If you are anything like me, you LOVE music, and hate advertisements on the radio, especially the ones with a car horn honking in the background.  Unless you can drive in total silence, or are on the phone (bad idea there) music is a great way to enjoy that long commute or road trip.  Lately, there has been a lot of talk about XM radio and Ipods.  Both offer great music for trip with out any advertisements, but which one is right for you?  Lets take a look at some basic features of both to help you decide.

I own a Creative Zen Micro MP3 player, my friend has a portable XM radio.  Lets look at the two items basic uses and features.  Keep in mind features may differ with other items or brands.

MP3 player

I have owned one, well three to be exact, for the last 3 years or so.  My zen micro cost about 150.00 and will hold about 3000 songs.  The battery lasts around 6-10 hours and the entire unit is slightly larger than my cell phone.  I can add songs, take away songs, listen to "free" radio, record "free" radio and interface the unit with my computer.  I can not run with it (flash styles you can) and I have to have a computer to add songs to it from my CD collection.  The sound quality is fantastic and its operational with no wires inside and out!  3000 songs is quite a bit so I cant imagine needing a larger hard drive yet.  The car charger is another 30.00 and the FM transmitter cost me about 35.00.  I can arrange my songs into playlists and only listen to what I want.  there is a feature that allows me to link to my outlook program too.

Portable XM

The batteries last about 5 or so hours.  My friend payed about 200.00 for the unit that came with the car charger, antenna, and speakers and attachments for the home.  The unit even has an FM transmitter built in!  My friend pays 12.95 a month for the 150 channels that includes 130 no ad channels, talk radio, weather, and more.  He can listen to songs from specific eras, comedy shows, old radio shows, news and then some with the touch of a button.  There is also a record device in the unit that allows the unit to record up to 5 hours of broadcasts.  The unit is twice the size of a cell phone and doesnt always pick up indoors.  You can get optional antennas to clear reception, but it sometimes fades out, like my cell phone or my GPS.

Depending on your tastes in music, a MP3 player might be your best bet.  If you like more variety than your CD collection can hold, well the XM radio is a perfect way to keep upto date with news, sportscasts, and keep that music playing.  But if you are like me, forking out 13 bucks a month for extra features isnt really my cup of tea, besides, my MP3 player can hold data from my PC as well and with the USB connection, I could use it at work with that function.  With prices coming down on both items all the time, and features becoming more amazing with each new unit on the market, you might want to wait and see before running out to get the next new toy.  Then again, if the ads in the radio irritate you in rush hour traffic as much as they do me, you might be taking that trip to the store sooner!  One thing is for sure, you can find both on ebay.  So take a look at the features, add up the cost (13 bucks for 1 CD, or 13 bucks for 1 month of unlimited music...... hummmmm).