The Best MP3 and Video Players for 2012

With a new MP3 and video player, you'll never have to leave your music behind. As a matter of fact, you won't be without your videos, pictures, games, and contacts either. The fact is, MP3 players are doing way more than they used to. Since Apple first released the iPod several years ago, the technology has rapidly evolved into some of the most high-tech gadgets you could ever possibly need. This year, Apple has led the way once again with it's sleek touch-screen design for it's aptly named iPod Touch. But Apple is not the only player in the MP3 game. Several other manufacturers have developed their own unique mp3 music and video players that will have you listening and watching in style. Mp3 players also make excellent birthday gifts for your special someone! Here is a rundown of some of the best mp3 and video players for 2012.

The folks at Apple just keep making this thing better. The 4th generation iPod is the sleekest, slimmest and most amazing iPod Touch to date. The powerful A4 processor chip allows this little baby to perform complex multi-tasking like nobody's business. Besides playing music, the new Touch has two built-in cameras and one of them can shoot actual 720p high definition video! For all you gamers out there, the iPod Touch ships with an outstanding app called Game Center where you can play all of your favorite social network games.

With all of the new bells and whistles, the iPod Touch still does what it was originally intended to do even better. We're talking about clear, crisp audio from your mp3's and amazing video clarity from its 3.5-inch color wide screen Retina display. Overall, the display is brilliant, the speed of the processor amazing, video quality is very much enjoyable and the rear camera is excellent for taking quick fun shots. If I had one word to describe this iPod, it would be fun!

If you are looking for something a little simpler than the iPod Touch, or perhaps a great mp3 player for your workout sessions, then look no further than the new iPod Shuffle. This awesome little player can provide up to 25 hours of pure mp3 listening pleasure. It features a sleek and solid design that is available in 5 fashionable colors: gleaming silver, blue, green, orange or pink. The shuffle also has a handy, strong little clip for attaching it to your shirt, jacket, workout clothes or favorite accessory without worry of it slipping off.

If you are looking for quality and simplicity, you won't be disappointed with an iPod Shuffle. It's small and lightweight, it sounds great, and 2 GB is plenty for exercise use. You won't be able to wait until it's time to workout again!

The Cowon X7 mp3 and video player features a large 4.3 inch LCD screen capable of 16 million vibrant colors. This excellent player can meet all of your digital entertainment needs. It does movies, photos, music, TV shows, e-books and even FM radio! Just like the iPod Touch, the Cowon has a nice, smooth touch screen that is very intuitive. the sound quality from this little machine is top-notch and maybe even the best in its class.

Following the industry trend, the Cowon mp3 player does a lot more than play music and videos. It serves as an alarm clock, notepad, and calculator and even has a built-in comic viewer to view your favorite daily strips. The one thing that really makes the Cowon stand out is the fact that there is no need for external software like iTunes for loading music and video. Everything is simple drag and drop just like any other drive on your computer. The Cowon X7 MP3 Player is a super music and video device that does more than hold its own against the competition.

The Zune HD 32 GB digital media player is an attractive device that stores up to 8,000 songs, 25,000 pictures or 48 hours of video. This is a great little HD mp3 and video player that also features wi-fi capability for sharing your tracks and videos, as well as syncing the unit to your computer and surfing the Internet. It also natively supports iTunes and Microsoft Windows Media Player formats. The Zune has an ample 3.3 inch HD color display that can be used in landscape mode when watching videos.

Just like the Cowon X7, The Zune media player has built-in HD FM radio for staying on top of the local news headlines and more. The Zune features an accurate and smooth touch screen that makes finding your favorite apps or tunes a snap. If you want stunning audio and video, and like the idea of HD FM radio and wi-fi, then the Zune is the way to go. It is one of the best non-Apple mp3 video players available.