Sony NW-HD5

We won't mention the competition...

Like a Viagra-addicted Jack Russell on heat, Sony is nothing if not persistent. Having finally pulled away from MiniDisc and ATRAC, the Japanese giant is now throwing MP3 players at us with wild abandon.

This little cutey is smaller than most of its competitors, but the metal casing means it's quite hefty and feels solidly built. The styling won't appeal to all, but it's also available in silver and - the one we like - all black.

Regardless of the fuss made about the "follow-turn" feature - where the display automatically flips to the horizontal or vertical, depending on which way you hold the device - it hasn't quite made it to the final version. Instead, you have to go deep into the menu to choose which way you prefer the display, which means it'll probably stay vertical on nearly every unit sold.

Navigating the menus isn't as intuitive as with the iPod, and hard disk access can often be slow. The oft-maligned SonicStage software still isn't as simple, functional or easy on the eye as iTunes, either.

Sound quality, however, is the best we've heard from a portable - the first to take on the all-white wonders and win. Even through the supplied in-ears, you get sonics that really immerse you in the music.

Battery life is what really sets the Sony products apart, and this one is spectacular in that department. Apple fans who started to look smug at the fourth-gen iPod's 12 hours of juice will be sickly green with envy at the HD5's incredible 40 hours of life - and removable battery, so you can carry a spare.

Overall, this is a pretty tasty proposition that's tarnished by unintuitive controls and overly complex software.