Philips to Beta Test Hard Drive Audio Player

Philips is seeking 50 volunteers to beta test its first hard drive based portable audio player, a device the company calls a "recording audio jukebox." The HDD100 will pit Philips against Apple's iPod and the NOMAD Zen from Creative. Unlike its competitors however, Philips HDD100 is able to encode new MP3 files on the fly using a built-in microphone.

The sleek HDD100 sports a 15GB hard drive and USB 2.0 for quickly copying songs from a PC. It can play both MP3 and WMA audio files, and has a 5-band equalizer with four settings that can be assigned to each song. For quick access, Philips has included a remote control, along with a scroll wheel for speedy navigation.

"A real stunner, the HDD100 is decked in high gloss magnesium and hardened glass, exuding the hard-core signature allure that's hard to resist," says Philips. "When you move, your universe moves with you. Not the other way around."

Anyone over the age of 12 can apply to the beta test by filling out a brief questionnaire. The test will last for 8 weeks and testers will be asked to complete two surveys during that time. Beta applications will be accepted until 6:00 PM PST on Sunday, May 18. Participants will be contacted via e-mail with 7 days from that date.