X9, korean company, has anounced very small MP3 player, called XN-F3.
Ir’s a one of the world’s smallest MP3 player —just 1.5 x 1.6 x .5 inches (1\3 as the MobiBLU)! The new MP3 player has a 65K color OLED screen to boot and 256MB, 512MB or 1GB flash memory. X9 XN-F3 MP3 Player looks like it has every other feature that the MobiBLU DAH-1500 offers as well: USB 2.0, FM radio, seven equalizers. But the BLU has not color screen. Bad news - X9 only available in Korea.

Numark company announced the new MP102 and MP302 rackmount CD players. New MP3 players designed for DJs and club owners. MP102 and MP302 MP3 players are cost-effective solutions to a wide variety of music playback requirements. Both mp3 players play CD audio and MP3 CDs, provide Anti-Shock memory protection.

Buffered Anti-Shock memory protection to ensure the music plays exactly as it should, even when the dance floor is packed. And DJs will appreciate the ability to create seamless loops—for both CD audio and MP3 files as well as true buffered instant start and stutter start capability with settable stutter points.

MP102 and MP302 will available in second quarter of 2006 and has a price - $399 and $699.

Victorinox has launched an MP3 player called the Swiss Bit S.Beat MP3. It’s the MP3 incarnation of the Swiss Army knife.
Tucked into the aluminium looking little Swiss Army Knife is a 1Gb detachable MP3/WMA MP3 Player that can store 250 songs. The good stuff is the decent capacity, USB charging, a free pair of bundled in-ear headphones and the inclusion of an FM radio.

The new MP3 player works on Windows and Mac OS X, and will give you up to 8 hours on one charge.

The new MP3 player costs about $150.

In an interview with Newsweek, Apple CEO Steve Jobs says: “The problem is, the PC model doesn’t work in the consumer electronics industry, where you’ve got all these companies and some does one thing and another does another thing. It just doesn’t work. What’s going to happen is that Microsoft is going to have to get into the hardware business of making MP3 players. This year. X-player, or whatever.

You’ve got to admit, picking 14 million in the spring of last year, when the most you’ve ever sold was four and half million, was a pretty big bet,” Jobs says.

The interview also takes a look at Apple’s Macs and the company’s move to the Intel processor, with Jobs discussing the reason Apple used its first ever processor, the 6502: “We used it because Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak got one for free,” he explained.

macworld.co.uk

Transcend unveils a new interactive and versatile flash MP3 player, called T.sonic 520. The highlight of the T.Sonic 520 is it’s karaoke-type feature. By displaying the lyrics of the song on its OLED screen, one could sing-along instead of just listening to the music being played.

The new MP3 player supports MP3, WMA, and WAV formats. FM Radio, a Digital Voice Recorder, and a Line-In Function - like every other mp3 player in the market. It’s compact (74mm x 30mm x 18.5mm), light weight (28g minus the battery), powered by one AAA battery, USB 2.0.

The TS512MMP520 has a 512MB flash memory, is red colored, and costs about $87.00, and the TS1GMP520 has a 1GB capacity, is grey colored, and costs $117.

Tekkeon company at MacWorld 2006 unveils myTalker, the Bluetooth gateway that allows users use music headphones to make and receive mobile phone calls while listening to an iPod or other MP3 player.

myTalker connects between an iPod player and the headphones, and pairs with any Bluetooth mobile phone, just like a Bluetooth headset. Calls are heard directly through the music headphones and the user speaks through a microphone built into myTalker, which clips to a shirt or collar.

Buttons on myTalker enable users to control calls. Headset status and low-battery notification are provided through visual and audible indicators.

myTalker weighs just 1.2 oz (33g), and is small in size (1.1″w x 1.9″ l x 0.5″ d). myTalker is compatible with all iPods and any MP3 player equipped with a standard audio jack, and pairs with any Bluetooth phone.

The price for myTalker (ET7000) is $74.95. myTalker will be available in February 2006.

Interesting report from xtndata.com:

While 25% of people regularly download music using filesharing software only 7% of iPod owners were doing so. Why is unclear but Greig Harper, founder of XTN Data suggested, “It may be that the iPod has a more mainstream audience beyond the gadget fans which means they’re less aware of or have less desire to use filesharing software.”

This is supported by the finding that iPod owners are more regular buyers of CDs buying an 25% more albums than your average music fan. Half of all iPod owners were regular users of Apple’s iTunes legitimate download service.

Owners of other MP3 players were most likely to be downloading illegally followed by those using their computer to listen to music.

The iPod facts:

44% of MP3 players are iPods
52% of iPod owners male
79% regularly listen to music via the radio
50% of iPod owners regularly download music from Apple’s iTunes service.
29% can regularly be found on eBay buying music CDs.
43% of iPod owners regularly play computer games.
36% own a PlayStation 2 while 11% own an Xbox.

Panasonic unveiled a new SV-MP010 MP3player, which is able to play music downloaded from legal music stores.

It’s a compact MP3 player, it boasts 10GB of storage and features MP3 and WMA playback. Only a single AA battery, but Panasonic claims a playing time of up to 75 hours.

A small LCD, desktop connectivity is via a USB port. It is available in two colours: white and pink, will available on market in March 2006, for just US $99.99.

Panasonic SV-MP010 MP3 Player Features: MP3 and WMA playback, D-Sound & Re-Master for WMA/MP3 , 1GB embedded memory.

Samsung present the YP-D1 Pocket DSC MP3 Player at CES 2006.

The flash-based player features superior digital audio playback, a built-in digital camera, MPEG4 playback, and photo and text viewing capabilities on a color screen.

Available in 1 GB and 2 GB models, the YP-D1 has a 2 MP digital camera with 4X zoom. MP3 player allowing users view photos with 1.8″ 260K color LCD display. New MP3 player plays MPEG4 video and supports MP3, WMA, OGG, JPEG and text files.

The built-in speaker and voice recording capability lets users can to listen a music and record audio to go along with their photos.

The YP-D1’s Li-ion battery offers up to 20 hours of MP3 music. Samsung’s DNSe Portable 3D sound technology provides clear, robust audio for a perfect listening experience. The YP-D1 MP3 player can act as a USB host, allowing users to view photos and videos on a TV.

The YP-D1 is Microsoft Plays For Sure Audio Download enabled, allowing easy interface with music services such as Napster. It also features a built-in FM radio.

The YP-D1 will be available on US market in February 2006 for around $249 (1 GB) or $299 (2 GB).

SanDisk has presented yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas a SanDisk Sansa e200 MP3 player. Its a top of the line MP3 player with a large 1.8-inch color screen and 6 GB of flash storage.

It is also available in 2 and 4GB models. Its high-strength and lightweight back cover is made with an advanced Titanium alloy that is stronger than steel and highly resistant to scratches and wear. It includes a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery for long playtime. Dimensions of the Sansa e200 are 1.7 in. wide x 3.5 in. long x 0.5 in. high (4.4 cm wide x 8.9 cm long x 1.3 cm high). The e200 also boasts a FM tuner and a microSD expansion slot and a slideshow function for viewing photos and playing music. The new MP3 player will be available in March 2006 and will be priced at $200, $250 and $300 for 2, 4 and 6 Gb model correspondingly.