Entertainment to Go.

MICROSOFT Corp. 081466849 MSFT

This article evaluates several audio and video players introduced in the U.S. market as of December 2004. With the debut of Microsoft's Portable Media Center operating system, video fans can enjoy ultraportability, too. The PMC OS powers a whole array of interesting new handheld devices--from Creative, IRiver, and other vendors--sporting 3.5- to 4-inch color screens and 20GB or larger hard drives that enable users to play their favorite television shows, personal videos, and selections from their music collection--anywhere. A look at the big guns in music players: those with hard drives. This category includes both large-capacity (20GB to 80GB) and midcapacity (1GB to 5GB) models. Even though they're based on similar technology, the two types suit significantly different lifestyles. Indeed, capacity-to-size ratio is one big reason why the Apple IPod is chosen as the PC World Best Buy among large-capacity players. The $399 IPod packs a whopping 40 GB into a case smaller than those of several rivals that have half its capacity, like the Philips HDD12O/17 and the Rio Karma. The IPod's menu selections are intuitive, and its touch-sensitive Click Wheel makes navigation a breeze. The ITunes software and ITunes online music store are easy to understand and use. On the player itself, users make a few quick clicks, and they have a playlist of their favorite songs.