MICRODRIVE AUDIO PLAYERS

Creative Zen Micro

Finally, a portable audio category that isn't completely dominated by Apple! I really like Creative's products, especially this compelling competitor to the iPod Mini.

The Zen Micro is a MicroDrive player that's available in three capacities (4GB, 5GB, and 6GB) and ten colors (red, purple, pink, orange, green, dark blue, light blue, white, silver, and black). The 4GB version will hold up to 2,000 songs (in 64kbps WMA format); the 5GB and 6GB versions hold 2,500 and 3,000 songs, respectively. Whichever color you choose, the Zen Micro has a luminescent blue glow and back-lit buttons, which actually out-cools the uber-cool iPod Mini.

I especially like the Zen Micro's control pad, which is almost as good as the iPod Mini's Click Wheel. What you get instead of a wheel is a vertical touch pad, combined with touch-sensitive dedicated controls. Play, pause, forward, and rewind are on the touch buttons; you scroll through your playlists with the vertical touch pad.

In terms of operation, you get 12 hours of playback on a single charge, and the Zen Micro's battery is removable which means you can buy a spare and swap them in and out, as necessary. The Zen Micro connects to your PC or Mac via USB 2.0.

Now let's talk about the Zen Micro's cool extra features. I'm talking about things like a built-in FM radio, voice recorder (with microphone), sleep timer, and alarm. That's right, you can use the Zen Micro as a portable alarm clock and wake to either digital music or FM radio. Nice!

As an aside, Creative also offers a variation on the basic Zen Micro called the Zen Micro Photo. As you can probably guess from the name, the Zen Micro Photo offers a 1.5'' color screen and the ability to store and display digital photos. It's an interesting alternative if you're looking for a combination portable music player and photo vault. It's available in 5GB ($299) and 6GB ($349) versions, in a variety of colors.

Model: Zen Micro Manufacturer: Creative (www.creative.com) Capacity: 4GB, 5GB, or 6GB Dimensions: 3.3'' x 2'' x 0.7'' Weight: 3.8 oz. Price: $179.99 (4GB), $199.99 (5GB), $229.99 (6GB)

iPod Mini

This is one category where Apple doesn't win the day. The iPod Mini is a very good player, but it doesn't deliver quite the bang for the buck that you get with competing players. What you do get is either 4GB or 6GB capacity, your choice of four colors (blue, pink, green, or silver), and Apple's well-designed Click Wheel operation. Battery life has been extended to 18 hours on the latest generation.

Model: iPod Mini Manufacturer: Apple (www.apple.com) Capacity: 4GB or 6GB Dimensions: 3.6'' x 2'' x 0.5'' Weight: 3.6 oz. Price: $199 (4GB), $249 (6GB)

Rio Carbon Player

The Rio Carbon a nice little (and I mean little) MicroDrive player. You get your choice of 5GB or 6GB drives, 20-hour battery life, a big LCD display, and a built-in microphone and voice recorder. It's also one of the coolest-looking players around, with its thin teardrop-like shape.

Model: Rio Carbon Manufacturer: Rio (www.digitalnetworksna.com/rioaudio/) Capacity: 5GB and 6GB Dimensions: 2.5'' x 3.3'' x 0.6'' Weight: 3.2 oz. Price: $199.99 (5GB), $229.99 (6GB)

Olympus m:robe 100

Here's Olympus' other portable audio player, the m:robe 100. This is a 5GB player with a black faceplate with red lighting. Navigation is via a nifty touch panel; the LCD display is red, like the other controls. Battery life runs from 8 12 hours, but the real appeal of this one is its design. It looks different from and a lot more stylish than all the iPod-white players out there.

Model: m:robe 100 Manufacturer: Olympus (www.olympusgroove.com) Capacity: 5GB Dimensions: 2'' x 3.5'' x 0.5'' Weight: 3.5 oz. Price: $199.99

iRiver H10

What makes iRiver's H10 unique is its 1.5'' color LCD display; all the other mini players are just black and white. You also get a built-in FM radio and voice recorder, along with 12-hour battery life. It's the only mini player that can be used for both music playback and digital photo storage/viewing.

Model: H10 Manufacturer: iRiver (www.iriveramerica.com) Capacity: 5GB or 6GB Dimensions: 3.8'' x 2.l'' x 0.6'' Weight: 3.4 oz. Price: $249.99 (5GB), $279.99 (6GB)