With the capacity of flash-based MP3 players now up to 8GB, they’re no longer the lesser cousin of hard disk models. In fact, with their diminutive size and absence of moving parts, flash-based players arguably represent the better deal. With no hard disk to jog, they’re ideal for exercise, and as flash memory requires little power in operation, battery life is most often counted in tens of hours.

The revamped Apple iPod nano has a solid aluminium shell, and the familiar scroll dial remains faster and more flexible than anything else here. As ever, you’re restricted to using iTunes to buy or transfer tracks, and you’ll have to convert unprotected WMA files to AAC or MP3. But even with this drawback, it’s impossible not to love the nano. It’s now just 6.5mm thick and weighs 40g, yet it feels solid in your hand, it lasts for 25 hours and the range of available cases and accessories is seemingly endless. The 8GB and 4GB models offer decent value, but avoid the $219 2GB version.

Apple’s new (2nd gen) iPod shuffle now resembles a slightly-wider slice-of-iPod-nano and weighs only 15g. There’s still no screen but navigation is simple via a directional button which lets you fast forward/reverse, play, pause and adjust volume. At the top are on/off and shuffle/repeat switches. The 1GB memory gives room for about 250 songs. A big clip on the back lets you attach it to clothing, but it fell off our T-shirt regularly when we were jogging. Other limitations mean you can only sync with one PC and charging is only possible via the 3.5mm headphone jack in a mini dock. It’s incompatible with most iPod accessories and we noted the sound quality was mediocre; Apple also bundles its lesser, last-gen headphones too. But the real killer is that we also noted skipping problems when playing some modestly-high bit rate (192kb/s) songs. Battery life is only 13 hours too. Save up for a nano.

The Samsung YP-K5 appears to offer contrastingly poor value, costing more for 1GB than most do for 2GB. It might be 18mm thick, but this is to house the slide-out 750mW speakers. With several EQ presets, the K5 beats most laptops for sound. It will play WMA DRM tracks and the alarm clock can wake you up with a particular track or FM radio station. The touch-sensitive controls are a little fiddly and there’s no scroll pad or wheel, but finding tracks is simple thanks to a bright, 1.7in screen. Even with the speakers on it will last six hours, and five times that when using the decent headphones. If you need built-in speakers, it’s worth the money.

The Creative Zen V Plus is the smallest challenger on test — a third shorter than the nano but twice as thick. This is a bonus when slipping it in a pocket, but restricts ease of use. Navigation is via a small joystick, similar to those found on mobile phones, which is fine for basic tasks but lacks speed for large lists.

But onto this minute device is squeezed a 1.5in colour display that handles photos and video. Protected WMA files are supported, and there’s also an FM radio and a line-in mini-jack for recording, plus a bundled microphone. The battery life of 15 hours (for music) falls behind the best, but the prices for all capacities are competitive.

In terms of value, though, nothing can compete with the SanDisk Sansa e200 series. It’s unique in offering 6GB, and provides it for less than most 4GB models. The 4GB and 2GB versions are good value, plus an 8GB model is now available. While its mechanical scrollwheel is clunky compared to the iPod, it’s the quickest way to navigate a large library, and one that supports WMA DRM tracks, among others. The 1.8in LCD is impressive, as is the MicroSD card slot on the side. Twenty hours of music playback is decent and the e200 is stylish, does more than a nano (it plays video and has a built-in mic for voice recording), yet costs significantly less for the privilege.


Videos
The MP3 players here also allow you to view photo slideshows and video. The Creative’s OLED screen is the best, thanks to great viewing angles. The Zen’s support for DivX video is a bonus too. Needless to say, all the screens here are too small for comfortable viewing — if you want video and photo functions, look out for our hard disk-based MP3 player coverage next month.

	SanDisk Sansa e200 series 2GB - $175 4GB -$ 245 6GB - $299 8GB - $349 www.ow.com.au Overall: 6/6
	Apple iPod Nano 2GB - $219 4GB - $299 8GB - $380 www.apple.com.au Overall: 6/6
	Apple iPod shuffle 1GB - $119 www.apple.com.au Overall: 3/6
	Samsung YP-K5 1GB - $279 2GB - $309 4GB- $389 Major retailers Overall: 5/6
	Creative Zen V Plus 1GB - $179 2GB - $209 4GB - $288 www.centre.net.au Overall: 4/6