IDEO provided turnkey product development for Audible's handheld mobile audio storage and playback system. The 3.5 ounce device uses state-of-the-art audio compression technology (just prior to the innovation of the MP3 standard) to transfer and hold over two hours of spoken audio--books, speeches, or other programming--from the internet. The player decompresses the digital audio as it plays through headphones or, using its built-in FM transmitter, through a nearby radio.

IDEO's role involved researching the technologies needed to ensure a successful, feasible, and cost-effective product, as well as providing the complete industrial design, engineering--mechanical, electrical, and firmware--and manufacturing liaison.