Can Meizu's MiniPlayer unseat the iPod?

Chinese electronics company Meizu, perhaps soon to be the most popular kid at school, is releasing a new digital audio player that's white, ridiculously small and designed with minimalism in mind. Sound familiar? Well, yes and no.

Gadget bloggers are buzzing with anticipation over the M6 MiniPlayer, and generally handing out high marks for the flash-based gadget, with one reviewer even resorting to phrases like "iPod-esque."

Credit: Meizu

So, how compact is it? Meizu says it's "smaller than a credit card," weighs less than 2 ounces, and has a 2.4-inch screen that displays song info, synchronized lyrics, AVI video, photo slide shows, screen savers, a stopwatch and games.

The M6, which supports MP3, MP2, WMA and OGG audio formats, can record up to nine hours of your voice, and broadcast and record FM radio. Meizu is advertising 20 hours of playback with a built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery.

One of the more intriguing differences between the M6 and the Nano is pricing: The 4GB M6 goes for $219, while the same size Nano rings up for $249. Meizu also offers a 2GB M6 for $159, and a 1GB for $139.

The Meizu M6 MiniPlayer should be available in the U.S. by July or August, though you can preorder now at the product's Web site.