MP3PlayerBuying report: RCA has released its latest assortment of digital portables MP3 player, shifting away from the Lyra name it has used since they introduced their first new MP3 player in 1999 to models named after gem stones. We'll start with the rugged looking character on the right, the RCA Jet. Aimed towards the jogging set, the Jet comes with a 1.5 OLED display, a stopwatch, and a body mass index calculator. It comes with 1GB MP3 player of memory for $69 and 2GB MP3 player for $89. But, the most interesting player of the whole line is the Jet Stream, which will be released late spring . It uses Kleer Wireless technology to deliver sound to a tiny pair of wireless earphones that come with the unit. The Jet Stream comes with 1GB MP3 player of memory for $149. All RCA players handle MP3 and WMA codecs.

Going counter-clockwise we find the RCA Pearl. This basic 1GB unit sells for an inexpensive $49, gets 15 hours on a single AAA and has an SD slot to boost capacity. Finally there is the RCA Opal, a 2GB MP3 player unit for $79 that is the video portable of the group. It's 1.5" OLED will playback MPEG-4 files as well as the MP3/WMA.