New wave of portable electronic MP3 players assist fitness and exercise enthusiasts

• In late July, Philips and Nike will begin selling the MP3Run, a 256MB flash-based player that retails for $299 and comes with a separate Bluetooth module that attaches to your shoe.
• Rather, it's there to wirelessly transmit to the player how far you've run--an exciting concept if you do any sort of jogging with your MP3 player.
• Here's the kicker: While you're running, you can press a button to temporarily silence the music while a synthesized voice tells you how far you've run and at what pace.
• When you're through with your run, you connect the player to your PC, and your time and distance are uploaded to the Training section of Nike's running site, where a training log allows you to track your progress.
• You can do all this today in a more low-tech fashion by purchasing a pedometer for $20 to $60, timing your run with a stopwatch, listening to a standard sports-oriented MP3 player, and manually entering your times and distances on Nike's running site (or in a spreadsheet of your own).
• I know people who run, bike, and work out with their iPods, but hard drive players can skip, and until the Mini came along, the standard iPod was a little heavy compared to flyweight flash players.
• With many of the new HDTVs featuring DVI, a digital video connection, discerning viewers are turning to DVI-equipped DVD players for the best picture quality.
• 4/2/04 LCD TV on the cheap LCD TVs may be all the rage, but did you ever stop to think that they're just glorified computer monitors?
• Executive Editor David Carnoy gives you the lowdown in his Fully Equipped column.