I bought this player last week (Asda) and am well pleased with it. I too have searched the net for info but the lack of it seems to suggest that it must be a brand new one. Someone did tell me that they are made by Amstrad, but don`t quote me on it.
I looked for a multi region hack and it has been suggested to me that the hack for the Schneider 810 would work, but I haven`t tried it yet!