Conclusion

The design of the LG MFJM53 is good enough to compete with the iPod; the name is considerably less memorable. And while the shiny black plastic and glass look good, they show fingerprints very clearly too. The controls are a little confusing, the screen shows its limits with very detailed images and the sound quality isn't up to Sony's standard. But if you want to do more than listen to music, this is a very capable player with excellent battery life. We particularly like the option of reading text files on it; with the MFJM53 in your pocket you're not likely to get bored.

The Sony NW-1000 has the same shiny look (and the same fingerprint problem). You can't fault the sound quality of Sony's music players and the controls offer some useful alternatives to the usual music library and playlists. As always, the drawback is the commitment to ATRAC and SonicStage.