IPod Challengers.

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Author: Morgenstern, Steve

Pros Digital photos and album art are displayed on a two-inch screen; superb interface; easy iTunes syncing; fifteen-hour battery life (less when looking at photos).

Cons Vertical photos on small screen are tiny; chunkier than audio-only iPods; pricey.

Pros Superstylish player from hip-hop mogul Damon Dash, with black chrome casing, a rubber back panel and backlit buttons that seem to disappear when not in use.

Cons Bigger than comparable iPods; low-res screen display; uncomfortable thumb wheel.

Pros Solidly built minidevice with FM tuner and dual headphone jacks for listening with a friend; simple controls; more storage than iPod mini; good sound quality (lots of volume); supports new subscription services such as Napster to Go.

Cons Eight-hour battery life; functional but not especially attractive design.

Pros Nearly identical in size to a 20-gigabyte iPod, it displays photos and video on its 2.2-inch screen; five hours of video playback or ten hours of music Der charge.

Cons Recording TV shows on your computer and encoding them for the player can be complicated.

Pros Sleek miniplayer (available in ten colors) with great sound and useful extras, including an FM tuner and a personal organizer that syncs with Microsoft Outlook; twelve hours of playback per charge; subscription content supported.

Cons Plastic case picks up scratches easily.

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By Steve Morgenstern