Photos: The top 10 MP3 players in Asia
Creative Zen Vision:M (30GB)
Price range: $284-329
The good: Fast transfer speed; wide video-codec support; brilliant screen; improved vertical scroll.
The bad: Stiff keys; bothersome sync adapter; thicker than the iPod.
The bottom line: There is a lot going for the Creative Zen Vision:M, and true to form, Creative has just come out with yet another iPod killer to take on the incumbent.
Apple iPod (30GB)
Price range: $227-299
The good: Incredibly thin and intuitive design; beautiful LCD; supports photo and video playback; seamless integration with iTunes, which boasts the world's biggest music catalog and a new video store; smooth video; lots of extra features, such as a world clock, a stopwatch, and PIM applications; a galaxy of accessories designed for the iPod; great overall value.
The bad: No extras included, such as a dock, A/V cables, or a power adapter; poor battery life for video; slight delay when playing video; no guarantee that your non-iTunes Music Store video will play on an iPod, even after using converted third-party software.
The bottom line: Get the affordable, sleek, and sexy 5G Apple iPod for its audio virtues. Although video looks great, its poor video battery life and relatively small screen hamper its appeal to videophiles.
Sony NW-A1000 (6GB)
The good: Sleek design; improved Connect software; removable battery.
The bad: Middling battery life; poor display under sunlight.
The bottom line: The Sony NW-A1000 is certainly a music player that the fashion crowd would love to hold, though its monochrome screen and less-than-impressive features may not prove attractive to the geeks.
Samsung YP-T8Z (1GB)
Price range: $154-200
The good: Nice set of features; interesting form factor; above-average battery life.
The bad: Messy button layout; need for video conversion to .svi extension.
The bottom line: The Samsung YP-T8Z is well featured and offers good sound, plus it goes out to prove that phones and PDAs aren't the only devices that offer multimedia entertainment in a small package.
Apple iPod Nano (4GB)
Price range: $189-249
The good: Gorgeously slim; easy to use; comes with iTunes.
The bad: Scratches easily; no FM radio.
The bottom line: This slim offering from Apple may be limited in terms of features; however, for looks alone, the iPod Nano currently has few equals.
Creative MuVo Vidz (1GB)
The good: Decent audio; fuss-free video conversion; fast transfer speed.
The bad: Tiny screen; below-average battery life.
The bottom line: It's a decent enough video player, given its size, but for serious mobile movie buffs, the Creative MuVo Vidz is just not worth the popcorn.
Creative Zen Neeon (5GB)
Price range: $140-203
The good: Decent choice of Stik-On designs; low price for a 5GB player; small form factor.
The bad: Indifferent hardware controls and menu interface.
The bottom line: It has solid value for a 5GB capacity device and will definitely stand in good stead for users looking for a customizable, all-round MP3 player.
Samsung YP-Z5 (4GB)
Price range: $214-279
The good: Outputs clean and punchy sound; relatively large, bright color screen; well-designed menus; solid aluminum chassis; exceptional battery life; ability to simultaneously view photos and listen to music.
The bad: Touch pad can be difficult to deal with; lacks FM tuner and on-the-go playlists.
The bottom line: If you're looking for a tiny, well-built color-screen MP3 player with excellent sound, the Samsung YP-Z5 is a great choice. Just make sure you're comfortable with the touch-pad controller before you buy.
Samsung YH-J50 (6GB)
Product Type: Portable Audio Player
Interface Type: USB 1.1, USB 2.0
Storage Type: Hard drive
Capacity: 6GB
Supported audio formats: MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WMA
Rated battery life (audio): 25 hours
Other features: USB host; games; photo viewing
Supported video formats: MPEG-4
Sony Walkman Bean NW-E307 (1GB)
Price range: $64-119
The good: Great battery life; unique USB-jack design; superb FM reception.
The bad: Background hiss during playback; lethargic transfer rate.
The bottom line: Although the Sony Walkman Bean NW-E307 is short on features, it still got some of the basics right.