Hood.e: hoodies with built-in speakers

As if "urban youth" weren't annoying enough, they can now buy hoodies with built-in speakers.

At least the speakers are unpowered so the noise shouldn't be too deafening. Then again they will probably be less annoying that the people having loud one-sided bluetooth phonecalls.

Thankfully these are just a prototype for now.

(via makezine)

Mvix MV-2500U HDD media player

Mvix have announced a new 2.5" hard drive based media player that provides up to 250GB of portable media storage in a 5" x 3" x 0.5" enclosure.

The MV-2500U doesn't have a screen of it's own so you need to connect it to a TV via component cables then use the remote control and on screen menus to access your media.

The MV-2500U supports MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, DivX® 3.11, 4x, 5x, XviD, DVD(IFO, VOB), ISO video, AC3, MP2, MP3, DTS pass through, WMA, OGG, M3U audio, and JPG photos and outputs in 1080i or 720p resolution.

Cost for the basic unit is $149 without a drive or you can get one with a 80MB, 160MB or 250MB drive for between $99 and $199 more.

Continue reading "Mvix MV-2500U HDD media player"

Recertified ipod came with a virus

Ina Fried bought a $99 recertified 4gb iPod Nano from buy.com. The ipod contained a virus (that thankfully was caught by antivirus software).

That iPod didn't come from apple, it was recertified by an unidentified company in Illinois and supposedly buy.com checked and it was not a widespread problem.

As with any good deal online: caveat emptor ("buyer beware").

(via cnet)

iLuv announces HD radios

iLuv is one of the multitude of companies who jumped on the Apply iPod iMac iPhone bandwagon by putting the letter i in front of everything.

They just announced two alarm clock radios that receive HD radio broadcasts: the i168 at $89.99 and the i169 at $169.99. What's the difference I hear you ask? the i169 looks cooler and has an iPod dock so you can listen to your iTunes when the iAlarm wakes iYou in time to go to your iJob.

Me? I'm "blessed" with a built-in alarm clock that wakes me at 4.40am every morning, even on the weekends......

Press release:

Continue reading "iLuv announces HD radios"

Soundwalk wearable speaker system

You may be worried about the damage ear buds do your hearing, and you may be looking for an alternative, but please do not buy the soundwalk: you have awful taste in music and I don't want to listen to it.

Yes, now you can subject everyone nearby to whatever musical masterpiece is currently in your playlist. Whether it is Miley Cyrus or Nine Inch Nails I can guarantee your choice will annoy someone.

The soundwalk is coming to the Koreannovation in New York soon, a whole show just for wield Korean stuff that we thought the Japanese had a monopoly on.

(via gearlog)

TG Sambo PMP

Now this is a nice looking portable media player, too bad it appears that it will only be available in Korea.

The TG Sambo has an 800 x 480 pixel 4.8" touchscreen display, 801.11b/g WiFi and lots more features that make the most of it's alchemy AU1250 700MHz processor.

Lets hope it gets released in the US.

(more at aving)

Continue reading "TG Sambo PMP"

Now available: Samsung soundbar

We saw Samsung's HT-X810 Home Theater Sound Bar with wireless subwoofer and integrated slot-in upconverting DVD player at CES and it is now available for purchase.

It blends in nicely with flat TVs, and has a 300W output including the wirelessly connected subwoofer.

Portable music players can connect wirelessly via bluetooth, and the HT-X910 also plays CD, DVD-Audio, DivX video, and MP3/WMA, upconverting video to 1080p on request.

(via electronichouse)

Orb Audio home theater speakers reviewed

Digital Home Thoughts has reviewed some speakers I had never heard of before: the Orb audio Home Theater Speaker System that retails for $549 and up.

Here's what they thought:

"When it's all said and done, the bottom line is that the Orb Audio speakers impressed me so much that I'm going to purchase my own set of these speakers. There's no higher recommendation I can give than to say that this is the product I personally want to use. The Orb Audio speakers are not only smaller than the Harman Kardon speakers I had before, they sound better, look better, and made me never want to set up the old system again. While the overall package can get a bit pricey if you need two pairs of their HOSS stands, if you're looking for a quality system - or an upgrade from that horrendously bad Home Theatre In-A-Box system you might have - Orb Audio has a range of solutions at every price point that will allow you to enjoy movies, music, games in ways you never have before. And because their system is so modular, you can start with a minimal Mod1 system and as long as you get the right kind of stands or mounts, you can add more speakers to your system over time. That's a powerful advantage that I haven't seen in any retail speaker solution, and is the cherry on top of what is already a luscious mix of tasty audio."

(full review at digitalhomethoughts)

Memorex relaunches MMP media player line

Memorex has relaunched it's MMP line of media players with two models:

The Clip & Play (pictured) is a very small square media player with a two line OLED screen, graphic equalizer, and FM radio tuner. It comes with 2GB of memory and costs $50.

The MMP8590 is larger with a 1.5" OLED screen, displays jpeg photos, and has a voice recorder and stopwatch. It too comes with 2GB of memory and costs $60.

(via electronista)

Continue reading "Memorex relaunches MMP media player line"

Pink and red Creative ZEN PMPs

Creative have brought out two new colored versions of their ZEM portable media player.

The new red and pink versions are otherwise identical to the existing versions with 2.5" 320 x 240 pixel screen, 4 to 32GB storage capacities and SD expansion slot.

The red version is available at buy.com and the pink is a walmart exclusive.

If you are just looking for the black version there are good deals available directly through Creative's refurbished store.

(Via slashgear)

Continue reading "Pink and red Creative ZEN PMPs"

Bose in ear headphones reviewed

Trusted Reviews reviewed the relatively inexpensive bose in-ear headphones.

Here's what they thought:

"There's no doubt that Bose's in-ear headphones are a quality product. They're well-built, come with a respectable selection of accessories, work with the iPhone out of the box, and are an extremely comfortable option for those who just don't get on with canalphones.

But the sound quality, while balanced and reasonably detailed, isn't quite up there with the best in class. If you have this much cash to spend on a headphone upgrade, I'd advise choosing a pair of the superlative Sennheiser CX 95s. They're more involving to listen to, and the noise isolation design means you can enjoy that quality without having to turn the volume up too loud."

(full review at trustedreviews)

Continue reading "Bose in ear headphones reviewed"

Green House iPod Touch Speakers

Is it just me or do these speakers make your iPod touch look like Mr. Potato Head?

These little speakers rotate into place, output 770 mW over 2 channels, and run for 8hrs on a USB rechargeable battery.

Dimensions are 67mm x 21mm x 120mm and they weigh 66.6g. They are sold in Japan for 4,480 Yen ($43)

(via fareastgizmos)

Continue reading "Green House iPod Touch Speakers"

Mpio V10 First Look

MyMpio administrator Yeshaib got his hands on the Mpoi V10 and posted his initial impressions plus a video.

Pros:
* Full Multitasking without getting out of running apps (very nice if you go between text music etc)
* 3" Wide screen, just superb, I think its in line with the top units on the market clean and crisp.
* Nice video format support and no need to convert anything!! just drag n drop and play your video
* Great Sound Quality
* Regular SD/SDHC support (I hate the mini and MicroSD's)
* Simple looking interface (Straightforward)
Cons:
* No ID3 browsing (I don't care but I know some people do)
* No Album art (I love my album art)
* Headphone jack location (you might want to buy an L adapter)

(video after the jump and more at mympio)

Continue reading "Mpio V10 First Look"

Jaybird JB-200 Bluetooth Stereo Headset

Jaybird has introduced an upgrade to their JB-100 bluetooth stereo headset: the JB-200.

The earbud/tip has been completely redesigned for better fit and sound quality, and they have AVRCP music controls on the side (perfect for trekkers pretending to be Uhura at conventions).

Here's the list of improvements:

1. More control of music, with complete AVRCP Music & Call Controls
2. Improved fit, with 25% narrower ear-tip
3. Sound isolation, with 50% longer sound isolating ear-tips
4. Greater comfort, with higher grade, softer silicon ear-tips
5. Enhanced audio experience, with 25% more volume & improved bass performance
6. Clearer voice reception on phone calls, with relocated & upgraded mic
7. More freedom of movement, with 1” Longer behind-the-neck cord

The JB-200 is available now for 129.99.

(more at jaybirdgear)

iPod boombox with 7" display

Some people are content to listen to their music privately with little earbuds, others just want to share it with the world (regardless of whether the world wants to listen or not).

Well not you can share your videos as well as your music with the Goodmans iPod Dock with built-in 7" LCD screen.

Just be careful you don't accidentally go showing everyone those videos you downloaded from that "educational" site, you know the ones with the rubber mask and whips, better keep those to yourself.

The Goodmans iPod Dock looks pretty stylist, accepts all flavors of iPod, has a 3 in 1 card reader built-in and comes with a remote control. Price? £89.99 (about $180).

(via chipchick)

Archos Gmini XS 100 3GB MP3 Player

Archos have announced their new 3GB MP3 player: the Gmini XS 100.

The Gmini XS 100 has a 3GB hard drive in a package comparable in size to the ipod mini: 3.6" x 1.7" x 0.5” and 2.8oz, and is very competitively pticed at $179.

Other features of the Gmini XS 100 are 4 colors (blue, pink, black, and silver), USB 2.0, support for MP3 WMA and WAVEm 1.5" greyscale 128 x 128 LCD, and 14hr battery life.

If you are looking for an inexpensive MP3 player but need more space than a flash based player this could be a good choice.

(more from Archos)

Gateway 6GB MP3 Photo Jukebox

Gateway have tried firing a shot across the bows of apple and the ipod mini by launching the Gateway 6GB MP3 Photo Jukebox, unfortunately the shot appears to have misfired.

Technically the Photo Jukebox is nice with a 6gb hard drive, 1.6" 128 x 128 pixel color LCD, USB 2.0, sync with Microsoft Media Player 10, and 8 to 10 hr battery life, all in a 3.8 x 2.3 x 0.7 inch 3.4oz $249 package.

Visually though the Photo Jukebox just doesn't do it for me, the screen is to small to see anything and the controls look fiddly. Gateway should have stuck with the all metal look of their 4GB model.

(more at Gateway)

Creative Muvo Mix (iPod Shuffle Competitor)

Creative have come out with a competitor to the iPod Shuffle, trying to grab some of the shuffles reported 50+% market share of the flash MP3 market.

The Muvo Mix comes in 4 flavors: 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, and 512MB, is 2.87" x 1.38" x 0.63" and weighs 1.39oz.

The next iPod mini 8gb 10gb color?

So, we think a lot of people were disappointed by yesterday's iPod mini updates, especially as we had been hoping for a color screen.

Don't despair completely though, Think Secret has some speculation about future upgrades to the ipod mini line.....

8gb and 10gb 1-inch hard drives will be shipping later this year so they think that Christmas will see an 8 or 10 gb iPod mini with a color screen, and around the same time we should also see the regular iPod head up to 80gb storage.

Time to be good boys and girls and start writing to Santa to let him know what you want.

Think Secret Speculation

iPod Photo

Along with today's iPod mini announcement Apple has announced a new iPod Photo, this is another evolutionary announcement rather than a revolutionary one.... maybe Apple sets the bar too high with their product releases but a lot of people were expecting more.

The iPod color now comes in two hard drive sizes, 30gb for $349 or 60gb for $449 and they have added a couple of new features such as the ability to directly import photos from your digital camera (using an option $29 cable).

Linky to Apple's Press Release

iPod mini (mark 2)

Ok, we love our iPod mini but considering that the only things keeping its sales up are the hype and its good looks we're amazed Apple did so little with the new version to help it compete with the multitude of competitors who have better software, larger hard drives, more features, color screens, etc etc.

So what do we get with the new version: hard drive size upped from 4gb to 6gb, better battery life (which it did really need), and the writing on the scroll wheel now matches the color of the mini. Oh, and they ditched the gold color no-one liked and made the green blue and pink brighter.

Someone catch me, I'm about to feint with all the excitement.

The new mini, priced the same as the old mini, $249.

(and if you still want an old mini they have cut the price on those to $199).

iriver H10 MP3 Player

iriver let us play with their new H10 5gb MP3 player last night, and we like it.

The iriver H10 is a competitor to the iPod mini but has a number of advantages over the older mini: a color screen with a nice user interface, displays your photos, FM tuner and recorder (even allowing you to schedule recordings), and a 12 hour removable battery.

Overall it feels good to carry and the navigation touch strip feels easy to use.

The iriver H10 is available in 4 colors (we like the red best), is 3.8" x 2.2" x 0.6", weighs 3.4oz, and will cost $279.

Continue reading "iriver H10 MP3 Player"

Nyko iBoost Mini

This is an interesting little iPod mini accessory from Nyko, a company best known for it's innovative gaming controllers.

The iBoost Mini is a battery that connects to the bottom of your iPod mini and provides an extra 10 hours of power, you can sync, dock and/or charge the mini with it attached, it doesn't come off easily so it won't fall off when you are working out, and it has some smart charging/discharging features:

When it is attached power drains from the iBoost first so your mini's main battery stays full.

Also when you recharge it the mini's main battery is charged first, ensuring you always have as full a main battery as possible.

No price announced yet but my guess is that it will be in the $60-80 range.

Archos Gmini XS200 Reviewed

TomsHardware has reviewed the tiny 20gb XS200 mp3 player from Archos.

The Archos Gmini XS200 features a 20gb hard drive, small 128x128 pixel screen, USB 2.0 connectivity, supports MP3, WMA, and WAV files, and works with both windows and mac.

The Archos Gmini XS200 is 3.0" x 2.3" x 0.8" and weighs 4.6oz (smaller and lighter than the iPod 20gb, but a little thicker).

TomsHardware liked the size, price, and USB 2.0 but didn't like the battery life and lack of volume button.

Archos should be at CES this week and we will be asking them about their next release: the PMA400. PMA stands for Pocket Media Assistant and the PMA400 is supposed to be a hybrid MP3 player, video player, and PDA. I would love to see something like a Dell Axim X50 Pocket PC with an 80GB hard drive but that isn't going to happen.

XS200 review at Toms Hardware

Copycat iPod Mini

I know they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but I doubt Apple will be flattered when they see this.

Details are scarce but the "i-pocket" by Taiwanese firm Aboss has a 4-color OLED screen, an SD/MMC card slot, 800MaH battery, the same 5 colors as the iPod mini, and probably an internal CF card as htey claim storage capacities from 64mb to 8gb (although they could just be talking about the capacity of the SD card you put in it.)

casa-aboss-com.tw (more info via Engadget and DAPreview)

80gb iPod .... in Q3 2005?

Toshiba has announced that they will be shipping an 80gb version of the 1.8" hard drive used in Apple iPods.

The 80gb hard drive will be the same size (0.32" thick) and weight as the current 40gb and 60gb drives used in iPods.

Toshiba also announced a new 40gb drive that is just 0.20" thick, which should lead to thinner 40gb MP3 players in the future.

The drives spin at 4200rpm (the same as most 2.5" laptop drives), have an average seek time of 15ms, and can take a 500G shock when operating.

(via The Register)

iSoundz iPod Speakers

Ugliest

iPod

Accessory

Ever!

$39.88 for a massive (sarcasm) 0.6 watts per channel of plastic ugliness. Please Digital Age (manufacturer of iSoundz), fire whoever designed this monstrosity and go back to the drawing board.

My eyes hurt!

(Amazon via DAPreview)

Or is this the iPod Flash?

CultOfMac has posted a computer generated mockup (made by Isamu Sanada) of the iPod Flash, and unlike TheMacMind at least they are not claiming it is based on official insider info.

This one is shaped more like the packinging for certain brands of birth control pills, but is also a really interesting concept with the whole iPod Flash being a scroll wheel with a small screen in the center.

Interesting design but a bit too out there even for Apple in my opinion.

More at CultOfMac

Is this the iPod Flash?

TheMacMind has posted what they claim is a computer generated mockup of the iPod Flash.

Supposedly it is shaped like a Milano Cookie (but looks more like a suppository to me) and is 2.5" by 1.5" by 0.5".

Other alleged insider info is that it has no screen, a 4 way control, and will be priced at $99 for the 256MB version.

Looks interesting but I will wait for more verification before accepting this as gospel.

More at TheMacMind

Sony MP3 Network Walkman

What do you get if you take Sony's overpriced NW-HD2 Network Walkman, raise the price by $20, and add MP3 support?

The answer is the NW-HD3 Network Walkman that is being released this December.

Yep, that's it, move along now, no bigger hard drive, no color screen, no price cuts to make it more competitive.

Oh, and if you have the earlier NW-HD1 (released 5 months ago) or NW-HD2 (released 2 months ago) you can get a firmware upgrade, for $20.

More from PC World

H2O Waterproof iPod Mini Case

Have you ever needed to go surfing while listening to your iPod mini?, me neither, but if you did it's good to know there are gadgets around like the H2O Audio SV-iMini.

The H2O Audio SV-iMini is a completely waterproof (up to 10ft depth) casing for the iPod mini that comes with a matching waterproof headset and earplugs.

The H20 Audio SV-iMini will be available Debember 6th and will cost $149.95.

H2O Audio Product Page

(via designtechnica)

Flashy iPod

Appleinsider is reporting that Apple is about to begin manufacturing a flash-based MP3 player that will be announced at the Macworld show in San Francisco next January.

This is a big area where Apple has been lacking, having 90+% market share of hard drive based MP3 players, but not having any flash based players which typically sell for $100 to $200 and have 128mb to 2gb memory.

The rumor is that Apple will offer players with between 256mb and 1gb of memory that will be priced under $200.

I think Dell really need to start pushing their Pocket DJ: it is a 5gb hard drive player that I have seen priced as low as $180. If I had a choice of a 1gb Apple for $200 or a 5gb Dell for $180 I know what I would buy as at the end of the day iPods are pretty but they are over-priced and under-featured.

(via appleinsider)

XM Radio Delphi MyFi Portable

Cnet has a preview of the Delphi MyFi portable XM radio player:

"Delphi's MyFi is the first personal satellite-radio receiver to offer a truly portable, Walkman-style form factor. The MyFi lets you listen to all of XM's more than 130 digital stations anywhere you can see the sky. It will be available in December for a list price of $350."

(more from Cnet)

"If the $350 list price doesn't scare you, don't forget that you'll need to continue your $10-per-month XM subscription to make the MyFi more than a paperweight. And though you'll be able to listen to such XM exclusives as Major League Baseball broadcasts, don't expect to hear Sirius-only fare such as Howard Stern (in 2006) or the NFL."

Bose Sounddock Review

iPodlounge reviewed the Bose Sounddock speaker system for iPods, and they weren't too impressed:

"The Good: Second-best iPod-matching speakers we’ve tested to date on sound quality, featuring rich, clear sound out of the box and clean design. Great remote control included for purchase price.
The Bad: Price is substantially higher than all iPod-matching competitors, size, weight, and lack of battery option preclude use as truly portable speaker system, can’t dock with computer."

I would have to agree with them, portability is a big thing for me, I love that I can fold up my altec Lansing inMotion speakers and take them anywhere, the Bose Sounddock isn't portable so I wont be buying one: If I just want to listen to music at home I stream it from my PC to my living room speakers.

Shop for Bose Products

iPodlounge Review

Black iPod Accessories

Expect to see a slew of black colored versions of all the previously pearly white iPod accessories.

First out of the gates is Griffin with their new black edition of the iTrip FM Transmitter.

The iTrip Black will be available in November for $35.

iTrip Black product page

U2 Special Edition iPod

It doesn't seen very special to me but Apple has released a U2 branded special edition iPod.

It's a 20gb 4th generation iPod with a black shell, red scroll wheel, some signatures on the back, and a $349 price sticker.

One rumor proved false is that it comes with a load of U2 music, instead you can buy "the first digital box set" of 400 tunes for a measly $149 more.

U2 ipod product page

Apple 60GB Color Photo iPod

Apple has announced the long expected 60gb color version of the iPod:

"A delight for the ears. A feast for the eyes. Though it’s no bigger than a pack of playing cards and weighs in at just over 6 ounces, iPod Photo delivers a one-two sensory punch. Letting you carry an entire library of your favorite music — up to 15,000 songs — or enough photos — as many as 25,000 — to fill nearly 200 slide trays or cover nearly 5,000 square feet of wall space. Got a really big den?

The newest member of the iPod family, iPod Photo comes in two sizes: a 40GB model, available for $499, and a capacious 60GB model that sells for $599. Both feature a razor sharp LCD display that lets you see your photos in vivid color — 65,536 colors, to be exact. And with its built-in backlighting, you’ll be able to admire those photos indoors or out."

Some highlights of the 60gb iPod Photo are 15 hr battery life, 220 x 176 pixel 65k color screen, syncs album art, and a (too high) $599 price tag.

ipodlounge has some exclusive photos

DMC Xclef 500 100gb MP3 Player

The DMC Xclef 500 100gb MP3 Player is an upgraded version of DMC's existing Xclef 500 MP3 player.

This thing is big (5.0" x 3.2" x 0.8") but if that isn't a problem and you need storage for 10 gazillion songs this could be worth looking at.

The DMC Xclef 500 100gb MP3 Player features MP3, WMA, WAV, ASF, and OGG files, has an FM tuner, can record FM and voice at up to 320kbps, has a battery life of 20hrs, and costs $449 for the 100gb version.

DMC Xclef 500 100gb MP3 Player Product Page

(via the inquirer)

Motorola m500 5gb MP3 player

Motorola now has the official product page up for their m500 5GB MP3 player.

The Motorola m500 5gb MP3 player features a replaceable/rechargeable lithium-ion battery, backlit display, MP3 WMA and audible support, FM tuner, FM recording, clock, stopwatch, USB 2.0 connectivity, and a 25 hour battery life.

The Motorola m500 5gb MP3 player will be available in November and pricing is expected to be the same as all the other 5gb players coming out for Christmas ($200-$250).

Motorola Product Page

Dell 5GB Pocket DJ

Dell have announced their competitor to the iPod mini: the Dell Pocket DJ.

The Dell Pocket DJ is a 5GB hard drive based mp3 player roughly the same size as the iPod mini and weighing in at 4.4oz.

It has 25% more storage (5GB), 20% more battery life (10 hrs) but will cost 20% less ($199).

It looks to us like the user interface of the Dell Pocket DJ isn't as good as the iPod mini or the Creative Zen Touch (especially the "scroll barrel" but the overall design is nice.

Overall if you are in the market for a 4 or 5GB MP3 player this is worth looking at.

Sony Beats on RetroPod

Sony really needs to get a clue about how to do business. They used to have a reputation for being cool but now they just churn out pretty looking under-powered over-priced junk that always uses their own proprietary formats that no-one else is interested in (memory stick, ATRAC etc).

As if that wasn't enough they are now getting bad publicity by threatening the creators of the RetroPod.

The RetroPod was a fun satirical look at the 80's that took an old sony walkman and made it into a case for an iPod. Sont obviously doesn't get satire and sent a nasty cease and desist letter:

"Your use of casings for such a purpose is a clear infringement of the SONY and WALKMAN marks because it is deceptive. Consumers likely will be misled and deceived into believing that Sony is somehow connected with the iPod personal stereo when in fact it is not. Moreover, they will be misled into thinking that Sony is backward in its design of products and is going away from miniaturization, as the size of the tape player housing is quite large by today's standards."

Anyway, since when is an iPod a "personal stereo", what century are those lawyers living in?

(retropod via engadget)

Hands on with the Virgin Player

If the Creative Zen Micro is the "good" of new 5GB MP3 players then the Virgin Player seems to be both the "bad" and the "ugly".

It doesn't look like anything special, too much un-shiny plastic, the navigation isn't very good, and at the end of the day to my eyes it's just not sexy in the way that the iPod mini is.

I do like the dual headphone socket features but at the end of the day that's about all this MP3 player has going for it.

I expected more in the way of exciting design from Richard Branson and the company that put classy bars and double beds in boeing 747s and is going into space as Virgin Galactic.

5 hands on photos below.

Continue reading "Hands on with the Virgin Player"

Hands on with the Creative Zen Micro

Over at Digital Life I had a chance to play with the new Creative Zen Micro 5GB MP3 player, and I was impressed.

In my eyes it takes a lot to beat the iPod mini but the Zen Micro is in with a chance: it has the same small size but solid feel as the iPod mini and I'm tempted to say that after a few minutes use the navigation with the vertical scroll pad seems better than using the mini (why go round in a circle on the mini to scroll down a list when you can just scroll down on the Zen Micro).

I also like the way that the Zen Micro has a removable battery with a battery life that should be about 50% longer than the mini.

Tech specs of the Zen Micro and 5 hands-on photos are below.

Continue reading "Hands on with the Creative Zen Micro"

iRiver PMC-120

Got to run out the door now to get to the Digital Life show.

Wanted to finish with some photos of the iRiver PMC-120 20GB portable video player.

The iRiver PMC-120 has a 3.5" LCD screen and a 20gb hard drive, is 3.3 by 5.6 by 1.2 inches and weighs 0.6 pounds.

Battery life is supposed to be 5hrs for video and 14hrs for audio, and the price is $549.99.

More new to follow later today from both Digital Focus and Digital Life.

Continue reading "iRiver PMC-120"

Archos Gmini XS200 and Gmini 400

I got my hands on both of these players at Digital Focus.

The Archos Gmini XS200 is a _tiny_ 20gb MP3 player, it felt almost comparable in size to an iPod mini, it's that small. Nice big screen on it but the navigation seems a bit too simplified and minimalist.

The Archos Gmini 400 is also small but is a fully featured video player. 2.2" screen 20gb hard drive etc etc. It hasa CF slot which is useful and I loved the TV out feature, picture quality was not as good as a DVD but was a lot better than regular TV.

Pictures below.

Continue reading "Archos Gmini XS200 and Gmini 400"

HP Tattoos

Hp were showing off their ipod stick-on tattoos that are now available for purchase at HP.

I grabbed a few samples (The Who, Sting, and the Hives) and they are really high quality, the printing is clear and crisp, and the sticker comes away from the backing easily.

Hopefully I will have some tattoos to give away to ipod owners soon.

(more tattoo pictures below)

HP was also showing off their new Media Center devices including the media center extender and the HP Digital Entertainment Center z500 series living room dual tuner media center. Again I was impressed by the quality and looks of these devices.

(pics of those below as well)

Continue reading "HP Tattoos"

Creative Zen Micro 5gb MP3 Player

We mentioned the Creative Zen Micro 5gb MP3 Player over the weekend but now the official web page is up:

• Holds 2,500 songs on 5GB1 hard drive
• Micro sized (3.3" tall, 2" wide, 0.7" deep)
• Available in 10 electrifying colors (Black, White, Silver, Dark blue, Light blue, Red, Purple, Citrus Orange, Lime Green and Pink)
• Features a removable lithium ion battery
• Get up to 12 hours playback on a single charge2
• FM radio to listen and record
• Built-in mic for up to 10hrs voice recording
• Vertical touch pad for easy and intuitive navigation
• Access over 2 million songs through Zen supported music services
• Highest audio clarity at 98dB SNR
• High fidelity earphones with dynamic bass response
• Contacts, Calendar and To Do List3
• Plays MP3, WMA, WAV files
• Functions as an external hard drive for backup of computer files
• Backlit LCD displays track info
• Repeat, resume, and random play
• 8 EQ settings (Acoustic, classical, disco, jazz, new age, pop, rock and vocal)
• Sleep and wake timers
• Customizable main menu, so the features you want are right at your finger tips
• USB 2.0 interfaces (cables included)
• Belt clip / stand
• weight: 3.8 oz. (includes removable battery)
• warranty: 1 year limited hardware warranty / 90 day service warranty

Creative Zen Micro 5gb MP3 Player

(thanks Jorge)

Have you got a Woodi in your pocket?

This weeks award for most unfortunate company or product name goes to Korean company Woodi who produce a range of MP3 players.

Woodi's latest MP3 player is the WD-S1 which has an interesting swivel cover.

Other features of the Woodi WD-S1 are 256mb or 512mb storage, USB 1.1 connectivity, 2 color OLED screen, support for MP3, WMA, and OGG.

It's a small Woodi, 3.8" long, 1.2" wide, and 0.9" deep, with a weight of 1.5oz.

(woodi product page via i4u)

Virgin 5GB MP3 Player

The 5GB MP3 player announcements are coming out quickly now. This time it's Virgin / Virgin Electronics announcing their 5GB MP3 player, unimaginitively called the "Virgin Player".

The one interesting feature of the Virgin 5GB MP3 player is that it has two headphone sockets for sharing music with a friend: great idea!

The downside is that the Virgin 5GB MP3 player is going to be the same price as the iPod mini, and that it doesn't exactly challenge the iPod mini in the looks department.

The Virgin Player will be available at the end of October for $249.

Creative Zen Micro 5gb MP3 Player

5GB MP3 players are like buses, you wait ages and ages for one then a bunch come along at the same time.

Gizmodo just found out about a new one: the Creative Zen Micro.

The Creative Zen Micro is due out by Christmas and comes in 10 colors (take that Apple!).

What else?, the Creative Zen Micro is small and curvy (3.3" x 2.0" x 0.7") has a removable battery, FM radio, voice recorder, and a 12 hour battery life.

I would expect this to cost around the same as the iPod mini (in the $200 to 250 range).

(more from Gizmodo)

Ezmax EZMP-4100 2GB Flash MP3 Player

It looks like dpreview found the first flash based MP3 player with a 2GB storage capacity: the Ezmax EZMP-4100.

The Ezmax EZMP-4100 is an upgrade to the exisiting EZMP-4000 series and measures 3.5" x 1.1" x 0.9" and weighs just 1oz.

Features of the Ezmax EZMP-4100 include support for MP3, WMA, and OSF, an OLED screen, voice recording, and FM radio.

Battery life of the Ezmax EZMP-4100 is about 13 hrs.

Ezmax 4000 series specifications
(via dpreview)

60gb Color iPod by Christmas

According to thinksecret Apple has a new iPod currently in production in Asia that uses Toshiba's 60GB 1.8" hard drive.

But wait, there's more..... they also claim that the new top of the range iPod will sport a 2" color LCD screen, synchronize with iPhoto software, and have new audio/video out capabilities.

The 60GB iPod is supposed to be the same height and width as current 4th generation iPods but will be 0.1" thicker and a little heavier.

Apple is planning on releasing the 60GB iPod within 30 to 60 days and it expected to sell for $499.

(more from thinksecret)

Mpio HD300 MP3 Player

Another new device found by the guys over at dapreview.

The Mpio HD300 is a 1.8" hard drive based MP3 player similar in size and shape to the regular ipod.

The Mpio HD300 supports MP3, WMA, and OGG, and its features include FM tuner, USB 2.0 connectivity, rechargeable li-polymer battery with a claimed battery life of 15 hrs, a vioce recorder, and a 160 x 128 pixel LCD screen.

Two versions of the Mpio HD300 will be available: 20gb and 40gb, and pricing is expected to be comparable to the ipod.

(via dapreview)

NHJ VHD-5500 5GB MP3 Player

AV Watch went to the Ceatec show in Japan and sound a nice little 5GB MP3 player with an equally interesting looking pair of Bluetooth headphones.

The NHJ VHD-5500 is YAIMK (yet another ipod mini killer), with 5GB storage, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, and support for MP3, WMA, and OGG.

NHJ is the same compay that offers a range of "femate oriented" digital cameras called Che-ez!

(via dapreview)

Cowon iAudio M5

iaudiophile.net posted some pics and specs of upcoming MP3 players from Cowon.

The Cowon iAudio M5 is a hard drive based MP3 player with limited video playback.

The Cowon iAudio M5 has a Color LCD, USB connectivity, picture viewer, FLAC, OGG, WMA, MP3, ASF, and WAV support, and will probably have a 20gb hard drive. There may also be a M5L model released with 40gb drive.

Weight and size of the Cowon iAudio M5 are said to be similar to the earlier M3 model which is 4.1" x 2.4" x 0.6" and 4.8oz.

Price of the M5 might be in the $300-$350 range and it will be available in December.

(via iaudiophile.net)

iPod mini Availability

There are rumors that the availability of the ipod and ipod mini will be low again closer to Christmas.

At the moment the availability of the iPod mini is the best it's been since it was released, so if you are looking to get the iPod mini as a gift for someone our advice is buy now.

Amazon.com currently has all 5 colors of iPod mini available in stock for $236 with free shipping.

Samsung Yepp YP-T6

Samsung has updated their small flash-based Yepp YP-T5 MP3 player, calling it the Samsung Yepp YP-T6 (bet a lot of thought went into that).

Other features of the Samsung Yepp YP-T6 are MP3, OGG, WMA and ASF playback, 4 versions (128mb, 256mb, 512mb, and 1gb) and 5 colors (green, black, red, blue and silver), USB 2.0 connectivity, FM tuner, and voice recorder

The Samsung Yepp YP-T6 is just 2.1" x 0.9" x 0.9" and weighs just 1oz, it's not the smallest MP3 player but it's very close.

The Samsung Yepp YP-T6 will probably be available in the US soon and will cost around $250.

Korean info page

(via I4U)

Archos Gmini XS200

A picture and some more information on the Archos Gmini XS200 mp3 player has shown up on the site of French retailer FNAC.

The Archos Gmini XS200 features a 20gb hard drive, small 128x128 pixel screen, USB 2.0 connectivity, supports MP3, WMA, and WAV files, and works with both windows and mac.

The Archos Gmini XS200 is 3.0" x 2.3" x 0.8" and weighs 4.6oz (smaller and lighter than the iPod 20gb, but a little thicker).

Pricing is Europe is expected to be 299 euros, and the US price will likely be $299.

(via dapreview)

Sony NW-HD2 Network Walkman

Meet the new Sony, same as the old Sony.

I4U found a Japanese press release announcing the Sony NW-HD2 network walkman, successor to the NW-HD1 network walkman released just a few months ago.

Excitment was mounting: would it support MP3 instead of the proprietary ATRAC format?, would it have a color screen?, would it have a larger hard drive than 20gb?, would it be more relaistically priced?

Unfortunately all they seem have changed on the the Sony NW-HD2 network walkman is the color: you can get it in silver, pink, or blue.

The Sony NW-HD2 network walkman will be available in Japan October 10th, and probably the US soon after that.

(via I4U)

Griffin radioSHARK

Griffin have announced that their radioSHARK desktop AM-FM radio is now shipping.

I know, desktop AM-FM radio doesn't should very gadgety or interesting, but the radioSHARK is more like a Tivo for radio that integrates with iTunes and iPods.

The radioSHARK is controlled through your PC or mac and connects via a USB port.

With the radioSHARK you can set presets for station and schedule recodings of radio programs.

Programs recorded with the radioSHARK are saved to iTunes and can be synced with an iPod for portable listening.

The Griffin radioSHARK is available at griffintechnology.com for $69.99.
(press release)

Matias iPod Armor Mini Review

We are getting a lot of use out of our iPod mini, and one thing we felt we needed was a bit more protection when working out at the gym or on a bike ride.

We looked around for a solid metal iPod mini case that had a belt clip, and we came up with the Matias iPod Armor Mini.

Did the Matias iPod Armor Mini case meet our needs? keep reading to find out......

Continue reading "Matias iPod Armor Mini Review"

60gb MP3 Player

Toshiba has announced new models in their Gigabeat line of MP3 players, including the first MP3 player with 60gb storage capacity.

The Toshiba Gigabeat F series also has a 2.2" color QVGA (240 x 320 pixel) display, USB 2.0 connectivity, and an 11 hr battery life.

The Toshiba Gigabeat comes in 3 sizes: 10gb, 20gb, and 60gb. The 60gb version will hold up to 15,000 songs and will be available in December.

Press release and specifications
(via gizmodo)

Altec Lansing inMotion Review

The iPod mini is a great portable MP3 player, but what about those times when you don't want to listen to music through earphones, what if you want to play music for your guests, or listen to music in your hotel room?

One solution is the Altec Lansing inMotion powered portable speaker system: essentially a little white shiny plastic box that opens up to reveal two pairs of speakers and a dock for the iPod and iPod mini.

Altec Lansing sent us an inMotion speaker system and we tested it out for a few weeks in our apartment, on a business trip to the west coast, and on our recent Hurricane Ivan delayed vacation to Mexico.

Did we like the inMotion? keep reading to find out......

The Altec Lansing inMotion is currently available from Amazon.com for $109.99 with free shipping

Continue reading "Altec Lansing inMotion Review"

Griffin iBeam

Just the other day I was thinking "hmm, wouldn't it be great if I had an accessory for my iPod mini that turns it into both a laser pointer and a flashlight".

Guess what, Griffin Technology just launched that exact accessory.

The Griffin iBeam plugs into the speaker socket of the iPod and iPod mini and comes in two parts: one is a mini flashlight and the other is a class IIIA laser pointer.

The Griffin iBeam is available from griffin for $19.99

iRiver H320 coming to the US

Dapreview.com has found that the iRiver H320 20gb MP3 player is available in the US for $329 with a ship date of October 6th.

The iRiver H320 features a large color screen that you can use to view photos, USB 2.0 file transfer, 20gb storage, voice recorder, FM tuner, support for MP3 WMA ASF WAV and OFF, and a 16hr battery life.

(via dapreview)

Sony Network Walkman to Support MP3?

My biggest complaint about the Sony Network Walkman was that it didn't support the standard MP3 format, instead making people convert their music to Sony's proprietary ATRAC format.

Sony has done a bit of an about face and announced they start supporting MP3 format on flash based music players.

Their is no info yet on whether they will extend this to their Network Walkman hard drive based player.

If only Sony would ditch their Memory Stick flash card formats and switch to the industry standard CompactFlash or Secure Digital cards: their incompatibility stopped me from buying any Sony PDAs, cameras, or music players.

More from news.com

Bose SoundDock for iPod

Bose has put out the press release for their Bose Sounddock speaker system for the iPod and iPod mini (which we mentioned on September 1st), here's what they had to say:

The Bose SoundDock system includes a proprietary acoustic design that delivers clear, full sound across the entire musical spectrum. Using an integrated system approach, the amplifiers, equalizers and speakers are matched; there is no need for the user to make complex adjustments to ensure superb acoustic performance. Patented integrated signal processing automatically adjusts tonal balance, so music sounds natural at any volume.

The Bose SoundDock system works with third and fourth-generation iPods, as well as the iPod miniand includes an infrared remote that can control the iPod from across the room. The system charges the iPod while in use, or when docked.

The Bose SoundDock digital music system measures 6 5/8″x 11 7/8″x 6 1/2″ deep. It features quick installation and intuitive operation. Consumers plug the power cord into a wall outlet, insert the iPod into the docking cradle, and play.

To complement the iPod and iPod mini design, the Bose SoundDock system’s industrial design is modern with a hi-gloss white finish. It is expected to sell for $299.

Shop for Bose Products

iPod Mini Humidity Problems

On my recent gadget review trip I encountered a problem with my iPod mini and I am wondering if anyone else has had the same problem:

Inside my hotel room it was cool (68 degrees) and the air was dry, outside it was 95 degrees and very high humidity (glasses and camera lens steamed up immediately when going outside).

Most days I relaxed by the pool and listened to music or audiobooks, but one day the iPod mini wouldn't startup, the screen stayed blank.

I know the battery was fully charged but the iPod mini wouldn't work at the pool or later that day in the room.

I left the iPod mini in my room and the following day it worked perfectly again, my guess it was the humidity and the mini needed to dry out before it would startup again.

Anyone else encountered a similiar problem with an iPod?

MSN Music Store

Microsoft has quietly launched a beta of their much anticipated music download site.

The site will be integrated into version 10 of Windows Media Player and visitors can currently buy and downlaod music for 99 cents a track.

The full launch of MSN Music will be in October and Microsoft hopes to have one million songs online soon.

MSN Music Store

Bose SoundDock for iPod

Bose has announced a high-end speaker solution for the iPod and iPod Mini at the Apple Expo Paris show.

It is priced at $299 and will ship October 15th. Sound quality is said to be very good for it's size (just like any other Bose product).

Not a lot else is known except that it has a wireless remote control and works with 3rd and 4th generation iPods as well as the iPod mini.

9/20 Update: More info from a Bose press release

Shop for Bose Products

Rio Carbon 5GB Limited Edition

The Rio Carbon is a potential iPod mini killer - Rio carbon has more storage (5gb hard drive), Rio Carbon is smaller than the mini (2.5”W x 3.3”H x 0.6” D), Rio Carbon is lighter than the mini (3.2oz), and the battery life is longer than the mini (20hrs).

The Rio Carbon is now available for pre-order for $249.99 and will ship September 3rd.

Rio also has a cool limited edition of the Rio Carbon, just 500 available: The limited edition Rio Carbon is laser engraved and numbered on the back, has a limited edition collectors box, has free 2 day air shipping upgrade, and comes with 3 months of Napster music service and 20 free song downloads.

I have pre-ordered one and will be reviewing it next to my iPod Mini when I return from my trip on September 14th.

Pre-Order the Rio Carbon Now

Sony Network Walkman NW-HD1 Review

I didn't think much of the Sony Network Walkman when it was announced: a 20gb MP3 player for $399 ($100 more than the iPod), that mostly used Sony's own ATRAC3 music format. I've been waiting to see a review to see if it's worth looking at.

Judie over at the gadgeteer got hold of a Sony Network Walkman and write a detailed review. Here's what she thought:

Liked: great battery life, small, solid, easy to navigage
Didn't Like: ARRAC format, high price, must use Sony SonicStage application to manage music.

I still think I will give it a miss.

Creative Muvo2 FM 5GB

Creative's Singapore site has some info on new Creative Muvo2 FM MP3 players.

The new Creative Muvo2 players have a 5gb hard drive, FM radio tuner/recorder, and 14 hour battery life.

The Muvo2 FM comes in 5 colors: white, black, pink, green, blue, and should sell for $200-230 when it comes out in the US.

Creative Singapore

Creative Zen Touch now Shipping

The Creative Zen Touch 20gb MP3/WMA player with the cute scrollpad and claimed 32 hour battery life is now shipping at Amazon.com.

Other features of the Zen touch include USB 2.0 connectivity, 160 x 104 pixel blue screen, 4 band custom equalizer, and up to 97dB signal-to-noise ratio.

Buy the 20gb Zen Touch now through Amazon.com for $269.99 and get free shipping, or alternatively follow the amazon link and buy from Office Depot for $253.95.

iPod+hp

Meet the new iPod, same as the old iPod.

HP posted all the details of the new iPod+HP (aka Apple iPod from HP) on their website and its totally underwhelming.

The iPod+HP appears to be identical to the 4th generation Apple iPod, same price same storage (20gb or 40gb).

Only difference found so far is that HP is offering "HP Tattoos", sticker that go on the iPod related to various artists (Ashlee Simpson, The Cure, Gwen Stefani, Keane, Lloyd Banks, Sting, The Who, The Hives, and Vanessa Carlton). The tattoos come off easily so you wont be stuck with an embarassing tattoo in a few years..... Hmm, call me old but I might like a Who sticker for my iPod mini.

HP Consumer Electronics (including iPod)

HP is expected to announce dozens of consumer electronics gadgets later today including:

• HP branded version of new 4th generation Apple iPod


• A digital projector


• 42" plasma TV


• 30" and 26" LCD TVs


• An entertainment hub


• Printers


• Cameras

Nitro Pro Music Server Review

DesignTechnica has reviewed the Request Multimedia Nitro Pro Music Server.

The Nitro Pro is a 19 inch rack mountable high end hard drive based audio player. It has a Pentium III processor and 128mb RAM, a 40gb or 60gb hard drive, and a CD-ROM drive.

The downside to the Nitro Pro is that it costs $2500 with 40gb drive or $3000 with 60gb drive, for that kind of money you can buy a good off-the-shelf Media PC that can do a whole lot more.

My recommendation would be something similar to the discontinued Gateway 901 Media Center PC (available remanufactured for $1399) with 3Ghz Pentium 4, 512mb RAM, 250GB hard drive, DVD-RAM/DVD-R/CDRW drive, 128mb video card, media card reader, tv tuner etc.

hRiver h140 wins EISA award

The EISA (European Imaging and Sound Association) has chosen the iRiver H140 as the top Audio Player ("European New Media Audio 2004-2005 award").

The H140 is a 40gb hard drive based MP3 player, with USB 2.0 interface, and 16 hr battery life.

The iRiver H140 supports MP3, WMA, ASF, WAV and OGG music files.

The EISA liked the H140 because: "This very well made portable player has a built-in hard drive whose 40 gigabytes of memory make up to 10,000 MP3 titles available to mobile users. The USB 2.0 port facilitates very fast data transfer for all kinds of files. Besides MP3s, the device can also play WMA, WAV, ASF and OGG music files. Its feature set includes a rechargeable battery, a built-in VHF tuner and a microphone for the user's own live recordings. Users can operate the player either with the built-in controls or with a remote control unit supplied with the product. A large backlit display shows all the information they need. The sound quality, which is excellent by portable standards, and the long list of features make the H140 the clear winner."

The H140 is available from Amazon for $399, and the newer H340 is already available in Europe.

iPod Mini: $230 (in stock 8/25)

Crutchfield has the hard to find iPod Mini in stock. Yesterday they had all colors but today they only have gold. Check back daily to see if other colors are in stock.

The price is $249.99 and you can save $20 for a final price of $229.99 with free shipping if you enter referral code pp3fx-8xejj-hsikh on the checkout page.

Click here to check availability and to order.

Samsung Yepp YP-T5

PC Mag has a review of the Samsung Yepp YP-T5, which used to be the world's smallest MP3 player.

The YP-T5 is 2.1" x 0.9" x 0.9" (1.7 cubic inches volume), and weighs 1.3oz.

The YP-T5 Yepp has 256mb memory and an FM radio tuner, battery life is 13 hrs, but connectivity is only USB 1.1 not the faster 2.0.

Oregon