ZVUE rolls out MP3 player preloaded with hit songs

ZVUE today offered a new edition of its ZP3 flash player designed to get listeners started with a strong collection of music. The new edition comes preloaded with 30 well-known songs from the past year: nine of the tracks have made at least one of Billboard's top spots in their respective categories, the company boasts. The device itself is also designed to be easy to load up with a direct USB plug-in feature and sync using Windows Media Player instead of a proprietary jukebox.

The device plays both MP3 and WMA and includes DRM support for the latter to hook into Napster, Wal-Mart, and other stores that allow copy-protected song sales or unlimited music passes. A single version of the ZP3 is available with 512MB of memory in a black hue and runs for up to eight hours on a charge with a single AAA battery. Cost is one of the motivating factors behind the design of the player, which is already available today at Wal-Mart and other shops for $35.