Flash MP3 Insanity:

They're small, sexy, not too expensive, and they obsolete your existing flash drive. Plus, they're extra durable and never skip. No wonder they're so popular.

iPod Shuffle 512GB

Design Do I really have to tell you that the iPod Shuffle looks cool? It's small, only weighs 0.8 oz, and very few buttons and controls mar its super-sleek surface. Basically the only mp3 player cool enough to wear like a necklace. Interface The lack of features buoys the elegant interface of the Shuffle. There's one switch to turn on the power, either to shuffle mode or to play-in-order mode and one button to play, pause, skip and rewind. That's all. The Shuffle leaves no room for error. Flashing LED lights let you know when you're on hold, pause, and when you need to recharge the battery. Software Plug into any USB port to pack the Shuffle with songs. Compatible with iTunes for loading full play lists on, but also has one other cool software trick, the ability to fill your Shuffle with random songs from your iTunes, thereby "giving chance a chance." Sound Quality Sound quality is nothing to sneeze at, good for a flash player despite the lack of an equalizer. Features Well, here's where the shuffle comes up dry. It does act as a 512MB flash drive, but you can store files on basically any player. Shuffle itself is hardly a feature worth mentioning since, oh, EVERY PLAYER has the ability to shuffle. In fact, it's the lack of features that defines the shuffle. The USB connector is convenient; however the cap comes off and is easy to lose. Accessories Well, it's an iPod, so you know it's got accessories. Carrying lanyard, AAA battery pack, miniature dock, USB power connector and others. Battery Life Battery life was not so great. The Shuffle is obviously meant to be charged every day, grabbing just around 12 hours of solid playing. This is considerably less than other flash players. In order to charge it, you have to plug it into a USB port for at least 2 hours and preferably 4. This is where the AAA battery pack may come in handy. Durability It's a flash player, so it's got some staying power. You can easily jog with it and do other physical activities without worrying about destroying it. There's even an optional arm band for exercise. Price When the Shuffle first debuted $99 was great. It's still good now, cheaper than most competitors and priced aggressively enough to compete with the cheaper models. But if you want a second player for physical activity and improved portability, the price tag is definitely within reach. If you want to upgrade to a full GB the price rises to about $129.

Cowon iAudio U2 (1GB)

Design This is a great looking little mp3 player. It may not have the instant recognition of the iPod's white casing and ear buds, but it is small, sleek, and stylish. Unlike the Shuffle, this player has a small LCD screen which can make all the difference in the world. It's backlit in blue. Interface For a player with so few buttons the interface is surprisingly clean and intuitive. The front of the player sports nothing more than a small 5-way control pad which is shiny, silver, and easy to use. The side has a record button, skip button, and hold switch. That's all there is, and that's all you need to easily navigate through menus and files. Software None required, you can drop MP3s directly onto the drive once you plug it into a 2.0 USB port. But, if you want to do play lists, it comes with its own software, a snazzy two-panel interface. The Cowon iAudio U2 is also compatible with Windows Media Player, which works just fine for making play lists and porting them to the player. One word of advice however: make sure you prepend each file in the play list with a track number, or the iAudio U2 will just play them in alphabetical order. Sound Quality Sound quality was amazing, even with the standard ear buds (but as always, an upgrade never hurts). The equalizer has presets and room for the user to fiddle around with the sound, but you'll probably never even need it, the defaults sound great, full-sounding, and plenty loud. Features For features, it's leagues ahead of iPod. It's got an FM tuner and internal microphone for recording directly to mp3. The LCD screen displays all the relevant information for each track, like artist, album, and time elapsed. The recorder could be better however, as there are few recording quality options. Accessories Lanyard, better head phones, and that's about it. Battery Life The battery life is a little wanting. There's no way to replace the battery without bringing it to a service station or sending it out, and it only lasts about 15 hours to a charge, still better than the iPod Shuffle, but not amazing. Durability Like all flash players, the iAudio U2 is durable and skip-proof. Price With so many features in such a small package and twice the memory of iPod, we’d say that the Cowon iAudio U2 is worth its $160 price tag. However, if this is a little steep for you, a 512MB version is available for around $110 and a 256MB version (small but serviceable) is available for just 85 bucks.

Creative MuVo TX FM (256MB, White)

Design This is a decent-looking mp3 player. A black key card plugs into a white player, which is neat in and of itself. That being said, it's probably the least cool/flashy player on the list, but that's really only half the story. Interface For a player with so many features, the Creative MuVo TX FM has relatively few buttons to gum up the works. It's got a play/pause/power button and an intuitive jog dial to fly though menus and skip back and forth on your play list. Software The software included with the MuVo TX FM is surprisingly good for ripping, burning, and setting up play lists, though it's completely unnecessary to enjoy the product; you can always drag and drop MP3s right onto the drive. Sound Quality The sound quality for this little guy is pretty good all things considered. It even has an equalizer with presets and a user-adjustable setting. Features The LCD monitor is small (no, like, really small), but crisp and easy to use, and it displays all the necessary info. It's got an FM radio tuner which is actually better than most. It instantly scans for signals in the area and can even create up to 32 presents from the ones it fines. This could definitely come in useful if you get sick of the 256MB of tunes on your player (a 512MB version is available). The recording quality is very low, but it's fine for recording talk programs. One of the best features however, at least in my opinion, is the awesome portability of the key-style flash drive, which will replace your existing flash drive quite conveniently and becomes a full mp3 player when connected to the equally small base. Accessories None available, none needed. Battery Life Battery life is exceptional for 2 reasons. 1) it lasts 18 hours, which is a good deal longer than other flash machines on the market, and 2) it runs on AAAs! Not only does this mean that the batteries are user-replaceable, but also insures that you'll always be able to find a replacement when you need one and you won't have to shell out $40-60 all at once for a new one. On the downside, it means you will need plenty of AAAs in stock, and the price will add up over time. Durability As with all flash players, it is durable and skip-proof. Price OK, I may not have made the most convincing argument to purchase the MuVo TX FM over the other flash players on the list but… at $69 how can you afford NOT to buy it? This is easily the best value you can possibly get for the money. It's got more features than iPod, it's easy to use, and it's half the price of other players.