Sphere Looks to Build Handheld Empire on OmniPlayer

Computergram International, August 24, 1999

Sphere Multimedia Technologies Inc is preparing to launch the OmniPlayer, a digital audio player that the company intends to be the building block for a slew of modular handheld computing and communications products it is developing. The Hallandale, Florida-based company claims that the OmniPlayer - which it calls a Universal Portable Device - will eventually incorporate mobile phone functions, web browsing, personal information management and global positioning systems in a single unit.

The company's selling point for the OmniPlayer is that it easier to use than other players and supports all of the internet music compression formats that are currently available. According to Michael Sheinfield, a spokesperson for Sphere, the user does not need to install any software to download music from the internet. The player can also record music from existing formats like CDs, mini-disks and tapes.

The audio player will be available in September - the company has already started taking orders - and Sphere plans to add new modules every four months or so. The first of these will be a Palm Pilot-style personal organizer, then a mobile phone. Users will be able to upgrade the OmniPlayer by clipping new modules onto the removable front panel of the device. Sheinfield said that it was company's goal to price the new modules at less than what it would cost the user to buy a separate device.

However, despite the intriguing concept behind the device, the company faces some challenges in bringing its UPD to market. "It makes sense if they can do it and do it well," said International Data Corp analyst Kevin Hawes, noting that others had tried without success. Battery life and size and weight would be key, Hawes said. The device will have to be cheaper than more established handheld rivals, such as the Palmpilot, to be a success. Hawes also wondered if the same people that went to the gym with their audio player would be so keen to bring their personal organizer into the same environment.

Sphere claims a battery life of 10 hours for the OmniPlayer. The device weighs 5.1 ounces, and measures 4.4" X 2.7" X 1.2". The player is based on Sphere's own operating system and records audio on Flash memory cards. The device costs $199 and includes 32Mb of Flash memory.