14 DAY TRIAL // Sharp introduced a new line of MP3 players, very original and shock resistant, as the company claims.
The Sharp MP-S200 and MP-S300 feature a mountain-climbing style carabiner design, have an aluminum metal case and an internal honeycomb structure. Sharp claims that its new players can be dropped from a height of 140 cm without suffering any damage.
The two players can also be used as a fashion accessory like a key holder or attached to your belt.
MP-S200 has a 512 MB capacity and MP-S300 can store 1GB of data. Both players have an FM Tuner, FM Transmitter and direct encoding as MP3 or WMA and support USB 2.0 connectivity.
Sharp's new players' only highlight is the carabiner. It is not a match for the iPod mainly due to the small storage capacity. As for the simplicity and functions, iPod has many others than MP-S200 or MP-S300. Indeed, no iPod has a built in FM radio, but you can get it as an accessory.
Because the two players cannot compete with iPod, Sharp won't launch them in Europe or USA, but only in Taiwan.