Eiger Labs MPMan F10
Encyclopedia
The MPMan music player, manufactured by the South Korea
n company SaeHan Information Systems
. Debuted in Asia in March 1998, was the first mass-produced portable solid state digital audio player.
The internal flash memory
could be expanded, but there were no support for external memory. It was delivered with a docking station. To put music into the device, the music first had to be encoded in the mp3
format by an encoder provided by the user. And transfered via the parallel port
to the docking station that connected to the portable player device.
In Japan, Tokyo
, Chūō
Akihabara
the "Akiba ~ us" stores in , initially started selling two models with 32 MB and 64 MB, the price for was (ca ), for the price was .
In North America, the South Korean device was first imported for sale by Michael Robertson's in mid-1998. Around the same time, Eiger Labs, Inc. imported and rebranded the player in two models, the Eiger MPMan F10, and Eiger MPMan F20.
The Eiger MPMan F10 was a very basic unit and wasn't user expandable, though owners could upgrade the memory from to by sending the player back to with a check for . Measuring at tall by wide by thick and weighing a little over , it was very compact.
The US price in 1998 för the F10 model with flash memory was circa .
The was a similar model that used SmartMedia
cards for expansion, and ran on a single AA battery
, instead of rechargeable NiMH
batteries.
, which was released soon afterward, was received better.
The RIAA
's Associate Director of Anti-Copyright infringement initially said the MPMan had "no function other than playing material that was stolen from record companies". He later said it was "a unique device. It's something that we haven't seen on the market before".
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n company SaeHan Information Systems
SaeHan Information Systems
SaeHan Information Systems is a South Korean information systems company based in Yeouido, Seoul. The company started out as a small subsidiary of Jaeil Textiles in January, 1973. SaeHan Information Systems is credited with the development of the world's first MP3 player....
. Debuted in Asia in March 1998, was the first mass-produced portable solid state digital audio player.
The internal flash memory
Flash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
could be expanded, but there were no support for external memory. It was delivered with a docking station. To put music into the device, the music first had to be encoded in the mp3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format by an encoder provided by the user. And transfered via the parallel port
Parallel port
A parallel port is a type of interface found on computers for connecting various peripherals. In computing, a parallel port is a parallel communication physical interface. It is also known as a printer port or Centronics port...
to the docking station that connected to the portable player device.
In Japan, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Chūō
Chuo, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards that form the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Chūō City in English.Its Japanese name literally means "Central Ward," and it is historically the main commercial center of Tokyo, although Shinjuku has risen to challenge it since the end of World War II...
Akihabara
Akihabara
, also known as , is an area of Tokyo, Japan. It is located less than five minutes by rail from Tokyo Station. Its name is frequently shortened to in Japan...
the "Akiba ~ us" stores in , initially started selling two models with 32 MB and 64 MB, the price for was (ca ), for the price was .
In North America, the South Korean device was first imported for sale by Michael Robertson's in mid-1998. Around the same time, Eiger Labs, Inc. imported and rebranded the player in two models, the Eiger MPMan F10, and Eiger MPMan F20.
The Eiger MPMan F10 was a very basic unit and wasn't user expandable, though owners could upgrade the memory from to by sending the player back to with a check for . Measuring at tall by wide by thick and weighing a little over , it was very compact.
The US price in 1998 för the F10 model with flash memory was circa .
The was a similar model that used SmartMedia
SmartMedia
SmartMedia is a flash memory card standard owned by Toshiba, with capacities ranging from 2 MB to 128 MB. SmartMedia memory cards are no longer manufactured.- History :...
cards for expansion, and ran on a single AA battery
AA battery
An AA battery is a standard size of battery. Batteries of this size are the most commonly used type of in portable electronic devices. An AA battery is composed of a single electrochemical cell...
, instead of rechargeable NiMH
Nickel metal hydride battery
A nickel–metal hydride cell, abbreviated NiMH, is a type of rechargeable battery similar to the nickel–cadmium cell. The NiMH battery uses a hydrogen-absorbing alloy for the negative electrode instead of cadmium. As in NiCd cells, the positive electrode is nickel oxyhydroxide...
batteries.
Technical data MPMan MP F-10
- Player device:
- Memory: 16/32/64 MB
- Maximum Memory: 64 MB
- Dimensions: 16.5 mm thick, 70 mm wide, 90 mm tall
- Weight: 65 gram (without battery)
- Ratio Signal / NoiseSignal-to-noise ratioSignal-to-noise ratio is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. It is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power. A ratio higher than 1:1 indicates more signal than noise...
: 70 dB - Distortion rate: 0.1%
- Maximum output: 5 mW x 2 (only headphone output)
- Output Connector: 3.5 mm stereo TRS connectorTRS connectorA TRS connector is a common family of connector typically used for analog signals including audio. It is cylindrical in shape, typically with three contacts, although sometimes with two or four . It is also called an audio jack, phone jack, phone plug, and jack plug...
- Frequency response: 20 - 20 000 Hz
- Power Supply: Rechargeable Battery (gum type DC 1.2V 1000mAh x 2)
- Device color: Gold / Pink / Silver / Skeleton black / Blue
- Docking station:
- Dimensions: 30 mm thick, 133 mm x 110 mm
- Weight: 80 gram
- Power: DC 9V 400mA (AC adapter included)
Critical reception
The MPMan was not well received by critics and consumers. The Rio PMP300Rio PMP300
The Rio PMP300 was a portable consumer MP3 digital audio player , and was produced by Diamond Multimedia. It was introduced September 15, 1998, and it shipped later that year.-Features:...
, which was released soon afterward, was received better.
The RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
's Associate Director of Anti-Copyright infringement initially said the MPMan had "no function other than playing material that was stolen from record companies". He later said it was "a unique device. It's something that we haven't seen on the market before".