iRiver T8

The iRiver T8 music player is about the same length as a standard USB memory key, but slightly wider, and it comes with a choice of 2GB or 4GB of storage space.

It has a small black and white screen, a headphone socket and a built-in microphone which allows it to double up as a voice recorder.

The device also has an FM radio receiver which, along with other settings, is accessed using a small four-way control on the top. And it has a side-mounted volume control.

The device is basic compared with more expensive players, but music can be transferred in Windows by dragging and dropping the files into the folder for the player that appears when it’s plugged in (the USB connection on the player goes straight into the computer). You can use it as a USB storage device in the same way.

We were underwhelmed, though, by its confusing menus, and its performance had flaws too: the radio struggled to locate channels – although the voice recorder worked well.

These drawbacks and the relatively high price make it harder to recommend against rivals such as the £30 Samsung U5 (see below).