Using removable media

When it comes to convenience, nothing beats the size and storage capacity of flash memory cards or USB thumb drives. They may not offer as much storage space as some portable players, but they make it easy to move a lot of music from place to place.

USB input: A lot of car stereos have USB inputs, either on the faceplate or mounted to the back of the stereo. If you have a thumb drive, a front-mounted input is an easy way to listen on the road. All you have to do is connect the drive, select the song you want, and go. Most USB connections will even recognize file information and ID3 tags, so you can scroll through song titles and artist names as you would on your computer. You can also use the USB input to connect a compatible portable player or even a portable hard drive.

Memory card input: Some stereos have an SD™ card slot for playing digital files. An SD card is the size of a postage stamp and can hold hours worth of music, just like a thumb drive.