Gateway will release its first portable music player on Tuesday as it continues to expand into consumer electronics.
The Gateway Digital Music Player combines three functions in one, according to Rick Griencewic, director of digital audio at Gateway. It can play MP3 files, it can be used as a portable storage device for shuttling data between two PCs, and it can also function as a digital voice recorder. The device can be plugged directly into a PC through a USB slot. "You don"t have a cable you can lose, which can generate a support call," Griencewic said.
Like Sony, Hewlett-Packard and to a lesser degree Apple Computer, Poway, Calif.-based Gateway plans to come out with a wide variety of branded household gizmos that can be used, and sold with, its PCs. Overall, Gateway plans to release 50 products fitting into 15 different product categories this year. Internally, the company has formed groups to devise products for the audio, photography, video and connectivity (i.e., home networking) markets.