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Whether you leave your Christmas shopping to the last minute, or everything's signed, sealed and delivered online already, there will always be some last minute panic-buying to be done. Stocking fillers, in particular, aren't usually planned in advance, but a little bit of inspiration can go a long way when the big day finally rolls around.

This year, though, one stocking filler should be taken care of. Pick up one - or maybe more - of SanDisk's latest flash MP3 player for the music-lover(s) in your life and you're guaranteed to be in their good books. You'll even have cash left over for a bag of walnuts and a bowl of satsumas.

That's because the Clip - SanDisk's long-awaited rival to Apple's Shuffle, and Creative's Zen Stone range of players - not only manages to better both in almost every respect, but has to be one of the best value pocket players we've ever seen here at TrustedReviews.

First things first, though: this is not one for the MP3 fashion snob. It's not quite as slim, the finish isn't as slick as the Shuffle's candy-coloured aluminium shell, and the angular boxy shape won't be for everyone either, especially with the plasticky silver volume control and hold/power switch adorning each edge of the player.

But that's really the only negative thing I can bring myself to say about the Clip. In every other respect it's a fantastic little product, and when you fire it up, the bright blue backlight behind the controls makes up for those dowdy, out-of-the-box looks. It feels well put together, too, and has borrowed the Shuffle's best feature - the ingenious clip - and improved on it by making it removable. Not that you'd want to do this, of course, because as I mentioned when I reviewed the Shuffle last year, I think the built-in clip is a brilliant idea especially for anyone who enjoys a soundtrack while working out. It makes it a doddle to attach the player pretty much anywhere about your person.

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