Nikon Wi-Fi headset plays videos, browses Web, scares children

Just in time for Halloween: The Media Port UP, a Wi-Fi-enabled "multimedia playback headset device" that's sure to be a hit with the Borg.

Set to go on sale this month in Japan, the attention-getting (well, the wrong kind of attention) UP300x might not do much for your social life—at least not while the single-eye display is swiveled into position—but hey, at least you'll be ensconced in all manner of A/V delights no matter where you go.

Armed with 8GB of flash memory (a cheaper 4GB model is also available) and a 0.44-inch, 640 by 480-pixel LCOS display (which, according to Nikon, looks equivalent to a 50-inch screen viewed from three yards away), the AA battery-powered UP300x packs in a video/music player, an A/V input for iPods or other portable media devices, a Wi-Fi receiver, and a full-HTML Web browser.

A set of controls on one of the UP300x's earcups lets you control A/V playback and Web surfing—or, if can't be bothered to use your hands, a motion sensor will simply detect your head movements and translate them into action (nice, although potentially problematic for head-bangers).

Of course, the Media Port UP headsets doesn’t come cheap; the 8GB UP300x goes for 69,800 yen ($690), while the 4GB UP300 model has a sticker price of 59,800 yen ($590). No word on when they'll be coming to the U.S.—and maybe that's a good thing.

Related:
Press release [via Akihabaranews.com]