The decidedly derivative portable media player market can embrace with open arms the latest entries from LG, the FM37 (tops out at 4GB, $320), FM33 (4GB, $255) and DMB T50 (2GB, $265). As expected, the players are, to use a tired phrase, more evolution than revolution: all models are flash-based and have just barely watchable-sized screens (2.4-in. on the FM37, 1.77-in. on the FM33 and 2.4-in. on the DMB T50). What is a little more rare, however, is the e-book support found in the FM37. (Who could stand to read The Alchemist on such a small screen is a discussion that belongs elsewhere.) After all, books are as much a medium as terrible sounding MP3s and repeatedly transcoded video.

If Google’s machine translation is to be trusted, LG designed these players to have a certain European flair. I guess a standard LCD and shiny black plastic count as “flair” these days. – Nicholas Deleon