Sony NW-A3000S Walkman (20GB)

Upside

Sony won us over with its latest MP3 entry, the 6GB NW-A1000 Walkman, and with the exact same design and features set, the 20GB NW-A3000S Walkman looks set to do the same. Slightly longer but only marginally thicker than its 6GB cousin, the 20GB Walkman sports the same sleek outer casing and organic electro-luminescent display, with Sony claiming the larger drive can store up to 13,000 songs.

The 20GB Walkman sports the same features as the 6GB NW-A1000 - this includes all of the smaller player's intelligent shuffle capabilities plus the same menu structure (for a full review of the 6GB Walkman, click here). The player can also accept MP3, WMA and ATRAC format files. The only major difference between the lower capacity player and the 20GB one is battery life. While the 6GB Walkman was rated at 20 hours, Sony says the 20GB Walkman can play up to an impressive 35 hours of music from a three hour charge. And while the 6GB version comes in four different colours, the 20GB only comes in purple or silver.

Downside

Just as the 20GB Walkman shares the 6GB model's strengths, it also shares it major weaknesses - namely, the lack of a colour screen and added non-music capabilities. At AU$449, it's the same price as a 30GB iPod, which gives users 50 percent more capacity, a colour screen, plus photo and video playback.

Outlook

We loved the 6GB version, and the 20GB version seems to provide more of the same ease of use and high quality sound. But at this price range, there are other MP3 players that offer more capacity and features.