The beauty with audio books is that you have more than one option for listening to them.

There are many options when it comes to listening to to audio books, you are not forced into one option.

If you are someone who likes listening while seated on your favorite couch or seated on your desk, listening to your audio book on your cassette tape player (if the audio book is in audiocassette tape, of course) is the option for you.

But if you have a desktop or laptop computer, you might prefer listening to your audio book from it.

It is most likely that your PC already has some software for playing audio books. It's not very likely but, if your personal computer does not have any, you can still download them for free on the Internet. The 2 best digital audio players that you can get completely free to download from the Internet include:

- RealOne Player: This can be downloaded free of charger here; http://www.Real.com

- Windows Media Player: This is available for download free of charge on their website - http://www.Microsoft.com

But if you would rather listen to your audio book while doing your household chores, dancing, exercising, jogging, commuting to and fro work, etc, then you would need portable audio playback devices that you can carry around and listen to, preferably with an earphone.

With the ever expanding market of portable audio playback devices, it goes to show that more and more people are now using them, because of the wonderful benefits they provide.

CD players and CD Rom devices are the most common form of these portable audio playback devices. You can carry these around with you while you do your household chores, exercise, jog or commute to and fro work.

The more advanced form of portable players, used for playing audio books, include;

— Audio-ready PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). Some of these PDAs include Casio CASSIOPEIA and Compaq iPAQ. Both can be pretty expensive, costing as much as about $500 for the Compaq iPAQ and about $400 for the Casio CASSIOPEIA.

— Compatible Portable Audio Players. Some of these include the Creative’s NOMAD Jukebox 3 and the SONICblue’s Rio 900. These are cheaper than PDAs. For example, you can get the SONICblue's Rio 900 for about $250 from sites such as Sonicblue.com

Finally, like I said in the start of this article, whatever tool you decide to use in listening to your audio books will depend largely on “how” you prefer listening to your audio books.

For example, for the "young and restless" teenagers they can't do without the PDAs. You wouldn't either, if you were their age, right? The 'good old' cassette tape could not be a better format for the "aged and rusty", who would rather just be sat on their favorite sofa!

A really good place that I have come across to download audio books is Spoken Network. You can get these at:

www.spokennetwork.com?cam=ama0017

Vestalife Ladybug Portable Speaker Dock for iPod Red Black

There’s simply nothing quite like the Vestalife Ladybug. Flip out the speaker “wings” on this sleek, high-tech device, and you have an iPod-based entertainment system featuring a built-in subwoofer for lots of bass, a digital amplifier, and one of the coolest soft-touch finishes you’ve ever experienced. Sit it on a counter. Take it with you. The Vestalife Ladybug is designed to be part of your life.

Flip out the speaker “wings” on this sleek, high-tech device, and you have an iPod-based entertainment system.

Click to enlarge. Fold-out speakers and controls in front…

…and the subwoofer, battery compartment, input, and outputs in back. Click to enlarge.

iPod Dock
The Ladybug includes an iPod universal dock, which is compatible with any iPod with a dock connector. It also charges your iPod while it’s connected.

Ladybug Sound
Thanks to digital amplifier technology and a built-in subwoofer, this Ladybug has a bark and a bite, giving you full sound in a small package.

Ladybug Motion
Because the Ladybug can run on both AC (US only) or battery power (4 AA batteries not included), you can take it wherever you go. Rock out at the beach, at a picnic, wherever you want to take your tunes. Just throw your Ladybug in the included Tote bag and be on your way.

If you’re forgetful, no worries–the battery-saving automatic shut-off will help you keep from draining those batteries. When you’re at home, stay on the couch, and use the included remote for controlling your Ladybug.

Ladybug Versatility
If you have a bunch of different devices in addition to your iPod, use the auxiliary-in jack to connect them–non-docking iPods, CD players, MP3 players, and more. You also can send video to your TV from video-enabled iPods using the AV output for sharing your favorite clips or photos. Finally, use the USB connector for synchronizing a docked iPod with your computer.

What’s in the Box
Vestalife Ladybug Portable Speaker Dock for iPod (Red/Black), AC adapter, remote control, five iPod dock adapters, audio patch cord, Tote bag, user guide, warranty card.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars love it!!
i am 30+ and i love this little bug! the only draw back i see (or hear) is in higher volume heavy bass songs. it has 5 lit up volume indicators each has a range of 5 sound increases before the next. it is perfect for a small room but not for a large one. it does get surprisingly loud and remains quite clear unless im listenin to biggie or uncle al or nas but my simon an garfunkel beatles and al green del phonics are all beautiful out of this small machine I listen to a lot of different kinds of music and i recommend you put your ipods’ EQ to the OFF position for normal use and with some old school rap or new school hip hop or even buju banton put the EQ on bass reducer and you will get alot of enjoyment outta this little bug for years to come…

4 Stars great look, not too great of a system
people say that the volume is amazing, its not that good, when my friends come over it doesn’t blast enough (im not just saying that because im 17) also it does not work with my ipod that good, i have the nano 4th generation. they said that it should work with it, i don’t know if my ipod is flipping on me because of the speaker or not, the remote is also extremely annoying, you have to hold it a certain way to change the song or whatever, I’m mainly sticking with it because its too cute!

5 Stars Excellent sound from one-of-a-kind device
I had no idea if this device would work with my 3G iPhone, but given the price, and cool design, I decided to give it a try. Upon opening the box, I found a card from Vestalife that says the Ladybug “uses the latest circuitry to make it compatible with your iPhone.” The card also says that Vestalife recommends that one place the iPhone in Airplane Mode to prevent audio interference.

When I docked my iPhone, I got a pop-up message on the phone that informed me that the device (the Ladybug) is not compatible with the phone; the message allowed me to place the phone in Airplane Mode.

The sound the ladybug puts out is terrific! I couldn’t want for a better sound from such a device. It’s cute, it’s cool, it’s small, and it’s portable. Other than the non-compatibility with my iPhone (which I really don’t care about) I have no hang-ups about this device. I highly recommend it.

I bought the Ladybug at Costco for $86.99. I got the blue Element Skateboards special edition model; this model sells on Vestalife’s web site for $125.

5 Stars Great Ipod Dock
For the price, this is a great little speaker system for your Ipod. I have the Ipod touch, and use this docking station in my baby’s nursery to play him music at night, and fun music during the day. It puts out some serious sound for being so little. We will enjoy this for years! I like that we can take it with us, as it is very portable, and doesn’t take up much space on the bookshelf. It’s a cute little system, and very unique in style! We have the red and black one, and it does resemble a ladybug. Very cute!

1 Star Crushed Box
I ordered this item for my mother for Christmas and once it came to me, the box was completely smashed. I guess that the item is okay, but based on the box, I’m not really sure if it will be. It came in bubble wrap, but wow!…the box was really smashed all to pieces. I was really disappointed. I would be embarrassed to give my mother this gift in such shape, but it fits perfectly in the box that it should originally come in. Very disappointed. Have emailed the company, but never heard back.

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