While fractionally shorter than the iPod mini, the Dell Pocket DJ packs in an extra gigabyte, weighs the same—and costs less. As for audio performance and user interface, imagine a Creative Zen Micro with Dell's trademark roller and buttons instead of the touch-sensitive front panel—but minus the FM radio and extras like the Outlook calendar.

Actually, that's not too hard to imagine, because it appears that Creative makes the innards of the Pocket DJ, and that's a good thing: The Zen Micro is one of the most all-around pleasing players we've tested. The Pocket DJ has the same flat frequency response and low distortion, and can deliver 100 dB through the supplied earbuds. In critical listening with high-bit-rate files, we could hear the scrape of the cello's bow or the telltale thump of the piano's dampers coming down on the strings at the end of a selection. If it's in the music, the Pocket DJ will play it transparently. Unlike the Gateway Photo Jukebox, it won't play lossless-encoded files, but it will play up to 320 Kbps MP3 and WMA, which is plenty for portable audio.

Unlike its big brother, the Dell DJ 20, the Pocket DJ conveniently recharges through the USB port, either from your computer or from the supplied charger. And the case, unlike many other players, is held together with screws. We relish any opportunity to break out the jeweler's screwdrivers, and we were glad to see that the battery is easily replaceable—it just plugs in, so when it eventually fails it will be simple to repair.

Every button has a single function on the Pocket DJ, so there's never any confusion about what mode you're in. When you select a song by clicking the roller, a pop-up menu lets you play it, add it to a playlist, clear it, or see details. You can bypass the menu and play the file immediately by pressing the large play/pause button just below the roller. The user interface is identical to the DJ 20's, including the ballistic effect of holding the forward and back buttons: The longer you hold them, the faster they scroll through the songs.

The Pocket DJ also has eight equalizer (EQ) presets and a custom 4-band EQ. It lets you choose the usual repeat and shuffle options, and it supports playlists. We used it with the supplied Musicmatch 9 music manager, which had no trouble recognizing the device and transferring files. It also worked effortlessly with Windows Media Player 10.

While the screen is slightly larger than those of most other mini players, the contrast is a bit lower, and the blue backlight doesn't help at all. The transflective screen is quite readable, however, in normal light when the backlight is out. So all things considered, the Pocket DJ is a solid choice. If you prefer a model with FM tuning (and recording), consider the Zen Micro. But if you'd rather save $50, you'll be pleased with the Pocket DJ.