Panasonic Rolls Out Bluetooth-Enabled MP3 Player That Synchs with Cell Phones

As fall approaches rapidly, an increasing number of manufacturers are launching all sorts of products, just in time for what's commonly known as the "back to school" season, when most students go nuts and start purchasing electronic devices like there's no tomorrow. And one of the latest announcements of this type comes from Panasonic, who has just launched an important addition to its D-snap series, namely the SV-SD950N model, which provides certain
interesting playback features but, most importantly, advanced Bluetooth-related features.

The SV-SD950N is not exactly fantastic, as far as the external looks go. Thus, we're talking about a basic candybar design, with an LCD display on the top-side and touch-sensitive controls, available in either black or white. However, as mentioned earlier, it's not the design that counts in the case of the SV-SD950N, but rather its very impressive features.

Thus, first of all, the SV-SD950N is capable of playing MP3, WMA and WAV files (much like any other player currently available on the market) and it can generate an audio output of around 3mW per channel. It has no internal memory, but the people over at Panasonic have thrown in an SD card slot, which also supports SDHC memory cards with capacities of up to 8 GB. Moreover, it comes packed with a very powerful Li-Ion battery, which is capable of providing a whopping 60-hour functioning life after just a 90-minute charge.

As mentioned earlier, the most important component of the portable player from Panasonic is represented by its built-in Bluetooth module, which allows it to connect to mobile phones or other Bluetooth-enabled devices for transferring files. The module supports Bluetooth Ver.2.0 + EDR and is a Class 2 device, which means that it has a maximum range of around 10 meters. Moreover, the device is compliant with the A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile), but also with AVRCP (AV Remote Control Profile) and HFP (Hands-Free Profile).

As any portable player, this device is quite slim and lightweight, measuring around 35 mm x 90.7 mm x 11.4 mm, at a weight of around 38 grams. The device retails for around 25,000 yen ($218) and is available for now solely in Japan.