Coby MP-C827 Digital Music Player

The 128MB Coby MP-C827 may not be the prettiest, best-sounding, or most feature-packed player available, but it lists for only $19.99. Although much better MP3 players are available for $50 to $100, the plug-in-style Coby MP-C827 gets our quick nod of approval in the $20 or less category.

Ideal for kids, digital audio beginners, as a giveaway, or for those who need a temporary music solution, the spartan Coby MP-C827 has zero wow factor, other than the fact that you can stick about 32 MP3 or WMA tracks on it. Like the iPod Shuffle, it has no display. Unlike the Shuffle, it doesn't have a shuffle feature, so you'll listen and navigate linearly through your library.

The 128MB Coby MP-C827 next to the 512MB iPod Shuffle.

While it's not difficult to use, as there are only three buttons on the unit, you do have to acclimate to using the same buttons for volume as you do for back and skipping tracks (press for skipping, hold for volume). Also, the volume buttons, for this reviewer anyway, are reversed--you hold the left button to increase the volume. Hold the play button to power on, which is confirmed by a single red LED.