In the scramble to find viable marketing rivals to the mighty iPod, iRiver is one of the few companies to have tried to go head-to-head with as much innovation or extra features as possible, even if it means upping the price.

The company's H320 jukebox came in 20GB and 40GB versions with a colour screen and FM radio, and the new, smaller H10 series comes with similar features plus a new design and a few surprises.

For a start it's very slim and light (only 96g), comes in four colours (red, blue, silver and grey) and has a central scrolling strip down the middle, just below the 1.5-inch LCD screen which boasts no fewer than 260,000 colours.

The touchpad scroll function is easy to get to grips with and is a definite plus, but the higher definition screen - which is designed to show off your downloadable photos - is still smaller than most modern mobile phone screens so its use is probably limited. Only JPEG files can be copied over and there's no TV Out facility to view them back in larger format, nor can digital cameras be directly connected. The see-through plastic cover for the machine was also a mistake - it looks and feels tacky.

On the other hand, the sound performance of this MP3 player is of a very high quality, especially as you have 30 EQ presets to play with. The controls have deliberately been kept to a minimum (seven in total) so that you can get to your music and menus as speedily as possible.

Up to 2,500 songs can be stored on the 5GB hard drive inside the player, and the included software is iRiver Plus, which not only organizes the tracks and rips CDs but does automatic upgrades of both itself and firmware. Unfortunately at present the firmware only allows you to play tracks alphabetically rather than in album order, unless you're prepared to set up custom playlists for each album and then transfer them. Hopefully this is an upgrade issue that can be addressed soon.

The FM radio has been kept and remains a star feature, including the record function. The 3.7V Li-Ion battery, which is removable, will allow up to 12 hours of continuous play. Thankfully it is rechargeable and optional extras include a second battery plus a cradle with Line In/Out cable for external devices and a remote control.

Text files can be viewed if you desperately need a last minute refresher on that vital document and the built-in microphone will enable the unit to act as a recordable dictaphone facility of up to 45 minutes duration. iRiver has mentioned the possibility of Bluetooth headphones and an FM transmitter as further accessories.

For performance, extras and features the H10 jukebox is a serious contender to the iPod mini but the alphabetical playlists and limited photo viewing and transferring options will need to be addressed to scare off the opposition.