Before you purchase a flash MP3 player, there are several things that you should keep in mind.
First, there are several advantages and disadvantages to using a flash based player in comparison to a hard drive mp3 player.
The primary disadvantage is the lack of space the flash player has when compared to something like the iPod. The normal sizes for flash players include 256mb, 512mb and 1gb sizes. The normal sizes for hard drive operated players range from 4gb to 60gb, which gives the hard drive based player a distinct advantage for holding digital media.
However, there are numerous advantages to the flash players that make this one massive disadvantage seem less severe.
It is much more difficult to damage a flash mp3 player. Unlike the hard drive players, the flash players do not have moving parts. Therefore, you can drop your flash player, throw it off a building, or even run it over with a car, and it will be less likely to break than the hard drive players.
And even if the casing for the player breaks, as long as the USB port is intact, you should be able to get your files off of it. However, it is not suggested that you throw your flash player off of a building or run it over with a car. While much less likely to break, doing this will damage it at the very least.
Only titanium plated ones that aren't installed in the player have good chances of surviving being run over by a car, and this is only if it is disconnected from the mp3 player at the time.
MP3 players using flash technology also tend to be more simplistic than hard drive based players, which makes certain you can listen to your music without having to read a full length applications manual in order to be able to use it for the first time. These players also tend to be smaller and more portable, which tends to suit those who don't need quite so large a variety.