The debate constantly rages about what is better - Apple's iPod products or the lesser-known ones from Creative. Well, the Zen Vision M certainly provides evidence that the Creative guys really know what they're doing, because this is a magnificent piece of kit.

I'm more interested in portal video playing than I am audio, but I want something that isn't just easy and portable, but makes the video look GOOD. The most outstanding feature here is not the 30GB hard drive, but the widescreen, meaning you can watch films without those annoying black bars or a squashed picture. The only issue here is that it depends very much on the formatting of the video, and if the file isn't encoded right, then you will have to put up with black bars anyway.

I must stress though that this isn't something you can just stick in your pocket; it is quite bulky, but then given what it can do and what it holds, I'm not surprised. Also, I advise binning the headphones you get with the device as they're naff, and you can get far superior ones for even just a few quid.

Everything about this device is just a lot more accessible than Apple's products; there's no irritating programs to deal with, no annoying DRM like iTunes, and you simply drag and drop the files like you're sticking them on any portable device like a USB stick.

If you're not too bothered about having something small, this is a great device to get if you want something that has a great output quality and tonnes of space. If you're looking to kill some time on the daily commute, this is a must buy. I'm being fussy, but I do wish it had a few more options and bit more comptibility, though.