The MP3 player revolutionized portable music much like the portable cassette player did. Instead of cumbersome music players with plenty of moving parts powered by AA batteries, we now had the ability to charge our device and take a large amount of music with us wherever we decided to take it. We could instantly access many different albums or audio books, as well as customize our shiny new device with our own playlists. The new mix tape.

Human beings love tools, and with the smartphone, we have the ultimate entertainment/information tool. It’s the Swiss army knife of the electronics world, and while it may not do everything well, it probably more than suffices as an adequate MP3 player. Some companies do an extremely good job of integrating an MP3 player into their smartphones and some companies do an extremely good job of integrating smartphones into their MP3 players. There are a lot of devices to choose from and deciding how much you listen to music should be a factor you weigh prior to deciding on a device.

We’ve been dreaming of an all in one device forever. I’m glad we have the choice.