Photos and words just don't do the NWZ justice. When its screen is on and the included noise-canceling headphones are in your ears, you're transported to a world where jet engines and screaming babies don't exist. Plus, the volume can be cranked up to nearly painful levels. The 320 x 240-pixel display is small but bright and razor sharp. And time is on your side with a whopping eight hours of video and 30 hours of audio before the battery quits.
Creative Zen 
$180 (16 GB) 
Good screen size and plenty of storage for the price, and the SD slot is a plus. Sadly, it's finicky about what files it'll play.
Apple iPod nano $200 
Ultrathin body. images much improved from past models. A touch slow, like its forefathers.
SanDisk Sansa View $200 (16 GB) 
Ganglier than a glandular 15-year-old. Controls are about as awkward, too, overshadowing the clear video and sound quality.