One new model features a flashy diamond-encrusted design.

Paul Kallender, IDG News Service

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Panasonic and Samsung Electronics have each launched a range of new digital music players that combine numerous functions with head-turning designs that go as far as a diamond-encrusted model.

Panasonic is releasing four players in its D-snap range, two of which use SD (Secure Digital) memory cards to store music files and two that use built-in flash memory, the company says.

The SV-SD100V and SV-SD90 look almost identical, play files in MP3, AAC, and Microsoft`s WMA (Windows Media Audio) formats, have OLED displays, and use SD cards for storage, the company says.

The SV-SD100V measures 1.7 inches by 1.7 inches by .7 inches, and weighs 1.4 ounces with batteries. It has an FM tuner and a voice recorder, the company says.

The battery life is 14 hours 30 minutes when playing audio, and 7 hours 30 minutes when using the FM receiver. With an external battery pack, the SV-SD100V`s audio playback time is extended to about 50 hours, according to Panasonic.

The SV-SD90 has the same volume as the SV-SD100V and weighs slightly less at 1.3 ounces with batteries. It does not have the battery pack, so the audio playback time is 14 hours 30 minutes, the company says.

Panasonic also released the SV-MP730V and SV-MP720V players that use built-in flash memory to store data. Both play WMA and MP3 formats but not AAC files. The SV-MP730V has a capacity of 1GB and the SV-MP720V has 512MB of memory.

All the players will be on sale in Japan from April 8. They will be available in the U.S., Europe, and Asian countries including China before the end of May, says Akira Ikenouchi, a spokesperson for Panasonic.

The SV-SD100V will be on sale in Japan for about $171 and the SV-SD90 for about $133, while the SV-MP730V will cost about $267 and SV-MP720V about $190, he says.

Samsung`s New Devices

Samsung is releasing three players that use hard drives to store data, and three players that use flash memory. All will be available in the Asian, European, and U.S. markets over the next two months, the company says.

Of the players that use hard drives, the YH-J70 supports gaming functions and is available in a 20GB or 30GB version. It has a 1.8 inch TFT display, can play files in MPEG-4 video and Audible, Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WMA audio formats, and has a playback time of 25 hours, the company says. The 20GB version will cost $494, says Anthony Lee, a spokesperson for Samsung.

The other players with hard drives, the YH-J50 and YP-D1, have similar features to the YH-J70, but have hard drives with capacities of 5GB or 6GB, according to the company. The YP-D1 has a 2-megapixel camera, the company says.

Of the three players using flash memory, the YP-W3, which is shaped like a pocket watch, has 8 diamonds embedded around its display and white gold plating, the company says. Pricing for this model was not available.