Hip hop guru Damon Dash unveils line of MP3 players

Damon Dash, a hip hop master who reigns over his ROC empire of companies, is getting into the MP3 player space with his new ROCBOX line of flash memory and hard drive digital audio players. The players will be marketed under a new ROC company called ROC Digital.

"Our first business venture -- and the heart of what we do -- was the formation of Roc-A-Fella Records," said Damon Dash, CEO of the ROC empire and ROC Digital partner. "This is a natural extension of that core that also responds to the state of the continually evolving music marketplace."

Shipping in mid-November to mainstream stores likes Macy's and CompUSA, here are the specs from a press release:

The (20GB hard drive) ROCBOX will provide users with:

• 600 hours of music/more than 5,000 songs
• Sleek, black chrome-plate casing
• Automatically synchronizes with Window Media Player to easily access your music library
• Plays MP3, WMA and WAV files
• Built-in equalizer with 25 pre-set sound modes
• Includes USB 2.0 cable, travel charger, exclusive Roc-Digital earbuds and custom belt clip
• Up to 13 hours of continuous playback with rechargeable battery
• Screen Size: Large 2" blue backlit screen (resolution 128x64)
• Price: $299.99

The flash memory-based ROCBOX will provide users with:

• 256MB
• Direct MP3 encoding player
• Plays MP3, WMA, ASF music files
• Plays up to 8 hours of music (256 MB)
• FM tuner and recorder (built-in)
• Includes USB cable, exclusive Roc-Digital earbuds and neck strap
• 40 hours of battery life (AAA x2)
• FM stereo radio and encoder
• Recording time: voice (35 hrs/128MB), encoding (8hrs, 45 min/128MB)
• Price: $159.99