Portable MP3

Philips

With all the big name consumer electronics companies jumping onto the MP3 wagon, soon portable MP3 players will be as ubiquitous as personal CD players.

Philips Rush

Philips announced a new 64MB version of its Rush MP3 player at CES. The Rush uses SmartMedia Card memory. PC connectivity is offered through a parallel port. The unit can play for up to 12 hours on two AAA batteries. The 64MB version will also include a car cassette adapter for MP3 on the go. The 32MB Rush will be available in Q1 2000 for $200, and the 64MB version will be available in May 2000 for $300.

Sony

Microsoft had a couple portable MP3 players on display in its Windows Media Audio (WMA) section. We took the opportunity to get a closer look at the Sony Music Clip. We saw the Sony Music Clip at Comdex, but we had to give it another mention here because it's the only MP3 player we've seen with such an untraditional shape.

Sony Music Clip

Music Clip back

The pen-shaped Music Clip has 64MB of memory, and can run for 5 hours on a single AA battery. PC connectivity is available through a USB connector. Retail price is $300, and it should be available within the month. Check the Sony VAIO Direct online store for availability.

RCA

We also had a chance to look at RCA's new Lyra MP3 player. Like many other portable MP3 players, the Lyra is available in 32MB and 64MB flavors. It uses CompactFlash cards instead of the SmartMedia cards we've seen in other MP3 players. CompactFlash is probably the better choice between the two types of memory cards because the format has higher storage capacity limits.

RCA Lyra

The 32MB Lyra is $200. The 64MB version is $250 and comes with a car kit. It connects to your PC through the parallel port, but there is an optional docking station for USB connectivity.

Wrist Audio Player

Casio has a new WMP-1V Wrist Audio Player that functions as a watch, stopwatch, alarm, and MP3 player. Sure beats that geeky calculator watch doesn't it? (No offense to any current or past calculator watch owners out there. I though they were cool once, but then I turned twelve.)

Casio WAP

Recharging

BigAss™ Face

The watch weighs in at a mere 70g and has 32MB of built in memory. The lithium-ion battery lasts 4 hours on a single charge, and the watch uses the USB interface to connect to the PC. The watch should be available in March for $299.