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Best MP3 players for audiobooks

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Donald Bell, October 2, 2008

MP3 players have quickly become the medium of choice for listening to audiobooks. Compared with CD and cassette players, an average MP3 player is much smaller and has the capacity to hold many hours worth of audio. There are four main features to consider when buying an audiobook-friendly MP3 player: file compatibility, battery life, storage capacity, and bookmarking.

To figure out which supported file types are important to you, think about where you'll be getting your audiobooks. Audible is one of the most popular formats for purchasing audiobooks online, and all of the players listed here are Audible-friendly. If you're using your local library as a source for audiobooks, however, many of them rely on services such as NetLibrary and OverDrive, which use a protected-WMA format that won't work with the iPod. Libraries and digital audiobook services often include a listing of compatible MP3 players, so be sure to do some homework before you buy.

Next, consider battery life. Audiobook fans typically listen in long stretches and you want to make sure your MP3 player can go the distance. If you like listening in the car, find out if there's an in-car power adapter for the MP3 player you're considering.

When you're thinking about storage capacity, consider that audiobooks average around 140MB--which can eat up memory in a hurry. For most users, 4GB to 8GB of space is adequate, but if you want to fit your entire music, video, and audiobook library onto one device, high-capacity players such as the iPod Classic and Zune 120 are the way to go.

Finally, there's bookmarking. All of the MP3 players shown here should automatically resume audiobook playback where you last left off, but some MP3 players (such as the Creative Zen) will allow you to manually set multiple bookmarks within an audiobook. The capability to manually insert multiple bookmarks is handy if an MP3 player is shared between different people, or if you want the capability to quickly jump back to specific passages. We also have a separate list just for MP3 players with bookmarking.