GoKawiilMP3 players' history traced from 1998 debut to modern revival
A Verge newsletter recounts how portable digital music began with the MPMan F10 in Asia in March 1998, followed months later by the Diamond Rio PMP300 in the West, which gained attention after the RIAA sued Diamond Multimedia over MP3 piracy concerns. Both devices shipped with just 32MB of storage, enough for about 12 songs, and featured clunky monochrome displays.