On our desk this week - 2

MPIO PD100

DAB radio is starting to become ubiquitous in new consumer products, and rightly so. It offers better signal quality than FM radio in most areas where DAB is available, and the choice of stations is wider. Not only that, but tuning is substantially easier too, and all sorts of information can be transmitted across the airwaves, along with the track.

If you're in the 85% of Britain that can get DAB radio, you probably already know this. If you're not, you might not care quite so much.

The PD100 is basically a portable MP3 player with a DAB radio built-in - a first, to my knowledge. It comes in 128MB, 256MB and 512MB versions. If you like to listen to the radio on the go, this could be the perfect product for you, especially when combined with the possibility of listening to your own tunes when Sara Cox comes on.

There's also functionality included to record from the radio to the in-built flash, meaning you can record something you especially like. DAB is recorded in MP2 format. You can also voice record if the thought takes you, and you don't have the presence of mind to buy a dictaphone.

It's clear that the PD100 is no iPod in the looks department. Built in a charming shade of off-metallic-grey, it doesn't look like a high-end player and it doesn't really feel it, either. The display on the front is monochrome, and the device used a rocker switch on the side to move through the system.

However, it's in functionality that the PD100 excels. It does what it says it will, and it does it very well. Sound quality of MP3 is on par with most portable players, and tuning in to DAB stations is really very easy - providing you have good enough coverage.

DAB radio is a very cool thing, and to be able to have it portable is very handy for those who far prefer radio to tunes. At £116, it's not outrageously expensive for what it is - the bulk of the cost is the DAB bit, rather than the MP3 player bit, and there are very few portable DABs on the market at the moment.

The PD100 is a cracking little device, but it just falls short of a recommended award by virtue of its middle-of-the-road design. If it could be made just a little bit sharper, we'd stick our money on one without even thinking.

Name: MPIO PD100
Buy it at: Scan
Cost: £116 for the 128MB version
Verdict: Great functionality and very few competitors in the market. Let down only by the design.