Budget MP3 Players

If you were reluctant to get the Creative Zen Stone because it has no display, or because it has only 1GB of storage, you might be interested in the Zen Stone Plus. Creative has doubled the amount of storage, and added an OLED display, an FM tuner, a voice recorder, an equalizer, a clock, and even a stopwatch. The battery is supposed to last up to 9.5 hours per charge. And at $69.99, the 2GB Zen Stone Plus is still cheaper than the 1GB iPod Shuffle.

Why Shuffle when you can Shake? The new SanDisk Sansa Shaker lets you shake your way to the next song - literally. If you don't want to press the forward or backward button, just give it a good shake and it will jump to the next song. The Shaker has a built-in speaker (as well as 2 headphone jacks) and 512MB of memory (and an SD Card slot for adding more). Aimed at a younger demographic, the Shaker comes with decorative stickers and costs just $37. Choose pink or blue.

At half the price of the iPod Shuffle, the 1GB Creative Zen Stone offers great sound and a lot of bang for your (40) buck(s). The player supports MP3, Audible, and purchased WMA files, and has a standard mini-USB port for connecting to your computer. The one-touch navigation control has a "Folder Skip" function so you can pass all the Beyonce and get right to the Bjork with the touch of a button.

The iPod Shuffle has got some serious competition in the SanDisk Sansa Express. This new 1GB player not only costs less than the Shuffle, it also has an FM radio, recording capabilities, and a 4-line display. Not to mention a Micro SD card slot to expand the player's memory, and an integrated USB adapter for direct USB connection (no cables necessary). Who cares if it only comes in black?

How cute is the new iPod Shuffle? It's so small (1.62 by 1.07 by 0.41 inches) and lightweight (half an ounce) that they should have called it the Iota. It still doesn't have a display, but it does have a neat clip-on design that runners and gym-goers will love. With 1GB of storage, it holds up to 240 songs, and costs just $79.

With 1GB of built-in memory, convenient USB 2.0 plug-in design, and an FM tuner with 5-mode EQ (Heavy, Pop, Jazz, Custom, and Manual), Sony's new NW-E003 digital music player is a more affordable (and more colorful) alternative to the 1GB iPod Nano. The one drawback is that you'll have to use Sony's SonicStage software, and shop in Sony's Connect music store. Still, you'll have no problem playing music ripped from your own CD collection.

The same thing as the NW-E003 above, except with an extra GB of storage. Choose black or purple.

This supercompact MP3 player has a convenient plug-in USB design, so it can double as an external hard drive. Features include FM tuner, voice recorder, equalizer, and compatibility with subscription music services.

There's something a little weird when an MP3 player designed for athletic activity so closely resembles a cigar. But once you get over that, it's hard not to like Sony's new S2 sports walkman. The water-resistant 2GB player has AAC and WMA support, as well as an FM radio, stopwatch, calorie counter, and a pedometer. You can create different playlists for walking and running (it can tell how fast you're going), and if you want to shuffle the songs in your playlist, just shake the player 3 times. It even ships with an armband.

This ultra-light player is a great choice for runners and gym goers. It comes with an armband and belt clip, as well as FM radio, voice recorder, 5-band custom equalizer, and 4 radio presets. The LCD is reversible for left or right handed operation.

This ultra-portable MP3/WMA player comes with a belt clip, case, and armband. Features include good sound quality, FM tuner, backlit LCD display, voice and line-in recording, and up to 18 hours of continuous playback.

The world's tiniest MP3 player, it's less than an inch in size, but it still has 1GB of storage space, a bright OLED display, FM radio, voice recorder, and more. It comes in several colors.

What's not to like about an MP3 player with 2GB of storage for under $100? The Sansa m250 has an FM tuner, voice recorder, and is compatible with audiobook and subscription-based music.