Philex MPress 3 portable MP3 player

Despite the rather dodgy phonetic name, the Mpress 3 is actually a rather natty offering. Encased in trendy iMac-style translucent blue, the most impressive thing about it is the crystal clear sound, delivered through a pair of stylish headphones.

The software provided is functional rather than impressive, while the controls are a little small and fiddly. Particularly annoying is the fact that the erase button is located on the front of the player, where it can easily be pressed in error.

Nevertheless, the build quality is good and it appears to be one of the more robust players in the group. The built-in microphone allows you to store 99 voice recordings, and you can record directly from your home hi-fi to the Mpress 3 via a line-out cable, albeit with fairly unsatisfactory results as far as sound quality goes.

• Dimensions: 70x18x89mm
• Weight: 70g
• Interface: Parallel
• Memory: 32Mb
• Internal memory?: Yes
• Memory type: SmartMedia
• Number of slots: One
• Software included: File Management Software 2.0
• Batteries: 1xAA

Contact Philex Electronics 020 8202 1919