Sony Network Walkman NW-E55 1.00.08

Measuring a little more than an inch and weighing about 40 grams, these sassy new digital audio players are small enough to fit on a key chain, yet they have up to 256 MB of built-in memory that stores up to 170 four-minute songs at 48 kbps. This tiny, tune-token is also huge on battery life, achieving up to 70 hours of continuous playback on one AAA battery. And since there are no moving parts, users can enjoy uninterrupted playback even during serious activity.

The distinctive acrylic finish, in silver for the Sony NW-E75 and blue, red or pearl for the Sony NW-E55, makes them too good looking to hide away on a belt or in a pocket, and who would want to, because at 40 grams these digital audio players are light enough to be worn around the neck. Sony has supplied a convenient neck strap specifically for this purpose.

Each model has a backlit LCD display with four modes to show track numbers, play modes, artist names, song titles and more. The group/folder function allows for easy navigation between multiple folders transferred from playlists.