[aom3]

Since 2004 we have run our bi-annual iPod Killer Christmas/Summer series. During this period we have reported on 215 portable players and in all of that time NOT one single iPod Killer has emerged from the bunch. This doesn't mean there aren't any compelling portables out there, just that none have garnered enough mass market traction to unseat the iPod. The iPod touch, for all of its niggling flaws, has set that bar even higher and we are not even venturing into the iPhone and what it is doing in the mobile phone market. Times are tough for the competiton, but the good news is that they keep trying.

So here is the latest bunch of newcomers. They include those stuffed with impressive features (the iRiver W10), ventured into the rhelm of robotics (the Sony Rolly) and offer interesting solutions to battery time (Ecodigital Windup PMP). We also have the various oddities we like to include just for giggles.

Read on: iPod Killers: 30 New Players for the Holidays