MP3 concept: Proud would Yoda be

(Credit: Anything But iPod)

Why is it that the best designs almost always seem to be just concepts? Oh right, they don't have to work. Still, that won't stop us from admiring this lighted, cylindrical MP3 player, which looks more like a Lightsaber than a music gadget. (There's no reason, of course, it can't be both.)

Yoda references notwithstanding, the "Musipen" envisions other interesting features, such as navigation by twisting knobs on either end to display information on a wrap-around screen, according to Tech Digest. This last idea might actually be possible soon enough with new technology like Sony's flexible screens. But we think the name has to go--it sounds too much like mucous or Metamucil, neither of which seems conducive to a marketing moonshot.

One more suggestion. With a player that looks so much like a microphone, wouldn't it make sense to add a karaoke feature as well? Hey, it's a only concept design--we can make up stuff as well as anybody.