Sony's players never fail to win style points, and we're definitely impressed by the classy look of the new Walkman NWZ-A826 music and video player. It blows us away with its stellar audio performance and vivid, bright screen quality, making it one of ...

Sound quality ; screen quality ; drag-and-drop compatibility ; stereo Bluetooth

Price ; video management is tricky ; no playback position bookmarking ; no FM radio ; no voice recording or gapless playback

The Sony NWZ-A826 is a truly superb player in terms of usability, sound quality and design. It's not without its fair share of flaws -- notably the tricky video support -- but for most people it's an absolute must to consider, if not run out and buy

If you liked the original, you're going to love the Creative Zen Stone Plus with Speaker. It's looking a whole lot more professional these days in an attractive matte finish and with excellent battery life, it's an premium choice for listening to ...

Sound quality (through headphones) ; price ; battery life ; useful feature set

Speaker has limited applications ; doesn't work with Audible downloads ; sluggish menus

The built-in speaker may have few real-life applications, but it makes room for a more capacious battery, and it takes nothing away. For that reason, and because of its tiny price, great feature set and FM radio, we think it's top notch

The iPod shuffle had better watch out -- the Creative Zen Stone with Speaker is an updated version of the Zen Stone with -- you guessed it -- a teeny speaker on its backside. In either a 1GB or 2GB version, it's both affordable and good looking, so ...

Sound quality (through headphones) ; price ; easy to use ; battery life

Speaker has limited applications ; few audio formats supported

The built-in speaker may have few real-life applications, but it makes room for a more capacious battery, and it takes nothing away. For that reason, and because of its tiny price, we can't help but think this is a stunning alternative the iPod shuffle

The Tangent Quattro MKII is an attractive, weighty, feature-packed Internet radio that offers mainstream radio, worldwide broadcasts and podcasts delivered to your table or bedside, either via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. It'll also stream tunes in a multitude ...

Design ; price ; features ; integration with Reciva Web site ; podcast functionality ; file format support ; good sound quality

Tricky to use as a local media streamer ; no DRM support ; no remote control

A decent tabletop Net radio with a neat design, plenty of features and good sound quality. Integration with the Reciva Web site makes using podcasts easy, and sets it aside from most other systems of its type. It's not one to consider if streaming ...

The Baylis Eco Media Player EP-MX71 is no replacement for an iPod, but if you're a camper, hiker or festival goer, it could just the thing for your travels. This MP3 and video player needs no power cables and is run on elbow grease, making it perfect ...

Eco-friendliness ; general functionality ; usefulness ; no batteries required ; doubles up as a portable phone charger

Price ; no belt clip ; line-in socket should be 3.5mm ; torch is utterly pointless on an MP3 player ; included earphones are abysmal

An extremely niche product and as a result of its high price, probably only one for campers, travellers, the seriously pro-green or anyone desiring music when they can't guarantee mains power exists. Costly, but too cute to dislike

The Cowon A3 is the most capable video player we've looked at to date. It has the best screen we have ever seen on any media player. Playback for most videos is smooth and glitch-free and audio quality is close to perfect, supporting multiple codecs, ...

Price ; image quality ; sound quality ; amazing video and audio codec support ; support for DVD VOB files ; direct video and audio hard disk recording and encoding

Mini joystick is unbearable ; HD video is nowhere near as nice to use as Cowon claims ; no kickstand

Certainly the most capable handheld video player we've seen to date. With its unrivalled screen and codec support, its direct recording capabilities and its ability to playback DVD video files without transcoding, Cowon's A3 is a well-priced behemoth ...

PURE Digital Chronos iDock is a triangle-shaped waker-upper. Using it is extremely straight-forward and simple. For technophobes or grandparents experiencing DAB for the first time, PURE's iDock won't offer any confusion and it'll be a perfect bedside ...

General design ; easy to use ; intuitive controls ; good iPod integration ; energy efficiency ; decent reception

Very poor sound quality

This promising and very easy to use system is seriously let down by its poor sound quality. As a DAB radio alarm clock it's great, and if that's what you're after then it won't disappoint. It's just not a capable audio system, even in the bedside ...

Cowon's Q5W could be Holy Grail of media players -- or more specifically, video players. It boats unprecedented compatibility with file formats and terrific performance, in addition to many levels of customisation, making it a must-see choice for ...

Design ; standard USB connection ; massive codec support ; easy TV-out facility ; basic Internet access ; great image, video and audio quality

Slow menus ; small hard drive capacity ; device can get very hot ; no H.264 support ; no kickstand

Cowon's Q5W is, without question, one of the most capable media players we've ever seen. Despite minor issues with navigation and a complicated interface, this will be the portable video connoisseur's new best friend. Its unrivaled support for ...

The new YP-T10 is another superb music and video player from Samsung. Its touch-sensitive navigational pad glows with every stroke, and its build exerts professionalism and style. With key updates including image and video support, this is one great ...

Sound quality ; price ; display ; features ; ease of use

Reflective screen ; no physical controls

The Samsung YP-T10 is a delightful player that's easy to use, perfectly priced, great sounding and attractive. Although we're not overly fond of touch-sensitive controls in a device like this, they look terrific and add a certain elegance to the ...

The SanDisk Sansa View is an 8GB digital media player that offers a vast array of features at a pleasingly low price. Features include photo and video support, a microSD card slot, FM radio and voice recording, to add to a music player that produces ...

Incredible value ; photo and video support ; microSD card slot ; FM radio and voice recorder ; relatively large screen ; separate podcast menu for easy sorting of content

Bulky ; onscreen interface is somewhat uninspiring ; small centre select button may present a problem for some users

If you value features and price over a flashy interface and excellent sound quality, the SanDisk Sansa View digital media player is definitely worth a look. It's easy to use and offers a relatively large screen and a memory expansion option