Shop for portable audio devices

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 10 reviews

The Bottom Line: The iPod Classic refines the formula that put the iPod on the map. None can match its combination of storage capacity, battery life, and intuitive user interface. Read review

Specs: 160 GB, 2.5 in, 36 hour(s), 4.9 oz, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, Apple Lossless, MP3, AIFF, Audible, WAV, AAC

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.5 stars Spectacular

  Overall score: 9.0 (4.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 142 reviews

The Bottom Line: The second-generation iPod Touch includes features that are light-years ahead of the competition, its design has improved, and its price has finally come down to earth. Read review

Specs: 8 GB, 3.5 in, 36 hour(s), 4.1 oz, 8 GB, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF, Audible, AAC

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 29 reviews

The Bottom Line: The SanDisk Sansa Fuze is a great value; a slim design, a simple interface, plentiful features, memory expansion capability, and solid sound quality all come with an easy-to-swallow price tag. Read review

Specs: 2 GB, 1.9 in, 24 hour(s), 2.1 oz, Player battery - Rechargeable, WMA, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, MP3, FLAC, Audible, 2 GB

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 440 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Microsoft Zune, with its intuitive interface and solid playback performance, will please most users. But lukewarm format support and the cool but limited Wi-Fi capability will have advanced users seeking more. The Zune is a very good start, though. Read review

Specs: 30 GB, 3 in, 14 hour(s), 5.6 oz, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, MP3, WMA, AAC

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 36 reviews

The Bottom Line: The iPod Classic is a refinement of the formula that put the iPod on the map. Few can match its combination of storage capacity, battery life, and advanced user interface. Read review

Specs: 160 GB, 2.5 in, 40 hour(s), 5.7 oz, Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF, Audible, AAC, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 206 reviews

The Bottom Line: Get the affordable, sleek, and sexy 5G Apple iPod for its audio virtues. Although video looks great, poor video battery life and a relatively small screen hamper its appeal to video heads. Read review

Specs: 30 GB, 2.5 in, 14 hour(s), 4.8 oz, Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF, Audible, AAC, 1, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, None

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 40 reviews

The Bottom Line: The SanDisk Sansa Fuze is a great value; a slim design, a simple interface, plentiful features, memory expansion capability, and solid sound quality all come with an easy-to-swallow price tag. Read review

Specs: 4 GB, 1.9 in, 24 hour(s), 2.1 oz, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, Audible, WAV, WMA, MP3, Player battery - Rechargeable, 4 GB

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.3 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 95 reviews

The Bottom Line: The third-generation iPod Shuffle is the next best thing to an invisible MP3 player, but the quirky controls and microscopic design make it a limited recommendation. Read review

Specs: 4 GB, 10 hour(s), 0.4 oz, 4 GB, MP3, AIFF, Apple Lossless, Audible, AAC, WAV, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium polymer

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Specs: 4 GB, 0.6 oz, 4 GB, 1 - Lithium polymer, Player battery, MP3, MPEG 2.5 Audio, MPEG 2 Audio, MPEG 1 Audio, WMA, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, WAV

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.5 stars Spectacular

  Overall score: 9.0 (4.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 93 reviews

The Bottom Line: The second-generation iPod Touch includes features that are light-years ahead of the competition, its design has improved, and its price has finally come down to earth. Read review

Specs: 16 GB, 3.5 in, 36 hour(s), 4.1 oz, 16 GB, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, MP3, Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV, AAC, Audible

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 141 reviews

The Bottom Line: The amazingly low priced updated Apple iPod gets many under-the-hood improvements, but it's still not a true video player. Read review

Specs: 80 GB, 2.5 in, 20 hour(s), 5.5 oz, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF, Audible, AAC

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 82 reviews

Specs: 8 GB, 2 in, 24 hour(s), 1.7 oz, Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF, Audible, AAC, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, 8 GB

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 14 reviews

The Bottom Line: We're hard-pressed to find anything not to like about the Creative Zen. It's a great option for anyone looking for a great-sounding, pocketable MP3 player with an excellent, video-capable screen and plenty of extra features. Read review

Specs: 2 GB, 2.5 in, 2.3 oz, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, WAV, MP3, ADPCM, WMA, Audible, AAC, 2 GB

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Specs: 4 GB, 1 in, 12 hour(s), 0.9 oz, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium polymer, 4 GB, WAV, MP3, ADPCM, WMA, FLAC, Protected WMA (DRM 10)

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Creative Zen Mozaic offers great bang for your buck as far as MP3 players go: get super sound quality, a boatload of features, and a cool interface--all wrapped in a funky design at an ultralow price. Read review

Specs: 4 GB, 1.8 in, 32 hour(s), 1.5 oz, 4 GB, WAV, MP3, ADPCM, WMA, Audible, 1, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 3 reviews

The Bottom Line: The fourth-generation iPod Nano is easy on the eyes and the wallet, and you can't beat its hardware and user interface design. Just be sure to give iTunes 8 a spin before committing. Read review

Specs: 16 GB, 2 in, 24 hour(s), 1.3 oz, Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF, Audible, AAC, 1, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, 16 GB

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Specs: 2 GB, 1.5 in, 2 GB, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium polymer, MP3, Protected WMA (DRM), WMA, WAV

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 18 reviews

The Bottom Line: The iPod Classic refines the formula that put the iPod on the map. Few can match its combination of storage capacity, battery life, and intuitive user interface. Read review

Specs: 120 GB, 2.5 in, 36 hour(s), 4.9 oz, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF, Audible, AAC

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 43 reviews

The Bottom Line: The iPod Classic is a refinement of the formula that put the iPod on the map. Few can match its combination of storage capacity, battery life, and advanced user interface. Read review

Specs: 80 GB, 2.5 in, 30 hour(s), 4.9 oz, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF, Audible, AAC

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 52 reviews

The Bottom Line: The amazingly low priced updated Apple iPod gets many under-the-hood improvements, but it's still not a true video player. Read review

Specs: 30 GB, 2.5 in, 14 hour(s), 4.8 oz, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF, Audible, AAC

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 9 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Toshiba Gigabeat T400 is a stellar performer that is crippled by a pitifully small amount of storage. If you can live with just 4GB of storage, the Gigabeat T400 offers brilliant audio fidelity, and a convenient way for Windows Media Center users to take a bite-size portion of their TV, movie, music, and photo collection on the go. Read review

Specs: 4 GB, 2.4 in, 16 hour(s), Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, MP3, WMA, WAV, 4 GB

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 1 review

Specs: 16 GB, 1.8 in, 32 hour(s), 1.6 oz, 16 GB, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, Protected WMA (DRM 9), WAV, MP3, ADPCM, WMA, Protected WMA (DRM 10), Audible

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 1 review

The Bottom Line: The Creative Zen Mozaic offers great bang for your buck as far as MP3 players go: get super sound quality, a boatload of features, and a cool interface--all wrapped in a funky design at an ultralow price. Read review

Specs: 2 GB, 1.8 in, 32 hour(s), 1.5 oz, WAV, MP3, ADPCM, WMA, Audible, 1, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, 2 GB

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 25 reviews

The Bottom Line: The 4GB and 8GB capacity Zunes (Zune 4 and Zune 8) offer a bite-size version of their full-size, 80GB sibling. While the full-size Zune is a better value, the solid-state flash memory used in the 4GB and 8GB versions make them better suited for physically active (or clumsy) users. Read review

Specs: 8 GB, 1.8 in, 24 hour(s), 1.7 oz, MP3, WMA, AAC, 8 GB, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 75 reviews

The Bottom Line: The iPod U2 isn't for everyone, but its target audience will love it. Read review

Specs: 20 GB, 2 in, 12 hour(s), 5.6 oz, 1, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion, Apple Lossless, WAV, MP3, AIFF, Audible, AAC, No built-in memory