Virgin releases iPod rival; Virgin Player

Virgin Electronics today unleashed a digital audio player with a 5GB hard disk. The Virgin Player weights 3.1 ounces, supports both MP3 and WMA and is capable of working with various digital music services according to Virgin. The price of the Virgin Player will be $249

Virgin's Player is aimed as a competitor to the Apple iPod Mini, which also has a price of $249. But the little audio player from Apple only offers 4GB of space, and weights a little bit more (3.6 ounces).

One of the other features of the 5GB Virgin Player is an FM tuner and the ability to create playlists.

The device comes bundled with the company's music software and service, Virgin Digital, which sells song downloads for 99 cents, or monthly subscriptions for $7.99.

The company also announced a new line of portable speakers that work with the player.

Both the player and the speakers are set for release later this month.

Software, hardware and consumer electronics companies currently dominate the online music market. But Virgin Electronics, the electronics arm within the Virgin Group, hopes to take advantage of being part of an offline music retailing giant.

Source: Cnet