The spring will be upon us in the blink of an eye, and you know what that means: it is time to equip your person with the latest and the most coveted portable entertainment gadgets.

Judging by the top-searched keywords on bidorbuy, iPod holds the fort as the most desirable portable thingy magigy. It seems that this season, just like last season and the season before that, no self-respecting gadgets fanatic wants to be seen in public without an iPod. However, there are portable music and video players beyond iPods. The next time you realise that you cannot possibly connect with nature without the little music-playing box in your pocket, try to be adventurous and search the bidorbuy Portable Audio & Visual Equipment section for players that are not an iPod and players that do not even look like an iPod. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Listening to the tunes from your portable music player is by definition a private affair, only occasionally to be shared with your closest friend by popping one of the tiny earphones into her or his ear. If you prefer not to have someone’s head bumping into yours during a long car ride, you may consider acquiring a small device that talks to your music player and broadcasts songs recorded on it to everyone in the vehicle. Look for this device in the bidorbuy Electronics category under the name “Car MP3 Player“. Since the name may be misleading, it should be noted that a “car MP3 player” does not house any songs. It is merely an adapter which enables you to play the songs you recorded on your MP3 player, your flash drive or your (compatible!) memory card for the entire car.  And do note: the car MP3 player works only in conjunction with the car radio. Therefore, no car radio = no music (from the pre-recorded music box or card).

And if your portable music box is of the iPod kind, some “car MP3 players” will not work with it. Usually, you will recognize iPod-compatible “car MP3 players” by the words “in line” somewhere in the specs. To make sure whether a “car MP3 player” you spotted on bidorbuy is for you or not, ask the seller a question before committing to a purchase.