2. Creative Labs' MuVo V200 Puts Sound Quality Above All

Where looks are concerned, Creative hasn't gone out of its way with this audio player. We've seen sexier designs. The simple white square looks more like a box of pills than a fashion accessory. Fortunately, it makes up for that with its listening qualities and ergonomics. In fact, it almost certainly has the best quality/price ratio in its category. Like the rest of the Creative line, it has excellent sound quality. However, though they're quite comfortable, the earphones supplied with the V200 tend to smother the highs. But they're still clearly better than any of the ones supplied by other manufacturers.

But the major advantage of this unit is its truly "nomadic" qualities. Unlike many models, it operates with a single 1.5-V AAA battery. All you need to do is have an extra one on you and you can continue to listen to music without a computer or a charger. And, the battery fits into a little housing that's independent from the main body of the player. To connect the unit to the PC, you simply remove the housing to reveal a USB key that's slim enough to use with a portable computer with no problem, even with another peripheral plugged into the neighboring port. Finally, using this player is child's play. One button to turn it on, two more to adjust the volume, and a thumb wheel for navigating through the various menus. Though tiny, the display is perfectly legible. And the interface is clear enough to go from one adjustment to another in the blink of an eye. And it can also serve as a storage key, FM tuner, or Dictaphone. What more could you ask?