MULTIMEDIA

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the iPod must be blushing its scroll wheel off right now. After the debut of Cupertino's quintessential wonder-player in 2001, a torrent of upstarts started to flood the market. Some were legitimate iPod competitors. But most were no better than well-shined turds.

Here are a few of the best and worst contenders we've seen challenge the iThrone for ultimate MP3 supremacy over the years.

Show us your favorite portable music player.

Left:

The Toshiba Gigabeat

Yes, yes, yes, we know that Toshiba still makes the Gigabeat line, but solid hardware and a slick UI weren’t enough to prevent the Gigabeat S version from being smoked in sales by the third-gen iPod.