My non-computer-geek dad is really interested in getting an mp3 player for himself, so I’ve been doing some research into what’s good.

What really amazes me and even makes me a little mad is that people are still making mp3 players that don’t use hard drives. It’s like…”Wow. 256 megs. That’ll hold like…4 albums. But it’s 50 bucks cheaper than this 30 GB player that holds 500 albums.” TOUGH CHOICE THERE, MY FRIEND!

Anyway, I’ve narrowed the playing field down to three players, in order of preference:

1- Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra

2- Apple iPod

3- iRiver iHP-120

The iPod would have been #1, but it’s too expensive. A 40 GB iPod is $500. A 40 GB Zen Xtra is $350. The Zen also wins on battery life – 14 hours on a single charge vs the iPod’s 8.

The iRiver is a sweet little player, but it’s got a whole bunch of features that I don’t think my dad would use. It also costs as much as an iPod. If I had a use for an mp3 player, I’d probably want an iRiver for myself.

The Zen Xtra wins!