Someone at Korg is doing a damn fine job. The Japanese manufacturer has been on a roll for the past few years releasing small, portable musical instruments that have gotten a lot of attention on the internets and reinvigorated interest in the company. It all started with the analog Monotron series a few years ago, and then the highly anticipated re-introduction of the MS-20, and the recently-introduced and drooled-over Volca series.Now, Korg has announced the introduction of the KR Mini Portable Rhythm Machine, a small preset-driven "rhythm machine" that has more features than meets the eye. The most basic way to use the KR Mini is to select one of the preset patterns and run with it—creating your new indie-rock samba jam has never been so easy! These patterns can be chained together and fills can even be inserted with the addition of a footpedal.The real fun, however, comes from the KR Mini's functionality as a very simple, timbre-fixed drum machine. The 16 pads function as individual drum sounds and there's the option to create and store your own rhythms. Of course, lacking MIDI in and out certainly limits how far this thing can really go, but for less than $100, throwing this thing in your bag and being able to demonstrate a beat in a practice space without hooking up your clunky SPD-S seems like it could be a worthwhile investment.More info and specifications can be viewed over at Korg's site.