The new generation of mp3-capable, portable CD players offer audiophiles on the go a nice compromise between song capacity and initial expense. Depending on your compression scheme, a standard CD-R or RW can hold approx 250 tunes.

Admittedly, this is nowhere near the capacity of the solid-state devices or the hard-drive based players like, for example, Apple's slick IPods with their 20 GB mini hard drive and 10,000 song capacity. Nor do the new CD players approach the IPod's several hundred dollar price tag.

Additionally, the IPod's dirty little secret, an internal, recharable battery with a limited life span has apparently forced Apple to change its policy and now offer an upgrade to the battery.

Nor do the portable mp3-capable CD players have the IPod's undeniable sex-appeal. However, with the widespread availability of rip/burn software and CD-R/RW hardware, consumers have some nice options.

They're hard to find, but the 4cm (210 MB) "Pocket CD" (or mini CD) players are another option, albeit with lesser capacity still, but greater pocketability. I was considering one of Sony's Mini-Disc player/recorders, when a dim recollection of the 4cm CDs prompted a Google search and my eventual purchase of a Phillips Expanium 411 Pocket CD player. ($50) There does seem to be some battery drain when the unit is not in use, so I've taken to removing the battery after I switch off the device.

The 4cm CD-Rs will generate some curiosity at your favorite coffee shop when you grab a handful from your jacket pocket and pop one into the small, but not tiny, player. I generally prefer to encode my mp3's at 196 bps, or even higher, but 128 bps will suffice for many applications, and that scheme will let you get four or even five full albums on one of the tiny discs.

All in all, I'm not certain the form factor of the more limted capacity pocket CD player justifies the additional complication of yet another format, but I can always pick up a standard, mp3 capable portable CD player for less than $75 bucks, and still use my existing library of Pocket CDs. The larger 7cm CD's are not really pocketable, but many of us use fanny packs or whatnot to tote our players around.

The bottom line is that standard 7cm or pocket 4cm mp3 capable CD players offer consumers a pragmatic solution for music on the go on the cheap.

Worth considering.
S