South Korean electronics giant Samsung has introduced two new portable media players, and while the company probably has few hopes of usurping the iPod from the top of the PMP heap, it certainly hopes to attract a few customers with it the MyFit, a new PMP with personal fitness features, and the IceTouch, a 16 GB PMP that looks, well, very unique.
“In the world of MP3 players, companies need to continuously innovate and redefine the user experience, and we think we’ve done both of those things with the IceTouch and MyFit products,” said Samsung Electronics america senior VP Reid Sullivan, in a statement.
First up, the IceTouch features a casing made using tempered glass and a dual-injection molding process for a smooth, scratch proof surface that also happens to be, well, transparent. The IceTouch offers up to 16 GB of storage, a full-color transparent AMOLED display, and new 5.1 channel sound enhancement and dynamic audio level management. The IceTouch supports MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, M4A, WAV, and MP3HD audio, along with MPEG4, WMV, H.264, XviD, and DivX video—the IceTouch also packs an FM Tuner. The IceTouch will be available in white, but can be customized with solid colors like purple, pink, and blue. Samsung plans to bring it to market in the first half of 2010; no pricing information is available.
The Samsung MyFit aims at fitness fans—or at least those who would like to be. The PMP includes a slate of “wellness information and monitoring” tools, with fat and stress sensors located on the top of the player: the device can measure a user’s “wellness indicators” and help keep users an track with their fitness goals by tracking calories burned, caloric consumption, a water intake manager, and a smoking cessation utility. (No word on whether that last feature involves playing some Richard Cheese every time someone gets an urge to light up). The MyFit will be available in the first half of 2010 in 8 and 16 GB capacities; no word yet on pricing.
