Star Trek

Cuts Like A Knife  

Think of the Swiss Army Knife, that ubiquitous multi-purpose multi-tool, and the last thing that comes to mind is music.

But that was before someone decided to take one of the worlds oldest innovations and add a new one to it  an MP3 player.

The Knife was first invented back in 1891 and improved to the kind of classic its become throughout the years.

And while its been remade and refigured over the past century, its basically stayed the same  including a pocket knife, scissors, a screwdriver, and a can opener.

Then along came a company called Swissbit that convinced longtime manufacturer Victorinox to re-invent the tantalizing tool yet again by adding on a device that will play MP3 files as part of the package.

The s.beat, as its known, comes with a built-in digital audio player and a USB storage device, along with the other traditional utilities.

The player is detachable from the rest of the gizmo, works with all available formats, has an FM radio tuner, can record your  or someone elses  voice, and can spout your tunes for about eight hours without recharging.

The new and improved Swiss Army Knife not only comes with a nod to modern technology, but modern problems, as well.

The inventors have created a version without all the tools so it can be taken on an airplane.

But wait, as those old Ronco pitchmen used to say, theres more! The gadget thats naughty but knife also comes with a universal socket that lets you recharge the battery anywhere in the world, and also plug in other electronics like a hair dryer or an electric razor.

How much will you pay for this evolution revolution? A 1 gigabyte version will cost you between $195-212 Cdn. Double the memory and it will be a little more. A 4-gig model will be out in the spring.

Now if only you could use the knife to help you cut out the songs you dont want.

cool but expensive.