When Apple launched the iPod, it was seen and heard as the last word on digital music players. Yes, iPod is still the king but its empire is shrinking fast with several other big and stylish players catching people’s imagination.

Take, for instance, arch rival Microsoft’s Zune, launched this year to take on the iPod. It has managed to eat into Apple’s market to some extent.

To start with, Zune is a digital audio player as easy to handle as the iPod, with some additional features thrown in. Zune users can share songs and pictures using WiFi just like mobile phones with infrared and Bluetooth.

With a storage capacity of upto 30 GB, Zune is a T-Rex in terms of storage capacity and also has battery life of 14 hours for audio (for video, it comes down to just 4 hours, though). Zune can play music formats like AAC, MP3, WAV and WMA but its video player only supports WMV.

However, techno freaks will have to wait a few more weeks for the Zune to be available in Guwahati.

Saurav Kalita of Datamation Services, which deals in Microsoft products, said, “It is not yet available in Guwahati. But we plan to have it by early next year.”

And the price? Well, it comes for US $249 for the 30-GB model. And then there are a few other MP3 players which have found their share of fans. The Sansa MP3 player — the second-most popular brand in the US after the iPod — is a cool customer in its category, though a little pricey.

The Sansa e-series MP3 player comes in capacities ranging from 2 GB to 8 GB and supports audio formats like MP3, WMA, and WAV. However, its video player supports only the MOV format of Apple quicktime-players. Users feel the FM tuner is Sansa’s best feature.

“I bought a Sansa e260R recently and now I realise that the FM is the best thing about it. It gives me the option of listening to songs which are not stored in my hard disk,” said Utpal Bhuyan, a self-confessed gizmo-lover.

Users can also connect the player to a computer through a built-in USB port to transfer music. And with a battery life of 12-13 hours, this MP3 player is a good buy. Its biggest drawback, however, is the price. The 4-GB model comes for nearly Rs 14,000, which is even more than an iPod with the same capacity.

MPIO FL 350 is the new, simple, small MP3 player on the business block. To hit India officially through its own distributor, the MPIO is rectangular in shape and looks like a jewel with its sapphire blue finish. It is also very light, weighing around 29 grams.

The gadget has a small screen. However, the screen size does not come in the way of its display.

The player comes with two quality earphones. Moreover, it has a watch with an alarm. That is not all, the MP3 supports 50 languages.

As for longevity, it has a battery life of 10 hours, each charge taking two hours. But if one has very little time in hand, a 20-minute charge is enough to get the gadget back to life.

If that is not enticing enough, the price factor will certainly compel you to consider. For all the features it has to offer, the MP3 comes for Rs 6,500 with a one-year warranty. Sounds tempting enough?

Then there is the TRAnsend MP3 player that almost looks like an iPod.

It comes with a pair of earphones, a mini-USB converter, a neck strap, a driver/software CD, and a manual. The player we reviewed had a capacity of 512 MB. It is also available in 1 GB capacity and weighs only 22 grams.

It has playback support for MP3, WMA, and WAV audio formats and also has an FM tuner with a memory of 20 channels. It can be played for three days without charge if it is played for 20 to 30 minutes at one go. It costs around Rs 3,500 with a two-year warranty for the set and 6 months for the battery.

So, go ahead, bring home your favourite model and let the music play!