Thanko's wee MP3 player

Juniper Foo | Sep 17, 2009

(Credit: Geek Stuff 4 U)

For some strange reason, this mini MP3 Micro Sport player from Japan's etailer Thanko calls to mind the ear that scientists attempted to grow out of a rat's back. Morbid visions aside, this device is more earpiece than music player, making it one of the tiniest and most compact digital audio players out there at 16 x 25 x 22mm.

The 8g MP3 Micro Sport is innocuous enough to look like a hearing aid once you plug in, so no one's the wiser if you're not paying attention at boring lectures or long speeches. Though at that size, don't expect any superb audio playback. Available in 2GB (4,980 yen, US$55) and 4GB (6,980 yen, US$77) flavors, controls are expectedly minimal, with two chiclet buttons visible from the pictures along one side. Playtime maxes out at 4 hours, though beyond that not much is mentioned on whether the battery is built-in or removable.