MP3 players that shaped 2007

As we creep slowly into 2008, I can't seem to shake the sinking feeling that this year isn't going to have much to offer in the realm of MP3 players. Truly, it's going to be hard to follow 2007. The year ushered in a growing selection of devices with wireless capabilities, touchscreens, and high-capacity flash memory at increasingly lower prices--not to mention the slow death of hard drive-based portable media players. In fact, many of my top selections from the past year comprised at least one of these features, along with numerous other desirable traits. True, they were not all necessarily the highest scorers of the year, but each one gave 2007 a little piece of its MP3 player identity.

The year Microsoft and Sony stepped-up their game

Microsoft Zune

Let's face it: The first-generation Zune was released amid plentiful skepticism and criticism and--although it had plenty of redeeming qualities--the Zune didn't really come into its own until the second iteration (Ed's note: The Zune is not available in Asia Pacific. Microsoft has not revealed any plans for releasing it here at the moment). The design was slimmed down, the Wi-Fi features were refined and expanded, and the already excellent interface got a refresh. Plus, the player sounded great.

While we're on the subject of stellar audio quality, let's talk Sony. The electronics giant made a lot of people really pleased when it finally gave up on its horrific SonicStage software and moved its new Walkmans to the more user-friendly MTP platform. Sony added support for both AAC and WMA while retaining its reputation for excellent battery life and sound. As a result, the NWZ-A818 (Ed's note: This MP3 player is not available in Asia but the earlier version, NW-A808, is) was one of the best players I'd ever laid hands on (I even bought one for my own brother).

Other players of note: The fabulously green flash Zune and the FM radio-sporting Sony NWZ-S615.