MP4 player nothing like an iPod nano (honest)

With the 100 millionth iPod passing into consumer hands, competition to steal Apple's crown is growing ever fiercer. Computer Supermarket has entered the race with an MP4 player whose similarity to the nano is, they claim, purely cosmetic.

At £49.99, the slim 4GB video / MP4 player can certainly be said to be excellent value for money. Computer Supermarket waste no time in pointing out the huge price difference, with Apple's equivalent memory media gadgetry weighing in at £129. Storing up to 1000 tracks on average, the MP4 player includes an FM tuner that allows you to preset 50 seperate channels. Its trump card is the addition of video capability.

At a thickness of just 5mm (30% slimmer than the nano), the MP4 player carries a 1.8" screen on which to play back your movies, tv shows and music videos (if you're working on building up that attractive squint). Does the storage space warrant it? Well, depending on how much music you want to carry about as well, 4GB can fit more than you might think, including a couple of full-length features.

Also available on the feature packed MP4 is a dictaphone (which can record direct from the radio), audiobook playback and the usual storage / photo album space. If the MP4 is as flexible as its marketing claims, this could be a very serious contender to the nano. I can't help thinking that Computer Supermarket shoot themselves in the foot by mimicking Apple's styling (surely it's better to have something completely different and uniquely brilliant than what appears to be a cheap copy?) with black, silver, blue and hot pink varieties available.

Computer Supermarket

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