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

We dropped by the Aiptek CES 2008 booth on Monday and checked out some of their newest 2008 products which included two new 1080p capable HD digital camcorders and a new 8 inch Bluetooth enabled digital picture frame. The exciting products were clearly the HD camcorders (Aiptek uses HD a bit loosely here since the camcorders actually record at 1440 x 1080 and not 1920 x 1080) since they’re fairly inexpensive. The high end camcorder is priced under $300 dollars while the lower end one without optical zoom is under $200 dollars.

Pictured above is the Aiptek PocketDV AHD300 Pro portable HD digital camcorder. Remember - this is not a full HD camcorder because it records video at 1440 x 1080 at up to 30 fps. Specs for the AHD300 Pro include:

• 5 in 1 multi-functions including digital camcorder, digital camera, voice recorder, portable media player, and SD card reader
• capture at 1440 x 1080 resolution at 30fps
• Supports 720p 60 fps capture for high speed motion capture
• 2x Digital Zoom at 1440 x 1080p
• 4x Digital Zoom at 720p at 60fps
• 2.4 inch TFT display
• Night shot mode
• Rechargeable li-ion battery and easy power charge via USB cable
• Record TV program, DVD via AV cable, and playback on AHD 300 Pro

The next camcorder is the top of the line Aiptek PocketDV AHD500 Pro which also captures at 1440 x 1080 resolutions and includes a 3x optical zoom lens. Specs are as follows:

• Capture at 1440 x 1080 at 30fps
• 3X optical zoom lens with auto focus
• 2.4 inch TFT display
• Capture up to 5cm close up picture with macro mode
• Night shot mode
• Extra LED light helps video recording in the dark
• Rechargeable Li-Ion battery and power charge via USB

The last new product from Aiptek is the Bluetooth enabled 8 inch digital photo frame Monet. You can send images to the digital photo frame using Bluetooth wireless technology - simply snap a picture with your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone and then beam it to the display. Other specs include:

• Slideshow with 13 transition effects
• Auto sliedshow with personal MP3/WMA music in the background
• Play video files (MPEG1/2/4)
• Supports up to 12 megapixel digital images
• Compatible with USB flash drive, CF, SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro cards
• Easy to setup calendar, clock, and alarm

Technorati Tags: Aiptek, PocketDV AHD500 Pro, PocketDV AHD300Pro, 8 inch digital picture frame Monet Bluetooth

I had the opportunity to drop VIEVU which had a smooth booth at the Sands Expo. This company specializes in creating personal video recording devices and currently has two models - the PVR-PRO which sells direct to consumers for $499.95 and the PVR-LE which is specifically for law enforcement usage.

VIEVU describes the PVR-PRO as a wearable video recording device and seriously - that’s what it really is. Think of it as a small video camera that you attach to your shirt or front pocket. The device has a tri-clip design which basically allows it to be attached to nearly anything out there. There’s also a small sliding door that hides the camera lens behind it. When you’re ready to shoot some video, simply slide the shutter door down and the camera begins recording video onto it’s internal memory.

I briefly spoke with Tom Burns (Sales Director at VIEVU) and he explained to me his own thoughts and feelings about the PVR-PRO. First off  - it’s a great tool for law enforcement of course because it allows officers to record basically everything that happens at the scene of a crime. Officers can now fully record what is happening from their point of view so there’s no argument whether someone committed an illegal action or not. 

On the consumer side, it’s all about capturing the emotion of the moment. Who wants to go around holding a camcorder or camera in their hands? If people see you shooting video at them with a camcorder in their hands, they will undoubtedly act just a tad bit differently. With the PVR-PRO clipped to your shirt or pocket, there’s a much better chance that individuals will act more naturally and show their true emotions of the moment. On top of this - you get to fully enjoy the environment around you without worrying about whether your shot is correct or if you’re panning too quickly etc (though you might still pan a bit too fast if you’re body moves all over the place!)

Above is a photograph of some video footage taken by the folks at VIEVU while using the PVR-PRO as they were walking through the streets of Vegas. It’s definitely a pretty cool device to have on hand if you don’t want to deal with actually carrying a camcorder in your hands etc. Here are the specs:

• VGA quality video (640 x 480)
• Weighs approximately 5 oz
• Measures approximately 2.75 x 1.75 x 0.65 inches
• Zero light infra-red capability - records in complete darkness
• Rugged rubberized case for durability
• Waterproof design - IPX5 standard
• 64 degree field of view
• 4 hours of video recording
• Low memory LED indicator
• Low battery LED indicator
• green design - meets RoHS and WEEE standards
• On/Off switch provides lens protection
• Download to PC via USB
• Supports Windows 2000, XP, Vista

The MSRP for the PVR-PRO is $499.95 which might be a tad bit high for some consumers - especially since you can get camcorders these days for much cheaper prices. Of course - you do lose the convenience of having something wearable which happens to also operate in complete darkness so it’s a tradeoff.

If there’s one thing I hope VIEVU works on for later iterations of the device - it would be to improve the overall look of the device. While it’s fairly small in size, it’s still somewhat noticeable if it’s clipped on a shirt. If they could further miniaturize it and make it more inconspicuous - that would be AWESOME. Adding a media card slot would also make it even more handy for long usage.

I look at it this way. I would LOVED to have had the PVR-PRO on hand while walking around CES 2008. Why bother snapping up pics, carrying a camcorder etc, when I could simply talk naturally to folks at CES AND be able to record the conversations as they happen.

Oh.. one final note - someone tell the folks at GhostHunters that they need to pick up these devices for their investigations!

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: VIEVU, PVR-PRO, Wearable Personal Video Recording Device, CES 2008