How an MP3 player changed my life, Pt. 1
By Bakari Akil II
(Posted Sep. 2007) November 28, 2006
After all the hype and excitement over the last few years over mp3s and more specifically ipods, I finally did it. I purchased an mp3. I had vowed not to buy one because I simply could not see a use for it in my life. I’m not a humbug, I truly enjoy new technological gadgets, but I hadn’t seen any major use for it; until I purchased one.
After pricing mp3s at Wal-mart and deciding to pass on them because I had a lot of questions and discovered that no staff could help me other than opening the glass case and handing me the goods, I decided to check out my local Best Buy. I ended up buying a lightweight SAMSUNG P-U2J Digital Audio Player for $59.99. It was white, slim and about half the size of the first ipod shuffles. What I really liked about it was that you could plug it directly into your USB port to recharge or download music or recordings without having to use a cable. It even has a recorder on it, which allows me to record random thoughts, record a memorable quote or passage or record a conversation secretly (just joking).
The first thing I did was grab the latest two CDs that I had purchased and downloaded the tracks I liked to my computer so I could transfer them to the mp3. In the process, I had an epiphany. The two CDs I am referring to were CDs that I really looked forward to buying because of singles that had been played all over MTV, BET and XM’s 20 on 20. However, I was really disappointed with the remainder of the CDs because the rest of the albums did not match the singles. I suddenly realized that I could go online and purchase songs that I really liked and not waste money on CDs that often disappoint. In addition, I could just go to MTV.com which lets you preview entire albums to help you decide if you want to purchase them.
1.No more CDs
Next, I dragged out all of my favorite CDs or CDs that I had listened to only once but now suddenly had importance and began the tedious process of loading them onto my laptop, labeling them and transferring them to the mp3. (I wish that CDs could somehow pass the labeling info to the laptop. If this already exists, someone please let me know.)
Music suddenly became important to me again. In the next few days, I listened to more music willingly than I did in the last three months. The first night I went to bed early and listened to music into the wee hours of the night. It was like having your own private concert in your ears. The sound quality was great and couldn’t be heard by another soul, which for some reason gave me pleasure.
2. Listening to more music old and new.
3.Getting use out of music bought previously.
My next brilliant idea for my mp3 involved transferring some of my Spanish vocabulary CDs to my laptop and then downloading it onto the mp3. I always wanted to devote more time to listening to these CDs but didn’t like lugging around the 12 CD case from the house to the car and back again. I also decided that I would go ahead and look up some of the podcasts that are available online and look into downloading audio-books since I love to read. I have been thinking about audio-books for a while since I read so much and have been wanting to give my eyes a rest. Being able to listen to audio-books on a transportable mp3 makes me want to download the audio-books even more.
4. Increased chance for learning and relieving my eyes from reading so much.
My next foray into ownership of an mp3 was accessories. The first was an mp3 for my wife. After seeing me enjoying mine, she had to have one. So I purchased one for her. Next, I bought a device that allowed us to play the mp3s in the car. My wife followed that up by buying mp3 speakers for me. I also discovered that I could plug my extra set of computer speakers into them as well. I soon became aware of the numerous “must have’ products that have been created for mp3s and more specifically the ipods. When we first started to seriously consider mp3s, we were at a SAM’s and a guy came up to my wife and I and stated that when he bought an ipod for his daughter, he didn’t know that he would spend the next year spending hundreds of dollars for accessories; such as a protective case, a speaker system, etc. I now truly understand.
5. Spending money on “must have” accessories.
Finally, a certain indirect health benefit has occurred. When I used to work out religiously, I used to carry my walkman to the gym or listen to the stereo while working out at home. So, I decided to carry my mp3 on one of my workouts. It reminded me of old times. When I heard certain songs, I exercised harder, forgot that I was exercising and can honestly say I had a better exercise session. I even worked out a few times more than usual in that week because the mp3 helps to reduce the monotony.
6. Increasing effort while exercising and exercising more.
Overall, the mp3 has enriched my already abundant media rich life. I truly feel that it has provided me many new options and has made me a little more technologically savvy. In my next installment, I will discuss how Apple’s video ipod revolutionized my life…
Until next time….
Bakari Akil II, Ph.D. 