As a Swiss army knife, the s.beat includes a scissor, nail-file/screwdriver and a blade/knife. As a music player, the s.beat comes in three flavors 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB. It can play MP3, WMA, WAV, and Ogg Vorbis music files. It also does duty as a voice recorder, FM receiver, and a high-capacity USB storage device. What I like about the s.beat is that you don't need to bother with batteries. Every time you connect it via the USB interface, it gets charged automatically and lasts 8 hours on full charge. There's a cute, red, and sexy remote control thrown in as well.

Now everyone knows that a Swiss knife is not allowed onboard an aeroplane. So, what do you do if you find yourself with the s.beat at a check-in counter? Simple. You keep cool. Just detach the audio player from the s.beat, protect it with the supplied USB cap, and chuck the leftover knife portion into your luggage. As Swissbit says, "Security personnel are more likely to only stop
you to ask one question: Where did you get this tiny masterpiece?"

The quality of this product is evident from the life-time warranty being offered by the manufacturer. The 2GB and 4GB s.beat are scheduled to hit the shelves sometime in February 2006. Pricing is yet to be announced. (The 1GB is priced at US $170 and is available now.)

Product brochure: s.beat product guide (PDF)

Manufacturer website: Swissbit

(via OhGizmo)