• 3 inch OLED display with 432 x 240 resolution
• Touch-screen navigation – access your music, videos, and photos through simple flicks of your finger
• Wi-Fi
• Podcast support
• Slacker Radio support
• Digital Clear audio technologies including S-Master digital amplifier and digital noise canceling functions
• Premium EX noise canceling headphones
• 33 hours of music playback or 9 hours of video
• Measures 2-1/8 x  3-7/8 x  13/32 inches
• Weighs 3.5 oz
• 5 band equalizer
• Audio support for MP3/WMA/AAC/L-PCM
• Video support for AVC(H.264/AVC)/MPEG-4/WMV DRM
• FM tuner

The 16GB X Series (model NWZ-X1051FBSMP) is available for $299.99 while the 32 GB X Series (model NWZ-X1061FBSMP) is available for $399.99.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sony X Series Walkman Video MP3 player

Sony finally let the cat out of the bag with the introduction of their new flagship Walkman Video MP3 player today called the X-series Walkman (NWZ-X1000 models). The media player features Wi-Fi connectivity, a beautiful OLED touch-screen display, Sony Digital Clear Audio technologies, and support for Internet content. Let’s spend a bit of time on each of the new features found in the X-series.

Display:

• 3 inch OLED touch-screen display
• 180 degree viewing angle
• Movie image can be adjusted based on user preferences
• New scene scroll navigation feature allows users to easily scroll through a movie. Simply select your preferred time increment and then swipe across the screen to scroll fwd or back through scenes

Audio technologies:

• First video MP3 player to feature integrated digital noise cancelling (DNC)technologies to help block out ambient noise
• Comes with 13.5 mm EX headphones which also have an embedded small microphone to measure “intrusive noise”. This allows the software-based DNC filter to create an “optimal inverted sound wave” that reduces the noise up to 98 percent.
• User can select custom settings for different listening environments (e.g. airplane, bus/train, office etc)
• Turn on DNC feature even without listening to music for peace and quiet

Content

• Supports popular audio and video codecs including WMV files, AVC Baseline (H.264) and MPEG-4
• FM tuner
• Supports Slacker radio. When you’re near a Wi-Fi hotspot, content can be refreshed and buffered on the player
• Comes with Content Transfer software for easy drag and drop transfer of non-DRM music, videos, podcasts, and playlists etc

Other notable features:

• 33 hour battery life for music playback
• 9 hour battery life for video playback
• Wi-Fi support
• Internet web browser
• Subscribe and refresh podcasts
• Search/playback content on YouTube
• Related Links function when playing your favorite songs allows you to quickly search complementary content via YouTube
• Buttons for volume, play/pause, rewind/fast forward, lock, and noise cancelling

Not too shabby eh? Now let’s talk about availability and price. You can pre-order the new Walkman players now over at SonyStyle.com with models expected to ship in mid-June. As for pricing – it’s basically the same as iPod touch pricing. The 16GB NWZ- X1051 is priced at $299 while the 32GB NWZ- X1061 is priced at $399.

The question for all of you to decide is – do you get the iPod touch or do you get this Sony X-series Walkman. Right off the bat – the mere fact that the iPod touch has an incredibly diverse App Store gives the media player an edge over anyone else out there. So .. Sony – if you want to stay competitive, you’re either going to need to add many MANY more features or you’re going to need to price the X-series at an even lower price point down the road.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sony X-series Walkman

The Samsung P3 widescreen portable media player was launched last week at CES 2009 and recognized with a CES Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Award honoree. Now I know what you’re probably thinking – yet another media player right? In some ways yes, but the P3 also comes with some rather unique technology including haptic technology and Samsung’s cool EmoTure touch interface which provides widget-type menus and interactive icons.

The player has a pretty impressive 3 inch display featuring a 16:9 aspect ratio and WQVGA resolutions. Haptics plays a big role in how you interface with the media player. Everything you do with the player – whether you’re swiping your finger across the screen, switching audio tracks, holding down a digital button, or fast-forwarding video, results in some sort of physical sensation to the user. There’s also a “Music Hot Touch Key” below the touch-screen display which is basically a shortcut way to important music features.

Other features and specs to the P3 include built-in Bluetooth, microphone, speaker, support for MP3, MPEG4, WMV (with DRM), WMA (with DRM), FM radio, JPEG, and text file formats, DNSe 3.0 sound enhancement technology, and a reinforced die-cast metal casing.

The P3 will be available in the first half of this year in the following storage capacities – 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB.

Technorati Tags: Samsung P3 widescreen portable media player, CES 2009

Archos introduced three new connected devices today as part of their new “Internet Media Tablets” product lineup – the Archos 5, the Archos 7, and the Archos 5g. These players offer many of the same features found in previous Archos models except now, there’s a large touchscreen display and even 3G connectivity on the Archos 5g model. The focus of these devices is clearly on the Internet – following the trend that Apple established with the iPhone and iPod touch. The Archos 5 is the company’s flagship product featuring a 5 inch display and a wealth of features. The Archos 5g adds 3.5G HSDPA support and the Archos 7 increases the display size to 7 inches while keeping the same resolution.

On the application front, the new Archos Internet Media Tablets support features such as:

• Web browsing via a free Opera browser
• Email application
• Web TV and Web Radio
• Widgets
• Video playback
• Music playback
• Photo playback
• Games
• Content streaming from a PC
• TV recording

Powering these new Archos players is the new ARM Cortex superscalar processor. These in fact are the first devices out there to use the new Cortex processor.

Some of the common specs include:

• 800 x 480 resolution display
• Video playback support for MPEG-4, WMV, MPEG-2 (optional on the Archos 7), H.264 (optional on the Archos 7), and M-JPEG. HD MPEG-4 and WMV support optional
• Audio playback support for MP3, WMA, Protected WMA, WMA pro 5.1, WAV, AAC, and AAC+
• Photo playback support for JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF
• Built-in PDF viewer
• Supports optional DVR station
• Supports POP3 and IMAP email accounts
• Wi-Fi support
• 3.5 mm mini-jack
• Built-in speaker and leg stand
• Lithium Polymer battery

The Archos 5 will be available in three storage configurations – a 60GB ($349.99), 120GB ($399.99), and a 250GB ($449.99) model while the Archos 7 will be available in a 160GB ($449.99) and 320GB ($549.99) model. The Archos 3G which comes with a SIM card slot and supports 3.5G connectivity will only be available in a 30GB model ($549.99).

[Check it out via PC Mag]

Technorati Tags: Archos, Internet Media Tablets, Archos 5, Archos 5g, Archos 7

Popcorn Hour has announced a new enhanced version of their popular A-100 model called the Popcorn Hour A-110. Major features and improvements with the A-110 include the following:

• Support for 2.5 inch/3.5 inch SATA Hard Drives
• USB Slave functionality
• Support for HDMI 1.3a
• Full support of HD Audio pass-through for DTS HD-HR, DTS HD-MA, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD (ha.. you know what this means!)
• USB port moved to the rear
• Optical S/PDIF instead of the co-axial S/PDIF connector in the first model
• Hardware reset button

As before, the A110 allows you to play content stored either directly on the device or streaming from the network. The device supports playback from PCs, NAS’s, digital cameras, USB mass storage devices, internal SATA HDDs, and even via the Internet through the Media Service Portal.

The supported codec list is just too long to write here.. so make sure to check out the webpage at popcornhour.com. I’ve yet to directly play with the device but a friend of mine has the A100 and absolutely loves it. The asking price for the A110 is $215. Well worth it when you consider what it’s capable of.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Popcorn Hour A-110

Creative Japan has a new portable media player out called the Creative ZEN Mosaic. One half of the ZEN Mosaic is covered by the 1.8 inch LCD display while the other half is covered by a patchwork of square and rectangular patterns (which also double as control and navigational buttons).  Spec wise, this is a flash based media player with storage options ranging from 2GB,4GB, and 8GB. Other specs include:

• Measures 79.5 x 40 x 12.8mm
• Weighs 43 grams
• Supports MP3, WMA, WAV, JPG
• Built-in speakers
• FM tuner

The ZEN Mosaic will be due out in August.

[Check it out via Akihabara News]

Technorati Tags: Creative ZEN Mosaic, Portable Media Player

Prices are set for the new Creative Technology ZEN X-Fi media player here in the U.S. The 32GB model has an MSRP of $279.99, the 16GB an MSRP of $199.99, and the 8GB goes for $149.99. Not familiar with the new ZEN X-Fi? It’s the first Creative media player to feature their X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Audio technology designed to help restore the quality of compressed music. There are basically two models – one with wireless LAN and one without. The 16GB and 32GB models feature Wi-Fi while the 8GB lacks it. Here are the major specs to the player:

• Measures 3.3. x 2.2 x 0.5 inches and weighs 2.4 oz
• 2.5 inch TFT display with a resolution of 320 x 240
• Video support includes MJPEG, WMV, MPEG-4, DivX, and XviD
• Audio support includes MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, Audible 2,3,4
• Picture support includes JPEG support
• 802.11 b/g for 16GB and 32GB models
• FM radio with 32 preset stations
• Equalizer with 8 presets and 5 band custom EQ
• Calendar, Contact, Task List
• USB 2.0

[Check out the ZEN X-Fi with wireless LAN]

[Check out the ZEN Xi-Fi]

via SlashGear

Technorati Tags: Creative ZEN X-Fi, Prices

Now here’s a truly interesting new product from Kodak. It’s the new Kodak Zi6 Pocket Video Camera which is Kodak’s first dedicated pocket digital video camera. This unit is designed to make video capture fun and simple to perform as it captures 720p 16:9 video at 60 fps. According to PluggedIn Kodak blog site, the Zi6 features:

• 2.4 inch TFT LCD screen
• Comes with dedicated ARCSOFT video software
• Built-in USB connector
• SD/SDHC card slot
• Cables for viewing videos on an HDTV
• Pre-charged AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries and battery charger
• Play back video in slow motion

The ARCSOFT video software allows users to quickly edit, personalize, and share videos as well as easily upload videos to YouTube. It’s due out in September although no word on pricing.

If the price and the video quality is right, this can truly be a compelling product for the average consumer.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Kodak Zi6 Pocket Video Camera

Sony announced that the mylo COM-2 Personal Communicator has a new video upload tool that allows users to capture and upload MPEG-4 videos without the need of a PC. Videos can be recorded using the built-in 1.3 megapixel camera and then uploaded using the built-in Wi-Fi support.

With the mylo, users can listen to digital music, video videos, and play games. However, when they’re near wireless hotspots, they can also view multimedia content online, chat with others using Skype, IM with users using AIM, Yahoo!, Google, and Skype, and read/write email through AOL Mail, Google Gmail, and Yahoo! mail.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sony mylo COM-2 Personal Communicator, video upload

• Sony clear audio technology are included which improve sound quality when playing back digital music files
• QVGA LCD displays that show video at 30fps
• Support for WMA, AAC, Linear PCM, MP3, JPEG, AVC(H.264/AVC) Baseline profile and MPEG-4 files

NWZ-S710F

• 33 hours of battery life for music playback
• 9.5 hours of battery life for video playback
• Built in noise canceling system which can reduce 75 percent of ambient noise
• Five clear audio technology built into device
• 1.8 inch QVGA (320×240) LCD screen
• FM tuner with 30 presets
• Comes in two different capacities and three colors:
• The NWZ-S716F player has approximately 4GB of internal storage; comes in silver, red and black and will cost about $150.
• The NWZ-S718F player has approximately 8GB of internal storage; comes in black and will cost about $200.

NWZ-A720

• 36  hours of battery life for music playback
• 10 hours of battery life for video playback
• 2.4 inch QVGA display
• Slim body
• Comes in three different capacities and two colors
• The NWZ-A726 player has approximately 4GB of internal storage; comes in black and pink; and costs about $150.
• The NWZ-A728 player has approximately 8GB of internal storage; comes in black and pink and costs about $200.
• The NWZ-A729 player has approximately 16GB of internal storage, comes in black, and costs about $300.

NWZ-A820

• 36  hours of battery life for music playback
• 10 hours of battery life for video playback
• Same look and feel as the A720
• Bluetooth technology
• 2.4 inch QVGA LCD display
• Users can manually delete videos directly from the device’s internal memory without connecting to PC
• The NWZ-A820K comes with EX-Series earbuds and the DR-BT21G Bluetooth headphones
• The NWZ-A828K comes in black, has approximately 8GB of internal storage, and costs about $270.
• The NWZ-A829 comes in black has approximately 16GB of internal storage, and costs about $320.

The new models will come out in March with presales beginning now.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Sony Walkman, NWZ-S710F, NWZ-A720, NWZ-A820

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Creative, Creative Share

• Three inch widescreen touch-screen display with 480 x 272 video resolution
• Video playback at 30 fps
• Supports MP3, WMA, WMA-DRM, MPEG4, and WMV9
• Supports Napster, Rhapsody, Yahoo! Music, CinemaNow, Vongo, and Amazon Unbox
• Bluetooth support
• Available in 4GB or 8GB of memory
• 30 hours of audio and 5 hours of video
• Integrated FM tuner with 30 station presets. Scans entire FM range in less than 60 seconds
• FM recorder
• 0.39 inches thick (overall measures 3.4 x 2.05 x 0.39 inches)
• Available in black, white, and burgundy
• Integrated text reader
• Supports datacasts
• Comes with file browser, built in alarm clock, calendar, world clock, etc
• Customizable menus

Ok.. so here’s the verdict from LaptopMag:

Samsung has crafted a fine portable media player with the P2. The Bluetooth integration is top-notch, and the P2 offers very good audio and video playback. If you can live with 8GB of storage and can do without Wi-Fi, this is one multimedia device that’s worth a look.

Probably the only real drawback is the lack of Wi-Fi on the P2. That’s one area where the iPod touch excels in and quite frankly, makes for a slightly more compelling device. With Wi-Fi, you can have applications that make use of the network capabilities such as an email client and a browser. Now of course you could do this with Bluetooth (paired to a mobile phone or a PC) but that’s just one more painful step to deal with. Overall though – this is one sexy portable media player.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Samsung, P2, LaptopMag, Review

What’s this I see from Coby? A touch-enabled media player? Yet another touch oriented device? (OK perhaps it wasn’t a good thing that Apple released the iPhone eh?) Yes.. It’s the Coby MP-835 media player and it comes with a three inch high resolution touchscreen display. Features of the MP-835 include:

• Intuitive touchscreen controls
• microSD card slot
• Integrated FM radio
• USB 2.0
• Integrated rechargeable battery
• 3 inch widescreen TFT color display with 480 x 272 resolution
• Supports Audio: MP3, WMA, OGG; Video: AVI, WMV; Photo: JPG, BMP, GIF; Text: TXT
• Supports WMDRM 10
• 3.5 mm headphone jack
• Measures 2.04 x 3.82 x 0.41 inches

The Coby MP-835 is available in 2 or 4GB configurations and comes only in black.

[Check it out via Chip Chick]

Technorati Tags: Coby MP-835

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Creative Zen, 32GB, 9

Let the gigabeat go on!.. ok. that was a little lame I know. In any event, Toshiba has updated their gigabeat V lineup with their new gigabeat V81 portable media player. The V81 features 8GB of storage space and comes with an SDHC compatible media card slot. The card slot is important because the V81 comes with an integrated TV tuner. Recorded television shows can then be copied onto the SDHC card and then brought over to another PC or device for playback.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Toshiba, Gigabeat V81

Cowon had a small booth located along the side wall of the South Hall of the LVCC. The following are pictures as well as descriptions of the portable media players that they had on display there. Quite honestly – nothing really stood out at Cowon but enjoy the pics anyhow!

First up is the Premium PMP Cowon Q5W. This high end portable media player has the following specs:

• 5 inch 16.7 million color TFT LCD with 800 x 480 touch screen display
• Supports WLAN and Bluetooth wireless connectivity
• Alchemy ALU1250 600MHz processor
• Windows CE 5.0 OS
• TV out with Component, S-Video, Composite outputs
• Supports AVI, ASF, WMV, MPG, OGM
• Supports DivX, XviD, MPEG4, WMV 7/8/9
• Supports MP3, WMA, ASF, OGG, WAV, FLAC, APE, MPC
• Supports JPG, BMP, PNG, RAW
• Photo and text viewer
• Adobe Flash Player
• FM radio
• Voice recorder
• Supports MS DRM 10
• USB 2.0
• Built-in stereo speaker
• 7 hour video playback and 13 hour audio playback
• 40GB or 60GB HDD

Here is the Extreme PMP Cowon A3 media player. The specs are as follows:

• New TI DaVinci chipset
• 1280 x 720 HD video playback support
• 800 x 480 resolution, 16.7 million colors, and a 4 inch TFT LCD display
• TV Out – Component, S-Video, Composite
• Supports AVI, WMV, ASF, MP4, MATROSKA, MPG, VOB, DAT, MTV, OGM
• Supports DivX 3.11 and up, XviD, MPEG4 SP/ASP,WMV 9/8/7, H.264 MP, M-JPEG, MPEG1
• Supports MP3/2/1, ASF, WMA, FLAC, OGG, M4A, TTA, APE, MPC, WV, WAV, AC3
• Video recording from TV, VCR, or camcorder
• Voice recording and line-in audio recording
• Supports JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG, TIF, RAW
• Document viewer
• FM radio and recording
• JetEffect powered by BBE and EQ filter
• User adjustable 10 band EQ
• Built in stereo speaker
• USB 2.0 support
• Alarm scheduled playback or recording
• 7 hours of video playback and 9 hours of audio playback
• 30GB/60GB of HDD storage
• Optional mobile TV package supporting DVB-T, T-DMB, 1 SEG

This is the Premium MP3 Cowon D2 media player. The specs are as follows:

• 2.5 inch 16.7 million color TFT LCD with a resolution of 320 x 240
• Touch screen capable
• Video, music, photo and text playback
• Flash Contents player
• Calculator and Notepad
• FM radio and recording
• Voice and line-in recording
• USB storage
• Easy to use interface via Virtual Click and Virtual Motion
• 74mW output
• Supports full scale 30fps QVGA video and TV out
• SD/MMC card support with SDHC support
• Up to 52 hours of music playback, 10 hours of movie playback
• Dynamic playlists
• USB 2.0
• Supports APE, MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, FLAC, Moving Picture, JPG, BMP
• Supports MS DRM 10
• JetEffect powered by BBE and EQ filter
• Available in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB flash memory
• D2 DAB Digital Radio Edition and D2 1 SEG Edition

Above is the Cowon Extreme MP3 iAudio 7 portable media player. Specs are as follows:

• Swing-Touch interface
• Up to a whopping 60 hours of playback
• Choose from 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB flash memory
• Support for music, video, photo, and text playback
• FM radio and recording
• Voice and line-in recording
• USB storage support
• 1.3 inch color TFT display with 160 x 128 resolution and support for 260K colors
• Supports MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV, Moving Picture, JPEG
• Supports Microsoft DRM 10
• Dynamic playlists
• USB 2.0
• JetEffect powered by BBE and EQ filter
• User adjustable 5 band EQ

Here is the Cowon Optimal Slim iAudio U5 portable media player. Specs are as follows:

• Slim design
• 1.8 inch TFT Color LCD display with a resolution of 128 x 160
• FM radio and recording
• Voice recorder
• USB Storage support
• 64 mW output
• Supports MS DRM 10
• Supports MP3, WMA, WAV file formats
• Choose from 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB flash memory
• Multi Language Support
• Up to 24 hours playback
• Dynamic playlists
• USB 2.0
• JetEffect powered by BBE and EQ Filter
• User adjustable 5 band equalizer

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Cowon, CES 2008, iAudio U5, iAudio 7, Cowon D2, Cowon A3, Cowon Q5W

The iRiver W7 features:

• Optional GPS capabilities via a separate car mount
• 3 inch touch screen
• Supports music, videos, photos, text, and Flash games
• Integrated FM tuner
• E-Dictionary
• microSD card slot for additional storage space
• Available in 4GB and 8GB storage capacities

According to CNET, the iRiver W7 is due out in the US sometime around the end of Q1 and the beginning of Q2. No word of pricing yet here in the states. You can read more about it here.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: iRiver, W7, CNET, CES 2008, Best of CES

This is an upcoming IOGEAR device (which has yet to be announced nor named) which is basically an external hard drive/media player. Inside the green chassis is a small portable hard drive which you can use to store all of your latest digital content – everything from music to photos to videos. Bring it with you to your friends or families’ home and then connect it up to your television set to view the content.

On the video side, the device will support most of the popular formats including MPEG-2/MPEG-4/H.264 etc. Storage sizes have yet to be finalized but you can probably expect a 250GB unit to be available sometime in 2008.

The device can be controlled using the onboard buttons or a separate remote control.

Technorati Tags: IOGEAR, CES 2008

Motorola is jumping into the Mobile TV market with the introduction of the DVBH compatible DH01 device. The DH01 is a lightweight portable personal media player which allows you to play back live TV, on-demand clips, and programs saved on a DVR system.

The DH01 represents the latest commercial entry into the emerging mobile TV and video on-demand markets – this time by a company that has recently faltered in the mobile phone market. What’s not entirely clear is whether consumers will be willing to purchase yet another standalone personal media player just to watch mobile live television content. Let’s face it – we already carry mobile phones (many of which support video on demand or live TV content), iPods, and notebooks. Do we need another player?

The DH01 supports the DVBH standard which is supported both in Asia and in Europe. The DH01 features:

• 4.3 inch QVGA display with support for up to 16 million colors
• 5 minute memory buffer for pausing live TV
• Supports DVBH technology
• Live digital video broadcast support
• Record TV on Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMediaCard (MMC) – up to 90 minutes of video on a 256 MB card
• Automatic channel scan and channel listing
• High resolution display
• 25 fps frame rate
• Four hours of battery life

According to the NYTimes, Motorola expects the DH01 to be sold by television broadcasters, retailers, and wireless carriers. Unfortunately no specific vendors were named at this time.

Yes.. we’re still a bit dubious about the prospects..

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Motorola, Mobile TV, DV01, DVBH

The folks at Akihabara News are reporting that the widescreen portable media player iRiver W7 is now available in stores in Korea. The 4GB version is selling for 177 EUR while the 8GB version is going for 214 EUR.

Here are the specs in case you’re not familiar with the W7 (which I wasn’t):

• Available in 4 or 8GB storage capacities
• Available in violet or white
• Supports MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer 3, WMA
• Supports MP3, WMA 8kbps – 320 kbps
• Supports WMV9 SP, MPEG-4 SP (30fps, 480 x 272) H.264 (Baseline Profile)
• 480 x 272 TFT LCD display with support for up to 260K colors
• SRS WOW HD, 7 Preset Equalizer
• Flash support for games
• Electronic dictionary
• E-Book reader
• Supports Windows 2000, XP, Vista
• Touchscreen + Jog user interface

[Check it out via Akihabara News]

Technorati Tags: iRiver, W7, Korea