Tech: How Dell's Answer To The iPod Stacks Up

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Hoping to duplicate the success of Apple's iPod and iTunes Music Store, several companies have launched portable players tied to powerful music managers and music-download stores. One compelling entry of the past month is Dell's DJ Player with Dell Jukebox powered by Musicmatch ($249 for 15 GB; $299 for 20 GB). First, the bad news: at a hefty 7.6 oz. (a comparable iPod weighs 2 oz. less), the Dell DJ is a little too big--it barely fits in a pants pocket. But the player has some nice improvements over Apple's. The large volume buttons are a plus; with the iPod, it's often easier to tear off your headphones than to turn down a song. The home button comes in handy when you're stuck deep in your music library, and pop-up menus improve navigation. Dell also scores points for compatibility. The DJ will play all the MP3s and Windows Media files in your music collection--even protected files from the new Napster--and you can also access the Musicmatch music store, which has a huge selection of 99¢ songs that you can buy to play on your computer, burn to CDs or transfer to the DJ player.

W.R.