Apple's had a nice run, but this portable powerhouse from Toshiba got us to really think different: We'd finally found an alternative to that fruity little player. The 30-gig Gigabeat does everything the iPod does, in a similarly svelte shell, with more video options than you can shake a USB cable at (you get TiVo, Vongo, and Windows Media PC compatibility right out of the box). Plus, the elegant, ultra-responsive menus of the Windows Mobile OS require only seconds to master. This year, podenfreude starts here.
- Sean Cooper

$300
www.gigabeat.com