Above is a picture of Samsung’s upcoming fifth-generation Blu-ray player - the BD-P2500. Think about it.. a new fifth generation player with a media format that’s barely been on the market for two years?? Sheesh.. that’s probably why I decided to get a PS3 instead of a standalone player. In any event, the BD-P2500 supports BonusView, BD-Live, and comes with HQV processing for standard DVD media. Despite being a fifth generation player, some things are still the same - such as the high starting price. The Samsung BD-P2500 will still cost at least $500 dollars (there certainly was something to be said about having a competitor like HD DVD in the market when it comes to prices). You can expect the BD-P2500 to hit the market around October of this year.

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Technorati Tags: Samsung BD-P2500, Blu-ray player

Here is the ASD (Advance Sound Devices) 3G Dock Station - definitely one of the cooler looking iPhone/iPod docking stations out on the market. The brushed aluminum dock gives a modern contemporary look to an otherwise boring platform. The ASD 3G Dock Station can charge and sync your Apple device using the included USB connection. You can also charge the iPhone (2G or 3G)/iPod using an AC adapter - and finally, there are also RCA jacks and cables which allow you to connect the Dock Station to your home theater system. The ASD 3G Dock Station outputs both audio and video and comes with a remote control.

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Technorati Tags: ASD 3G Dock Station, Apple iPhone, Apple iPod

Advance Sound Devices (ASD) announced a new Slim Touch Portable 3G Audio System redesigned for Apple iPhone 3G and iPod compatibility. The slim speaker system comes with a rechargeable Li-Ion battery which provides enough power for eight hours of usage. Features of the Slim Touch include:

• Sync and charge your iPhone 3G through the built-in dock connector
• Folds down for convenient mobility
• Comes with storage pouch
• Video output for displaying video on your TV
• Input jacks for connecting regular MP3, DVD, and CD player

No word on pricing or availability.

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Technorati Tags: ASD, Slim Touch Portable 3G Audio System, Apple iPhone 3G

If you’re a fan of the Squeezebox network music player but you wish it was a bit more portable, then you’ll be thrilled to hear about the new Logitech Squeezebox Boom all-in-one network music player. This unit combines an amp, speakers, and network connectivity to deliver digital music to any room in your home. All you’ll need to do is plug the Squeezebox Boom into a power outlet and then the system will automatically connect to your wireless network (assuming you’ve already configured the network settings on the player). The Squeezebox Boom can stream digital music from your personal libraries stored on your PCs, from Internet radio stations, and from online subscription services such as Rhapsody, Last.FM, Pandora, and Sirius.

Features of the Squeezebox Boom include:

• Integrated digital 30 watt amp
• Two 3/4inch soft-dome tweeters and two 3 inch high power long-throw woofers
• Bi-amplified design including high performance signal processor, class D amplifier, and digital crossover
• Includes subwoofer connection
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Alarm clock functionality
• Six preset buttons
• Remote control

The Logitech Squeezebox Boom network music player will be available in September for a price of $299.99.

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Technorati Tags: Logitech Squeezebox Boom Network Music Player

Thanks to this DivX press release, we now know that JVC will be launching their very first Blu-ray system in the form of the NX-BD3 Blu-ray Home Theater System. Yes, the NX-BD3 is indeed DivX certified which means you’ll be able to play back your favorite DivX encoded videos but it’s also DLNA certified which means the system will be able to connect to PCs on your network via wired or wireless connections. The NX-BD3 will be coming out in Europe starting in September - no word on pricing or when it will come to the US.

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Technorati Tags: JVC NX-BD3 Blu-ray Home Theater System

Here is the new LG DVS450H wall-mountable DVD player - the first DivX certified DVD player capable of playing back high definition DivX video. Users of the DVS450H can play back DivX videos burned onto DVDs or stored on USB flash drives. The DVS450H supports playback of DVDs and CDs, as well as MP3, WMA, JPEG, DivX, and DivX HD file formats.

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Technorati Tags: LG Electronics, DVS450H, DivX, High Definition HD DivX,

IOGEAR has announced the new HDMI CAT5e/6 MiniExtender (GVE300) and DVI CAT5e/6 MiniExtender (GVE200) allowing users to expand the distance between their HD video source(s) and their display units. Both extenders come with a local transmitter unit and a remote receiving unit which are linked together by two standard solid Category 5 twisted Ethernet cables. The HDMI extender can provide up to 100 feet of additional distance for 1080p signals and 200 feet of additional distance for 1080i signals. The DVI extender supports a 1080p signal up to 100 feet away.

Here’s a picture of the HDMI extenders:

Here are the DVI extenders:

Both extenders are available now with the HDMI extender going for $279.95 and the DVI extender going for $69.95.

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Technorati Tags: IOGEAR, HDMI CAT5e/6 MiniExtender, DVI CAT5e/6 MiniExtender, GVE300, GVE200

HTC continues the Windows Smartphone barrage with the introduction of the new HTC S740 side-ways slider. Although similar in looks to the HTC Touch Diamond and Touch Pro, the S740 does not feature a touch-sensitive display. HTC instead opted to go with a numeric keypad as well as a sliding QWERTY keyboard - catering to folks who would rather have a real keyboard than a virtual one on-screen.

The HTC S740 has the following specs:

• Qualcomm MSM7225 528MHz processor
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard OS
• 256MB ROM, 256 MB RAM
• Measures 116.3 x 43.4 x 16.3 mm
• Weighs 140 grams
• 2.4 inch TFT LCD display with backlit LEDs and QVGA resolution
• HSDPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz for Europe
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE: Quad-band 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Standalone GPS / AGPS
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Wi-Fi
• 3.2 megapixel camera with fixed focus
• Built-in microphone and speaker
• Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery
• Talk time of 320 minutes for WCMDA
• Talk time of 380 minutes for GSM

[Check it out via Akihabara News]

Technorati Tags: HTC, S740, Windows Smartphone

Sony’s looking to bring more fun and entertainment to the portable navigation market with the introduction of four new nav-u devices - the NV-U94T, NV-U84, NV-U74T and NV-U44.  These four “personal navigation devices come with more brand icons, search functionality and photo viewing features that previous models. Here are the major features of the new models:

The NV-U94T is the top of the line model and features a photo viewer, an audio/video player, and stereo Bluetooth technology for streaming audio and making hands-free phone calls. Other specs include:

• Memory Stick Pro Duo slot
• Supports JPEG format and plays back images one at a time, in a slideshow, or via thumbnails
• Plays MP3 and non-DRM AAC files
• Plays MPEG-4 video files
• Built-in microphone
• Address book
• 4.8 inch display with 16:9 aspect ratio
• Super suction cup mounting system
• Built-in RDS-TMC real time traffic receiver
• Dual view 3D junction guide and POSITION plus
• MSRP of around $400

Oh.. so what is POSITION plus? It’s Sony’s new hardware based solution designed to solve false GPS positions. The system comes with an acceleration sensor, a pressure sensor, and a gyro sensor that together helps calculate a vehicle’s current position based on the last known GPS location. This helps to create a more accurate position than otherwise possible - especially in areas with tall buildings, dense foliage or underground structures.

The devices also comes with support for Gesture-based commands. Think iPhone meets portable navigation device and you’ll understand what we’re talking about here. A simple swipe of the finger lets you move from one picture to the next.. yes.. companies are integrating more and more iPhone/iTouch features into everyday products.

OK.. now as for the other specs..

The NV-U84 features:

• 4.8 inch display with 16:9 aspect ratio
• Super suction cup
• Dual view
• text to speech
• Photo viewer
• Gesture command support
• MSRP of around $350

The NV-U74T features:

• 4.3 inch display with 16:9 aspect ratio
• Super suction cup
• dual view
• text to speech
• Bluetooth hands-free
• real-time traffic
• Photo viewer
• Gesture command support
• MSRP of around $300

Finally, the NV-U44 features:

• 3.5 inch, 4:3 aspect ratio display
• Dual view
• Text to speech
• Photo viewer
• Gesture command support
• MSRP of around $250

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sony, nav-u Personal Navigation Devices, NV-U94T, NV-U84, NV-U74T, NV-U44

Nokia also announced two new N-series handsets on Monday - the N79 candybar-style phone and the N85 slider phone. Here’s what you need to know about both handsets.

The Nokia N79 features the following:

• 2.4 inch display with 320 x 240 resolution and support for up to 16 million colors
• Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900, EGSM 900
• Talk time of 5.5 hours with GSM, 3.5 hours with WCDMA, and 4 hours with VoiP
• Comes with interchangeable covers with automatically matching screen themes called Xpress-on smart covers. Colors include  Light Sea Blue, Espresso Brown, Olive Green, White and Coral Red - three of which come with the N79
• High-speed 3.5G HSDPA support
• Integrated Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
• UPnP support
• TV out with Nokia video connectivity cable
• Integrated hands-free speakerphone
• 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, dual LED flash, and video light
• Built in music player
• Video recording at up to VGA and at 30fps
• Comes with 4GB microSD memory card
• Built-in assisted GPS
• N-Gage gaming
• Built-in FM transmitter
• S60 3rd edition, Feature Pack 2 platform
• Measures 110 x 49 x 15 mm and weighs 97 grams

Meanwhile, the new Nokia N85 features the following:

• Quad-band EGSM 850/900/1800/1900
• 2.6 inch 320 x 240 resolution OLED display
• Built-in FM transmitter
• 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and geo-tagging capabilities
• Dual LED flash
• Assisted GPS support
• Three month license for Nokia Maps 2.0
• 3.5G HSDPA support
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• Pre-loaded with 10 N-Gage games
• Comes with 8GB microSD card
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Measures 103 x 50 x 16 mm and weighs 128 grams
• Available in copper color
• Talk time of 6.9 hours with GSM, 4.5 hours with WCDMA and 9 hours with VoIP
• Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
• S60 3rd edition, Feature Pack 2 platform

The Nokia N79 will be available starting in October for a price of EUR 350. The N85 will also be available in October for a price of EUR 450.

Technorati Tags: Nokia, N79, N85