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Tune in: Six MP3 players with great FM radios

Jasmine France Jasmine France, Senior Associate Editor October 15, 2008

Sure, you've loaded a fabulous collection of digital audio tracks onto your MP3 player, but what to do when your tunes begin to sound just a bit too familiar? That's where an FM tuner comes in. In many places, FM radio still offers plenty of worthwhile content for your listening pleasure, and it can provide a refreshing break from your regular rotation. Plus, it's a great extra to have at the gym, allowing you to tune into the TVs and take your mind off that vigorous workout.

So, if you're not among the uberdiligent who always remember to sync up their players for fresh content, be sure to pick one with an FM tuner onboard. Unfortunately, although many players come with this nifty feature, not all of them deliver quite as advertised. In fact, we've come across a few that cut in and out of even the strongest frequencies. But don't fret. There are several players available with decent FM tuners; in fact, I easily found six with great-sounding radios. Not only that, but each of the players here offers an autoscan function and at least 10 preset slots, so you won't have to fumble around finding your favorite stations. If you already own an iPod, but crave an FM tuner, check out Apple's excellent iPod Radio Remote.

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Product name
Samsung YP-P2 (8GB, black)
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Samsung YP-P2 (8GB, black)

Creative Zen Mozaic (4GB, silver)
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Creative Zen Mozaic (4GB, silver)

Cowon D2 (4GB, black)
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Cowon D2 (4GB, black)

SanDisk Sansa Fuze (8GB, silver)
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SanDisk Sansa Fuze (8GB, silver)

Sony NWZ-E438F Walkman (8GB, red)
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Sony NWZ-E438F Walkman (8GB, red)

Microsoft Zune 120GB (third generation, glossy black)
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Microsoft Zune 120GB (third generation, glossy black)

Price $159.95 to $229.99 $65.99 to $94.32 $119.95 to $124.19 $89.95 to $129.99 $119.95 to $126.98 $224.99 to $279.99
CNET editors' rating
Average user rating
Review date November 07, 2007 August 06, 2008 February 27, 2007 March 12, 2008 October 01, 2008 September 17, 2008
The Bottom Line The Samsung YP-P2 is an excellent-sounding MP3 player that will appeal to those looking for a cool touch-screen interface and stereo Bluetooth capability. The Creative Zen Mozaic offers great bang for your buck as far as MP3 players go: get super sound quality, a boatload of features, and a cool interface--all wrapped in a funky design at an ultralow price. 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. 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. The Sony E-Series Walkman is a great value. It's an excellent option for anyone looking for an easy-to-use MP3 player with a pocketable design, a long battery life, handy features, and solid sound quality. The Zune 120, with a unique focus on music discovery, is a fierce competitor to the iPod Classic. The Zune's substantial storage capacity combined with its Zune Pass music subscription makes it an ideal solution for restless music fans with large appetites.
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Features
Battery technology Lithium polymer
Lithium ion
Lithium polymer
Info unavailable Lithium ion
Lithium ion
Digital player (recorder) WMA
MP3
WMA
WAV
Protected WMA (DRM 10)
ADPCM
Protected WMA (DRM 9)
Audible
MP3
WMA
FLAC
WAV
Ogg Vorbis
MPEG 1 Audio
MPEG 2.5 Audio
MPEG 2 Audio
MP3
WMA
FLAC
WAV
Ogg Vorbis
MP3
Audible
WMA
PCM
MP3
AAC
WMA
WMAPro
Audible
MP3
AAC
Software type Drivers & Utilities
Samsung Media Studio
Creative ZEN Media Explorer
Drivers & Utilities
Creative MediaSource
Cowon jetAudio VX
Cowon jetShell
Microsoft Windows Media Player 10
Drivers & Utilities
Microsoft Windows Media Player 11
Microsoft Windows Media Player 11
Napster
Info unavailable
Dimensions (WxDxH) 3.9 in x 0.4 in x 2 in
1.6 in x 0.5 in x 3.1 in
3.1 in x 0.7 in x 2.2 in
1.9 in x 0.3 in x 3.1 in
1.7 in x 0.4 in x 3.3 in
2.4 in x 0.5 in x 4.3 in
Color Black
Silver
Black
Silver
Red
Black
PC interface(s) supported Hi-Speed USB
Bluetooth
Hi-Speed USB
Hi-Speed USB
Hi-Speed USB
Info unavailable Hi-Speed USB
Wi-Fi