COMDEX 99: C@MP MP3 Player Showcased

HIT (Human Interface Technologies) has been demonstrating a
new product at Comdex Fall 99 called the C@MP, or Cassette
Type Music Player. This product is a simple concept
taken one step further. In the deluge of MP3 players
at this year's Comdex, this product is the one unit
that stands out amongst the sea of Rio imitators. The unit itself
looks like an aluminum cassette tape, with proper size and form. The
product has a USB data port, headphone jack with remote
control, a slot for a rechargeable Ni-MH battery and a
magnetic tape head. The C@MP acts as a normal portable MP3
player, until you place the unit into a cassette player, whereupon it
transforms to a functioning tape.

This special feature is one many will find useful, especially those still stuck with a cassette player in their car. The product is also extremely light and carries nicely in a back pocket.

The expected launch for C@MP is sometime
in December or early January, but the demos proved the product already functional.
Control of C@MP is extremely intuitive, with a click of rewind or fast-forward moving to a different song. The only flaw in the design is the lack of a
removable flash card to store extra music, giving no
expandability on its slim 32MB of Flash RAM. However, plans
for 64MB units are in the works and will be
released shortly after the initial product hits the
market.

Human Interface Technologies can be reached on the Web at http://www.mp3player.co.kr.