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Top 10 MP3 Players (Flash-Based)

There's no stopping the iPod, but Apple's latest players are edged out by the versatile, great-sounding Creative Zen X-Fi in our latest Top 10 list. New to the chart is the $80 Samsung S3, a sleek, pocketable 4GB player.

Edited by Ginny Mies

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PCW Rating: 84.8PCW Rating: 84.8PCW Rating: 84.8

Last Rated: March 12, 2009

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1. Creative Zen X-FI

Built-in Capacity: 32GB, Screen Size (inches): 2.5, Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:Yes, FM tuner: Yes, Video Support: Video:Yes, Photo Support: Photo:Yes,

Bottom Line: The amazing Zen X-Fi has great sound, features, headphones, and storage options--and for a nice price, too.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $280 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 83.4PCW Rating: 83.4PCW Rating: 83.4

Last Rated: March 12, 2009

2. Apple iPod Touch 32GB

Built-in Capacity: 32GB, Screen Size (inches): 3.5, Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:No, FM tuner: No, Video Support: Video:Yes, Photo Support: Photo:Yes,

Bottom Line: The iPod Touch remains the class of the field, with beautiful design, useful apps, a touch screen, and built-in Wi-Fi.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $399 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 82.7PCW Rating: 82.7PCW Rating: 82.7

Last Rated: March 12, 2009

3. Creative Zen

Built-in Capacity: 32GB, Screen Size (inches): 2.5, Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:Yes, FM tuner: Yes, Video Support: Video:Yes, Photo Support: Photo:Yes,

Bottom Line: Gadget-lover's player may lack Wi-Fi but has lots of other features, wide format support and accepts SD cards.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $250 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 82.6PCW Rating: 82.6PCW Rating: 82.6

Last Rated: March 12, 2009

4. Sony NWZ-S738F Walkman

Built-in Capacity: 8GB, Screen Size (inches): 2, Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:No, FM tuner: Yes, Video Support: Video:Yes, Photo Support: Photo:Yes,

Bottom Line: The NWZ-S738F is an audiophile's player, with top-notch earbuds and great sound, but it isn't the best choice for video.

Full Review • Test Report 		Price When Reviewed: $180 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 81.6PCW Rating: 81.6PCW Rating: 81.6

Last Rated: March 12, 2009

5. Apple iPod Nano 16GB

Built-in Capacity: 16GB, Screen Size (inches): 2, Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:No, FM tuner: No, Video Support: Video:Yes, Photo Support: Photo:Yes,

Bottom Line: Despite its new design, the fourth-generation iPod Nano is more of an evolution than a major overhaul.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $199 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 81.4PCW Rating: 81.4PCW Rating: 81.4

Last Rated: March 12, 2009

6. Samsung S3

Built-in Capacity: 4GB, Screen Size (inches): 1.8, Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:No, FM tuner: Yes, Video Support: Video:Yes, Photo Support: Photo:Yes,

Bottom Line: With its sharp design and high sound quality, the Samsung S3 is a great value flash player.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $79.99 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 79.3PCW Rating: 79.3PCW Rating: 79.3

Last Rated: March 12, 2009

7. Cowon O2

Built-in Capacity: 8GB, Screen Size (inches): 4.3, Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:Yes, FM tuner: No, Video Support: Video:Yes, Photo Support: Photo:Yes,

Bottom Line: The Cowon O2 supports an astonishing number of formats, but lack of ID3 tag support is disappointing.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $200 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 78.6PCW Rating: 78.6PCW Rating: 78.6

Last Rated: March 12, 2009

8. SanDisk Sansa Fuze

Built-in Capacity: 8GB, Screen Size (inches): 1.9, Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:Yes, FM tuner: Yes, Photo Support: Photo:Yes,

Bottom Line: A low price, deep feature list, and ultra-compact design makes the Sansa Fuze a very worthy Nano competitor.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $120 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 77.9PCW Rating: 77.9PCW Rating: 77.9

Last Rated: March 12, 2009

9. Creative Zen Mozaic 2GB

Built-in Capacity: 2GB, Screen Size (inches): 1.8, Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:Yes, FM tuner: Yes,

Bottom Line: A good portable player at a low price, but it comes with a few quirks.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $60 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 75.9PCW Rating: 75.9PCW Rating: 75.9

Last Rated: March 12, 2009

10. Microsoft Zune 16GB

Built-in Capacity: 16GB, Screen Size (inches): 1.8, Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:No, FM tuner: Yes, Video Support: Video:Yes, Photo Support: Photo:Yes,

Bottom Line: Despite new features and a capacity upgrade, Zune needs a redesign to keep up with other flash players on the market.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $179 Check Latest Prices
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