MP3 players

The good: The Cowon iAudio 7 is one of the most versatile MP3 players available. It plays music, video, and photos; has unbeatable sound quality; records line-in, voice, and FM; supports OGG and FLAC file formats, plus DRM-protected WMA; works in MTP and MSC connection modes for use on both Mac and PC; and has an unmatched rechargeable battery life.

The bad: As tiny as the iAudio 7 is, it’s still about three times the width of an iPod Nano. The reflective, glossy plastic found on the front and back of the player is prone to smudges and glare. There’s a learning curve to the Swing Touch interface, and we would like to have seen support for Audible audiobooks, as well as a memory expansion slot.

The bottom line: The Cowon iAudio 7 beats the industry heavyweight iPod Nano in price, features, battery life, and sound quality. The user interface could use some refinement, but all-in-all this is a very impressive MP3 player.

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Creative Zen Micro Photo (8GB, red)

The good: The Creative Zen Micro Photo features a bright, colorful OLED that’s viewable from any angle, and it’s available in a choice of 10 body colors. This MP3 player also includes useful extra features such as a user-replaceable battery, a voice recorder, a photo viewer, an FM tuner, and an onboard calendar and task manager that syncs with Microsoft Outlook. The Zen Micro Photo is also out-of-the-box compatible with Janus (Windows Media DRM 10) and offers excellent sound quality.

The bad: Unfortunately, the Creative Zen Micro Photo doesn’t let you listen to music and browse photos simultaneously, and album art is not supported at this time. The touch pad on this device can take some getting used to.

The bottom line: The Creative Zen Micro Photo is an excellent full-featured MP3 player and, for its size, a decent photo viewer; it just doesn’t combine the two effectively.
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iRiver Clix (4GB, second generation)

The good: The next generation iRiver Clix is even sleeker and slimmer than its predecessor, but offers the same unique and intuitive interface and stellar audio quality. This player comes packed with extras such as an FM radio; a voice recorder; an alarm clock; support for subscription content as well as OGG and Audible files; and photo, video, and text viewing. The Clix includes SRS Wow sound effects, it has good battery life, and it’s priced competitively.

The bad: There’s no cradle or line-in recording options for the new Clix yet, and iRiver doesn’t offer an easy way to get video content for the device.

The bottom line: The iRiver Clix offers the perfect blend of hot design, desirable features, and stellar sound quality. If you’re looking for an alternative to the iPod Nano, this device should top the list.

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Hercules Mobile DJ MP3

The good: The Hercules Mobile DJ MP3 is an inexpensive, well-conceived, wireless digital DJ package that’s perfect for parties.

The bad: This is a budget product with budget construction. The three black plastic sliders pull right off. We would have preferred hardware control over EQ and filtering.

The bottom line: The Hercules Mobile DJ MP3 gives you an affordable, fun, and effortless way to wirelessly DJ music playing from your computer.

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(Credit: Creative Labs)

Bless Creative’s soul for offering me some relief from my parched existence in the iPhone desert. Tomorrow, the company will officially announce yet another MP3 player for its already impressive Zen line. The latest family member is an enhancement to the ultrabasic Zen Stone and carries Creative’s signature Plus at the end of its name. The Zen Stone Plus looks almost identical to its slightly older sibling, but with one important difference: a small, round OLED screen which sits to the left of the control pad. Sure, it’s tiny and only displays in one color (blue, on a black background), but this minor addition allows for some desirable extras. The player comes loaded with an FM tuner, a voice recorder, an equalizer, a clock, and even a stopwatch.
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