Gizmo

By Andy Walker, Cyberwalker Media Syndicate

It's hard to believe that the famous Sony Walkman has been reduced to the size of a Zippo lighter.

You won't be putting CDs or tapes into this device though, but the music from them can be downloaded into the gadget via a computer.

The 2.3 oz digital music player connects to a computer via a USB port, common on most computers built since 1998.

Music files can be transferred to a 64 MB Memory Stick, which is about the size of a stick of Juicy Fruit gum. The storage card, which comes with the device, can hold about an hour of music in MP3 format, though you can buy cards with a larger capacity.

The device has no moving parts, so it's skip-proof, which will appeal to fitness buffs. It also has a rechargeable Nickel-Metal Hydride battery and comes with a charger. Besides MP3 files, it supports three other music data formats.
This device is rather pricey, but it's a charmer.

Price: $499.99 Cdn, $299.95 US
More info: www.sony.ca, www.sony.com
Buy it: This device can be found at most Sony dealers, but to locate a local dealer check out www.sonystyle.ca in Canada and www.sonystyle.com in the U.S.

Also available on-line at: ABT Electronics.