Reg Kit Watch Austrian watch seller Laks (http://www.laks.com/) 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 (http://www.cashncarrion.co.uk/), 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. ®