Airis iPod nano rival offers FM, video playback

French electronics designer Airis today unveiled a slimmer but more feature-rich addition to its MP3 players. The N004x series uses a relatively thin, 0.53-inch shape and weighs the same 1.4 ounces as its primary challenger at Apple. While using a similar 1.5-inch LCD, the flash player adds SMV video playback in addition to an FM tuner with radio recording. Photos are viewable in JPEG and BMP formats and music can be read in either MP3 or WMA. Continuous playback of audio lasts for 10 hours on a full battery, Airis claims. The firm ships models soon with either 1GB (N0041) or 2GB (N0042) of flash memory at prices beginning at $90. A three-watt speaker dock is available for an additional $52. [via GenerationMP3]