Komando: Portable players do more than offer tunes

Portable media players aren't just for music. With them, you can watch videos, play games and listen to books or podcasts. Media players are available at a variety of price points and storage capacities.

Figure that 1 gigabyte will hold about 250 songs. Things aren't so clear-cut with video. Assume 1GB will hold an hour of standard-definition or 30 minutes of high-definition video. Here's a look at some popular players.

Sansa Fuze

SanDisk's Sansa Fuze is ideal for children or anyone looking for their first player. Expandable storage makes it attractive to music die-hards. The Sansa Fuze is available in three capacities: 2GB ($70), 4GB ($80) and 8GB ($100). It comes in a variety of colors.

The Fuze works with SanDisk's slotRadio cards. You can buy whole albums on a media card for $15. Or, select a mix of 1,000 songs for $40. It works with popular music subscription services.

In addition, the Fuze packs a voice recorder and an FM radio. It can play videos.

Creative Zen

Expandable storage makes the Creative Zen a great choice for music fans. But it has gained popularity among podcast fans. The player works with Creative's free ZENcast software.

The software gives you easy access to audio and video podcasts. It will even synchronize photo feeds from Flickr and Windows Live spaces.

The Zen is available with 2GB ($60), 4GB ($100) and 32GB ($180) of storage. It is the size of a credit card.

You can watch videos and look at pictures on the 2.5-inch screen. You can add extra storage via the SD card slot.

There's a built-in FM radio. It can handle unprotected music files purchased from iTunes.

IPod Touch

Apple's popular iPod Touch is a great choice for gamers. It's ideal for anyone who wants to surf the Web. In fact, it is the perfect multipurpose hand-held. The Touch offers three sizes -- 8GB ($200), 32GB ($300) and 64GB ($400).

It certainly is a capable music player. Its 3.5-inch multitouch screen is ideal for watching videos. There's Wi-Fi for connecting to wireless networks.

Free or low-cost apps from Apple's iTunes Store add more features. Thanks to the wealth of games, the Touch is a popular gaming hand-held.

HD Radio is available with iBiquity's Gigaware HD Radio receiver ($80). HD Radio offers more channels than FM at no cost.

Apple makes other excellent iPods. The iPod Nano comes in two sizes: There's an 8GB model ($150) and a 16GB model ($180). With a built-in video camera, this is ideal for anyone who uploads videos to YouTube.

The iPod Shuffle is a great player for kids or for hitting the gym. It is available in 2GB ($60) and 4GB ($80) capacities.

Zune HD

Microsoft's Zune hasn't enjoyed the iPod's popularity, but the Zune HD gives the iPod a run for its money. And it is perfectly suited for movie buffs. The Zune HD comes in two sizes -- 16GB ($220) and 32GB ($290).

Like the iPod Touch, the Zune HD is a capable music player. It even features a built-in HD Radio. The Zune HD can connect to Wi-Fi networks. There's an app store.

The Zune HD's real draw is its video abilities. It features a crisp, clear 3.3-inch OLED touch-screen.

And the Zune HD plays high-definition video. With the $90 AV Dock, it can output HD to a television.

Contact Kim Komando at gnstech@gannett.com.