Portable CD Players

Over 60 Seconds

RCA RP2520 -- If you're handy with that home PC at all, you're probably burning your own CDs by now. So you know you can fit literally hours of high quality audio on a single disc, compressed via MP3 or Windows Media codecs. New for 2004 is this eye-catching red multi-format player that lets you enjoy your music practically anywhere!

Utilizing the new, small format 8 cm MP3 CDs, which can hold up to three hours of music per disc, this player combines forward-looking technology with a stylish appearance and big name branding. The player is actually constructed by Philips, so it promises high quality audio with this great new format. The Act300 also provides 480 seconds of skip protection for MP3-CDs (200 seconds with 8 cm audio CDs), bass boost, and an easy to read, high resolution LCD screen. Battery life is rated at 8 hours, and the machine requires 2 AAA batteries, not included. NOTE: this player does NOT play conventional audio CDs or MP3s.

More pocket-friendly than the average portable CD player, Philips's second- generation Pocket Expanium takes advantage of the tiny 3-inch (8 cm) CD-R format, playing full-quality CD tracks as well as MP3 and AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) compressed-music files. An 8 cm disc holds more than three hours of compressed music (compared with about 21 minutes of CD-quality PCM audio). Philips boasts nearly two minutes of "Magic" electronic skip protection (ESP), so the device is ready to go anywhere you do. The EXP41117 runs on a single AA battery (not included), which powers about six hours of playing time for an MP3-CD with electronic shock protection on (eight hours with ESP off). Supported bit rates are MP3: 32 to 320 kbps; AAC: less than or equal to 160 kbps. Total number of music files and... Less