TEAC MP-600 MP3 player: Because you like to touch
TEAC's new MP-600 is a touchscreen MP3 player that apparently will do until the touchscreen iPod gets here. Have a look and make your own mind up, perhaps?
Everyone and their grandmothers want to be touched at the moment -- the DS, MP3 players from LG, oh yeah, that iPhone thing -- touching is clearly the new pressing. Now TEAC, who we've not heard from for a while, has thrust a curious contender into the portable audio market, the MP-600.
It's got an 89mm (3.5-inch) display, support for MP3, WMA and Xvid, an FM radio and it's expandable with SD/MMC memory cards. These are fairly average specs, but Xvid movies on a screen that size will be pleasant enough.
What's a little rubbish is the 10-hour battery life for audio. We've got Cowon's iAudio 7 in the house at the moment, and that squeezes out a monstrous 60 hours. Ten hours is just unacceptable. Still, it's better than the horrendous, disgusting, plain offensive Squircle (be sure to check our review), which only managed 6 hours, despite being a jumped-up dog toy.
The MP-600 comes in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB capacities and costs about £120. No confirmation if we're going to get this in the UK, but TEAC has an official presence in Blighty, so it's a good bet. You can rest assured we'll have a full review if it does. -Nate Lanxon