12 Issues of The Economist for $12 
Jasmine France, Senior Associate Editor April 6, 2009
Perhaps most MP3 player owners never even have a use for bookmarking, but it's certainly a desirable feature for some--we've received more than a few reader e-mail messages asking for advice on which devices possess the ability to insert placeholders in audio tracks. Most users who desire this feature are audiobook enthusiasts who want to ensure they won't have to scrub through hours of the spoken word if their players' autoresume function fails, or who want to go back and forth between music and audiobooks. However, bookmarking can also be a handy tool for podcast subscribers and people who listen to long, continuous tracks, such as DJ sets. Surprisingly, relatively few MP3 players offer this feature. Most Creative and Archos devices include it, but other brands are less reliable. The five products below are all great MP3 players that offer bookmarking. These players should also be compatible with the protected-WMA requirements of the NetLibrary eAudiobook service, increasingly offered at local libraries.
| Product name | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price |
As shown: $79.99
| Pricing not available | Pricing not available |
As shown: $99.99
|
As shown: $89.99
|
| CNET editors' rating | |||||
| Average user rating |  |
||||
| Review date | June 20, 2006 | February 27, 2007 | July 18, 2007 | September 14, 2007 | November 02, 2007 |
| The Bottom Line | The Creative Zen V Plus is a superb choice for anyone looking for a compact and feature-filled flash MP3 player with great sound quality. If you're looking for a more sophisticated design (or have large thumbs), look elsewhere. | If you can get on board with the Cowon D2's PDA-like touch screen interface, the reward is great-sounding audio, a smorgasbord of features, and a fantastic battery life. | The Cowon iAudio 7 beats the industry heavyweight iPod Nano in price, features, battery life, and sound quality. The user interface could use some refinement, but all-in-all this is a very impressive MP3 player. | 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. | There are better MP3 players than the Archos 105 available at this price, but few with so large a screen. |
| Similar Products | Compare more products | Compare more products | Compare more products | Compare more products | Compare more products |
| Features | |||||
| PC interface(s) supported | Hi-Speed USB | Hi-Speed USB | USB | Hi-Speed USB | Info unavailable |
| Flash memory installed | 2 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 2 GB |
| Flash memory form factor | Integrated | Integrated | Integrated | Integrated | Integrated |
| Digital player signal-to-noise ratio | 92 dB | 95 dB | 95 dB | 97 dB | Info unavailable |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | x1.7 in x 0.6 in x 2.7 in | x3.1 in x 0.7 in x 2.2 in | x1.4 in x 0.7 in x 3 in | x3.3 in x 0.4 in x 2.2 in | x1.8 in x 0.3 in x 3.3 in |
| Weight | 1.6 oz | 3.2 oz | 1.9 oz | 2.3 oz | 1.8 oz |
| Resolution | 128 x 128 | 360 x 240 | 160 x 128 | 320 x 240 | 160 x 128 |
| Battery technology | Lithium ion | Lithium polymer | Lithium polymer | Lithium ion | Info unavailable |
| Software type | Creative ZENcast Organizer Creative MediaSource Creative Media Explorer | Cowon jetAudio VX Cowon jetShell | Cowon jetShell Cowon jetAudio | Creative ZENcast Organizer Creative Media Explorer Drivers & Utilities | Info unavailable |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
| Buying choices | Pricing not available | Pricing not available | Pricing not available | Pricing not available | Pricing not available |
