MSRP: $199 to $399.00

Website: www.creative.com

MP3s, as a format and “very good thing,” are here to stay and technology that once spent time locked in the courts (like Napster is now) is now in its third incarnation. Yes, the music industry tried to stop Diamond from making the first portable MP3 player. Today Napster trucks onward and CD-ripping software is easy to find and easy to manage. On top of that, 20gig+ Hard Drive sizes are appearing everywhere at less than $150 so it isn't inconceivable to download or rip 150 CD's worth of music for your PC music listening pleasure.

The first Nomad player stole the show. It trumped Diamond's original Rio and the rest by offering more than just 32 or 64MB of flash memory, it also offered better headphones (the cool kind that wrap around the back of your head – so very Generation Y), FM radio and voice recording. But it was saddled without USB support. That's why I wanted to get my hands on the sequel.