MobiBLU is no stranger to cube-shaped MP3 players or to small ones but this player brings a little something new, however we’re not exactly sure why. This cube-shaped player has controls on its side for playback of MP3 allowing play, pause, volume control and switching tracks. What’s unique is that it will flatten out into the shape of a cross and then fold back up into a cube.

Where this could be useful isn’t exactly clear. Maybe if you needed to slide the player under a door or through a narrow spot? Also I’m wondering how that headphone jack works when it’s flattened out, or when it’s folded up for that matter. The MP3 Nanum measures just 30mm cubed, connects via USB 2.0, has a 1GB storage capacity and supports MP3, WMA and WAV files. MobiBLUE also shows it being available in colors of red, white and green. No word yet on pricing or how we might get this in the states.

Olive, a maker of high end audiophile products, is getting stylish with a new artistic version of its Opus No5 digital media player. The new players, designed by Karim Rashid, are priced at around $4,000.

The four unique styles of this Opus No5 players are technologically focused as much as they look good. They have high end audio components built in for producing a sound which Olive feels is equal to the player’s price tag. These devices offer up to 750GB of hard drive storage so you can load and keep your favorite music files and associated information available for more easy enjoyment.

Twinbird has another splash-proof, portable music player available giving you more options to bring you tunes into the bathroom This one has an internal USB port to connect your thumb drive loaded with MP3 or WMA files to play in the bathroom or other damp areas that would otherwise brick a normal media player. One the drive is plugged in the case can be closed and the music can be selected from the outside.

In addition to playing digital music from a portable drive the Twinbird CD ZABADY AV-J189S also houses a CD player and an FM radio. It runs on internal batteries that can bring up to 7 hours of radio, 5.5 hours of MP3 playing or 4 hours of CD playback. It also has built-in speakers and a convenient handle on top to port it around. Internal picture of the player after the jump.

Environmental groups have been all over the iPod due to it’s eco-unfriendliness to the environment. The Eco Media player may not be an iPod killer, but it should make the environmentalists a bit happier. The device is a video player, music player, fm radio, LED torch, photo viewer, hi-fi recorder, memo recorder, data storage device and a mobile phone charger. So how is this eco-friendly with all of these functions? Simple. It has no need for replacement batteries.

You wind it via a fold-out handle on the rear. (Or if you don’t care about baby seals and Polar bears, you can charge it via a USB cable to your computer). 40 minutes of audio play requires only one minute of self powering.

This PMP player from Kinwei appears to have a very nice, clean design but how it’s used we’re just not sure. It sports a 2.4-inch TFT display and allows you to view E-books, JPG, GIF and BMP images, MP1, MP2, MP3 and WMA music files and the ever-obscure TV/AWV video formats. It also has a built-in FM tuner, seven preset EQ modes, a rechargeable battery and a capacity of 2GB. The product details list a touch pad for interaction but aside from that the player appears to have no buttons, dials, switches, cool blue lights and not even any branding. We still think it looks pretty cool, however. No price was readily available and it comes in the shown color of black or white.

Teenie-boppers aside, I don’t know anyone who would sacrifice utility for aesthetic gimmicks. I suppose there are people who want a wine bottle shaped thumbdrive, or a Darth Vader shaped flashlight but I don’t know these people and I’m very glad I don’t. But that won’t stop companies from coming out with cheap devices, the sole selling point of which is a gimmick like the following Lipstick shaped MP3 player I have to dub the most ridiculous item of the day.

Music players are evolving slowly but surely adding features here or there, miniturizing etc. This particularly small MP3 player has a good feature set for what it is. For musicians, this device would work perfectly as a scratch pad during the writing process with its built in voice recorder to name just one of the interesting features.

The 2 tone LCD is adequate for its purpose and the navigation screen is simple. The player includes a built in speaker for when you’d rather not be wearing headphones, and hosts a 7 mode EQ to adjust the output of your WMA or MP3 files and the WAV files recorded via the built in voice recorder.

San Francisco-based Olive Media Products is known for putting out high end, pricey audio gear. It’s no surprise than to find a $3,000 price tag on its new OPUS No5 networked audio system.

The Olive OPUS No5 is a hard drive based audio storage system which lets its owner store upwards of 2,200 CDs. It makes use of top-end digital and audio technologies to create what Olive feels is an “audiophile-quality sound” experience. This device features a minimalist design, streams Internet radio and offers audio features like a signal/noise ratio of 123dB.

This super-thin USB Flash Card MP3 player from Brando is about the size of a credit card or just slightly larger at 85.5 x 54 x 4.5 mm and can house 2GB of listening media. It can also work as mass storage (if you call 2GB mass storage anymore) by connecting via USB to your computer.

The device can play MP3 or WMA files and has buttons that are flush with the frame that control navigating the songs. It also has a red LED light that …

MP4 Player is actually the model name for this media player with built in 2MP swivel camera. As ridiculously generic as the name is, at least it wasn’t called an iSomethingorother. The camera swivels 180 degrees and records 4MP interpolated video. Playback MPEG-4 files at 320×240 pixels and 30fps with the ability to convert your non compatible videos using software installed on the device. Load your MP3, WAV or WMA files up and start rockin’.

Illustrated right is a render of the Meizu M7 touch screen miniPlayer geared to compete directly with iPod Touch. The media player is targeted for a March 2008 release with a price tag that could draw business away from Apple for all but the most die-hard iPod users. The tentatively named M7 will sport a 2.8 inch touch screen with a 16:9 480×228 resolution and supports H.264 playback. At $100, $110 and $150 for 2GB, 4GB and 8GB models respectively, the M7 is likely to be a very popular iPod clone.

While a cheaper alternative to the Apple iPod MP3 player, its lower price likely indicates this Chinese manufactured Miezu clone will lack the quality and attention to detail that the Apple players have become known for. The design concept has only recently and hurriedly been announced so stay tuned for any updates.

When innovation is elusive try novelty, right? Available in an assortment of colors and certified “Made For iPod”, Mountain Network Solutions unleashes an iPod docking station that will call attention to itself.

Included are the necessary adapters to dock any iPod that is docking capable. The unit will synchronize with iTunes and is controllable via a small remote for navigating playlists and adjusting volume, bass and treble.

Zicplay touted this player at the IFA in Berlin as the smallest MP3 player currently available, measuring just 43mm long, 15mm wide and weighing 18 grams. It appears to have a very simple interface consisting of a couple buttons on the front that control moving tracks forward and back and also controls the volume.

The Microkey supports playback of MP3 and WMA files giving up to 6 hours of listening time on a single charge of the battery. It also connects to your PC via USB 2.0 …

These colorful units are the newly announced ML-300 MP3 players by Korean-based MPIO. Less than the size of a credit card (28.2×19.3×65.9mm, for those that have their rulers handy) and weighing 23 grams, it supports MP3, WMA and WAV files and you get a nice-sized 10-12 hours of battery life from your single AAA battery. Also thrown in is voice recording, eight equalizer presets and a built-in FM radio.

While it’s only got a monochrome display it is backlit in a nice blue and the graphics are detailed, if a bit tiny. Two models are available in Japan, a 1GB ($43) and 2GB ($61), and in three color choices (pumpkin orange, lime green, dark grey.) Of course there’s no Bluetooth support (all your uploading is done via USB) but for this economical price point you shouldn’t care.

SanDisk announced the release of the final version of the Sansa View today, apparently dumping the original View design the company had unveiled earlier this year. This new design however may make a serious challenger for the latest iPod Nano from Apple with a larger 2.4″ display, up to 16GB of storage and more.

The View supports playback of MP3, protected and unprotected WMA, WAV, audio along with MPEG4, WMV, H.264 and DivX video playback at a nice 30 frames per second. It will also show JPEG photos and play Audible files. In addition to just playing your stored media, this player also packs in an FM tuner with the ability to remember up to 20 preset stations, and also houses a voice recorder with a built-in microphone. And, the storage can even expanded from that already impressive 16GB of storage with a microSD/SDHC slot. The 2.4-inch TFT color display has a 320×240 resolution and the rechargeable battery promises 35 hours of continuous audio playback, or 7 hours of video.