Who am I kidding? I love iPod. But the battle in the MP3 Player space is heating up! And there are some gorgeous assassins out there looking to take down iPod. Wil they, wont they? Dunno, but the battle is just starting.

iAudio X5
The Cowon IAudio X5 is a class act - from its stylish black case to its bright color screen. The 30GB, iPod-size X5 has everything that ipod does--including music playback, a photo viewer, and on-the-fly playlists. And then it shames iPod with features like video playback, an FM radio, voice and line-in recording, and even the ability to read and save images directly from a digital camera without an adapter.

Sony NW-HD5
Sony may have a winner at hand. The Network Walkman NW-HD5 has several features that set it apart from Apple's IPod. For example, the NW-HD5 runs on a removable and rechargeable battery that supports up to 40 hours of playback. Wicked, huh! Also, the player has a built-in USB connector and power jack, so no dock or adapter is required. Available in silver, black, or red, HD5 will win you over with simple interface, small form factor and great sound.


Philips GoGear HDD6330
Sleekly designed with glossy black body, photo-friendly color screen, and blue-backlit touch-sensitive interface - GoGear HDD6330 could give ipod a solid competition. This 30GB HDD player is fully decked out with features, including an FM tuner, voice recording, JPEG viewing with thumbnail previews, ID3 tag and album art support, voice/FM/line-in recording capabilities in WAV format at up to 192Kbps and compatibility with MP3 as well as both purchased and subscription-based WMA files.



Philips Active PSA612
The 4GB microdrive-based Active Range PSA612 is an exercise-friendly MP3 player from Philips. And no, its not in tie-up with Nike. Still, its miniml design and space-age shape is stunning. The player is MP3 and WMA DRM 9.0 compatible, includes an FM tuner, and features an integrated stopwatch that allows users to measure their progress and receive on-demand voice feedback via the headphones.

iRiver T10

This very futuristic and sporty looking player from iRiver comes with an armband and sturdy carabineer-like ring making it the ideal for use while you exercise. The iRiver T10 comes in three colors each with a different storage configuration: 256MB Lime Green, 512MB Cherry Red and 1GB Orange Yellow. The slightly bent design features a large metal clip to connect the player to bags, belts or hang it around the neck. The iRiver T10 features include 1.1 inch 64k color LCD display, a cool 53 hours play-time, SRS, 10 equalizer settings, WMA, OGG and MP3 music format support, a clock function, FM-Tuner. iPod mini - watch out!


Jens of Sweden MP-400 Excentrique
For the ostentatious and those who want a unique instrument, something the all too popular iPod cannot offer. 1GB Jens of Sweden MP-400 Excentrique, the version of the new MP400 line that comes coated in 24-karat gold. built-in FM tuner, line-in recording, voice recorder, stylish and low-power OLED blue and orange screen. And they're about the size of your thumb and are meant to be worn around your neck. And yes, it plays OGG Vorbis too!

I really like the idea of limited edition gizmos. Gives you the opportunity to keep it individual and unique. So did you get your hands on these limited edition gizmos? Here are a few of my favourites:

Acer Ferrari 3400 Notebook
Besides sporting the Ferrari red colour and the Prancing Horse logo, Acer's Ferrari 3400 notebook has 64-bit 3000+ processor, a 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics card, built-in 802.11g WiFi, Bluetooth, 512MB of RAM, a DVD+-RW drive, and a 15-inch display. Very Sexy. Very Ferrari!


B&W Maharishi Speakers

If you thought it was a bad idea for a serious audio company like B&W to tie up with street fashion label Maharishi, hold your thoughts. Take a look at these babies! Wrapped in the winter colour scheme of Maharishi’s trademark Bonsai Forest camo, the speakers feature Kevlar cones, Nautilus tube-loaded metal dome tweeters and internal bracing for reduced coloration. Confues? Well all this basically means that they sound good and they look good.

Panasonic’s X800 - Shu Uemura Edition

If you love fashion phones, you will simply fall for this one. Panasonic tied up with Japanese cosmetics artist Shu Uemura who's turned the X800 into a personal canvas for a limited-edition design confined to just 2,000 pieces, and to just the Taiwan and China markets.

"Aqua" PlayStation 2

The world's favourite console now comes in a cool, clean Aqua hue. Released with a range of accessories designed to complement the subtly-toned shade, the limited edition Aqua PlayStation 2 comes equipped with its own matching Aqua DUALSHOCK 2 controller. There's also the option to team it with the specially created limited edition Aqua official Memory Card and Vertical Stand, which are available to buy separately, to complete the stylish look.

Trying to keep up with the newest tech toys? Look no further than "Get Gadgety". This blog will showcase the latest and greatest gear. So dive in, and discover some of the coolest gadgets out there.

Sony has introduced another flash-based player to its growing lineup of digital audio players: the Walkman Bean NW-E300 series. This cute bean-shaped player boasts a built-in retractable USB port, a single-line OLED display, a time and date feature, FM tuner, fast-charging li-ion battery and comes in four yummy flavors - Coconut White, Tropical Ice Blue, Black Licorice and Cotton Candy Pink. All models will be available in September and have retail prices of $129.95 and $179.95 for the 512MB and 1GB versions, respectively.

If you like your tech cute and colorful, this one is for you. If you are expecting value for money, look at Creative and MobiBlue flash players.