MP3 Everywhere!

MP3 Anyone?

After spending a couple days walking around the exhibition floor, it seems like everyone and their mom was showing a personal MP3 player. We counted no fewer than eight different MP3 players! Most of companies displaying MP3 players were from Singapore and Korea, and frankly, all the products seemed pretty much the same.

One of the more intriguing Korean MP3 players we found was one shaped like a cassette tape. The HIT C@MP player has all the functionality of a normal MP3 Player (batteries, earphone jack, USB connector, etc…), but it also had a magnetic head built into the bottom of the player. You can insert the player into a cassette deck and play MP3s from your home or car stereo or a walkman.

The Specs

Memory: Built-in 32/64MB Flash Memory
Dimensions (in mm): Normal: 111x76x19, Cassette: 100x64x8.6
PC Data Interface: USB
Weight: 2.8 ounces (w/o battery)
Power: Single rechargeable NiMH Battery
Play time: 8 hours S/N Ratio: Earphones 90dB, Cassette Deck 48dB

Of course, you might look a little weird walking around with headphones that are attached to nothing but a cassette tape. You might get away with it here in Berkeley, but you should probably stick to the cassette deck function. HIT also offers a more traditional MP3 player in addition to the cassette-type player. You can check out the manufacturer's site here.

Sony VAIO Music Clip

As we mentioned in the last Comdex update, we weren't able to spend much time at Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) exhibition floor because appointments only left us with free time to wander around the Sands Expo. We did, however, get a chance to spend a little time at the Sony booth at LVCC. The booth was extremely crowded, but we managed to get a look at Sony's new VAIO Music Clip MP3 player.

The first thing you notice about the Music Clip player is the shape. While most mainstream MP3 players such as the Diamond Rio and Creative NOMAD are shaped like tiny walkman players, Sony has decided to reshape the personal music player.

The Specs

Memory: Built-in 64MB Flash Memory
Dimensions (in inches): 4.69(W) x 0.91(H) x .88(D)
PC Data Interface: USB
Weight: 1.68 ounces (with battery)
Power: Single AA alkaline battery
Play time: 5 hours S/N Ratio: 85dB

Cassette player design has to take into account the actual cassette, but, for the most part, MP3 players aren't limited by the shape of bulky media. The Music Clip uses 64MB of non-upgradeable built-in flash memory. The small, pen shaped Music Clip can play ATRAC3 and MP3 files, and the CODEC is expandable for future file formats. Transferring 64MB of data over the USB interface only takes between three to five minutes. The clip is extremely light, weighing in at only 1.68 ounces with the battery. That's pretty damn light considering that a normal cassette tape weighs just over an ounce.

One of the Sony guys demonstrating the Music Clip, put one in my hand and handed me a pair headphones to test them out. I eyed the headphones warily -they were the earbud type that you don't even want to share with friends, let alone a convention full of strangers. Reluctantly, I took one for the team, and put on the earbuds (the stuff I do for our readers). The sound quality seemed fine, but I couldn't really tell because of the loud environment and, to be honest, I didn't put the earbuds all the way in for that snug fit.