Great Portable Audio and Video Products

Two decades ago owning a Walkman was considered a mark of tech-savviness. Nowadays practically every other adult and every teenager has one type of pocket-sized gizmo that can store and play digital audio and video media.

Apple iPod Video

iPod is Apple's response to the ever growing market of portable audio and video products. The release of the fifth generation iPod models clearly showcases Apple's perseverance to become the leader of this forefront industry. iPod boasts a slim and lightweight construction very much ideal for on-the-go individuals. Add to that the fact that it can play both audio and video files. Furthermore, iPods have powerful and high resolution LCD screens ideal for those who use the video function often. Having an iPod also opens one to the vast audio and video library named iTunes.

iPods, however, have some downsides. Firstly, battery life--especially when the video functions are constantly used. Furthermore, peripherals such as power adapters and other related cables are not provided. Another notable limitation of iPod is the easily damaged screen. Lastly, iPods are only meant to play audio and video files purchased from iTunes. This essentially means that one does not have the guarantee that files from other sources such as original movies contained in DVDs will be supported in the iPod even after necessary conversions are made.

Creative Zen Portable Media Center

Microsoft has teamed up with Creative to create the Portable Media Center to complement any Microsoft Media Center personal computers. This being said, Creative Zen PMC will have no problems supporting just about any video, audio or picture files so long as they have been converted to the Windows Media Player 10 format. Creative Zen PMC features almost 4 inches of LCD screen and a built in speaker. Battery life is quite satisfactory even with heavy video viewing. Moreover, the battery can be easily detached for charging through a USB cable. Creative is probably the best bet for those who watch downloaded movies or television shows heavily.

Archos

Another leading manufacturer of portable audio and video products is Archos. With the fifth generation WiFi-ready Archos released boasting almost 5 inches of touchscreen tablet (which by far is the largest among its kind), and audio and video playback capability, one's yearning for gizmos and the Internet will definitely be eased by this device.

iRiver

iRiver's portable audio and video products cater mostly to the gaming market. While audio and video files can be played so long as they've been converted to the compatible formats used, the picture and sound quality aren't that good when compared to other brands of the same type of gadget. The good side however is that the team up with TiVo made the iRiver capable of directly loading TV shows via TiVo's Digital Video Recorder.

The audio and video media gadgets mentioned above are but a few of the hundreds of models from various manufacturers that abound in computer and electronic shops today. These four gadgets are particularly noted for their unique and pioneering features which exceed most contemporary products.