5 Keywords: MP3 Player, Accessibility, Dexterity, Media Player, Recorder

I tend to use other things now  because I shun iTunes out of an irrational hatred for iPods... because it's become synonymous with the MP3 player and I don't  think that is fair.  But I wouldn't care if I could actually use the iPod perhaps!

Looking for a new phone or MP3 player is really difficult because  I have a ‘brick’ of an MP3 Player that I bought in 2003 - an 'XClef HD500'.  Nobody knows what they are!

The problem with the [old] Creative one it had a track pad that was very small – a small, vertical bar, which would have been a problem anyway and it was hyper-sensitive.  But even if you could reduce the sensitivity levels, it would be too small anyway."

"At the moment, I have a Microsoft Zune 30GB. [picture from Amazon.com] It is a first generation model; the second generation line has an inaccessible trackpad. The Zune 30GB has large buttons making it easy to navigate. For those of you who also have problems with dexterity, there are a couple of alternative PMPs [Portable Media Players] with large or raised buttons. Newest of these at the time of writing is the Creative Zen X-Fi, which has raised buttons, though they may be a little too dinky for some. As yet, I have not had a chance to test it. On this player, connection and synchronisation with a PC looks simple; it can be done wirelessly.

Other tried and tested choices include the Archos 405, with impressively sized ‘rocker’ buttons. The Archos 605, a newer model, also has ‘rocker’ buttons, though again, they might be a little small for some. Increasingly, PMPs are now rivalled by phones that are also PMPs, such as the iPhone. These, like many devices nowadays, are touch screen. However, so far, on all of the models I’ve seen, the touch screen is not viable for those with dexterity issues. Texting or web browsing would be out of the question (the touch screen keyboard is tiny)."