I have spent a considerable amount of time here at JAMM, and also at Gear Diary, reviewing portable media players.  One thing I have noticed is that a stand-alone review is really not the best format to help users answer the real question on everyone’s mind: which one should I buy?  While a review is nice, it looks at a particular media player in a vacuum.  The missing piece in the review is how this one compares to the others.  And that is what I want to try to accomplish through this series. 

So, in addition to the Sandisk Sansa View, which I already own, I went on eBay and gobbled up a  Microsoft Zune, Samsung YP-P2, and Creative Zen X-Fi.  Heck, I even got the Sony Walkman A828 back on an extended loan.  After considerable thought, I also replaced my iPod Touch with the new fourth generation iPod Nano for this series. 

So, here are our contenders (in order from left to right):

• Creative Zen X-fi (8 GB)
• Microsoft Zune Slim (16 GB)
• iPod Nano 4Gen. (8 GB)
• Samsung YP-P2 (4 GB)
• Sandisk Sansa View (16 GB)
• Sony Walkman Video NWZ-A828 (8 GB)

What I plan to do is focus on a specific feature in each article, and compare the six major portable media players to determine which ones rise to the top, and which ones scrape off the bottom of the barrel.  If it can be measured and compared, then I plan to do so. 

Of course, I should note that each of these companies offers a full spectrum of players.  I tried to choose the players which I felt best highlighted the available features in each line.  If there is a significant difference (other than capacity) between different models, I will try to mention that fact. 

Additionally, in order to ensure that the comparison remains fair, I am only focusing on flash based media players.  This means larger, hard drive based players, such as the Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet, or the larger sized Zunes (80 GB and 120 GB) will not be included (though we may take a look at those players separately).

So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.  The first comparison article will look at the hardware generally, before moving on to the controls in November.  In the meantime, if you have any questions along the way, send them in and I will be happy to take a look and try to answer them in this space.

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Related posts:

1. Listen To This! The Great JAMM Portable Media Player Showdown. Part 2: Hardware
2. The iPod Touch Review. Part 2: The Touch is a Portable Media Player
3. Review: Archos 605 Wifi Portable Media Player.
4. Review: Cowon S9 Portable Media Player
5. Listen To This: Loading and Syncing Media