Holding onto the design first established by LG’s FM37, the slim brushed metal body and polished frame are also employed by the UP3. The usual 2.4-inch screen has been replaced with a smaller OLED with 65k color display for the new model. Video and image capabilities are not included, but the UP3 still supports MP3, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, and FM Radio and voice recording.

A retractable USB connection is built-in to the player which comes with a pair of IEMs and in five different colors. The internal flash memory is used as a USB storage drive in capacities of 1GB for 69,000 Won ($77), 2GB for 84,000 Won ($93), and 4GB which is yet to be priced.

[Press Release via AVING]

Although the T54 from LG remains very similar in design to the previous FM37, the polished metal frame and a blue layer of paint are not the only modifications. The PMP has the same 2.4-inch 262k color touch screen, can playback AVI, MP3, WMA and OGG Vorbis, as well as offering a picture viewer, FM radio, text display, games, and an increased battery life to 25 hours of music and 5 hours of video. In what appears to be an effort to be present in competition with the Cowon D2, the major addition to the new model is a DMB receiver for TV, radio, and datacasts on the go.

No storage sizes have been confirmed, but it is likely that LG will reiterate the 2GB and 4GB which were available for the FM37. It's unfortunate for most of us, but the T54 is probably another gadget that will never be sold outside of Asia.

[Cool&Style via ZOL]

It is quite refreshing to see companies realizing that not everyone wants an iPod. So I give props to Volkswagen for pairing up with LG to bring us a nice-looking MP3 player. The player will be branded with the V-dub logo and will be coated in a few of the same colors as the New Beetle.

The player is actually an FM37 [Korean Press Release | More Photos] flash-based player packing in 2GB or 4GBs worth of storage. The 2.4” screen will allow for 3 hours of MPEG4 or WMV playback. On the audio side it supports MP3, WMA, and Ogg with a playback time of 20 hours.

The player was unveiled at the Soul Motor Show but there is no word on the official release at this time.

[Computer World via Autoblog]

Once again, Asians get all the fun stuff... The LG FM37, with its fetching aluminum casing and up to 4GB of memory, is capable of playing MPEG4 and WMV video next to the usual variety of audio formats. The 2.4" screen displays 18bit colors, the battery should last for 20 hours, and the FM radio isn't missing either. We will see if a touch screen really makes a good interface for a video player. Better wash your greasy fingers before using the FM37!

A nice competitor to the Cowon D2, indeed. Visit the official Korean site for more flashy FM37 goodness: "Cool&Style.com"

[Via I4U]

A good example of a company squeezing the life out of a gimmicky concept is LG and its Chocolate phone lineup. Not content with their current box of chocolates (original, platinum, white, mint, and cherry), all of which already have MP3-playing capabilities, LG has set its sight on the low-capacity flash player market (slice of Apple pie, anyone?).

Looking very much like the original iPod Shuffle, the upcoming screenless UP3Flat and OLED-screened UP3Sharp come in 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB capacities and feature a voice recorder and an integrated slide-out USB connector for transferring ASF, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, and WMA files from a PC.

The players measure 2.97" x 0.98" x 0.38" and have touch-sensitive volume controls on their faces and five other buttons on their sides. We're not sure about the OLED version, but the UP3Flat has LEDs above and below the volume controls that flash red, blue, or green according to whatever the device is doing. Battery life is rated at just 10 hours (likely a few hours less when the screen is on).

And as we like to say around here, pricing and availability are currently unknown.

[Crave (UK) | CNET Asia]