That dirty old snake tempted Eve with an apple

Thinking about a new MP3 portable? Taken by the cool styling of the Apple iPod? Don't spend those bucks with Darth Jobs too quickly. PCWorld just reviewed the IRiver H320 and Archos Gmini XS200. Both are great alternatives. Remember, Apple sealed the batteries in the first iPods and then charged 100 bucks for replacements. You had to send the device to them too. Don't know if they changed this policy, but my Creative Zen Extra even has a button that makes battery swap easy as pie.

The Creative Nomad Zen Xtra greatest fault is having a long name. There's a review at Dukebox.com. Yes, prejudice here. I've been using this device for many months now and it has performed flawlessly. The 30 gig version holds an enormous amount and they offer a 60 gig as well. Everyone that has listened to this device loves the sound and people that have listened to both say it sounds better than an iPod. It does. Also, it's not fussy about what you put on it. I've carried many large data files on it as well as music. It's the same size as a standard iPod and they do make smaller versions with less capacity in the Zen Xtra line. Highly recommended. Click on the links. Use Google and research. Don't be taken in by Apple's marketing tactics. Too expensive for a mid-fi product. And they beat you up when it comes to repairs.

"What would you do if I sang out of key, would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song, and I'll try not to sing out of key."
-John Lennon and Paul McCartney