To tell you the truth, I wasn't really aware of the fact that Mariah Carey had such a large fan base that it's actually made it worth it for a consumer electronic manufacturer to launch a co-branded device; apparently, that's exactly the case. And that's because iRiver, a well known Korean manufacturer of PMPs, MP3 players and other portable devices, has just unveiled the fact that it's going to launch a Mariah Carey special edition of its N20 MP3 player.

So, according to MariahConnection, this edition of the N20 will not only be “special” but also “limited,” since, as Universal Music Korea indicates, only 5,000 units will ever be manufactured. Plus, as things usually go in such cases, the N20 will come pre-loaded with 17 tracks from Mariah Carey’s new album, “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.”

“The Mariah Carey Special Edition release is a great example of how music content can be perfectly matched with new digital products and innovations, appealing to tech-savvy consumers, sleek gadget lovers, limited-edition collectors and, of course, devoted music fans,” said Universal Music Korea managing director Beom-Joon Yang in a statement. “Combining iriver’s innovative technology with Universal Music’s artistic creativity, we are very proud to consistently present special collaborative products with iRiver.”

iRiver CEO Kuno Kim also added that “We’re excited about the new N20 Special Edition, as it offers digital consumers and music fans an exclusive experience of the fantastic new album by the megapop icon Mariah Carey.”

According to iRiver, its Mariah Carey N20 Special Edition player will retail for 120 US dollars, which is not that bad a deal, especially for all those “Mimi” fans out there. Plus, since this is, after all, a limited edition, it's very likely that it will turn into a sort of collector's item at some point in the future... depending on the place Mariah Carey will ultimately occupy in the history of modern music.


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