PLAY
20-GIG MP3 PLAYERS
| 
Apple iPod 20GB
In 1999, you had to buy a top-of-the-line PC to store 20 gigs of data. Now MP3 players hold that much – some 250 hours of music – and fit in your shirt pocket. Which should you use? When you're sifting through thousands of tracks with a matchbook-sized screen, interface is everything.
SPLURGE Apple iPod 20GB
Even die-hard PC geeks can't deny that Apple's iPod for Windows is a cut above the rest. Built around a 1.8-inch Toshiba drive, the iPod is about the size of a deck of cards – a really sexy deck of cards. The elegant touchpad wheel makes it easy to navigate tracks or tweak volume settings. And finding a song is simple: The software seems to know what you want before you do.
$499, www.apple.com.
BEST BUY Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox Zen
The Nomad Jukebox Zen is loaded with cool features like track bookmarking, volume control, time scaling, and a ton of environmental EQ presets. Only about 35 percent larger than the iPod, the Zen sports firewire and USB 1.1 connections, making it a snap to grab tunes from almost any PC. The player's postage stamp-sized screen isn't going to turn any heads, but it gets the job done.
$350, www.creativelabs.com.
OVERRATED SONICblue RioRiot
The RioRiot is a straightforward player with a generous backlit screen and an intuitive interface. The trouble is, uploading more than a couple of CDs at once takes ages via USB 1.1. Pair this with a slow bootup time, no file sync capability, and the occasional freeze-up, and you may find yourself wishing you'd dropped the extra cash.
$199, www.sonicblue.com.
| PLAY
| The Fantasy Life of Coder Boys
| If You Hear Me, Give Me a Sign
| Read Me
| reviews
| fetish
| Pocket Jukeboxes
