Items tagged with PMP
There are iconic brands, and there are really iconic brands. Sony's Walkman line is easily one of the most famous of all times, and the new NWZ-W260 keeps the lineage alive. It's a new one-piece, water-resistant W Series Walkman MP3 player for sports enthusiasts, which weighs around 24% less (and is around 2/3 smaller) than the prior model. It features a rinsable, wearable and water-resistant headphone-style design, perfect for those who just can't stop exercising. The water-resistant frame ensures it can withstand sweat from intense workouts in any weather condition, and it ships with Content Transfer software that allows users to easily drag and drop music files from iTunes, Windows Media Player,...
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You might think we're living in an iPod world, but while that unit may rule the roost in terms of sales, there are still plenty of alternatives popping up for those who aren't onboard the Apple bandwagon. iRiver is a major player overseas, and the company's slick and sleek design language translate well on this site of the ocean. The company's P Series hasn't been updated in some while, but now that's changing with the introduction of the P8. It's a beautiful media player with a vast array of files that are supported, a battery that will last 9 hours, and 8GB/16GB of internal storage. There's also a microSD slot if that's just not enough. The unit also includes an 800x480 resolution display and...
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More new gear from Creative? Yep! The company has gone quite some time without really introducing any new equipment in the consumer universe, but that all changed over the past week. Perhaps the most interesting of the new additions is the ZEN Style M300, which is a music, photo and video player with Bluetooth wireless audio playback. It measures 55x44x12mm in size, has an open microSD card slot and a 1.45" TFT screen with Touch Buttons. It looks somewhat similar to an iPod nano, but unlike Apple's unit, the M300 starts at just $49.99. For that price, you can probably spring for one just for gym-use. The Bluetooth 2.1 inclusion means that you can sync it up with wireless headphones, and while...
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If the iPod touch is the iPhone without a phone, the Galaxy S WiFi is the same device over on the Android side of things. The company has just launched two incredibly sleek players in Korea, the Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 and WiFi 5.0. The only major difference is the screen size; the 4.0 has a 4" panel, while the 5.0 has a 5" panel. Both will have a 1GHz CPU and ship with Android 2.2, with the 4.0 shipping first in Russia and the 5.0 first in Switzerland. Both are expected to roll out to other nations shortly. Essentially, these two players are similar to the Galaxy S smartphone, but there's no phone aspect at all. Of course, VoIP calls are still a go over Wi-Fi, and you'll still have access to all of...
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So, wait. The Zune HD isn't dead? Hmm. After hearing that Microsoft was transitioning away from the Zune HD hardware and focusing more on software, it seemed easy to assume that the Zune as a standalone hardware icon was dead. But that may not quite be the case yet. Microsoft made it pretty clear that Windows Phone 7 would be their focal point this year, and the media integration aspects were taking over for Zune in some sense. But now, DaveMac-MS -- manager of business development for Zune hardware -- is saying something a bit different. He claims that he still has the title just mentioned, which wouldn't be possible if Zune were dead. He was quick to point out that no one at Microsoft has officially...
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Why wait for CES? That's exactly what Archos is thinking. The company has just revealed that the Archos 70 Internet Tablet, the first Android tablet with a 250GB hard drive, is now on sale and available to purchase in the United States. This is a unique Android tablet, as it focuses first on being a multimedia tablet. There's plenty of storage for your music, photos and videos, and there's a high-res screen, a 1GHZ CPU and a Wi-Fi module. It's on sale now for $349.99, which is actually less than a Galaxy Tab with far less storage. If that's too large for you, the Archos 28 and 32 are also shipping today. These are portable media players, not quite large enough to be considered a tablet. The first...
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As if it weren't official already, 3D has taken over the world. It's hard to say if the trend will continue this time, but the 3D effect is now filtering down into gadgets that were previously immune to 3D coverage. Even Nintendo's DS will get a 3D overhaul next year, and now Cowon has revealed a media player that will as well. Simply called the Cowon 3D, this simply designed media player retains the sleek style that Cowon is known for, but adds a 3D panel and support for 1080p playback. There's an HDMI output, a 4.8" display (800x480 pixels) and a 3D visualizer that doesn't require glasses. The battery can last for around 10 hours of video (or up to 300 hours in standby), Wi-Fi and a rather...
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Microsoft's Zune HD sure has seen a difficult road. No matter how hard the company tried, they never could gain ground on Apple. The iPod has proven too strong for even Microsoft's marketing powers, and now it's rare to hear anything about the player at all. Microsoft is still making them, but they're hardly marketing it; at this point, the iPod has simply taken over, and as SanDisk's CEO pointed out a few years back, it's hard to "out iPod the iPod." But that's not to say the Zune HD is dead. United Airlines has just given the media player a new lease on life thanks to a partnership that will place Zune HDs into the hands of patrons. Reportedly, United will host around 500 Zune players on extra-long...
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Now this is impressive. In fact, it's hardly believable. SanDisk's CEO was quoted a few years ago as saying that no one could "out iPod the iPod," and over the years, that has been proven true. Even mighty Microsoft couldn't put a dent in the iPod's market share with the now-forgotten Zune, and one could argue that Sony never really tried. But that's in America. Over in Japan, it's another story. Sony has a huge, huge following in Japan, while Apple is still trying to break fully into that market. A new survey on sales from the country recently found that for the first time, Sony's Walkman has outsold the iPod in Japan. Despite the iPod having less dominance in Japan compared to North America,...
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Is SanDisk back in the portable media player business? It looks like the answer may be "yes!" The company's Sansa line has faltered in recent years, with the last unit to come from it being introduced so long ago that most of you probably don't even remember it. The company's CEO once admitted that no one could "out iPod the iPod," so we just assumed SanDisk gave up trying as Apple continued to gobble up market share. Clearly that's not entirely true. The Sansa Fuze+ is the company's comeback device, but it's not even trying to go toe-to-toe with Microsoft's Zune HD or Apple's iPod touch. Instead, it's aiming at a lower-end market; a market that might better appreciate their slotMusic and slotRadio...
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Cowon's a company that few people in America have heard of, mostly because they don't spend a great deal of money marketing themselves here. The likes of Apple and Microsoft are much more known in the mainstream, but Cowon's competing in the same portable media player space. By and large, the company makes great products. They're sleek, they're portable and well-built. They're extremely popular in South Korea, and they're trying hard to widen their presence in other countries. There's hardly a better way to do that than to simply continue to produce new gear. The company's latest device is a real eye-catcher, and it's a great media player for those with smaller pockets. The J3 is a sleek, graphite-colored...
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Sungale isn't a popular name like Apple, Acer or Archos, but it's making a play for the portable media player market with its Kula TV. Boasting a 4.3" display, a pop-up Wi-Fi antenna and the ability to stream Internet content, this is one of the most interestingly designed PMPs that we've seen to date.The screen is actually a touch panel, and it also includes 2GB of internal memory, but otherwise there aren't many details to go on. It will arrive in March at $199.99, presumably with support for a wide range of audio and video formats. The full press release is below.Sungale Streamlines Kula Tv To Strengthen User ExperienceSungale redesigns portable Kula TV to include a pop up Wi-Fi Antenna for...
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When you think of ViewSonic, you probably think of LCD monitors. Believe it or not, this company is actually pretty diverse, and its easily-recognized monitor division is just one of the many aspects where it to the larger realm of consumer electronics. Take the VPD400 for example, which is a rather robest media player that actually looks a lot like something a top-label company like Apple would create.The MovieBook VPD400 describes itself as the next generation of the ultimate, all-in-one portable entertainment experience, and while we kind of doubt it'll take the place of the iPod, the 4.3" display and high-res 800x480 display may get some attention from the anti-Apple crowd. It'll also...
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It's a good time to be in the market for a portable media player. From Apple's iPod lineup (the obvious choice) to Microsoft's Zune HD to Archos' range of media-centric players, you've got options galore. But just in case you still weren't confused enough as to which device was right for you, Creative has just added another to the mix. The company once famous for its expansive range of audio cards has begun to dabble in the wide world of PMPs, and while it's newest product is no iPod touch, it may just be enough for you. The ZEN X-Fi2, as it's known, is a touch screen-based player, and on paper, it's pretty darn respectable. The 4" x 2.2" x 0.5" player weighs just 2.6oz. and boasts a 3" LCD touch...
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Archos has had a tough time gaining ground in North America. Frankly, so has every other portable media player manufacturer not named Apple, but Archos' problem is that they typically market their wares solely in France, the company's home nation. Now, however, it seems that the firm is finally ready to make a big push here in America, and it's kicking things off with the Archos 5 PMP.It's one of the world's first PMPs to ship with Google's Android operating system, which was reserved for cell phones/smartphones up until now. Some may feel that a phone OS has no business on a media player, but in many ways, there are a lot of similarities between the two. Both can surf the web, both can play...
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NVIDIA's Tegra is sure doing a good job at gaining respect in the industry. The company's HD Mobile Processor enables portable media devices to handle HD video and 3D graphics, feats that were deemed impossible for small gadgets just a few years back. Now, however, Tegra has already found a home in the high-profile Zune HD, and just in case you've got some beef with Microsoft, you'll also find it within Samsung's new M1. The M1 is a pretty darn sleek player, equipped with an AMOLED display, wireless technology, 3D graphics and a Flash-based user interface. Reportedly, the device can handle 720p HD video playback, and it's equipped with a dedicated audio processor, a GPU and two ARM cores. The...
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So look, Microsoft's Zune HD looks promising. Really promising, even. But promising enough that it shouldn't give the general population any other choices in the Zune range? That's evidently the case, as news has surfaced asserting that Microsoft is planning to kill off its entire Zune range save for the forthcoming Zune HD. At first take, this seems like a really odd decision. The Zune HD is great for high-end users who will appreciate an OLED display and a premium design, but what about lower-end users who just need a basic music player but would love to give Microsoft $14.99 per month in order to have access to the Zune Pass music subscription service? Even Apple, a company notorious for giving...
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There's little doubt that the hype surrounding Microsoft's Zune HD far exceeds that which surrounded the original Zune. The design is far superior, the technology is cutting edge (HD Radio, OLED display, etc.) and far more is at stake. Microsoft didn't exactly hit a home run with the original Zune, but if the Zune HD crashes and burns in much the same way, who knows if the software giant will even bother to try its hand at Apple's game again? In order to really launch an all out assault on Apple's iPod touch, Microsoft has also enlisted the help of NVIDIA. An odd partner in the portable media player business, but one that could prove all the more viable in the coming months and years. Unlike...
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Well, well--turns out those pricing leaks from Amazon the other day were legitimate, and now Microsoft has stepped in to confirm what most of the tech-savvy world already knew. The company's next-generation Zune, and arguably the iPod's most serious competition to date, will begin to ship to US customers on September 15th, or just over a month from today.For those who can't wait to get in on the action, a slew of retailers and e-tailers are offering consumers the ability to pre-order the device, which will be made available in 16GB and 32GB capacities. The world's first touch-screen Zune will boast HD Radio support (a first for a portable music player outside of Insignia's NS-HD01) and it will,...
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When you mention "OLED" and "portable media player" in the same sentence, one of two devices probably come to mind. Sony's OLED Walkman, or more recently, Microsoft's forthcoming Zune HD. But really, there's a media player that's been touting an OLED panel longer than either of those two, and it goes by the name S9. Cowon's quiet yet powerful entrant into the touchscreen media player realm has remained largely under wraps here in America thanks to a dearth of marketing, but there's at least a fighting chance that it'll gain a bit more popularity now that a striking white version has surfaced. Over on Cowon's website, the S9 White Edition has popped up with its very own Web portal, showcasing...
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This last January, iriver made quite a splash when it showed off its 2009 lineup of portable multimedia players (PMPs) at CES. Tech journalists swamped the iriver booth like a fast-moving school of fish, trying to get a closer look at the prototype models that were on display--especially the P7, which is the flagship of the line. Pricing and availability were still unknown, leaving us high-and-dry, waiting for the wave of products to eventually stream into stores. Well, at least for the much-anticipated P7, the wait is almost over. Today, iriver announced pricing for the P7 and also stated that it is about to become available from a number of sellers, such as Amazon, Fry's, J&R, B&H,...
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Good afternoon folks! Looking for something interesting to read? How about the 7800GT reportedly having 20 pipes. Need more? There's a good chance ATI's R520 will be available for purchase at it's launch date. Still not enough? Well, we've got plenty more below! Albatron K8SLI Review @ AMD Zone "While overclockers may want to steer clear with only an average feature set those looking to mod, or just wanting some more case real estate for watercooling can take advantage of the smaller depth. You won't find a board packed with extras, or high end hardware, or extra SATA ports. The bottom line is that the Albatron K8SLI is an interesting implementation of the nForce 4 SLI with a low cost, and...
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