Five iPod Nano Alternatives

Apple has the dominant position in the MP3 player market. The term iPod is thrown around everyday and has become a common household name. Now iPod has become the unspoken standard in households. But what are your other options?

5. Sony A810
Sony has released their response for the iPod Nanos with this 8GB player with a 2.0" screen. This player supports AAC, MP3, and WMA file formats for audio, MPEG-4 and M4V files for video playback, as well as the ability to view your JPEGs in a slideshow for pictures. The battery life is about 33 hours. The retail price for this player is about $200.00 and makes the number 5 position for my top iPod Nano alternatives.

4. Samsung YP-P2JAB
Samsung's YP-P2JAB is a neat little gadget. It features a 3.0" display, the largest of the iPod Nano alternatives. The storage capacity for this player is 8GB. It supports MP3 and WMA files for audio playback and WMV and OGG files for video playback. It also supports JPEG pictures to view your favorite pictures as a slideshow. The battery life is about 35 hours. This player has 2 features that the iPod Nanos do not have. The first is a FM tuner, which allows you to listen to radio on this player. The second is a touch screen which allows you to navigate through all your MP3s. The price of this player is the highest on my iPod Nano alternatives list weighing in at $280. The feature set is nice, but the price will not make it past number 4.

3. Creative ZEN
Creative's ZEN player makes number 3 on my list. This player features a 2.5" LCD display and a 16GB storage capacity that is expandable through its SD Slot. It supports MP3, WMA, AAC, M4A, WAV, and Audible file formats for audio. It also supports a MPEG, WMV, DIVX, and XVID file formats for viewing your favorite movies. It also features an FM Tuner. The battery life for this device is about 25 hours. This player will set you back about $250 and is available now.

2. SanDisk Sansa View
SanDisk's Sansa View is a nice little player that has a 16GB storage capacity with an expandable MicroSD slot. This player has a 2.4" screen. It only supports MP3, WMA, and WAV audio formats and MPEG4, and WMV video formats. At the same price as the iPod Nano, double the iPod Nano's storage capacity, and a battery that exceeds the iPod's battery life by more than 10 hours (35 hours), the Sansa View makes number 2 on my list.

1. Microsoft Zune 2
The Zune 2 is the coolest of the iPod Nano alternatives. This player has the smallest screen of all the iPod Nano alternatives with a screen of 1.8". However, where the Zune 2 is better than the iPod Nano comes to the material that the screen is made of. The Zune 2 will feature a screen that is made of glass. The Zune also features WiFi which allows you to sync your music wirelessly and share your favorite tunes with other Zune users. There is also a built-in FM tuner that allows you to listen to radio on this player as well. The Zune 2 has a battery life of 25 hours and will set your back $200.

If you have any iPod alternatives, I'd like to hear about them.