Luckily, if you're not convinced you want to hop on the Nano bandwagon, there's a handful of worthy alternatives, and most of those listed below beat out the Nano in audio fidelity. Of course, the important thing is selecting the best MP3 player for your needs, and one of these should certainly do the trick.

Now, you can't have a list of iPod alternatives without mentioning the Microsoft Zune. This worthy contender serves up excellent sound quality, great podcast support, and an innovative user interface. The Creative Zen offers a brilliant 2.5-inch color screen design, a slim design, up to 32GB of internal flash memory, and useful features such as an FM tuner an SD card expansion slot--all at a price that matches that of the Nano on a gigabyte to gigabyte comparison. In the premium flash MP3 player category, you have the Cowon D2, which offers an ample touchscreen, stellar audio quality, and plenty of useful features. And make sure you don't gloss over the Sony NWZ-A810, possibly the most stellar player we've ever laid ears on. Now that Walkmans work with Windows Media Player rather than the horrible SonicStage software, they're definitely worthy of consideration--especially this one with its amazing 35-hour battery life. If you must have the sleekest-looking device on the block, consider the Samsung T10 with its funky animated interface, glossy paint job, and glowing touch-sensitive controls. The SanDisk Sansa Fuze also deserves a look, thanks to it's simple operation, compact design, and plentiful features, including the excellent Rhapsody Channels integration, which allows for effortless new music discovery. Plus, you can get the 8GB--with a microSD card slot capable of accepting high capacity cards--for just $130.

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7.3 Very Good

1. Zune (second generation, 4GB, green)

The 4GB and 8GB capacity Zunes (Zune 4 and Zune 8) offer a bite-size version of their full-size, 80GB sibling. While the full-size Zune is a better value, the solid-state flash memory used in the 4GB and 8GB versions make them better suited for physically active (or clumsy) users.

Read review of the Zune (second generation, 4GB, green) .

Price: $134-171 (check latest prices)

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8.3 Excellent

3. Creative Zen (16GB)

We're hard-pressed to find anything not to like about the Creative Zen. It's a great option for anyone looking for a great-sounding, pocketable MP3 player with an excellent, video-capable screen and plenty of extra features.

Read review of the Creative Zen (16GB) .

Price: $175-319 (check latest prices)

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8.3 Excellent

4. Cowon D2 (4GB, black)

If you can get on board with the Cowon D2's PDA-like touch screen interface, the reward is great-sounding audio, a smorgasbord of features, and a fantastic battery life.

Read review of the Cowon D2 (4GB, black) .

Price: $150-156 (check latest prices)

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8.0 Excellent

5. Sony NWZ-A818 (8GB, black)

The Sony NWZ-A810 offers a fantastic display, a sleek design and interface, and a stellar battery life--plus, it's one of the few MP3 players that sound great right out of the box. Users looking for the whole package (sans radio) will be pleased.

Read review of the Sony NWZ-A818 (8GB, black) .

Price: $170-200 (check latest prices)

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7.7 Very Good

5. Samsung T10 (4GB, black)

The Samsung T10 won't satisfy audio purists, but users who value lots of features, a fun interface, and a player that will turn heads should give it a look.

Read review of the Samsung T10 (4GB, black) .

Price: $100-130 (check latest prices)

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7.3 Very Good

2. SanDisk Sansa Fuze (8GB, silver)

The SanDisk Sansa Fuze is a great value--a slim design, simple interface, plentiful features, memory expansion capability, and solid sound quality all come with an easy-to-swallow price tag.

Read review of the SanDisk Sansa Fuze (8GB, silver) .

Price: $130 (check latest prices)