Apple’s iPods have grown to be a synonomous with 21st century living, although all portable media players (PMPs) don’t need to begin with a pronoun. A lot of apple products have non-apple competitors, and several of these competitors might be a better selection for certain kinds of shoppers. This article attempts to contrast some of Apple’s PMPs to their non-apple competitors. Another nice option might be Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise Canceling Headphones.

The Apple iPod Touch is pretty much the best performing PMP out there. This device is essentially an iPhone minus the phone, and no other product has that number of applications offered. Not everybody must have all of those applications, however. Sony’s X Series Walkman works as good as an iPod Touch in relation to filing and playing music, gives you excellent sound and built in Wi-Fi, and even has a touch pad. Regrettably, at nearly $300, the Walkman costs the same as an iPod Touch, although it offers less. Another great alternative is Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise Canceling Headphones.

You won’t miss the applications you aren’t going to use, however in that case, why spend money on them? Microsoft’s Zune HD is also a thoughtfully engineered media player with a touch screen, web browsing abilities and a wireless music site. The Zune doesn’t work with iTunes and isn’t remotely as application-friendly, but for a $200 purchase price, you might get used to that.

Apple’s iPod Nano is in its 5th generation and has gotten better as a result of each upgrade. The current Nano is tiny, cool, and thoroughly packed with features. For approximately $180, this gadget is the best made PMP in its price range, however if you’re looking for a lower price, there are a number of choices. Samsung’s Q2 provides several Nano-like features for example an intuitive interface and is almost as attractive, while it delivers somewhat less memory. It also costs about $50 less, therefore if you don’t really need several thousand tunes immediately available, this might be a good substitute. The most inexpensive Nano competitor, the Coby MP705 provides somewhat less capacity than the Q2, yet it still comes with MP3 technology in conjunction with video, photo and FM radio functions, plus a set of efficient earbuds. Even more importantly, the Q2 may be bought for not quite $50. Another good item to look into is Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise Canceling Headphones.

The Apple iPod Shuffle is Apple’s lowest priced PMP, and since it’s priced at $60 it works perfectly, but this particular unit has some rivals that really out-perform it. The Shuffle’s most glaring shortfall is the lack of a screen, which reduces the consumer to either hearing playlists or listening to random tunes chosen by the Shuffle. The SanDisk Sansa Clip offers a micro SD slot to increase its memory, and a screen to help you see what’s playing, and will cost you only $40.