Philips' SA9200 is just as stylish as the iPod Nano and, at 47g, just a tad heavier. It has Microsoft's PlayForSure logo, so you can use Windows Media Player 10 for both music and photos, and the player can handle protected WMA files bought from various online stores. It can also display photos on its 1.7in colour screen. Charging is via USB only and the 14-hour battery life is average.
Menus are straightforward and attractive, but we found the vertical touch-sensitive scroll pad erratic. Sound quality is up to scratch, but the headphones' thin bass response makes them unsuitable for some music.
The SA9200 is a reasonable MP3 player, but it is expensive. A 2GB iPod nano costs around £100, and Sandisk's 6GB Sansa e270 costs just a few pounds more and is a better choice.