MP3 player, there are four main features to consider: file compatibility, battery life, storage capacity, and bookmarking.
To figure out which supported file types are important to you, think about where you'll be getting your audio books. Audible is one of the most popular formats for purchasing audio books online, and all of the players listed here work with Audible. If you're using your local library as a source for audio books, however, many of them rely on services such as NetLibrary and OverDrive, which sometimes prefer a protected-WMA format that won't work with the iPod (this is increasingly rare). Libraries and digital audio book services often include a listing of compatible MP3 players, so just be sure to do your homework before you buy.
Next, consider battery life. Audio book fans typically listen in long stretches and you want to make sure your MP3 player can go the distance. When it comes to storage capacity, consider that audio books average around 140MB--which can eat up memory in a hurry. For most users, 4GB to 8GB of space is adequate, but if your goal is to fit your entire music, video, and audio book library onto one device, high-capacity players such as the iPod Classic are ideal.
Then there's bookmarking. All of the MP3 players shown here should automatically resume audio book playback where you last left off, but some MP3 players (such as the Creative Zen) will allow you to manually set multiple bookmarks within an audio book. The capability to manually insert bookmarks is handy if an MP3 player is shared between different people, or if you want to quickly jump back to specific passages.
If you love audio books but hate dealing with computers and software, the Apple iPod Touch (or iPhone) offers an integrated iTunes store where you can browse, purchase, and download a wide selection of audio books directly to the device over a Wi-Fi Internet connection. The iPod Touch can also be used with e-book reading apps, including Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iBooks.
One last consideration is ease of use. At the moment, we're giving this prize to the iPod Nano, which can be easily customized to include an audiobook menu button right on the main screen. Like the Sansa Clip, its clip-on design is also great for listening on the go.
| Product name | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $188.00 to $212.64 | $34.94 to $51.40 | $42.92 to $61.58 | $99.99 | $122.99 to $169.20 |
| CNET editors' rating | |||||
| Average user rating |  | ||||
| Release date | October 14, 2011 | September 01, 2009 | August 24, 2011 | September 08, 2010 | |
| The Bottom Line | The iPod Touch is the best iPod yet, offering all the fun of the iPhone experience without a carrier contract or monthly bill. | The SanDisk Sansa Clip+ is an excellent successor to the line, offering a fitness-friendly design with a built-in belt-clip, a simple interface, solid sound quality, and plenty of handy features--all for an ultralow price. It's an unbeatable value. | SanDisk's tongue-twister of an MP3 player is a stupefying value and its practical clip-on design is perfect for the gym. | We're hard-pressed to find anything not to like about the Creative Zen. It's a great option for anyone looking for a great-sounding, pocketable MP3 player with an excellent, video-capable screen and plenty of extra features. | The sixth generation of the iPod Nano is the smallest yet, but it comes at the expense of valuable features and practical controls. |
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| Features | |||||
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 2.3 in x 0.3 in x 4.3 in | 1.4 in x 0.6 in x 2.2 in | Info unavailable | 3.3 in x 0.4 in x 2.2 in | 1.6 in x 0.4 in x 1.5 in |
| Software type | Apple Safari iMessage Newsstand Find My iPod touch Videos Music App Store Reminders Photos Maps Calendar Calculator Contacts Stocks Notes Weather iTunes | Drivers & Utilities | Napster Rhapsody Media Player EMusic Drivers & Utilities | Creative ZENcast Organizer Creative Media Explorer Drivers & Utilities | Drivers & Utilities |
| Mfr estimated battery life | 40 hour(s) | 15 hour(s) | 15 hour(s) | Info unavailable | 24 hour(s) |
| PC interface(s) supported | Bluetooth 2.1 EDR Wi-Fi Hi-Speed USB | Hi-Speed USB | Hi-Speed USB | Hi-Speed USB | Hi-Speed USB |
| Flash memory form factor | Integrated | Integrated | Info unavailable | Integrated | Integrated |
| Flash memory installed | 8 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Weight | 3.6 oz | 0.8 oz | Info unavailable | 2.3 oz | 0.7 oz |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
| Buying choices | | | | | |
Also, you guys need to stop downgrading Android phones because you don't like the UI. I have Sense-like features on my Droid X because there are launchers in the market that provide that functionality. If you want a different UI, go into the market and find one you like. Not every skin will be to everyone's liking, but that's the beauty of Android. You get to choose the UI elements that appeal to you and are not stuck with just a wall of icons and no skins, themes, live wallpapers, etc.
So bascially the review is preference with both phones being pretty much equal... Pocket size vs bigger screen
I prefer HTC as far as a brand, cus of motorola's efuse
Big often doesn't equate to sexy. No one will say that the Hummer H1is sexier than a Porsche Cayenne. So of course because since it's strength will come in performance indicators like Multimedia opportunity.
Secondly, how are they downgrading Android Phones? Incredible with the Sense UI IS AN ANDROID phone.
And Sense isn't a skin, or a wallpaper slick. It is a user interface that is proprietary to HTC. You can't find it in the market like you can a ringtone.
- Droid X is said to come with a lot of marketing driven crapware (Blockbuster, Amazon MP3, NFL, etc.) that can't be uninstalled - in addition to the MotoBlur, which to me is a loathsome interface. Is there a similar problem with the Incredible. Which phone can be reverted to a stock Android interface easier?
- Speaking of which, the Droid X is also said to have the eFuse thingy which can make rooting the phone harder, Is rooting more likely to brick the Droid X than the Incredible? Does the Incredible have circuitry similar to eFuse which allows the manufacturer / carrier to retain control over what an owner does with his/her phone?
Also, as I said before, if you don't like MotoBlur then use something else. I like ADW, so that's what I use. If you want the "stock Android interface" then just go find it in the market. There are plenty of launchers available that can make that happen.
As far as rooting goes, the phone just came out. Nothing is really known yet. Motorola did say the phone will not be completely bricked if you try to install a ROM, but it will just sit in recovery mode until a genuine ROM is installed. Give the dev community some time to work on it.
I cant say much for the Droid X as I have never really used one but I have heard the same things about obnoxious software. I do have an Incredible though and it comes with a few extra applications that dont get in the way all (ex. "Friendstream" social networking app to combine twitter, FB, etc., I just deleted the widget and as far as i'm concerned its basically gone).
Also i tend to like a lot of the HTC widgets more than the stock android ones (which on the Inc. you also have the option to use) specifically the clock/weather one. Plus the Sense keyboard is amazing for an onscreen, but but i havent tried the X and am coming off of an LG Dare... so not much comparison. but as always w/ android you can install other ones that you like more from the marketplace.
As far as rooting goes I was looking into it to try the "stock android experience" (but decided to wait till after the rumored 2.2 update next month) and it looks like the incredible is very easy to root and revert back to stock (basically a "one step" root) and they have a good walkthrough on lifehacker.com.
Love the Inc. and had the X been out when I got it I would be in the same dilemma you are. But I love the incredible i really dont think you would regret either one. Cause really the main difference seems to be screen size and ease/risk of rooting.
crapware is enough to drive you insane but the rotting fixes that
-In terms of crapware the only feature I've noticed so far is CityID which can be a pain because it bugs you periodically to buy its $2/mo service, but I've read that after the 2 week trial period it doesn't pop up anymore. As for reverting to a stock interface I'm not sure about that, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's possible. I've seen Sense added to devices which didn't originally have it (i.e. Nexus One), so I'd bet you can do the opposite.
-The Incredible does not have the eFuse that the Droid X does. This is probably due to different manufacturers (Droid X is Motorola, Incredible is HTC). I haven't personally installed custom ROMs yet but I know they exists for the Incredible.
Hope that helps!
Looking forward to future matches!
As to the eFuse, I've heard mixed information on the chip. Yes it's installed but I've heard it's not activated at this time. Even if it was active the podcasts I've been listening too aren't too concerned--they state the techies out there will find a workaround and/or it will only trigger if you hose up the phone anyway. I understand it being a negative point for people who's sole desire is to break the phone down to it's bits and completely mess with it, but for standard users, even power users that are okay with some limitations, it shouldn't be an issue. My car has a redline limiter. Yes I could go in and reprogram the computer to allow me above that line, but even if that weren't possible I would still have bought the car.
There is also rumor of upgrading the video capture on the Incredible to allow higher resolution recording.(720p perhaps?)
The last thing is the fact that both phones have a video out port. The Incredible wins in this area in my opinion. The Incredible will allow you to display ANYTHING that the phone display shows onto a HD tv. The HDMI on the Droid X will only allow you to output videos that are captured by the phone....or so I have heard.
720p video capture will be coming to the Incredible in an update which has already been pushed to some users for testing as of last week.
I think you're a little off on the video out port. As far as I know the Incredible can only output via a composite video cable whereas the Droid X has an extra dedicated HDMI port which the Incredible lacks.
Nothing else matters...for now.
Not sure why CNET wanted the Droid X to win this, but that's sure the feeling I get ...
This goes back to my previous point. The player that comes by default has no meaning because there are plenty of great video/audio/media players in the market. You get to choose the one you like best.
Come on, CNET. You guys are supposed to be experts yet you ignore one of Android's main strengths. It's like you don't want to spend 10 minutes setting up the phone and just want to use the default EVERYTHING.
A little customization goes a long way.
J