11. Convenience

It may be big, but for the size you get a large, very clear screen with the ever-present efficient blue backlighting. This combined with the joystick makes the browse ergonomics the best I've seen so far on a flash memory player. With its scroll menus and easy-to-use, the device exudes convenience. There are the usual playlists and settings, and an equalizer you can set as you need, plus a built-in FM tuner. Its capacity is 128 or 256 MB with an SD Card extension port. That is a really good idea given the reasonable price of this type of card. It means you can upgrade to 384 MB. It is powered by an AAA battery; we used a Duracell and found an amazing continuous playback time of 15 hours and 30 minutes.

Sound As Good As Ever

The playback sound quality is good and the headphones are still Sennheiser MX 300. But it all depends on what you what. If that is file storage, forget it, a USB key is better. But for music alone, the Chiba has advantages. Flawless ergonomics and excellent sound quality are definite points in its favor. Even at $200 for 256 MB and $150 for 128 MB, the price is worth it.