Official product page for Beatman Mini-CD player
http://www.freecom.com/ecCategory_one.asp?ID=8009&type=DRIVE%5FIN
Beatman detailed links & ordering
http://www.freecom.com/ecProduct_detail.asp?ID=134&nr=16194
$127 Euro = $111 US
$152 Euro with shipping = $133 US total
103mm l x 95 mm w x 29 mm h
MZ-R900 is 75 mm l x 75 mm w
CD players are 155 mm l x 130 mm w
So this player is in between a CD and MD player, but I think a Mini-CD player
could have a smaller area than a MD area -- what is the area of an 80 mm
circle vs. an MD rectangle?
http://www.freecom.com/ecProduct_detail.asp?ID=137
$35 Euro for 25 Mini CD-Rs with jewel cases = $21.91 US = $0.88 US each
185 MB, 8 CM diameter
Press release:
http://www.freecom.com/ecnewsitem.asp?ID=451
Heavy Demand for New Freecom Beatman
Berlin, July 2001. Export demand for the new Beatman mini CD player,
the revolutionary portable MP3 mini CD player, has exceeded all
expectations, according to manufacturer, Freecom Technologies, based
in Delft, The Netherlands. By restructuring its production logistics
Freecom is able to assure European markets that Beatman supplies will
be readily available from August onwards.
In recent years Freecom has established a reputation as a leading
manufacturer of high quality multimedia storage solutions for the
computer hardware market. Its main target group to date has
been 'early adopters' who have been particularly keen on the external
CD writers in the Traveller and Portable series, now in its second
generation.
Freecom is targeting this user group to meet their demand for
innovative, practical and cost effective ways to listen to MP3 music.
The Beatman is the result of this product development and fills a
significant gap in the market for building a personal portable music
library. The surprise has been the almost immediate mass market
appeal of the Beatman that has sent demand soaring.
Peter de Waal, Product Manager for the Beatman at Freecom Europe
explains: "We certainly expected Beatman to become a favourite with
the mass audience down the line," he says, "but our launch to the
more specialist market has been picked up by the mass media and
generated much wider demand than we planned for initially. That's
great and we have rapidly adjusted our production schedules to take
this into account and meet demand with the minimum delay. Naturally
we are delighted by the response," adds de Waal.
The increasing availability of music on the Internet and greater
awareness and use of the MP3 format have also encouraged change in
the storage market. Now, mini CDs offer a practical alternative to
expensive MP3 memory chips and provide much higher music capacity,
storing some 850 MB of data or 210 minutes of music. MP3 music files
are simply downloaded from the internet, using the free software
provided with the Beatman. A CD rewriter is used to burn selections
on to mini CD's which can then be played anytime on the Beatman. So,
in contrast to the majority of portable MP3 players, the Beatman
offers a music lovers a chance to build and personalise a truly
portable listening library in a light an convenient format, played on
the new trend-setting Beatman mini CD player.
___________________
Comments please? My initial take is that mini-CD players will
eclipse portable CD players, portable MP3 players, portable cassette
players, and portable MiniDisc players.
Michael Hoffman
http://www.amptone.com/audio
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