10 Weirdest MP3 Players. . .Ever

It's hard to imagine a world without digital audio players. It was just around 10 years ago that we were carrying around bulky Walkmans and CD players. Now, we stow our music collections on devices that are the size of an ice cube (MobiBlu Cube2) or a book of matches (Apple iPod Shuffle). What makes MP3 players so popular? For starters, they're extremely portable (and some even come in a variety of fun color choices). The MP3 accessory market, too, has grown exponentially, allowing us to collect an assortment of doo-dads to personalize our players, including armband cases, FM transmitters, and speaker docks.But that's not all. On the other side of the spectrum, of course, lies the wacky world of MP3 players. You're not likely to see many folks rocking out with these gadgets, but they are a world of fun to look at.

Here are a couple of the products you'll find in today's 10 Weirdest MP3 Players Ever slideshow:

OSIM iGoGo One would assume that massage therapy and MP3 players have nothing to do with one another, but that's not the case with this product from Singapore-based OSIM. Its iGoGo is an MP3 player that utilizes a patented "music-synchronized massage" technology. It comes with two wireless massagers—expandable up to four. Simply affix the included Hydro Gel packs on any part of your body. As the music plays, the device will massage those tense areas in sync with the beat. Choose among seven customized massage programs, including Trim Massage, designed to target those flabby areas. Available in black or white, this massaging MP3 player goes for $528.PEZ MP3 Player One summer, Pat Misterovich had an idea: take an ordinary PEZ dispenser and turn it into an MP3 player! Silly idea, right? PEZ Candy Inc. didn't think so and licensed the concept. The PEZ MP3 Player stores 512MB of audio, runs on one AAA battery, and is USB 2.0. Only 1,500 units were made, and all of them were sold—so you'll have to wait until the second version is available.

Copyright © 2007 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.

Cheap MP3 Players 101

Headed back to campus and looking to save some bucks on an MP3 player? It's possible to do so without sacrificing quality and the ever-so-important cool factor, but you have to educate yourself. There's no shortage of cheap players out there, and sadly, a lot of them are real stinkers. Fear not, my cash-strapped friend. Here are five up-to-date, reliable, and, yes, stylin' options, all for $100 or less. These days, there's a lot of competition in the low-priced flash memory-based portable player department. This is good news for you. In the past five months alone, I've seen two Editor's Choices in this field: the excellent Sansa Express and the sleek new Samsung YP-U3. The Express now comes in both 1 and 2 GB capacities and is slightly cheaper than the 2 GB YP-U3. Both players, however, feature fun and simple user interfaces and graphics, built-in USB connectors, FM radio, and voice recording. I happen to favor the YP-U3 slightly because I like its overall design a little more, but they're both worth serious consideration.

The ubiquitous iPod Shuffle can't go without a mention here, especially if you're tied to iTunes. However, if you keep your music in another program, like Windows Media Player, you should definitely check out the Creative ZEN Stone. Sure, it's basically a Shuffle knock-off. Even so, it does have a bit more navigation options and for half the price! (Don't confuse this with the ZEN Stone Plus—a similar player with a screen that doesn't quite deliver the same value for your hard-earned dollars).Finally, Toshiba recently entered the flash-based realm with the Gigabeat U Series. While it's not an award-winning player (I don't love the screen graphics), it's got a sexy physical design, is easy to navigate, and features line-in recording for stealing, er, sharing songs from your friends' collections.

Now, the question is: should you take the money you save and upgrade the lousy earbuds that always ship with these devices or pay for your textbooks? I'd need a Major in Philosophy and a Minor in Ethics to answer that one. Class dismissed.

In This Roundup:

Class President: Samsung YP-U3 Our latest Editor's Choice, the YP-U3 is stylish and easy-to-use, featuring a pop-out USB connector and touch-sensitive buttons.

Valedictorian: Sansa Express Also featuring a built-in USB connector, the Express has two things the U3 doesn't: FM recording and a cheaper price.

Mr. Popularity: iPod Shuffle The most popular guy on campus looks good, but he has very little self-control.

Cheapest Date: Creative ZEN Stone This player provides a little more playback control than the Shuffle, and costs a lot less.

Best Dressed: Toshiba Gigabeat U Series The U Series has line-in recording along with its standard features, all in a snazzy shell that'll turn heads.

Copyright © 2007 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.