It is just amazing how technology have evolved and helped the music much more accessible to people. The invention of MP3 players leads us to a new kind of music addiction that we can't just survive a day without hearing our favorite songs or favorite artists. As MP3 players improve its features each year, big changes often results into complicated configuration, thus, more and more players have failed to become user-friendly which is the biggest slip-up of how portable music player should be.

One of the most popular brands of MP3 that emphasized usability over extra features is the Apple iPod Shuffle. This player only has the basic control buttons needed for a standard music player, it's also very small that you might lose it between your sofa cushion or get swallowed by your dog. SanDisk Sansa Shaker or Sansa is a bit bigger than the Apple's.

If you want to have a more classy, sophisticated and durable MP3, you can opt to the Toshiba Gigabeat U. This player has an exceptional audio quality and a unique line-input recording that can record CDs in no time.

Another player famous for its audio quality is the Sony NWZ-B105F. This gadget also includes a built-in USB stick for convenient song transfer and download.

Then there's the Creative Zen. Its large screen defies the norm of "tiny MP3s are stripped of fun features." This gadget is feature packed and also has an exceptional audio for fun long use.

MP3 player manufacturers in the past couple of years are just competing for better usability and richer features. Some players can now even play music video on its wide screen, store pictures and pick-up FM radios which only makes it more complicated and hard to get-used to, especially for people on the go who just wants to wear the earphone and listen to the music immediately. Simple players are still the best buy. It comes in simpler controls which makes it look much simple but durable.