A music player aimed to challenge Apple’s iPod, Dell recently developed a portable media player in an attempt to break Apple’s dominant on the portable music market. Expected to be released on Tuesday, this music player comes with 512 MB of storage.

With 512 MB memory, DJ Ditty is capable of storing up to 220 songs, compared to Apple’s iPod 120 songs on same size of flash memory. The physical appearance has yet to be seen whether it is sufficient to catch public’s attention. Nonetheless, the light weight device weighs merely 1.29 ounces. In addition, it comes with a 30-day subscription to the Napster To Go service.

According to Dell, the device utilises a more efficient compression technique, and at the same time, uses 64kbps WMA encoding. Although I would demand a minimum 128kbps for my audio file compression, let’s hope that the sound quality from DJ Ditty isn’t too poor.

Other features of the music player include a one-inch LCD screen, which allows you to navigate through the list of songs, and a built-in FM radio receiver, anytime you wish to switch to live radio channels, within your vicinity.

Some of the key features are:

• 512 MB memory storage (for up to 220 songs)
• Integrated FM Tuner
• Easy to read 26×11mm LCD screen
• Slim design measuring 3.6×1.1×0.5 inches
• Rechargeable Li-ion Battery (life up to 14 hours of continuous playback)
• Compatible with Napster To Go

Currently priced at $99, I would consider this as the “coolest” bargain you can get in town.

Check out the technical specifications from Dell’s website.