Pearly white, with a small screen and simply no buttons on the front, the T.Sonic 84 looks like the kid brother of the first generation iPod nano. But that's where the similarities end. Unlike the Apple player, the T.Sonic has three very major advantages it can record, tune into FM and play video. Yet this functionality comes at the expense of experience.

Unlike the iPod, the 840 isn't intuitive to use; although the record button and volume control are standard, it is the jog dial that mars the entire experience of the device. Not only do you have to use it to scroll through menus, you also have to make selections by clicking it. Also, the screen isn't big enough to watch video. Add encoding to the mix, and you get a glitchy skipping video that can only be viewed if you view the device in landscape.



But all is not lost for the player. The sound quality of the recordings and playback is excellent. Even the FM reception is surprisingly crystal clear. Moving music to the player is also very easy thanks to drag-and-drop transfers and an in-built mini USB port. A compact player with a utilitarian price, it is a good option as an on the-move media player.