ESL Podcast 314 - Buying a Digital Audio (MP3) Player

MP3 player - a device that plays digital music in MP3 files

This is a very popular MP3 player, but there are many other players that are less expensive.

selection - the variety of things to choose from at a store; the different types of something that is being sold

This bookstore has a great selection of books in foreign languages.

portable - small, not heavy, and easy to carry wherever one goes

This notebook computer is very portable because it is small and weighs only two pounds.

to rip - to copy music from a CD to one's computer or another device

Thanks for lending me these CDs. I'll return them to you as soon as I rip them onto my computer.

to download - to copy music or other files from the Internet to one's computer or another device

Please download the form from our website and complete it before you come to the office for your appointment.

to watch out for - to be careful about something; to be aware of something that might be a problem

Watch out for their dog. It's not very friendly and sometimes bites people.

proprietary - belonging to a specific person or company; made, owned, and sold by a person or company

This file is proprietary and can only be opened in a program made by the same company.

file format - the way that information is stored electronically; a type of electronic file, such as .doc, .xls, .txt, .mp3, .jpg

I wasn't able to open the file format that you sent me. Can you please resend it as a different file?

compatible - able to be used with something else; with the same technology; able to be used together

Is Microsoft Office compatible with Apple computers?

open-source - free for anyone to use; software that is available for anyone to use or change

Many software engineers like to work together to make open-source software better.

FM tuner - the part of a radio or other device that allows one to choose a radio station to listen to

The FM tuner on my car radio is broken, so I can only listen to CDs.

built-in battery charger - the part of a device that allows one to put electricity into an empty battery without using another piece of equipment

I wish my cell phone had a built-in battery charger because I don't like traveling with the separate charger.

headphones - a device worn over the head or around the neck with two small pieces to put in one's ears, so that one can listen to music or the radio without letting other people hear it

I saw a news story that said listening to loud music through headphones may be bad for your ears.

storage capacity - the amount of space that a device has to save or store files; the number and size of files that a device can hold

My email account has a large storage capacity of almost 3,000 megabytes.

charge time - the amount of time needed to put electricity into an empty battery so that it is full again

Their new camera has a charge time of about two hours.

playback - the act of playing something that has been recorded before; the act of listening to music, a phone message, or anything else that has been recorded previously

Carlie spent all afternoon listening to playbacks of her professor's lectures to study for the test.

backlit - with light from behind; a screen that is illuminated from behind, so that it can be seen in the dark without turning on another light

This watch is backlit so you can see what time it is in the dark by pushing this button.