Playing second fiddle? no way

l You can8217;t subscribe to online music stores other than iTunes. Yahoo allows one to download many tracks from their vast list of albums for 9 a month. At iTunes, 9 gets you only nine songs a month from a limited listing.

l The iPod requires you to install iTunes. If you don8217;t want to do so, too bad, it only works with iTunes.

l The iPod doesn8217;t have FM radio.

l The iPod doesn8217;t play WMA, another popular format. There8217;s nothing wrong with MP3, but with several downloadable tracks available as WMA, will you convert them on a PC first?

Here are some of the top market players:

SAMSUNG
One of the first to enter the MP3 player market, Samsung8217;s recent models make for a brilliant series, but storage options range only from 512 MB to 4 GB. A good choice is the YP-K5Q, a 2 GB player with built-in speakers, but without the ability to display pictures. Though the screen is small and at Rs 14,000 it8217;s expensive, speakers more than make up for it as you can give the earphones a rest. An FM radio receiver and alarm clock make it versatile, and the battery lasts six hours with speakers, 30 hours with earphones. It plays both WMA and MP3 formats, but doesn8217;t support a direct tie-up with sources like Yahoo. The other good option is the YP-U2X 512 MB version for Rs 4,000, 1 GB for Rs 6,000, which has an voice recorder though the microphone quality is bad. On the flip side, it8217;s small and attaches directly to the USB port in a PC.

CREATIVE
Creative took the market by storm with its Zen series of players much before anyone had heard of the Apple iPod. Sadly, not many know of it as it8217;s sold only through PC retailers. Of the large range of available models, two stand out. The Zen V Plus is user friendly and available in many colours. It comes with a 1.5-inch, OLED, scratch-resistant screen, and is available as 1-8 GB variants, with 15 hours of battery time. It8217;s also loaded with features: FM radio, voice recorder, photo player, works with all online music stores. It8217;s a great buy at Rs 6,000 2 GB, but if you are looking for a top-of-the-line device, check out the Zen Vision W. Available in 30 and 60 GB storage options, it has an audio playback time of 13 hours video, 4.5 hours. The 4.3-inch screen makes it an enviable buy, but at Rs 25,000 30 GB you are entitled to rethink.

SONY
If, like me, you don8217;t want devices that do too many things, check out the NW-A3000 and NW-S205F. At Rs 20,000, the former is pricey for a 30 GB player that will not play anything but MP3s, while the latter is a 2 GB player that looks like a pen and can be tied to a wrist band. While the first one has a 2-inch screen and 35 hours of playback time, the 2 GB version manages about 18 hours. Sadly, Sony players only have MP3 and ATRAC capability and no WMA.

MICROSOFT ZUNE
The new entrant on the block, Microsoft Zune is not legally available in India, but has managed to raise brows. Available as a 30 GB hard disk-based player in four colours, it has a 3-inch display and playback time of 14 hours. It has a built-in wireless system, so if you have Wi-Fi capability, you can download music to the player without a PC. Though the wireless reduces the battery time, it8217;s a good feature. For Rs 15,000, it8217;s also one of the cheapest and the most feature-loaded player.

SANDISK
Sandisk is a new player in the MP3 market and Sansa SDMX4-8192 with 8 GB storage is one of the best rated. Though not available in Indian markets, it retails for US 190. What makes it the coolest are its 2.2-inch screen, beautiful layout of buttons and a good interface, built-in wireless and FM recorder. The best bit? It comes with a SD card slot, so you can put in 1, 2 or 4 GB cards to increase storage. With a battery time of 20 hours, it8217;s something I too am trying to lay my hands on.
Gagandeep S. Sapra is the CEO and chairman of System3. gagandeepsystem3group.com