The new Sony X Series Walkman Video MP3 players are now available for purchase over at SonyStyle.com. Here’s a refresher just in case you forgot about these new touch-screen media players. The features and specs include:

• 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.

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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.

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Technorati Tags: Sony X-series Walkman

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

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

Here’s an interesting piece of technology news. QPC Lasers Inc. will be demonstrating their high power miniature prototype BrightLase Red-Green-Blue “RGB” laser at the Society of Information (SID) Display Week 2008. The RGB laser is designed for high resolution miniature projectors in the 100 lumens output region for portable electronic devices. According to QPC, the RBG laser provides advantages to consumer electronics such as expanded color gamut, low power consumption, and ultra-compact form factor. The overall idea is to pair small mobile/portable devices with powerful projectors equipped with the small RGB laser. Instead of watching a video on a small 2 to 3 inch display, project the movie right onto a wall with a compact projector.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: QPC Lasers, BrightLase, RGB Laser, Projector

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