Taiwan-based P2P music service debuts MP3 player with SD card slot
digitimes.com
(images and table in article)
Esther Lam, DigiTimes.com, Taipei [Monday 26 December 2005]
Taiwan-based MP3 file-sharing service Kuro recently debuted its Kuro Neo MP3 player for use with its peer-to-peer file-sharing network.
The MP3 player comes with 512MB of flash memory, while also featuring an SD memory card slot so users can expand their storage capacities without having to upgrade the entire device. The company stated that the Neo can also serve as a USB drive and card reader for SD memory cards, and it does not require any driver installation.
Lite-On Technology Corporation (LTC) is the OEM manufacturer of the Neo, Kuro stated.
Targeting the 400,000 subscribers to its file-sharing network, Kuro aims to sell about 20,000 Neo MP3 players in 2006. The MP3 player will retail for NT$3,888 (US$117), and the company is marketing it bundled with a one-year subscription to its file-sharing network for NT$3,889.
Kuro does not rule out the possibility of partnering with other vendors for MP3 product rollouts next year, according to product manager Eric Yang. The company also has MP3-equippped handsets on its roadmap, he added.
Kuro mainly focuses on Chinese-language songs with its peer-to-peer network, and like many other file-sharing services, the company has seen its share of legal troubles. The company lost a lawsuit this year filed by the local Taiwan International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for copyright infringement. Despite losing the case, the service remains active and Kuro stated that it is currently negotiating a settlement for the lawsuit. |
