Skullcandy 50/50

Skullcandy has made quite a name for itself in the headphone world, thanks largely to its focus on funky fashion and its aggressive marketing tactics aimed at tweens, teens, and young adults. However, the latest Skullcandy earphones to come down the pipe are perhaps the most adult oriented we've seen from the company. Skullcandy 50/50 earbuds, which are moderately priced at US$ 49.95, come in an array of relatively muted color options and feature inline controls for the iPhone and iPod as well as a striking low end response.

The clarity isn't the best and they feel a bit cheap and fragile, but if you're after some earphones with a hint of style and plenty of oomph, these aren't a bad option. As noted, Skullcandy 50/50 earbuds aren't going to win any awards for top notch construction. The earpieces are rather chunky and like the accents and mic module are made of hard, cheap feeling plastic.

The cable is flexible, but it tangles very easily and seems fragile at the connections to the plug and earpieces, both of which indicate the set may not be durable in the long run. The other downside to the design is the relatively large aperture of the earbuds, which may cause some discomfort for those with smaller or not perfectly round ear openings.

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Apple iPod shuffle (4th Generation)

To create the world's smallest music player, Apple moved the controls from the iPod shuffle to the earphone cord. This makes iPod shuffle smaller than ever, and the controls are right where you can reach them. So when you want to play, pause, or skip to the next tune, you don't have to fumble for your iPod shuffle just follow the cord and press a button. The VoiceOver feature lets iPod shuffle speak song titles, artists and playlist names. Apple iPod shuffle (4th Generation) is available in silver, black, pink, blue and green.

Company
Apple Computer Inc.

Site
http://www.apple.com

Spec Data

• Price as Tested : US$59.00 - US$79.00 List
• Player Type : Flash MP3 Player
• Radio : No
• Recording, Line In : No
• Video Recording : No
• Music Playback Formats : AAC, AIFF, MP3, WAV
• Storage Capacity : 2,4 GB
• Dimensions : 1.8 x 0.7 x 0.3 inches

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Samsung U5

Offered in black, white, red, pink, or blue, the oblong and thin 0.81 ounce Samsung U5 measures 0.9 by 3.5 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and features a tiny, 1 inch grayscale OLED screen. The display attempts to show album art when available, but its size and lack of color work against it. (The animated characters you can assign to appear whenever the player powers up, however, make much better use of the screen.) A typical button array sits just right of the screen, with Up, Down, Back, Forward controls for navigation, playback, and volume surrounding an Enter button.

The top panel houses the mic, a Previous Menu button, and the Recordor Shift button which, when held down for more than a second, starts voice recording regardless of what menu you're in. The headphone jack and the Power or Lock buttons can be found on the right hand and lower panels, respectively, and a lanyard loop and Reset button are on Samsung U5's back panel. A minor gripe : the rounded plastic cover on the left hand side that protects the USB connector is unusually hard to remove but it could be argued that it is doing its job.

A removable, transparent plastic shirt clip and a pair of better than average low end earbuds come with Samsung U5. Samsung U5 doesn't display photos or show video, and its audio codec support isn't very robust. Only MP3, WMA, and OGG files will play on the device, but given the built-in USB connector, getting your music on Samsung U5 is a snap. Simply plug it into your PC's USB port (no cables needed) and use Windows Media Player or drag and drop files directly to the device. The US$60 2GB Sansa Clip costs $10 more than Samsung U5 but supports two more audio codecs (FLAC and Audible) and, some would say, does a little better in the sleek design department.

Samsung U5 is impressive from a sound standpoint, in that its earbuds actually have a bit of bass response and, thanks to the foam covers, stay in place pretty well. Sure, the Ultimate Ears MetroFi 170 (US$50) will sound a lot better, but there's not an urgent need to replace the included pair. Adjustable EQ, 3D, and Bass effects are also included for a little bit of sound customization, but other than tweaking the EQ to your tastes, it recommend leaving the effects off. The FM radio is easy enough to operate.

Pressing the Record or Shift button while holding down a navigation control lets you add up to 30 presets. Recording a snippet of radio is equally simple, and all recorded files as well as Voice Recorder files reside in their own folder in the Music menu. Now let's talk about the Fitness menu : it's silly. You start by setting a Daily Goal (say, burning 250 calories), providing your weight, and designating an activity (for example, Hiking).

Then you select "Performance," and Samsung U5 will start counting down how many calories you are burning and it'll let you know how many minutes are required to reach your goal. Even if, say, you set the thing down on your desk or take a nap, it will still count down the calories. Since it's not connected to any exercise equipment and can't measure your heart rate or how many steps you're taking, it's really just a stopwatch that "counts" burned calories. Perhaps it's useful as a motivational tool, but not as a scientific one.

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Samsung Q2

Available in black or white, Samsung Q2 looks slick, but it won't win any body battles against the nano its 3.9 by 2.0 by 0.4 inch (HWD) frame is considerably bulkier than the skinny iPod. That said, Samsung Q2 sports a larger screen, measuring 2.4 inches with a 320 by 240 pixel resolution. (The nano's 2 inch screen boasts the same resolution, so it looks a bit sharper.) Below the screen is the now familiar array of Samsung touch sensitive controls when powered up, a central button is flanked by Up, Down, Left, and Right arrows for menu navigation, as well as a backward navigation control and a button that pulls up submenus.

The controls are lightning fast and reliable unlike many touch screens and touch sensitive buttons out there. The player's right hand panel houses a Power, Hold, User, Record switch, the latter of which can be set to control various functions like photo zooming. The lower panel features a headphone jack and the connector for PC syncing, the back panel houses a mic for voice recording, and the top panel has a lanyard loop. Included in the box are better than average earbuds (if only because the foam covers assure they stay in place), a manual, and a proprietary to USB cable to connect the player to your computer.

Suspiciously absent is a CD with file conversion software typically players with limited video format support like the Samsung P3 include one. Speaking of file support : for video, the Q2 plays only WMV and MPEG-4 files. Audio support is also limited to MP3, WMA, OGG, and FLAC, but at least the last two will please fans of lossless compression. It's still a bummer not to see AAC support like the P3 offers especially now that Apple has removed all DRM from its iTunes AAC offerings. The player accepts several photo file types including JPEG, BMP, GIF, and PNG.

The aforementioned earbuds are not nearly as poor as most bundled pairs. They stay in place pretty well, offer some bass response, and don't distort at high volumes. Could your listening experience be improved by swapping them out for Ultimate Ears' US$50 MetroFi 170? Absolutely, but if you combine the Samsung earbuds with the user definable EQ (which also has standard presets like "Rock" and "Classical"), the listening experience on the Q2 isn't bad.

As always, Samsung includes some special effects, like "Audio Upscaler" and "Street Mode." My advice is to leave them alone they're merely boosting some frequencies and cutting others, and rarely do anything useful to the sound. When music is playing, you can choose to view album art or flashy and trippy screensaver animations that, despite being gimmicky, look cool.

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Sony X Series Walkman (NWZ-X1051)

Wi-Fi enabled, with a touch screen and the integration of popular Web services like Slacker Internet radio and YouTube, the Walkman has evolved into a robust music and video player. There's also built-in noise cancellation, and the player comes with a pair of earphones that sound great when combined with the user adjustable EQ. My only major complaint. The Web experience isn't great Sony's browser is no match for Apple's Safari. And you don't get access to an Applications Store with thousands of titles that comes with the iPod touch.

Even so, Sony X Series Walkman (NWZ-X1051) is a well designed device that's the best non-iTunes centric player you can buy. Measuring 3.8 by 2.1 by 0.4 inches (HWD), the all black Sony X Series Walkman (NWZ-X1051) boasts a super crisp, 3 inch, 432 by 240 pixel organic light emitting diode (OLED) touch screen and a unique sparkly (but not overly flashy) body that resembles a cross cut slab of granite. The iPod touch, has a 3.5 inch screen with a slightly higher resolution (480 by 320), but the touch is also bigger than the X Series.

Because the touch's screen is larger, both devices offer similar levels of sharpness. The display consumes most of the front panel but, like the iPod touch, Sony X Series Walkman (NWZ-X1051) features a Home button that returns you to the player's main menu with one click. Included with the device better than average earphones with noise cancellation capabilities a proprietary to USB cable for moving files from your PC to the device an audio cable that uses the proprietary connection to send audio to mini jack (3.5mm) aux inputs on speakers and docks an airplane adapter a Quick Start Guide and a CD with Windows Media Player 11, Napster, and content transfer programs.

The best inclusion a coupon for 100 free songs from Sony MusicPass, something you definitely won't get that with an iPod. About those noise canceling headphones. You won't get the quality of noise cancellation from them you would from a pair of Bose QuietComfort 'phones, for example, but the level of cancellation is adjustable, and you can even choose between Bus or Train, Airplane, or Office, or you can turn it off altogether. It's important to note, however, that the feature only works with the bundled earphones. In other words, if you want upgrade, you lose the noise canceling capability. That said, Sony's user adjustable EQ allows you to sculpt the audio to sound pretty amazing using the supplied earphones.

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Sony Walkman NWZ-W202

If you want a display, a radio, or the ability to use your own earphones, Sony Walkman NWZ-W202 isn't for you, but it's an elegant and inexpensive player that's ideal for the gym crowd. The controls are built into the right ear of this 1.3 ounce earphone pair, which is available in black or pink. The earpieces are roughly 2 inches long, with the actual earphones on the inside sealing your ear canal for a secure fit and solid bass response.

In addition to three sizes of ear tips and a plastic protective case, Sony also includes a stand with a hardwired USB cable for charging the player and transferring music from your computer. Sony Walkman NWZ-W202 attaches via a mini USB connection built into the stand. A magnet on the player's right ear snaps the two earpieces together when the device is not in use, automatically shuttting off the power (a clever touch), and keeps the short but rigid behind the head cable from tangling. One control, a tiny wheel on the right earpiece's bottom panel, handles most of the player's functions.

It controls play, pause, skip (forward and backward), and Zappin, the aforementioned music preview feature all depending on whether you scroll the wheel forward or backward, press it quickly, or hold it down for a second. (These controls are convenient, but you'll probably need to consult the manual at first to get the hang of things.) Next to the wheel, there's a Volume rocker, a Reset pinhole, and the mini USB connector. Inside the earpiece is a switch that toggles Shuffle unless you want the device to play your music alphabetically, you should enable it.

You can also activate a volume limiting function by holding down both the wheel and the Volume Up button for five seconds. File support on Sony Walkman NWZ-W202 is modest but includes the essentials : MP3, WMA (including DRM files), and unprotected AAC. There's no FM radio, which is a bit of a bummer and since there's no screen, there's no video or photo file support. For a US$70 pair of earphones with a built-in player, Sony Walkman NWZ-W202 delivers nice sounding audio the above average drivers and the earphones' in ear seal produce a deeper low end response than you might expect.

On tracks with heavy bass from hip-hop act Madvillain, the low end was well defined, and the overall output wasn't muddy. On Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the strings' low end resonance gave the music real presence without overpowering the mid to high frequencies. The earphones also never distorted sound, even at the highest volume level. While it sounds a bit gimmicky, Zappin can be useful. By playing short snippets from the middle of your songs rather than the beginnings, it allows you to recognize your tracks quickly.

When you hold down the wheel for long enough, a female voice says "Zappin in." The song snippets start, and once you hear a tune you'd like to listen to, you can quickly press the wheel to start the song from the beginning. If you're in shuffle mode, a random song will play next otherwise, you'll get the next song from that album or artist, or the first song from the artist who's next in the alphabet. Sony rates Sony Walkman NWZ-W202's battery life at 12 hours, but our tests yielded only 8 hours 43 minutes, which isn't particularly impressive.

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Philips GoGear SA6185

One of the latest Philips products is Philips GoGear SA6185 multimedia player. This media player is capable of playing videos, music, radio and voice recording. Also pictures can be viewed on it. The version we tested has been equipped with an 8GB internal memory, has a weight of 153 grams and is black. Philips GoGear media player is packed in a plastic package that nicely shows the device.

Included in the package, besides Philips GoGear SA6185, we found a software CD, a quick guide in eight languages, earplugs and a USB cable for recharging the media player and for transferring files. The GoGear media player has been equipped with a 3.5 inch LCD monitor with QVGA resolution of 320 x 240 pixels in 65.000 colors. Philips GoGear is just over one centimeter thick and a tad bigger than a hand sized media player.

Next to the large monitor on the front of the media player, some buttons are positioned. The menu button that lets you return to the main menu at all times, and the navigation buttons with the on and off button in the center that also serves as play and pause button. Furthermore we find two integrated speakers on the front. The bottom side carries a button to lock the GoGear. On the topside the volume button is placed for adjusting the volume and the button on the right side of the device lets you go directly to the playlist.

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LG Touch DVB T80

The "Digital Media" department deals with "Mobile Entertainment Devices" or in other words portable media players. LG has been rewarded many times with an EISA Award for the best product, like their first MP3 player featuring a touch screen. The LG T80 is one of its siblings. LG T80 PMP was designed by the same designer that designed the Prada cell phones. Although LG T80 looks slightly better than previous portable media players of the LG stable, the design still remains somewhat on the boring side.

The front has a shiny coating with few buttons. One side contains the on/off/pause slide bar, the top side carries a 3mm head jack connection, and the large 3 inch WQVGA (400 x 240) Touch Screen TFT color LCD takes care of the remaining operation possibilities. With its dimensions of 3.87 x 2.18 x 0.5 inches the T80 closely resembles the Apple iPhone, however; the LG T80's weight is a lot less.

What makes this LG so special is the DVB-T support that allows you to watch television, providing there is a signal close by. The LG T80 portable media player offers 4GB of storage capacity (also available with 8GB) which translates into approximately 1000 songs. Standard included with the T80 are a headset, USB data cable, manual and LG Media Centre software. LG T80 media player features DVB-T enabling you to watch television whenever a digital TV signal is available.

Watching television on the screen is a joy to the eye. It feels like watching television on a screen that is clearer than your analogue TV, or even clearer than some computer screens. Since the signal is digital, there is no annoying noise or delay in transmission the image stands, or is not there at all. This is extremely pleasant to watch, whilst once there is a picture it comes undisturbed, which lets you watch television without interruptions.

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Creative Zen X-Fi MP3

Creative keeps on surprising again with the new Zen X-Fi, the first media player with integrated X-Fi technologies. According to Creative, listening to music on the Zen X-Fi becomes a genuine experience. Whether that is true will become clear from the test. And as if X-Fi isn’t already enough, also Wi-Fi is available on the Zen. From the moment the Zen X-Fi MP3 player was placed in the market, it already won several Awards.

The appearance of Creative Zen X-Fi MP3 player is almost similar to that of previous Zen models, although the current model is somewhat thicker and has a solid grey back made of plastic. The front of the X-Fi Zen features 12 buttons on the right side and a large 2.5 inch monitor with 16.7 million colors. All of this is nicely surrounded by a shiny silver colored line. The micro-SD card slot is found on the topside of the device, and the external speaker on the bottom.

On the right side we find, from top to bottom the 3mm head jack, the USB connector and the reset button. The latter is easier to access than the one on previous Creative media players. Dimensions of the Creative Zen X-Fi MP3 player are: 2.1 x 3.2 x 0.5 inches and its weight counts 70 grams. The main menu can be completely configured, ensuring your favorite menu is always available from the main menu.

Secondly, you can adjust the sub menu, making your own sub menus accessible for every category. For example; the main menu consists of a number of items such as photo, video, music and settings. You can click the box to make them invisible. And also a submenu such as music can be changed currently playing, album, artist etcetera can also be made invisible. In short, it is possible in many ways to adjust the menu and reproduction of it to your own preference.

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Microsoft Zune 120GB

The design of the Zune 120 is almost entirely unchanged from the Zune 80 we reviewed last year. The back of the Zune is now black instead of silver and the face of the player is covered with a glossy plastic that, although pretty, is more prone to smudges and scratches than the metal finish on last year's model. We're happy to see that the increase in the Zune's hard drive capacity doesn't translate into a thicker design.

The Zune 120 measures the same 4.3 inches high by 2.4 inches wide by 0.5 inch deep as the Zune 80. Also, no changes have been made to the Zune's navigation controls, headphone jack, hold switch, dock connection, and 3.2 inch glass covered LCD. Considering Apple's strategy of altering its iPod design every fall (for better or for worse), it's a little unnerving to see the Zune's hardware design at a standstill.

The upshot of the Zune's lack of design tinkering is that it maintains the product's compatibility with the handful of accessories designed for the player. The bulk of the third generation Zune's improvements are found by flicking through its main menu. New menu items for Games and Marketplace have been added alongside existing selections for Music, Videos, Pictures, Social, Radio, Podcasts, and Settings. The Zune's primary purpose as a high quality portable music player hasn't changed.

If anything, the enhancements offered by the third generation firmware have bolstered the unique music discovery and sharing features that have differentiated the Zune from the very beginning. One of the more notable new features on the Zune is a Marketplace selection in the main menu that allows you to browse, preview, and download music directly from Microsoft's Zune Marketplace online store.

Within the Marketplace submenu you can choose between browsing Top Songs, Top Albums, and New Releases, or search for specific music by keying in a few letters. Songs can be previewed for 30 seconds with the option to add them to your virtual cart or purchase and download immediately. By signing up for Microsoft's Zune Pass music subscription service (a free 14 day trial is available), you can download unlimited music to your Zune for a flat fee of $15 a month.

Otherwise, you'll need to purchase songs a la carte by setting up a payment account in the Zune desktop software. Your Zune needs to be connected to a Wi-Fi hot spot in order to take advantage of the Marketplace feature. Fortunately, Microsoft has improved the Zune's ability to step through public Wi-Fi hot spots, and it's even struck a deal with fast food giant McDonald's to have the Zune supported by the Wayport Wi-Fi hot spots found in many McDonald's restaurants. If your local Wi-Fi requires you to enter a password, you can enter it manually using the Zunepad. The Zune will remember and associate your Wi-Fi passwords so that you'll only need to enter them once.

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Iriver P7 (16GB)

Iriver P7 (16GB) measures 4.5 inches across, 3 inches tall, and a relatively svelte 0.5 inch thick. The overall form is more pocket friendly than the chunkier design of the Cowon O2, feeling more like an Archos 5 with a shrunken screen. The majority of Iriver P7 (16GB) is operated using touch screen control, however, you'll find teeny, tiny buttons for power, menu, and volume on the top edge of the player. Iriver P7 (16GB)'s headphone jack is on the right edge, along with a hold switch, and a microSD memory slot covered by a plastic door.

While the P7's hardware looks like it takes a few cues from Apple, the touch screen interface is entirely unique. Iriver appropriately describes the main menu screen as magazine like, laying out each of the player's functions on a single screen, compartmentalized into an attractive arrangement of boxes. If you're accustomed to scrolling though menus, Iriver P7 (16GB)'s Mondrian esque layout takes a little time to grow on you.

After spending some time with it, we can't say the layout offers any practical advantages, but it's a pleasant break from the norm. Once you dial down into Iriver P7 (16GB)'s music and photo menus, the single page interface of the main menu eventually gives way to a more common list view. Unlike the iPod Touch's smooth, swift, and responsive song lists, sorting through your music on Iriver P7 (16GB) requires patience and a precise touch on a slim graphical scroll bar.

If you plan on storing a large music collection on Iriver P7 (16GB), prepare for some navigation frustration. The P7 is easy on the eyes, but the features are nothing to write home about. Despite the movie worthy 4.3 inch screen with a 480x272 resolution, video really isn't the P7's strong suit. On paper, support for formats such as AVI, MP4, WMV, MPG, FLV, XVID, H.264, and a handful of others, makes Iriver P7 (16GB)'s video capabilities seem very impressive.

In practice, however, we found that Iriver P7 (16GB) didn't offer the kind of drag and drop video format and resolution flexibility we've seen from competitors such as the Cowon O2 or Archos 605 WiFi. Just like the smaller screened Samsung P3 or Iriver SPINN, we found ourselves spending extra time converting the videos we wanted to watch on Iriver P7 (16GB) using the included software. Power users and the patient minded may be able to put up with Iriver P7 (16GB)'s particular video requirements, but people looking for drag and drop simplicity should look elsewhere.

In spite of our complaints about the sluggish, unfriendly design of Iriver P7 (16GB)'s music menu navigation, the audio capabilities of the P7 are arguably the best feature of the device. Iriver P7 (16GB) supports MP3, WMA, FLAC, WAV, and OGG file formats, along with album artwork and lyrics, but leaves out the AAC format critical for playing back music purchased from iTunes. Songs are listed in either an ID3 tag sort (Album, Artist, Genre, Playlist) or presented as the user's own custom list of folders.

Once a song is playing, you can apply custom or preset EQ (there's also some nice SRS WOW HD enhancement settings), change the playback mode (shuffle, repeat, etc.), rate the song on a five star scale, and even view song lyric information embedded within the file's ID3 tag. There are also settings for bookmarking, looping, or saving files to a custom playlist. Between Iriver P7 (16GB) and the similarly priced Cowon O2, we're a little torn when it comes to each player's audio capabilities.

Neither device shines in terms of touch screen menu navigation, but we suspect the O2's AAC support is more important than its lack of ID3 song sorting (some will surely disagree). Iriver P7 (16GB) features, such as the FM radio and text reader, are nice to have, but unexceptional. The photo viewer, like most aspects of Iriver P7 (16GB), is a little sluggish. At best, transitions between photographs take 3 seconds to complete, and the image browser uses the same tiny, tedious scroll bar found on the music player.

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Apple iPhone 3G (16GB, Black, Refurbished)

Apple iPhone 3G (16GB, Black, Refurbished) appears to have fixed some call quality performance issues we had with the previous model in our initial tests, the volume is louder with less background buzz than before. The 3G reception could be improved, however. Music and video quality were largely unchanged, but we didn't have many complaints in that department to begin with. Price may well remain our largest concern.

New AT&T customers and most current AT&T customers can buy the iPhone 3G for $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. If you don't qualify for that price check your AT&T account to find out you'll pay $399 and $499 respectively. Either way, you'll pay $15 more per month ($74.99 total) for a plan comparable with the original iPhone ($59 per month). So, while you'll pay less outright to buy the handset, you'll make it up over the course of a standard two year AT&T contract. So should you buy an iPhone 3G?

If you haven't bought an iPhone yet, and have been holding out for a new model, now is the time. If you're a current iPhone owner and you're yearning for a faster cellular network, then you should take the plunge. But if you're an iPhone owner who won't use 3G (or can't check your coverage at AT&T), then you should stick with your current model. The iPhone 2.0 software update provides Exchange server support, third party apps support, and many new features without the added cost.

Design
You'd be hard pressed to notice any design differences on the front of the iPhone 3G. The minor changes the silver rim is thinner and the silver mesh behind the speaker are so minimal we didn't notice them for a few hours after picking up the device. Turn the phone on its side, however, and you'll see more changes. Apple has replaced the aluminum silver back with a plastic face in either white or black.

The black version (our review model) is attractive, but we admit that we miss the original silver, which shows fewer fingerprints and smudges than the shiny black version. The white model is not our cup of tea. The iPhone 3G's edges are slightly tapered to accommodate the curved back, making the device thinner around its perimeter than its predecessor, but a hair thicker (0.48 inch versus 0.46 inch) in the gut.

Unfortunately, the curved back makes the iPhone 3G wobble slightly if you use it while resting on a table which quickly becomes annoying. The phone's height and width measurements (5.5 inches by 2.4 inches) remain the same, though it weighs just a tiny bit less (4.7 ounces versus 4.8 ounces).

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C. Crane Witness AM/FM MP3 Player

PoGo Products briefly came to the rescue with a line of AM friendly MP3 players, but the company ceased production of the line after only a few years. Filling the void is the C. Crane Witness AM/FM MP3 Player, a basic radio cum MP3 player reminiscent of the Radio YourWay LX. Even with its throwback design and monochrome display, the Witness will cost you a pretty penny $229.95 for 2GB but AM radio fans have little other choice, and will likely be plenty pleased with the features on offer.

True to its AM radio roots, the CC Witness player has a simple, utilitarian design that feels sturdy in the hand. The case is matte black with a metallic sheen and silver trim wrapping around the edges. The right side offers up a dedicated volume rocker and hold switch, while a look at the left reveals a built in mic, a line in port, and an SD-card expansion slot a necessity, given the paltry 2GB on board storage.

Two external speakers live on either side of the device as well, while a boatload of shiny plastic buttons deck out the front of the device.

There are dedicated keys for accessing the menu, stepping back through functions, adjusting the play speed, setting A/B looping, recording, editing, and playing or pausing.

A four way control pad surrounding the play or pause button allows for hassle free navigation through the extremely basic menus.

There's not much to the CC Witness's screen. It's only 1.8 inches diagonally, which is small, given that the player measures nearly 4 inches tall, 2.2 inches wide, and over half an inch thick.

It's also monochrome, so you won't be seeing any album art or photos here. On the plus side, you can see the font quite clearly without the back light engaged, and the menu options are simple AM, FM, Files, Settings, and Timers. Music accepted in MP3 format only is organized into folders under the File menu. There's also a Playlist folder here, although even after reading the manual, it is unclear what it is for M3U playlists transferred through drag and drop or Windows Media Player did not appear on the device.

Also odd You have to switch views in the settings menu depending on how you want to listen to music. The folder view lets you listen to albums in a folder, while the file view will allow you to play all your music straight through (there is a random option, also). It's definitely not the most intuitive way to listen to MP3s.

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Archos 5 (250GB)

Archos is promoting the Archos 5 as a Wi-Fi Internet tablet, but its chromed plastic enclosure and 5 inch touch screen look more like a luxury GPS unit. In fact, for an extra $129 you actually can use the Archos 5 as a relatively sophisticated in car GPS system. Unlike its predecessor, the 605 WiFi, the Archos 5 is controlled almost entirely by its touch screen, with the exception of a power button and volume rocker on the top edge of the device.

A 3.5mm headphone output is located midway up on the left edge, making the gadget more awkward to hold than the 605 WiFi. Thankfully, a built in kickstand folds out from the back of the Archos 5 for hands free viewing. The Archos 5 measures 5 inches wide, 3 inches tall, and 0.5 inch thick (or 0.75 inch thick for the 120GB and 250GB versions), making it not much bigger than the 605 WiFi.

Despite its similar size, Archos was able to squeeze an extra half inch of screen onto the Archos 5 by removing the redundant physical controls found on the company's previous players and placing the integrated speaker on the right edge of the device instead of the front. Another surprising design change from Archos is the use of a glossy coated screen instead of the matte, antiglare screens that have been a hallmark of its previous products.

Combined with the Archos 5's glossy, reflective enclosure, Archos has created an ideal breeding ground for fingerprints and smudges. Another small, but significant design feature that distinguishes the Archos 5 from previous Archos PVPs is the use of new proprietary dock connection. We've given Archos some flack before on its use of a nonstandard connector for its USB cable, but the upshot of the unique dock connection has been its compatibility with Archos accessories such as battery packs, FM tuners, video cameras, and AV docks.

The introduction of a new dock connection on the Archos 5 has severed its compatibility with existing Archos accessories, with the exception of the in car GPS cradle. Archos is busy making new accessories for the Archos 5 (including the new Archos 5 DVR Station) however, early adopters have only a few options currently and users looking to upgrade from older models may feel some resentment over replacing their existing accessories.

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Microsoft Zune (third generation, 16GB)

The design of the flash memory Zune models offered in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities at $129.99, $149.99, and $199.99 respectively is almost entirely unchanged from the Zunes we reviewed last year. The face of the player is now covered with a glossy plastic that, although pretty, is more prone to smudges and scratches than the matte finish on last year's model. The flash based Zune measures the same 3.6 inches by 1.6 inches by 0.33 inch as last year's. Also, no changes have been made to the Zune's navigation controls, headphone jack, hold switch, dock connection, or 1.8 inch glass covered LCD.

Considering Apple's strategy of altering its iPod design every fall (for better or for worse), it's a little unnerving to see the Zune's hardware design at a standstill. The upshot of the Zune's lack of design tinkering is that it maintains the product's compatibility with the handful of accessories designed for the player. The Zune comes packaged with a proprietary USB cable and a pair of earbuds with three sets of replaceable foam pads.

Features
The bulk of the third generation Zune's improvements are found by flicking through its main menu. New menu items for Games and Marketplace have been added alongside existing selections for Music, Videos, Pictures, Social, Radio, Podcasts, and Settings. The Zune's primary purpose as a high quality portable music player hasn't changed.

If anything, the enhancements offered by the third generation firmware have bolstered the unique music discovery and sharing features that have differentiated the Zune from the very beginning.

One of the more notable new features on the Zune is a Marketplace selection in the main menu that allows you to browse, preview, and download music directly from Microsoft's Zune Marketplace online store. Within the Marketplace submenu you can choose between browsing Top Songs, Top Albums, and New Releases, or search for specific music by keying in a few letters. Songs can be previewed for 30 seconds with the option to add them to your virtual cart or purchase and download immediately.

By signing up for Microsoft's Zune Pass music subscription service (a free 14 day trial is available), you can download unlimited music to your Zune for a flat fee of $15 a month. Otherwise, you'll need to purchase songs a la carte by setting up a payment account in the Zune desktop software.

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Apple iPod Shuffle (third generation, 2GB)

The third generation iPod Shuffle (1GB) is the lowest profile MP3 player we've laid eyes on. Apple may have been slow out of the gate, but the company has succeeded in launching perhaps the tiniest and simplest player on the market and it sports a price tag to match $79. The new Shuffle is appealing in its elementariness, too, but the itty bitty device is far from perfect.

Its screen less design means you get few navigational options and no extra features. And how small is too small? At 1.6x1x0.4 inches and 0.6 ounce, the iPod Shuffle is one minuscule music player.

In fact, it's so inconspicuous that we have trouble keeping track of it if you're constantly misplacing your keys, this player probably isn't your best option.

If you just can't help yourself, go for one of the brighter color options. The red, green, purple, and blue models will probably be easier to spot on a cluttered desk than the muted silver one is.

That said, the integrated belt clip on the back of the Shuffle helps keep the player within easy reaching distance. Some users have complained that the clip isn't very durable, but it seemed fairly sturdy during our testing.

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Apple iPod Shuffle (third generation, 1GB)

The third generation iPod Shuffle (1GB) is the lowest profile MP3 player we've laid eyes on. Apple may have been slow out of the gate, but the company has succeeded in launching perhaps the tiniest and simplest player on the market and it sports a price tag to match $79. The new Shuffle is appealing in its elementariness, too, but the itty bitty device is far from perfect.

Its screen less design means you get few navigational options and no extra features. And how small is too small? At 1.6x1x0.4 inches and 0.6 ounce, the iPod Shuffle is one minuscule music player. In fact, it's so inconspicuous that we have trouble keeping track of it if you're constantly misplacing your keys, this player probably isn't your best option.

If you just can't help yourself, go for one of the brighter color options. The red, green, purple, and blue models will probably be easier to spot on a cluttered desk than the muted silver one is. That said, the integrated belt clip on the back of the Shuffle helps keep the player within easy reaching distance. Some users have complained that the clip isn't very durable, but it seemed fairly sturdy during our testing.

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Apple iPod Classic (second generation, 120GB)

The second generation iPod Classic is indistinguishable from 2007's original model, except that the thicker 160GB version is no longer available. An anodized aluminum faceplate covers the front of the Classic in either black or silver, while the back of the iPod is covered in the same scratch showing, smudge loving chromed steel found on most iPods.

The second generation iPod Classic fits a whopping 120GB hard drive into the same enclosure as its 80GB predecessor, coming in at pocket size 2.4 inches by 4.1 inches by 0.41 inch.

The screen is still made from plastic, making it the only remaining iPod that hasn't yet switched to a scratch resistant glass screen.

The second generation iPod Classic is also now one of the only iPods to use a split screen main menu layout, displaying menu items on the left half of the screen and a picture related to the selection on the right.

For example, highlighting Music on the main menu causes the right half of the screen to display a drifting close up of cover artwork from your music library. This split screen effect is more beautiful than it is distracting, and applies to menu items such as movies, podcasts, and photos, as well.

You also have the option to browse your music using the Cover Flow view made popular by the iPhone, however, the novelty of Cover Flow wears thin without a touch screen display. Users with large music collections to sort through will prefer browsing using the list mode or search function.

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Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 8GB)

Priced at $229 (8GB), $299 (16GB), and $399 (32GB), the second generation iPod Touch still commands a fairly high price compared with other MP3 players with similar capacities. When you weigh the price of the iPod Touch against its features, however, the device becomes much more attractive.

Out of the box, the second generation iPod Touch includes an amazing music player, podcast support, video playback (including iTunes rentals and a YouTube player), a Safari Web browser, photo viewer, an email reader (compatible with Outlook, Exchange, MobileMe, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, or any POP email service), an integrated Wi-Fi music store, and a host of smaller utilities (weather, calendar, maps, stocks, notes, clock, contacts, and calculator).

Provided you can become proficient with its touch screen keyboard, the iPod Touch is more pocket PC than MP3 player. As of version 2.0 of Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch firmware, the device's stock features are just the beginning.

The new iTunes App Store, accessible from your computer or directly from the iPod Touch, lets users download and install thousands of applications, including Internet radio players, games, voice recorders, and social networking tools.

You can also extend the capabilities of the iPod Touch using third party "Made for iPod" hardware accessories such as Bluetooth transmitters, audio or video docks, external battery packs, and speaker systems.

The second generation of the iPod Touch also introduces Apple's new Genius feature, which lets you create an instant 25 song playlists based on the musical characteristics of a single song. The Genius feature is easy to use, and the results are fun, provided your music collection holds enough songs to make interesting connections. You can create and save Genius playlists directly onto your iPod Touch, and with automatic syncing enabled in iTunes you can also transfer them back to your computer.

Oddly, the Touch's Genius feature won't work if you haven't enabled Genius on your computer's iTunes software. If you find iTunes' Genius feature too demanding on your computer's resources or too invasive of your privacy (the feature reports your listening habits to Apple), then you'll need to live without the feature on your iPod as well.

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Apple iPod Nano Fourth Generation

The Nano 4G feels impossibly light and thin, with a seamless metal construction that prevents it from snapping like a twig. A slightly curved design gives the Nano 4G the essence of an airplane wing, repeating the rounded design themes of Apple's iPhone 3G and second generation iPod Touch. Compared with the short, squarish design of last year's Nano, the long, tapered body of the fourth generation Nano is more comfortable to grasp.

Curved glass now covers the iPod Nano's screen, giving it better resilience against scratches in theory. The curve of the glass screen lies flush with the slight curve of the Nano's body, and although the glass is inherently glossy and reflective, we didn't notice a diminished viewing quality compared with last year's Nano.

The shape may have softened, but the dimensions of the fourth generation Nano are nearly identical to the second generation version, measuring 3.5 inches tall by 1.6 inches wide by 0.25 inch thick at its center the thinnest iPod yet. The Nano's 2 inch screen size remains unchanged from the previous model, as well as its 1 inch wide scroll wheel control.

Headphone and dock connections are located on the bottom of the 4G Nano, and a sliding hold switch makes a reappearance on top of the player (another throwback to the second generation design). Because Apple has flipped the Nano's screen on its side, menus and user interface get a dramatic overhaul from last year's model. Menu text size has increased slightly and album cover art takes up less real estate on the main menu.

In a bid to increase the accessibility of the Nano for people with impaired vision, Apple has included a font size setting on the fourth generation Nano that makes its menus more legible a nice feature even if you have 20/20 vision. The Nano's music playback screen now presents full screen album art by default, and Cover Flow view is zippier than before, offering alphabetization letters below the covers when you quickly flip through your collection.

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