Iriver's feature-packed and ultracompact E50 MP3 player

(Credit: Iriver)

Iriver's latest iPod Nano competitor comes in the form of the E50, a smaller and much sleeker relative of the E100. It may not be the most exciting thing to come out of CES this year, but it is a feature-packed MP3 player that will fit comfortably in your pocket--and that has to count for something. Plus, the design is a huge improvement over its bigger sibling, and that was one of our chief complaints about the E100. Rather than have a plastic body, the E50 is wrapped in a slick, brushed-metal exterior. The controls are integrated into the faceplate, which adds to the sleek look and feel.

As expected with Iriver players, the E50 is not wanting for features. A 1.8-inch color LCD displays a variety of options, including folder-based browsing. There's support for MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, and ASF audio; AVI and WMV video; and JPEG, BMP, PNG, and GIF images. You also get an FM tuner with autoscan, presets, and recording as well as a built-in mic for voice recording. The player offers nine EQ settings, including SRS WOW and a five-band customizable EQ. In addition, the unit includes A/B looping, lyrics display, shuffle and repeat modes, and bookmarking. All this and an impressive 52-hour battery life in a package that's about the size of your average pack of gum.

Photos: Iriver E50 at CES 2009