Sony Walkman NW-E407

The launch of Apple's iPod Shuffle earlier this year saw things hot up at the miniature end of the digital music player market and now the fantastically styled NW-E407 places Sony in the middle of the fray.

This new addition to the Walkman range is about the same size as the Shuffle and stores the same amount of music: 1Gb (equivalent to about 45 albums). Identically styled 256Mb and 512Mb models are also available, all of which hook up to a computer via USB 2.

In terms of the way you can access music stored on the device, though, Sony has gone about things differently to Apple.

The Shuffle locks you into listening to tracks in the order you arrange them in Apple's iTunes software or using the random play mode (from which the player gets its name). But the Walkman NW-E407 lets you organise music into playlists and albums, making listening a less chaotic experience.

Track information and menus are shown on the Walkman's beautifully integrated display and, in this respect, the NW-E407 has more in common with the iPod Mini than it does with the Shuffle.

Sound quality is just as good and a decent pair of headphones are supplied by Sony as standard.

At this price, though, the NW-E407 is only £10 cheaper than the 4Gb iPod Mini, so unless its diminutive dimensions are a real draw, we find it hard to see why you'd choose this player over rivals.