MP3 sunglasses

	The FU-MP3-1466 from mainland China' Flyus supports MP3 and WMA formats, synchronized lyric display, and voice recording and e-book functions. It has a built-in FM tuner and loudspeaker.

Further enhancements in style and form factor and various function combinations refresh product offerings.

Although no further product developments can be expected from the mature flash MP3 player line, manufacturers in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan remain proactive, refreshing their product selections with varying combinations of features and functions and exploring further enhancements in terms of style, compactness and portability.

The range includes mini and standard players in entry-level, midrange and high-end models. Some products come in novelty shapes for the gifts market or are designed for custom printing for the premiums sector. Support for MP3 and WMA formats is common, but there are models that are also compatible with various video and image files. Among the value add-ons are built-in FM tuner, voice recorder, speaker and memory card reader functions as well as USB ports.

In mainland China, external designs remain the focus of production, followed by broader format support that extends to video handling capability. Aligned with these design targets is the adoption of larger display screens. For the future, some makers foresee the widespread application of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies as the next trend.

Hong Kong makers, on the other hand, concentrate on memory and functions based on the flash MP3 players available from them. Most models have up to 4GB internal memory; lesser models make up with expandable memory via built-in memory card readers.

For Taiwan makers, highly differentiated ID and cosmetic designs are crucial to the MP3 player line's staying power, as technology has evened out the playing field. Despite this, most makers continue to pursue enhancements in terms of multimedia support, clearer and larger displays, higher capacity and add-on functions.

Price forecasts vary due to the fluctuating cost of flash memory and supply of LCD panels. For accurate quotes, many makers separate memory cost from product cost. In the long term, however, makers agree that prices will decrease as the line grows deeper to maturity.

	The SY308 MP3 player built into a teddy bear from mainland China's Shenzhen Senyen has a 3W speaker and doubles as a USB storage device.

Flyus Electronic Technology (HK) Co. Ltd focuses on external designs. In the next few months, the company plans to widen its MP3 players' support for more memory cards and A/V formats, as well as to increase screen sizes and built-in functions to meet buyers' requirements. A new release from Flyus is the FU-MP3-1466, which supports MP3 and WMA formats, synchronized lyric display, e-book and phonebook, multilanguage display and voice recording. The model's other features include a seven-band equalizer, FM tuner and built-in loudspeaker.

Flyus, established in 1998, mainly produces flash MP3 players, portable media players (PMPs), GPS receivers and digital photo frames. It has a 28-engineer product development team that cooperates with design houses, releasing eight to 10 types of new products every 30 to 45 days. Its factory is equipped with eight production lines and four assembly lines, including 13 advanced SMT equipment, 10 high-speed machines and three multifunction ones, and four reflow soldering machines. The maker mainly exports through OEM and ODM channels.

For Shenzhen Senyen Group Ltd, compactness and portability are still the main trends in the line, said sales manager Anson Zheng. As an example, the company offers its SENYEN2008, a mini MP3 player measuring 43x15x8mm, which Shenzhen Senyen believes may be the smallest in the world. The model adopts touch key technology and runs on built-in lithium batteries.

The maker also has the SY2118, which it touts as the thinnest MP3 player around with thickness at 4.5mm. The player is compatible with USB 2.0 and has playback time of 8hrs or more. Its memory is available from 128MB to 4GB. The SY2118 can be printed with cartoon characters, advertisements or business cards. The SY308 features a teddy bear design that is targeted at the gifts market.

Shenzhen Senyen was established in 1995 and specializes in various digital A/V products such as MP3 and MP4 players, portable and in-car DVD players, car displays, and digital photo frames. It mainly outsources design solutions but conducts structure designing in-house. The OEM/ODM-oriented maker launches one or two new products every two months.

Shenzhen Hotwav Science & Technology Co. Ltd remains focused on external designs, said sales manager Landy Fang. One of its models is the H002, which has a streamlined form factor. It supports ID3 tag display and plug-and-play USB. It has a mini stereo earphone jack and can come with or without a display. The company's H006 is a cassette tape-type MP3 player that can be used as a standalone unit or as a cassette tape for in-car use. Another model, the H003, has no screen, measures 40x28x2mm and weighs less than 15g. It has a metallic casing and a clip to keep it securely in place.

Since its establishment in 2005, Shenzhen Hotwav has been manufacturing digital products and storage devices mostly on an OEM basis. It has four staff engaged in structure and software design. It takes the company 10 to 14 days to develop a new product and introduces five or six new products every month on average. In the future, the maker is planning to increase investments in MP4 player production.

Hongfutai E-Tech (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd will continue to focus on smaller and thinner MP3 players with touch keys, said sales assistant Juliet Zhang. Zhang noted that MP3 players that incorporate Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies will be an important trend in the future. To support these trends, Hongfutai E-Tech intends to upgrade the displays of its MP3 players to 3.5in. Among the company's current models is the MU765 video MP3 player, which has a 2in or 2.4in TFT display and a touch key feature. It is compatible with MP3, WMA, AVI and JPEG files, and supports miniSD memory cards.

Hongfutai E-Tech was set up in 1999 and mainly turns out MP3 and MP4 players and digital photo frames. Its other products are GPS devices, acoustic products and USB storage devices. The supplier has about 30 staff for product development and 20 process engineers. It has production lines from SMT, painting and molding to soldering, assembly and testing, including RoHS inspection. It can provide OEM and ODM services. The maker usually introduces about 60 new products per year. It takes 45 days to develop a new product.

Koncepts International Ltd offers about 15 open items, excluding models that are exclusive to some customers. The MP3-127, also called Celesta, supports MP3, WMA and DRM10 playback. It has a voice recorder function, seven preset equalizer settings and a USB 2.0 port. It supports song title display and runs on one AAA battery.

Koncepts' MP3-153 features a 128x64 pixel LCD screen with LED backlight and WAV voice recorder. It supports MP3, WMA and DRM10 playback, multilayer folder structure, variable bit rate and 22hr playback on two AAA batteries. It has a maximum built-in 2GB memory, which can be further expanded up to 2GB through an SD card.

The MP3-117, nicknamed Kornett, has a large, round LCD screen with white backlight for song title display. It comes in an aluminum casing and plays MP3 and WMA files. It includes an MMC/SD card slot, a USB 2.0 port, seven preset equalizer settings and optional FM tuner/recorder function.

Topcom Asia Ltd has released plush toy MP3 players that are available in two designs—a male model called Toby and a female version called Lily. The built-in MP3 players have 256MB internal memory preloaded with instrumental music. Hi-fi stereo music and WMA and MP3 formats are supported. Playback buttons are located on each arm, while volume adjustment buttons are on both feet. The models are washable and include USB 2.0 ports for connecting with computers. Four AA batteries power the devices.

Veritronix International (HK) Ltd's HB660 comes with an optional FM transmitter. The multimedia player has a 2.4in TFT display with 262,000 colors and 320x240 pixel resolution. It plays AVI videos and MP3, WMA and WAV music. It includes a built-in speaker, FM tuner, miniSD card support, eight equalizer modes and e-book function.

The HB660 supports voice recording through a microphone and an FM radio. It features a sliding, touch-sensitive user control and is available with 128MB to 4GB flash memory.

The V600 from Veritronix supports RM, RMVB and AVI video playback, and MP3, WMA and FLAC music. It supports game emulator download for playing 16-bit and 32-bit games. It has an SD card slot and a 3.6in full color TFT display with 16 million colors. Model V600 also supports JPEG, BMP, GIF and animated GIF photo browsing, voice recording and TXT reading. A USB 2.0 port and a 1,400mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery are included.

Another model from Veritronix is the HB710, also called the Mobile Theater, featuring a 3in 16:9 TFT screen with 16 million colors. It supports various media formats, including RM, RMVB, AVI, MP3, WMA, FLAC, JPEG, BMP, GIF and animated GIF. The Mobile Theater comes with voice recorder and e-book reader functions, USB 2.0 port, multilanguage support, microSD card slot, 900mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery, and 128MB to 4GB internal flash memory.

The bestselling model at Veritronix is the HB-672, a chocolate-inspired slim MP4 player with a touch-panel 2in TFT screen, AVI/MP3/WMA playback, FM tuner, JPEG browser, e-book reader, voice recorder and gaming support. This model's 1.8in version is also a major seller for the company.

Many of Veritronix's latest MP3 players support microSD (TransFlash) cards. A few models have a miniSD slot. "We continuously develop new products. All our models are our own IDs," said Veritronix product manager Michael Pau. For some video-enabled models, the company uses AVI-capable chipsets. "Our models with AVI chipsets can play videos copied directly from the source. You can download movies from the Web and watch them in our players. In other models, videos have to be converted before they can be played," Pau stressed.

Some suppliers offer OEM services so customers can choose media formats supported. One such company is Jumbo Technology Corp., which offers the JB-114 multimedia player that supports customized formats, of which the standard include MP3, WAV and JPEG.

The JB-114 has internal memory of up to 4GB. Its large LCD screen supports multilanguage display and wallpaper setting, and can show artist and song titles. The JB-114's basic MP3 player functionality includes a built-in FM radio, A-B repeat, language learning tool, voice recorder and multiple equalizer modes. It runs on a rechargeable lithium battery. Dimensions are 70.8x40.2x14.2mm and weight is 40g.

Transcend Information Inc., in turn, highlights stylish/fashionable designs. Its latest flash MP3 player model, the Tsonic 650, is small and lightweight enough to be placed in a pocket or worn around the neck. It comes in two selectable colors. It measures 75x31x13mm and weighs 30g, including a Li-ion battery.

At Ergotech Technology Co. Ltd, hotkeys are important considerations in ID design. The company's ULU31 comes with an FM hotkey for search and a record hotkey for one-touch recording. Ergotech's newest MP3 players also feature 90dB S/N ratio audio quality. Ergotech derives more than 90 percent of its sales revenue from its multimedia player business.

For displays, OLED is becoming popular in the MP3 player line. Transcend's Tsonic 650 features a dual-color OLED display that can be read from virtually any viewing angle and even in bright lighting conditions. The easy-to-read display can be used for singing along with the Tsonic 650's karaoke-style Lyrics Sync function.

Micro-Star International Co. Ltd (MSI) has launched P330, which features a two-color OLED screen. The model supports ID3 display for artist/song title and album information. It supports lyric synchronization display.

For high capacity, makers offer models with built-in memory card readers, while some manufacturers completely do away with internal memory and add card slots to avoid fluctuations in flash memory costs. The mainstream memory sizes in Taiwan's players are 1GB and 2GB, with some models boasting internal memory of up to 4GB.

An added value to MP3 players from many Taiwan makers is the legal digital music download function. An example is Transcend's Tsonic 650, which supports various media formats, including MP3, WMA, WAV and WMA-DRM10 subscription music. Ergotech also produces a number of models supporting DRM 10 for legal downloads. Among these models are the DeeJay UL19D and UC12D.

For multifunctionality, some suppliers offer players that support video files and games on top of typical functions integrated in an MP3 player, such as FM radio, voice recorder and A-B repeat function for language learning.

Xcube Technology Inc. has the MP2002, which features sync capability with Windows Media Player for users to edit favorite music albums. The media player has a 2.4in color TFT display. It has a 32-bit processor that can handle most game formats such as NES and Java, among others. It also features thumbnail preview and on-the-fly photo viewing. A/V formats supported include AVI, MP3, MPEG-4, WMA, WAV and others. The MP2002 has 8GB internal memory and a miniSD flash memory slot.

MSI has launched flash MP3 players with video and Bluetooth functions, and with low power consumption that guarantees up to 70hrs of playback time. MSI's models are also compatible with Windows Vista. Seeing that the networking function is on demand, MSI has been developing high-end flash MP3 players with A/V, communication and GPS functions.

	Shenzhen Hotwav's MP3-H006 from mainland China can be used as a standalone MP3 player or as a cassette tape. It supports MMC and SD memory cards and has a mini USB 2.0 port.

Some manufacturers expect prices to remain at current levels. Others cite fluctuating flash memory costs and are not ruling out a price increase in the short term.

In the long term, however, manufacturers agree that prices of flash MP3 players will be on the downtrend.

Flash memory accounts for 30 to 50 percent of product cost, display for 10 to 30 percent and IC solution for 10 to 40 percent. Flash memory cost and LCD supply fluctuated in the past year.

Among interviewed mainland China makers, Flyus and Shenzhen Senyen are confident that prices will remain stable. Shenzhen Hotwav and Hongfutai E-Tech, on the other hand, predict flash MP3 player quotes will go down. Shenzhen Hotwav explained that this is due to the growing popularity of MP4 players.

Flyus' FU-MP3-1466 is priced at $7.20. Shenzhen Senyen's products are priced from $3 to $23, depending on the external design and built-in functions. Shenzhen Senyen's models SY2008 and SY2118 are quoted at $8 and its SY308 at $10. Another model, the SY323, with blue OLED display, metal casing and built-in lithium battery is offered at $20.

Shenzhen Hotwav's products are priced from $5 to $26. The H006 is quoted from $15.50 to $16.50, the H003 from $6.50 to $6.80 and the H002 from $8.50 to $8.80.

In Hong Kong, installing 1GB of flash memory adds about $6 to the price and $11 for 2GB, on average. As flash memory costs change daily, makers separate the memory cost from the product price.

Veritronix asks its customers their choice of memory brand. Its products are compatible with both SLC and MLC flash memory. Koncepts uses four kinds of solutions in its MP3 players.

Excluding flash memory, Veritronix's HB-672 is priced at $20, FOB Hong Kong, and the HB710 at $65. "There is a wide price gap because of the different solutions. The HB710 is already a full-function PMP," Pau explained. The company requires a minimum order of 1,000 units.

Koncepts' MP3-127 (Celesta) is priced at $14, the MP3-153 at $14.50 and the MP3-117 (Kornett) at $16. The company's required minimum order is 2,000 units.

Topcom's plush toy MP3 players are CE-approved. As an environment-conscious company, it avoids using PVC in its products. In products where PVC is used, it chooses PVC without phthalates, chemical compounds banned in some parts of Europe for being harmful to health.

In Taiwan, suppliers vary in price forecasts for the next 12 months. For the long term, makers agree quotes will decrease as the line settles further into maturity.

Entry-level models from Taiwan that support MP3 playback, photo viewing, digital voice recording and card reader functions are priced at less than $50. Adding flash memory from 128MB to 2GB will increase the unit price by $20. In midrange and high-end models with 4GB memory and 4in and larger displays, prices are higher by $20 to $40 when integrated with MPEG-4 playback and TV-out functions.