Mp3 players are quickly taking over the portable music category. First it was 8 track tapes, then cassette tapes, then CDs, and now mp3 players. Of course, CD players are still used by many, but mp3 players have so many advantages that they are gaining ground fast, especially among younger music listeners. There are plenty of portable mp3 player reviews available now and they all emphasize certain features that count the most, and here they are:

* You will need to have software to help you manage and convert your song files into a file format that your particular mp3 player can recognize and play, and as your song portfolio grows, you will need to be able to keep track of songs and keep them organized too. So the software that comes with your mp3 player should help you do all of that easily and quickly.

* Look for a portable mp3 player that lets you enhance and control the sound to your liking too. The best rated mp3 players are coming with sound equalizers built right into the unit to let you customize the listening experience for each song, or just find the general settings that helps you enjoy the music most.

* The controls you will find on even cheap portable mp3 players include volume settings, forward and reverse, play and pause. These are all pretty standard, but you should also look for the ability to repeat songs, either one at a time or the entire song set. A randomizing feature is also good to have to mix up the song order and keep the music fresh.

* Make sure that your mp3 player can be upgraded too. The best rated mp3 players have the ability to upgrade the firmware, or the player's operating system, to keep it up to date. This is pretty important as the mp3 player world is still fairly new and changes are being made all the time requiring upgrades. If you have a player that lacks an upgrade path, you could very quickly be left behind and with an obsolete player.

* The best rated mp3 players also conserve power well. There is a wide variance between portable mp3 players in this area, so check the stats in advance to see what you can expect. Some run out of battery power in just a few hours while others can go days on the same set of batteries, and the longer battery life you have the less hassle you should experience with having to unexpectedly change the batteries at an inopportune time.

There are many portable mp3 player reviews on the web that will help you find the model that will best fit your needs, but in most mp3 player comparisons the features mentioned above were important to those who regularly use their player.