Sure, the iPod Nano is easy to use, ultraslim, and beautiful, but it lacks an FM tuner, plus it's fairly pricey and overly scratch-prone. Luckily, if you're not convinced you want to hop on the Nano bandwagon, there's a handful of worthy alternatives, and all the ones listed below are more scratch resistant than the iPod. The Creative Zen Micro Photo has an FM tuner, offers twice the storage of the 4GB Nano at the same price, and gives you a choice of 10 colors. For around 150 bucks or less, you can pick up the Archos Gmini XS 100, which is roughly the size of a Nano, comes in a range of four colors, and offers a 4GB microdrive. The Cowon U3 is the tiniest portable video player around, and the Samsung YP-Z5 competes squarely with the Nano in terms of price and features but ups the ante with exceptional battery life. The iRiver Clix is a model of innovative design, and it supports video and flash games. Finally, there's the 6GB SanDisk Sansa e270, which includes some advanced features and offers the largest flash capacity of any player on the market--of course, you'll pay a premium to be the leader of the pack. In the end, you should select the player that best suits your personal needs and preferences.

Product name	Editors' rating	Storage Size	Review summary
Creative Zen Micro Photo	8.3 Excellent	8GB	The Creative Zen Micro Photo is an excellent full-featured MP3 player and, for its size, a decent photo viewer; it just doesn't combine the two effectively.
Cowon iAudio U3	7.3 Very Good	2GB	The feature-packed and swell-sounding Cowon iAudio U3 may ooze cool as one of the smallest PVPs, but its somewhat tricky controls and its high price tag spoil the party.
iRiver Clix (2GB)	8.7 Excellent	2GB	The iRiver Clix is a superbly designed MP3 player that's easy to use and packed with pretty much every feature in the book. If you're looking for a stylish Janus-compatible device and you don't need a boatload of storage, this is your player.
SanDisk Sansa e270	8.0 Excellent	6GB	The SanDisk Sansa e200 series offers a boatload of features for a reasonable price, in a package that is much nicer than that of past SanDisk models. For those looking for a high-capacity, compact, skip-free MP3/WMA player, start with the e200 series.
Archos Gmini XS 100	7.3 Very Good	4GB	If you're looking for a small MP3 player with a stylish and ergonomic design--and you don't need a ton of storage--consider Archos's Gmini XS 100.
Samsung YEPP YP-Z5	8.0 Excellent	4GB	If you're looking for a tiny, well-built, color-screen MP3 player with excellent sound, the Samsung YP-Z5 is a great choice. Just make sure that you're comfortable with the touch-pad controller before you buy.