Definition of Mp3
MP3, short for MPEG-1 Layer 3, is an audio compression format common on the Net these days. It can take larger audio recordings and shrink them down to a fraction of their size while losing little if any fidelity of the sound. It is a very common format with a lot of free players available online.


ipod

A portable hard disk drive produced by the Apple Computer corporation. It is typically used to store music files such as MP3s but can also be used for storing other files such as images or other data.

Definition of Mp3 Player
A MP3 player is an electronic device that can play digital audio files. The term 'MP3 player' is a misnomer, as most players play more than the MP3 file format. A more accurate, but less utilized term is DAP (Digital Audio Player).

Since the MP3 format is widely used, almost all players can play that format. In addition, there are many other digital audio formats. Some formats are proprietary, such as MP3, Windows Media Audio (WMA), and Advanced Audio Codec (AAC). Some of these formats also may incorporate digital rights management (DRM), such as WMA DRM, which are often part of paid download sites. Other formats are patent-free or otherwise open, such as Vorbis, FLAC, and Speex (all part of the Ogg open multimedia project).

Well-known MP3 players include:

Rio Players by Rio Audio
iPod by Apple Computer
Dell DJ by Dell (this is actually a rebranded Creative Nomad)
Creative Nomad by Creative Labs
Many models of player by iRiver


All in all Al, its the same old problem of Apple/IBM (Compatible) issue with Computers.

Basically Al, if you have a CD and put it in your CD player of your computer and plug your MP3 player into the computer, you can copy the music straight across from your CD to MP3 player.

Memory is one of the big issues. The more memory the more songs on the MP3.

You really have to go to a decent shop and get them to demonstrate the plus ponts of each MP3 player.

I hope thats a starter for you and helpful without being confusing.

Les