1.  iPod Touch 64GB
£306, (32GB: £234, 8GB: £152), www.apple.com/uk

Performance: Still the best PMP money can buy with good storage, fast response times, decent sound and more than 100,000 apps for all occasions

Love: A stupendous PMP, web browser, emailer, music and App Store. The 64GB top-whack storage means more of absolutely everything, too

Hate: quality costs money

MORE iPod Touch review I New iPod Touch 2010 rumours

2. Apple iPod Nano 16GB
£159 (8GB: £129), www.apple.com/uk

Performance: The king of smaller MP3 players has had an image overhaul with the removal of buttons in favour of a glossy, 1.54-inch touchscreen. A Shuffl e-like clip adds even easier portability.

Love: Plenty of storage and FM radio, plus Genius playlists. Very small indeed

Hate: The touchcreen’s too small for multi-touch. Less sexy than of old

MORE: Apple iPod Nano 16GB review

3. Apple iPod Classic 160GB
£193, www.apple.com/uk

Performance: Rejoice; the iPod Classic is back to full 160GB of storage, making it the perfect companion for true music lovers. Its hard disk innards and smallish screen to date it somewhat , however.

Love: Enough storage for weeks of music, plus plenty of pics and video

Hate: Less than cutting-edge design makes this the touch’s dowdy dad

4. Sony Walkman A845
£140, www.sony.co.uk

Performance: A valid alternative to Apple’s MP3 players, with a 2.8-inch AMOLED screen, 16GB memory, BBC iPlayer support, built-in noise cancelling and 29 hours of music playback

Love: Astounding sound quality and bundled headphones worth £80

Hate: The awkward interface is no match for Apple’s slick user experience

5.  Samsung Galaxy Player 50 8GB
£149 (16GB: £169), www.samsung.co.uk

Performance: An Android-powered PMP with full access to the apps on Android Market and half-decent sound quality

Love: Affordable and effective. Extra storage available via microSD

Hate: Low resolution screen. It may be solid but it’s just not very exciting

MORE Samsung Galaxy Player 50 review