The GoGear Muse is Philips' best portable media player to date, featuring a number of enhancements over previous models, including a redesigned user interface and slicker design. It doesn't offer the best audio quality we've ever heard, but its format ...

Sleek design ; good format support ; works with downloaded BBC iPlayer content

Navigation is slow and laborious ; noise-cancelling technology isn&apos ; t very effective

The GoGear Muse is a better media player than Philips' previous offerings, as it supports a wider range of video and audio formats, and features a much more attractive design. But these enhancements still don't make up for the poor screen and ...

Apple's latest iPod shuffle line-up offers two storage capacities -- 2GB or 4GB -- and five colours. Apart from that, it's business as usual. But that's not necessarily a bad thing -- the shuffle's tiny dimensions are certainly pleasing, and its basic ...

Dinky dimensions ; VoiceOver feature works well

Controls located on headphone cable ; no screen

Apple's latest iPod shuffle is extremely small and stylish, but its lack of a screen and fiddly controls make it tricky to use. As a result, we can't fully recommend it

Apple's third-generation iPod touch may lack a camera, but it's the best portable media player that you can currently get your hands on. As well as sporting a number of useful new features, such as voice control, a faster processor means it performs ...

Faster performance than previous models ; easy to use ; great screen ; good sound quality

No camera ; headphone jack sits on the bottom of the player

Apple's third-generation iPod touch may lack a camera, but, offering faster performance than its predecessors and new features, like voice control, it remains the cream of the portable-media-player crop. There's really no other device out there at the ...

The fifth-generation iPod nano is the best version yet, packing in plenty of features, including a video camera, while retaining the straightforward functionality that's a hallmark of Apple devices. It's not perfect, though, and owners of previous ...

Attractive design and interface ; larger screen than previous models ; finally includes FM radio and built-in speaker ; decent screen ; compatible with movie rentals from iTunes

Camera won&apos ; t take still images ; can&apos ; t listen to music while recording video

Apple's fifth-generation iPod nano is the best version yet, packing in even more features than the previous models, while retaining the intuitive functionality that's typical of the company's MP3 players. It's not perfect though, and there's little ...

One of two new additions to the S-series Walkman line, the 16GB NWZ-S545 MP3 and video player offers excellent audio, great battery life and a large screen. It should also be available at a lower price than its predecessor, the NWZ-S639F, so the fact ...

Easy to use ; support for multiple audio codecs ; photos and videos look great on the big, bright screen ; audio quality is superb ; rated battery life is impressive ; unit features external speakers and an alarm clock function ; FM tuner and voice ...

No longer offers noise cancellation ; weakened podcast support ; no SenseMe Channels or on-the-go playlists ; getting video onto the device can be a hassle

The Sony S-Series Walkman is a solid entry-level MP3 player thanks to its easy-to-use design, excellent performance and fair smattering of features. But those who are looking to upgrade from the previous generation will not be impressed

Sony's multi-room audio system lets you store and manage your music on a main server, which comes with speakers and an iPod dock, and stream that audio to a separate unit in another room. It could be easier to use, but it has tonnes of features and ...

Good sound quality ; built-in hard drive and CD player ; DAB radio tuner

Poor user interface ; Internet radio not available on server unit ; slow performance

It may boast a wealth of features, but this multi-room system from Sony is let down by its poor user interface and overall sluggishness

The GoGear Vibe budget MP3 player compensates for its deeply irritating navigation system by offering a well-rounded feature set and good sound quality. Photo- and video-playback capability are of limited use on a 38mm colour screen, but Philips ...

Offers music, video, photo, radio and voice-recording features, as well as great battery life, for not very much money

Uninspired design ; navigation controls are an insult to common sense

The Philips GoGear Vibe isn't the best budget MP3 player we've seen, but its enviable colour screen, photo viewer and video playback make it very well-rounded for its price point

The GoGear Opus manages to stand out from the crowd of iPod nano rivals by offering some impressive extra features, such as support for the BBC's iPlayer and the ability to record FM radio. The screen isn't great, but sound quality is good and it's a ...

Support for iPlayer downloads ; good sound quality ; can record from built-in FM tuner

Below-average screen ; boring design

Despite some appealing features, like support for the BBC's iPlayer and FM radio recording, the Philips GoGear Opus is let down by a sluggish menu system and disappointing screen. It hasn't got what it takes to hold its own against more stylish rivals

The Sony Walkman NWZ-X1050 is a pricy portable media player, but it offers some distinct advantages over its rivals. Chief among them are its effective on-board noise-cancelling technology, excellent OLED touchscreen and truly fantastic audio quality. ...

Excellent sound quality ; effective on-board noise-cancelling technology ; good screen

Slightly awkward design ; expensive ; limited range of features compared to the iPod touch

The Sony Walkman NWZ-X1050 certainly has some great features, such as a vivid OLED screen, on-board noise-cancelling technology and pristine audio quality. But it's expensive, the small screen makes for awkward Web browsing and video playback, and, ...

Those seeking an affordable secondary MP3 player could do far worse than the YP-U5. Its battery life is good, it offers above-average sound quality and it supports a decent range of audio formats, although AAC is notably missing. A fitness app also ...

Inexpensive ; plenty of file format support ; an above-average voice recorder ; FM radio ; doubles as a USB stick ; useful fitness app

Miniscule screen ; no support for AAC or Audible files

If you're looking for a small, practical MP3 player to throw in your gym bag, the Samsung YP-U5 is a great option that won't break the bank