The slate blue version comes with 4 GB of flash-memory to rival the black Apple Nano capacity. That’s approximately 64 hours of mp3 songs encoded at 128 kbps. And the price is right too: $199 for the 4Gb version.

And because it’s using Flash memory instead of a hard drive it boasts a hefty 19-hour autonomy with a single AAA battery!

The Sansa m200 incorporates a tuner for FM radio as well as a voice recorder with an on-board microphone.

It links to your PC through a high-speed USB 2.0 connection.

Supported formats are: MP3, WMA, DRM WMA and Audible

This is the type of mp3 players I expect to become the norm in the future. The advantages of NAND Flash memory over the typical HDD are too numerous.

First and foremost, Flash means No Moving Parts! Therefore, Flash is much more reliable that a Hard Disk Drive. Flash is also much faster for read and write operations.

This, combined with the fact that Flash memory consumes less power than HDD’s, will make it the storage of choice for future products since when you are on-the-go you like to be as autonomous as possible.

Samsung’s recent innovation in Flash memory, the world’s first 16-Gigabit MLC NAND memory makes additional low-power, low-cost mp3 players with 32 GB possible. This is possible by combining 16 of the 16 Gb MLC into a single 32-GigaByte Flash memory card.

That’s the possibility of storing:

either 200 years of an average daily newspaper, 8000 MP3 music files (680 hours) or 20 DVD resolution movies (32 hours of high resolution video footage) on a mobile device.

The Electronics giant’s roadmap for NAND Flash already incorporates higher-densities for 2006 and 2007.

The President and CEO, Dr. Chang-Gyu Hwang, compares the fast adoption of Flash as a storage medium to the Gold Rush of 1849. According to him,

“The future of NAND is setting the stage for an irreversible shift in the design of digital end products as NAND becomes the key storage medium for data in virtually any portable form,”

“NAND flash will eventually replace other storage mediums, especially those used in mobile products, creating a “Flash Rush,” as NAND continues to register an unprecedented surge in demand as the backbone of the mobile electronics era,”

In due time, this will mean enhanced multi-tracking abilities for laptops and desktops for audio compositon. And the possibility of easily carrying them in a small-form device for transfer between studios.