Hard Drive MP3 Players

The biggest and highest-priced digital players are hard drive players. These devices store their digital music on 1.8" hard disks that provide up to 60GB of storage capacity and let you store tens of thousands of individual songs.

The downside to this type of player is size and weight. These are the largest portable devices available today and aren't nearly as lightweight as micro or mini players. And because of the built-in hard disk, these players can skip if you jostle them around.

The best of these bigger players feature color screens for viewing digital photos and videos. Most of these players let you store your digital photos on the built-in hard drive, and some also let you play back videos you download from the Internet.

As to price, expect to pay anywhere from $200 to $400, depending on capacity and other features. The most popular models are the Apple iPod and Creative Zen Vision:M.

Michael Miller is a writer and commentator on technology and digital lifestyle topics.