Lusting after a digital music player, but want something different to Apple’s legions of ear-budded iPod fans? Our list of iPod alternative tuneboxes will get your feet tapping all the way to the shops!

1) Meizu miniPlayer
This Chinese iPod nano-challenger has all the features we’ve been crying out for from Apple for so long – sharp design, proper video skills, a stunning screen and pint-sized proportions.

It’s available for pre-order now, ahead of a launch outside the Far East in August.  

2) Creative Zen V PlusMore colourful than an iPod, and small enough to slot in the coin pocket of your favourite denims, the latest Zen MP3 player even packs in an FM radio and voice recorder – that’s aside from its photo, video and music skills. It’ll spin its screen round too, so it’s always facing the right way – nifty!

3) iRiver T10
The iRiver’s massive 53-hour battery dwarfs the iPod’s 14-hour lifespan, making it an absolute must for music fans on the move. Sure, this digital music player is thicker than Apple’s white-clad wonderbox, but it’ll keep kicking for almost four times as long!

4) Sony Ericsson V630i
Exclusive to Vodafone, Sony Ericsson’s latest music phone isn’t Walkman branded, but packs a fully featured MP3 player and can latch onto the network’s Live! service to provide internet radio.

Vodafone’s Radio DJ is interactive too, letting you rate the songs it plays, so you’ll hear more of the tracks you like as the network predicts your musical taste!
 
5) mobiBLU US2
Amazingly, this is even slimmer than an iPod nano, and looks suspiciously similar to Motorola’s RAZR V3.

The US2 digital music player (which stands for Ultra Slim 2) trumps the iPod nano with video too, and even totes a voice recorder and audio enhancement. It comes in capacities to match Apple’s pint-sized ‘Pod, so now you can join the MP3 player masses and stay unique!