April 11, 2007 9:57 AM PDT

The incredible shrinking Walkman

by Mike Yamamoto
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(Credit: Sony)

As MP3 players continue their magic shrinking act, it's getting difficult even to identify what they are at first sight. The latest version of Sony's once-venerable Walkman making its Japan debut, for example, could be mistaken for a USB key or dongle, measuring just over 3 inches long and weighing only 1 ounce.

In fact, as Akibahara News notes, the E Series players can be used as a USB drive too. But that would make it a pretty expensive storage device, going for about $92 to $167 for versions ranging from 1GB to 4GB, providing up to 30 hours of playback. They also include a color OLED screen and come in various exterior hues as well. But if it's green you're after, you might have to search out one of the rare "Gachapin" special editions.

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