Aiwa's AM-F70 has a few unique features that set it apart from similarly-priced units. The most distinctive is an ice-blue backlit display on both the headphone cord and main player. Unlike other current portables, it also allows 2X playback at the same pitch in both mono and stereo (no "Alvin and the Chipmunks" syndrome). The F70's 40-second shock buffer makes the unit operate virtually skip-free - even if you're running. A special jog/shuttle makes titling tracks a bit easier. Recording is simple because the F70 has the ability to synchro start/stop (through both digital and analog inputs) as soon it detects source material. There are a number of playback options, including programming tracks (Sharp's MD units don't have this feature) and a title search function that lets you look for and queue one track while another plays. Titling can take place while you listen, too. Aiwa elected to include a pair of Swoops neckband headphones, in-ear versions of Sony's street style headphones. As far as battery life ...