NHJ has releaed a new MP3/WMA player with some great features - the obligatory organic EL display, variable speed playback and programmable MP3 encoding and recording. Unfortunately, they've ruined what could have been a decent product by including a slide cover for the controls. According to NHJ, the cover contributes to the simple and refined design. The downside is, whenever you need to use a control under the cover, you'll have to open the cover first. And with this player from NHJ, that will be often, as all of the controls are under the damn cover!

NHJ will release the "v@mp VP-825", an MP3 player with an organic EL display and a sliding cover for the controls, on 11 March. It will have no recommended retail price but is expected to sell for approximately 17,800 yen. Supported operating systems are Windows 98 SE/Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 9.2 - OSX.

The MP3/WMA player uses a 2-colour, 16-tone organic EL display with a resolution of 96 x 63 dots. Using the slide cover, the control buttons can be hidden from view. According to NHJ, "the simple yet original external design should appeal to male customers who appreciate refinement."

Playback of MP3 and WMA files is supported at bitrates of 8 - 320kbps and 64 - 160kbps respectively. ID3 tag display is also supported. The player is also equipped with an MP3 encoder and recordings can be made in MP3 format using the internal microphone or FM tuner. Up to three future recordings can also be programmed.

Sound quality can be adjusted using the preset equalizer (NORMAL, ROCK, POP, CLASSIC, LIVE, BASS) and user settings can also be saved. For language learners, playback speed can also be adjusted and other features include a wakeup call, alarm clock and stopwatch.

The player connects via USB1.1 and is supported as a storage class device. Power is provided by an internal lithium polymer battery which provides up to 11 hours playback on a 1 hour charge. The player is 36 x 17.2 x 68 mm in size and weighs approximately 50 grams.

Inspired by:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20050311/nhj.htm

Product Information:
http://www.vamp-mp3.com/jp/vp800/index.html