Japanese electronics manufacturer Seagrand has upped the ante in the race to develop compact digital devices by introducing one of the thinnest audio players in the world. The business card-size Ravemetal CardRec audio player measures 77mm by 54mm and is 9.8mm thick. The device comes with three memory options--128MB, 192MB and 256MB.
For file transfers, the CardRec connects to Windows-based PCs through a USB (universal serial bus) connection and supports common music formats such as MP3 and Microsoft's Windows Media Audio. The gadget also sports a built-in microphone and functions as a digital voice recorder. The audio player will be launched in Japan next week, but availability for other regions is unclear. Details on pricing have yet to be confirmed.
CNETAsia's Winston Chai reported from Singapore.