Sony debuts 'Giga Pavit' a 2GB 'iPod mini wannabe' audio player 




"Sony has taken the wraps off its first hard-disk drive-based audio player, saying the gadget, to be sold under its Aiwa brand name, will be available worldwide from April. The Giga Pavit is based on a 2GB drive from Cornice whose "storage element" drives are already used in several other digital music players. Its 2GB capacity version was launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week," Martyn Williams reports for Digit Magazine Online.

"The drive provides enough storage space to accommodate around 500 songs, with the device's USB 2.0 interface able to transfer an hour's worth of CD quality audio in about 18 seconds, according to Sony. It supports MP3 format files at fixed or variable bit rate. Two versions of the player are available. The HZ-WS2000 has an in-line remote control in the headphone cable, while the HZ-DS2000 has all the components built into the main case. The former player measures 91-x-56mm – about the same size as a business card – and is just over a centimeter thick, while the latter player is slightly taller and wider and a good deal thicker at 94.5-x-60-x-18.4mm," Williams reports.

"The Giga Pavit is due on sale in Japan and major international markets in April and will cost around 35,000 Yen (around US$325), said Sony," Williams reports. "A PC running Windows XP, 2000 or ME with USB interface is required. The device won't work with Apple Macs, according to the company."
 

Posted: Thu - January 15, 2004 at 11:29 AM        

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