Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Oct 04/04) - The smaller they are the more they can hold.

Sound like a brain teaser? Advances in computer technology have made this statement a truism when it comes to MP3 players.

Shayne Pierson, assistant manager of retail in the Northmart store in Inuvik, said MP3 players are quite popular these days and he sells several of the tiny musical wonders each month.

Shayne Pierson, assistant manager of retail at the Northmart store in Inuvik stands behind some of the compact MP3 players one can purchase. - Dorothy Westerman/NNSL photo

First introduced into the market about five years ago, the MP3 player has become the gadget of choice for music lovers -- especially active people on the go who do not want bulky items weighing them down.

"The size is so compact. You can hold it in your hand or strap it to your arm," Pierson said of the palm-sized item, which resembles nothing that would hold hours of tunes.

Jogger Jeff Szeryk, of Inuvik, said the compact size of his MP3 player means he can attach it to his arm when he runs without adding bulk.

"And they don't skip. That's the primary reason I bought it," Szeryk added.

Pierson said, unlike CD players, there are no moving parts in an MP3 so the listener can enjoy hundreds of skip-free songs at the touch of a button.

Starting at less than 100 megabytes to upwards of 60 gigabytes in memory size, the number of songs that can be stored in one of these players rivals any CD collection -- without all the clutter and dust. While the MP3 starts at less than $100, high end machines could go for several hundred dollars, like the new Apple iPod mini.

Pierson said the MP3 is a sound investment.

"It is more expensive but they pay for themselves," he explained, in the savings one gets from downloading songs, not purchasing CDs or the more obsolete cassette tapes.

The best part is, by simply hooking a USB cable up to a computer and downloading their favourite songs, each MP3 owner is assured that his or her collection of music is truly unique.

"If you have one of those, you probably will never be buying CDs again," Pierson said. "There's no cost for many songs, unless you subscribe to a web site that you download from.