Media company MediaREADY has unveiled a digital media player that they hope will attract the hip-hop generation. The BlingPlayer is, as MediaREADY calls it, "All Iced Out," but I'm all iced out for another reason: when will we see the end of sub-standard gadgets that try to sell based completely on some shiny rhinestones and sequins?

This isn't to say that the BlingPlayer isn't good at what it does, but there are lots of catches. The BlingPlayer software converts your mp3s and wav files to the proprietary MediaREADY format. No WMAs or AACs, protected or otherwise. It will also convert your mpeg-4 video for playback on the tiny 1.8" color screen. It sports 2GB of storage, and some other handy features, like a built in voice recorder and FM tuner, as well as a portable address book.

There are some significant omissions in the product description though. No mention of battery life, or what other supported video or audio file formats there are, if any. But hey, the BlingPlayer has sequins and plastic "gems" all over the side, surely that counts for something. Whether that counts up enough to make it worth the $199.99 that MediaREADY is charging for it is a different matter. I'm thinking you could find several other 2GB flash players that support more formats with fewer restrictions and more features for the same price. [via NewLaunches]