There is no doubt that MP3 players are here to stay and will probably eliminate CDs as we know it. Therefore, the future belongs to the MP3 players, and the iPod does not have the monopoly by any means.

There is no reason for a user to invest over $200 in the latest model of iPod when there are many MP3 players that cost below $50. These inexpensive MP3 players may not have a screen, have little memory, and only play audio files, but depending on what you want and afford, the USB Chocolate MP3 Player may be just what the user ordered.

The Brando USB Chocolate MP3 Player may be small, but it comes with quite a lot. It comes with a pair of earphones, and a handy wrist-strap as well. It also has a USB to mini-USB cord for charging and downloading purposes. Unlike the iPod Shuffle or other models, it comes with an AC Adaptor that plugs directly into the USB, which will come in handy when you can't find a spare USB outlet available.

The device itself has only six buttons or controls. On the side is the main play/pause, as well as the power on and off toggle. The main buttons are located on the front and are the volume up, volume down, song forward, and song backward. These buttons have a very interesting set of pictures on them that include a long-necked rooster and a dog. These might be some Chinese symbols for volume up and down, respectively, but I would have preferred the ones I see on most MP3 players.

Situated in the middle of the front buttons are some LEDs that blink periodically while the songs play. They also blink while the device is charging, which does not take too long. The only problem is a user cannot listen to songs while it charges.

As for getting songs on the Chocolate, it does not work with iTunes. However, it is possible to move your iTunes to Windows Media Player, and then add or remove them from there. The Chocolate has some plug and play feature that doesn't take long to set up, and a user can go from unboxing to listening in less than an hour.

The Chocolate MP3 Player is available on the Brando website for about $39 USD, and has about 2GB worth of memory. It is not to be confused with the Chocolate from LG, which is a phone that also plays MP3s. Apparently, no one has successfully trademarked the word Chocolate.