Portable video players are becoming smaller and smaller, but this is one is downright tiny. It’s 3.7 inches by 1.8 inches by 0.57 inches. At a DigitalLife press event in New York last night, I had a chance to see a demo of Kingston’s new K-PEX media player.
The two-inch screen has a resolution of just 220 x 176 pixels, and the 15 frames-per-second video had a slight stutter. On the other hand, the video was surprisingly sharp with excellent color. You can’t beat the weight (2.2 ounces) or price ($129.99 for the 1 GB version or $179.99 for the 2 GB version). Expect the 1 GB version to be available online for as low as $75.
It can handle MP3 music files, JPG photographs, and TXT documents, in addition to MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVI, WMV, and ASF video files. You’ll have to convert any video files to the .MPX format. Fortunately, Kingston includes conversion software. As if that weren’t enough, they throw in a miniSD card slot, two games, and integrated FM radio.
In case you’re wondering, you can’t record the FM radio, as you can with some other media players. You can record voice, however, using the built-in microphone. Along the top, you’ll find an audio line-in jack, which is unusual for a low-end player. There’s also a built-in speaker that sounds reasonably good (and loud) given its small size and back-of-device location.
The K-PEX isn’t really designed to be placed on a keychain. Even if it were small enough, you wouldn’t want your keys scratching up the screen.