Reg Kit Watch Austrian watch seller Laks has announced an update to its USB Flash drive timepiece. The new model, due to ship next month, features a built-in MP3 player.

Like our own Cash'n'Carrion Memory Watch, the Laks watch features up to 256MB of Flash strorage space. The USB connector neatly locks into the watch's black plastic strap.

The new model ships with a pair of in-the-ear phones, which connect up to an earphone socket againt built into the strap. In order to supply enough power to run the MP3 playback circuitry, the watch contains a separate rechargeable lithium battery, which is powered up using the USB link. Laks claims a charging time of 1.5 hours, yielding 4-5 hours' playback time. Running out of juice for the MP3 player should not affect the device's ability to tell the time accurately.

The watch component is based on a Japanese mechanism, and comes with a two-year warranty.

Versions of the device with 32, 64, 128 and 256MB of Flash are currently on pre-order, preparatory to shipping in March. They are priced at €89 (£60), €129 (£88), €189 (£129) and €279 (£190), respectively. ®