If you're shopping for a high-end portable media player, but the iPod just isn't your cup of tea, the Sony X-Series Walkman and the Cowon S9 are two of the best options around.
But aside from the fact that both players include beautiful OLED touch screens, they couldn't be more different. The X-Series comes with a Web browser, noise-canceling headphones, and lacks Bluetooth, while the S9 includes Bluetooth, standard earbuds, and wants nothing to do with the Internet.
To see which iPod Touch alternative offers the most bang for your buck, we've handed the S9 and the Walkman over to our Prizefight team, who put each player through five rounds of scrutiny. To see which player came out on top, check out the full CNET Prizefight.
Pretty Pebbles galore.
(Credit: Samsung)Rarely has a device so immediately inspired as much scorn as the latest Apple iPod Shuffle. Within 12 hours of its release, the third-generation of the littlest iPod had no shortage of complaints railed against it. It's too small, shuns compatibility with third-party headphones, and doesn't have a screen or even any buttons. At least one tech editor has even gone so far as to call it a disaster. Still, like most things, the iPod Shuffle undoubtedly has a few redeeming qualities, and some people have come to its defense.
Having spent some hands-on time with the teeny MP3 player, I can verify that it's not all bad. There is something impressive about the smallness of the device, and the design has a certain simple, understated appeal. However, operating it is not an intuitive exercise, and the lack of controls on the device itself borders on infuriating. Plus, not being able to swap in your own headphones out of the box is rather obnoxious. (And, frankly, I'll take a display over spoken menus any day.)
Luckily, the iPod Shuffle is not your only option if you're looking for a simple, ultracompact MP3 player. I've rounded up a selection of alternatives that offer at least a few benefits that the Shuffle does not, such as a lower price tag, a display, or--heck--even buttons on the device. To that end, I've been so bold as to include the previous generation Shuffle in a story dedicated to its successor's alternatives (now is the perfect time to start looking for deals on that device). Oh yeah...I went there.
(Credit:
Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)
No doubt about it: the Apple iPod Nano is an excellent MP3 player. It's ultraslim, generally easy to use, and has a high-quality feel and appealing extras such as a tilt sensor and a smart playlist feature called Genius. However, like all MP3 players, it's not perfect. Sound quality isn't great, there's still no user-definable EQ, and adding voice recording and an FM tuner requires that you drop more of your hard-earned cash. Luckily, if you're not convinced you want to hop on the Nano bandwagon, there's a handful of worthy alternatives, and most of those listed below beat out the Nano in audio fidelity. Of course, the important thing is selecting the best MP3 player for your needs. If the Nano doesn't suit you, one of these players should certainly do the trick.
- Cowon D2: In the premium flash MP3 player category, you have the Cowon D2, which offers an ample touch screen, stellar audio quality, a smorgasbord of features, support for OGG and FLAC audio formats, and a fantastic battery life: 50 hours for music and 10 hours for video.
- Creative Zen Mozaic: The Creative Zen offers a cool, customizable user interface; a funky design; great sound quality; and useful features such as bookmarking, on-the-go playlists with naming, and a built-in FM tuner and voice recorder--all for less than $100 (for the 4GB version).
- Microsoft Zune: You can't have a list of iPod alternatives without mentioning the Zune. This worthy contender serves up excellent sound quality, great podcast support, and an innovative user interface that still manages to be intuitive. Plus, you can sync music from your computer and share songs over Wi-Fi.
- Samsung S3: The S3 is perfectly poised to take the Nano on in the style department. This supersleek player features a glossy paint job, glowing touch-sensitive controls, and a fun, animated interface. The bargain price ($79.99 for 4GB), boatload of sound enhancement options, and great sound quality don't hurt either.
- SanDisk Sansa Fuze: Bargain-hunters will appreciate this pick--you can find the 8GB Fuze for about $100 online. It's compact, easy to use, and packed with features such as Rhapsody Channels support and a microSD card slot capable of accepting high capacity cards.
- Sony NWZ-S710F: This Editors' Choice award-winning Walkman is among the most stellar we've ever laid ears on. The NWZ-S710F delivers a perfect storm of on-the-go features, including music, photo, and video playback; FM radio; subscription music support; remarkable battery life (32 hours for audio); heavenly sound quality; and a feat only Sony could pull off: active noise-canceling in-ear headphones included in the box.
The Cowon D2 is a worthy competitor.
Sure, the Apple iPod Nano is ultraslim, easy to use, and nice to look at, but it lacks desirable extras such an FM radio and a user-definable EQ, and the sound quality isn't exactly spectacular. Luckily, if you're not convinced you want to hop on the Nano bandwagon, there's a handful of worthy alternatives, and most of the ones I've rounded up for you beat out the Nano in audio fidelity. Of course, the important thing is selecting the best MP3 player for your needs, and I'm hoping one of these will do the trick.
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