Portable digital audio systems manufacturer MPIO has released in Hong Kong its new FL300 necklace-type MP3 player, said to be the smallest and lightest of its kind in the world.
The South Korean firm, whose name is pronounced 'em-pee-oh', has positioned its latest product as more of a fashion item than just a plain vanilla, personal entertainment device.
MPIO's FL300 MP3 player measures 30x50x 12.8 millimetres and weighs 28 grams, which makes the device smaller and lighter than a Zippo cigarette lighter.
Unlike many garden-variety MP3 players in the market, the MPIO FL300 sports a case that is copper-coated with chrome. It also has a multi-coated mirror front panel and a light-emitting diode that provides a white backlight.
The device comes in red, blue and violet models, inspired by precious stones such as rubies, sapphires and amethysts. This line, according to MPIO, could easily be co-ordinated with a range of clothing - even business suits.
MPIO's earphones are integrated into the necklace. This globally patented design is supposed to prevent the earpieces from tangling.
That meticulous attention to detail would help make the FL300 stand out from the 30,000 to 50,000 digital audio products manufactured each month by MPIO. About 75 per cent of these are exported to markets such as the United States, China, Germany and Japan.