Unplug and play: Easy-to-use MP3 players

Donald Bell, Senior Editor December 19, 2007

Each year, MP3 player manufacturers race to squeeze as many new and improved features into their products as possible. Unfortunately, the resulting products often become difficult to use, weighed down by complex menu options and cramped control buttons.

Standing defiantly against the tide are a handful of MP3 players that emphasize usability over all other features. The most famous among these intuitive MP3 players is the superminimal Apple iPod Shuffle. If you appreciate the Shuffle's basic controls but need something less likely to be lost between the sofa cushions or swallowed by the family pet, the SanDisk Sansa Shaker or the Sansa Clip have a bit more meat to them.

Getting slightly more sophisticated, the Toshiba Gigabeat U is a classy, sturdy MP3 player with outstanding audio quality and a unique line-input recording feature that makes recording tapes and CDs a snap. The Sony NWZ-B105F is another intuitive player with excellent audio quality, and it includes a built-in USB stick as well. Finally, the Creative Zen proves that not all easy-to-use MP3 players need to be tiny and stripped of fun features. The Zen's large screen and accommodating controls offer exceptional usability on a feature-packed device.

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