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Q I was wondering if you could give me some suggestions of a small, light, portable radio-type gadget with earbuds that would be good for me while I do athletic activities like riding my bike. I want something that will give me different pre-programmed selections of music, not something that I have to load with music (I don't remember names of songs). I love my Sirius satellite radio in my car.

A My first reaction is to suggest you simply get the portable, small, personal Sirius radio that is meant for carrying on your person. It's called the Stiletto 2 and costs around $300. Like the one in your car, it does require a subscription, but it is much smaller. I haven't tested it, but you can get more information at sirius.com.

However, this unit isn't in the smallest class of portable music players, so another alternative might be to get a very small portable player, which, while it allows you to download music, also has a built-in FM radio. Among these is the smallest Microsoft Zune, called the Zune 4 GB, at about $100, and the Sansa Clip, starting at about $35. Neither requires a subscription fee. Information is at zune.net and sansa.com.

The popular Rhapsody subscription music service is also available on portable players, and offers pre-programmed channels of music. Some of these players also include FM radios. Information on these is at learn.rhapsody.com/devices.

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