A media player that never needs batteries

Bottomline: A multi-purpose pocket player with the ability to power gadgets, but with little style.

Price: £140

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Trevor Baylis created the first wind-up radio 16 years ago for use in areas where mains electricity was intermittent or non-existent.

Since then the inventor has applied the same technology, consisting of a wind-up generator and a rechargeable battery, to other appliances, this music and video player being the latest.

The EMP-MX71 has a high-grip, rubberised surface and the trademark winding handle on the back.

Winding it steadily for 60 seconds gave over 30 minutes of music, and the battery can also be charged from a USB socket for up to 20 hours' playing time. A selection of connection cables are provided so that you can charge a mobile phone from the device and it has a small, bright torch built into the top.

The media player itself has an adequate 4.6cm screen, but it's not as bright and clear as some of its rivals. It plays a range of formats including MP3 and WMA as well as MP4 video. A software converter is provided for videos. An SD card slot in the side can be used to boost the player's 2GB of memory.

Audio can be recorded using the EMP-MX71’s internal microphone or by connecting the supplied line-in cable to an audio source. There's also an FM radio, which uses the headphone cable as an aerial. The headphones themselves have an unusual design, but are both comfortable and produce better-than-average sound.

Sound quality in general is good with noticeable bass. If you could use a source of portable power and need a well-configured media player, this is the ideal combination gadget.