When it comes to portable MP3 players, size matters, and the Dell DJ is almost too big. Sure, we've been spoiled by Apple's slender creation, but if it doesn't fit in the front pocket of jeans, it just won't be popular, 16-hour battery or not.

Chunkiness aside, some of the DJ's innovations are an improvement over the iPod. The most obvious are the large volume buttons on the side: with the iPod, it's often easier to tear your headphones off than turn down an overloud song. The DJ's Home button comes in handy when you're stuck deep in your music library, and pop-up menus — a signature of co-developer Creative Labs — improve navigation even further.

Smaller design elements make big differences, too. Unlike most other players, the DJ has the all-powerful "Delete Track" function, and it's nice for once to be able to jump from A straight to Z by scrolling up. On the flipside, my arch nemesis, listing all groups that start with "The" in the "T" section is still a problem. Programmers take note: The Rolling Stones deserve to be filed under "R" without shortening their name.

The DJ will play all of the MP3s and WMAs in your music collection — even protected files you download from the new Napster — but it's also got its own music store. Like Napster and iTunes, there's a huge selection of 99-cent songs that you can buy to play, burn or load.

Unlike the other two, the Dell/Musicmatch store has a music picker called "My Matches." It asks you for up to 10 favorite artists, and then presents you with an ever-changing selection that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with Billboard's top charts. I thought my diverse interests would just confuse it, but actually it rose to the occasion and presented me with a trove of great stuff I didn't know about. Sorry, Britney, I guess I just don't care anymore.