Sony Walkman Z (8GB)

The good: The Walkman Z portable media player emphasizes music as the killer mobile app, integrating Sony's Music Unlimited service, high-quality headphones, and unmatched audio enhancement software.

The bad: Considering its premium price, the Walkman Z has limited video support, a thick design, mediocre screen resolution, short battery life, no memory expansion, no cameras, and is built around a version of Android that's soon to be outdated.

The bottom line: The Walkman Z is Sony's iPod Touch for Android-loving audiophiles.

It would seem that both Sony and Samsung are engaging in some kind of historical re-enactment of the great iPod Wars of 2007. That's the only way I have to explain the rash of portable media players I've been seeing recently.

Just like Samsung's Galaxy Player devices, the Sony Walkman Z ($249) aims to compete against Apple's popular iPod Touch with a mixture of Android 2.3, a larger screen, and a handful of brag-worthy features.