smartech

Big day for Archos, as the company has launched its new GPS device for the Archos 605 player, coming with maps of 22 European countries and equipped with lots of road and traffic services. In addition, Archos has launched 2 revolutionary plugins for the 605 devices, the first is the WebTV & Radio which enables wide variety of TV channels and radio stations, live via WiFi connection on the internet, thanks to a team up with TV Tuner. This plugin is available to purchase from Archos website for $19.99. The second plugin is the TV Portation which enables Archos TV+ owners to stream TV shows, directly from the living room into the Archos 605 PMP, wherever they are, on the go, which turns the TV+ device into a streaming media server, similar to the Sling box. This plugin will be available to purchase from Archos website next month for $49.99, but if you have a registered TV+ device it will be available for free.

Update 1: It will also feature full support for Flash 9 and WMV9 formats, free of charge, at the next firmware update, coming up next month.

Update 2: Check out the plugins demo videos after the break.

[via Archos]

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Archos announces the release of a new GPS navigation device for its fifth generation PMPs. Equipped with an integrated SiRF Star III chip, the new in-car GPS cradle turns your entertainment 605 player into a full-fledged navigation system, by simply snapping the Archos into the GPS In-Car Holder, which is connected to the car windshield. By doing so, you get an intuitive interface that allows you to easily pick any address, remarkable location or point of interest and find the best way to get there, with a full voice and video navigation system, presenting the sharp, precise and fast solution. The new system provides any road info you want, including traffic assistance, route planning, tunnel simulation, radar locations and even speed control assistance in some countries. The ARCHOS GPS In-Car Holder is compatible with any Archos 605 player and will cost you only $129.99. You can also buy this GPS device bundled with a 30GB Archos 605 player, for $399.99. Both packages will be available in May 2008.

Update: Check out the video preview after the break.

[via Archos]

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Chinese corporation MeLE has announced the release of two new PMPs, on China Sourcing Fairs at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. The first one is the PMC-200, which MeLE defines as a “low cost” PMP, coming with a 3.5-inch TFT LCD screen (320 x 240), huge storage capacity, ranged from 80GB to 160GB, a PVR function to record high quality video from your TV or any other source, with resolution up to 720×480 @30fps or 720×576 @25fps. Measures are 142.5×81x20 - 290g.

The second one is the PMC-600, which MeLE defines as a “Luxury” PMP, coming with a wide 4.3-inch LCD screen (480 x 272), huge 160GB storage capacity, SD/MMC/MS card reader, HD output (scale up tp 720P/1080i) and USB 2.0 interface. It is compatible with MPEG 1/2/4, XVID (720×480 @30fps), AVI, MPG file formats and sized at 153 x 79 x 23 - 360g. No word on price or availability for both players.

[via Aving]

Asus Eee PC 900 is one of the most talkative objects you can hear about on recent weeks, along with the rumored iphone 3G. Today we have a chance to take a glance into the bowels of the great Eee 900 (which was officially released today in Taiwan), thanks to the guys at bit-tech who disassembled the laptop into pieces. Surprisingly, it pretty much looks the same as the Eee PC 700, except the mobile PCI-Express socket, coming with a 16GB SSD module, expanding the drive space, and a new location for the speakers at the base of the chassis. To see more, press the link below.

[via bit-tech]

I was really impressed when i first saw a demonstration of the ViPR application, designed for the iPhone and set to be released around June. Evolution Robotics ViPR provides a visual pattern recognition that gives your handset the ability to detect and recognize complex visual patterns by simply taking a picture of any CD, book, movie or poster (via the built-in camera), sending it to the server and automatically receive a pushed back email message, loaded with a short summary description of the requested object, including links to youtube, iTunes music store or the official website. To learn more, checkout the video after the break:

[via gizmodo]

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Chinese company, Hantat, presents a new refreshing fruity design for its latest USB flash drive lineup, on China Sourcing Fairs at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. The new Bonanza banana drive features a rubbery coat from head to toe and 8GB storage capacity, that will impress all your friends at first sight. Regretfully, there’s no word on price or availability, but with a tasty look and a unique shape you have to admit it worth buying.

[via Aving]

Remember the new BenQ mobile internet device, presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona back in February? seem there are more details coming out, making us very curious about it. Apparently, the new MID will include an Atom processor, along with 512MB of RAM, a 4GB SSD drive, an optional GPS system, voice activation and a G-Sensor function, to easily switch between tracks, application and internet navigation. In addition, it will support HSDPA, WiFi 802.11 b/g and bluetooth 2.0+EDR connectivity, together with a built in camera and a 4.8-inch touchscreen. Still no word on price or availability but we’re getting close to zero hour.

[via slashgear]

If iphone battery doesn’t provide you the longevity you’ve been expecting from, there’s a nice solution that might answer your desires, as the Mophie Juice Pack is about to be released in the US, shortly. This new external battery device hooks to the back of your iphone, providing protection and additional hours of conversation, music and movies. According to Mophie, once the fixture is being attached, it extends your iphone activity and adds 250 more hours of standby, 8 extra hours of talk time, 7 additional hours of Video and another 24 hours of audio playback, which is really impressive, considering the original specs. Mind you, the pack weights 85 gm and measured at 60.96 x 120.65 x 19.05 mm, meaning your nice sleeky iphone turns into a bulky non pocketable handset. I guess it shouldn’t deter those who really need another extra battery time while driving to work or traveling abroad, but with a $100 price tag, it might faze our bank account. Great thing is that you can charge both iphone and Mophie pack at the same time without any special adjustments, and all buttons, back camera and the PC connection remain exposed, so you can continue using them without removing the Juice Pack. In addition, there’s a nice LED meter to notify you how much battery life was left before it drains. For more details, check the video after the break:

[via slashgear]

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AOC has announced the release of the new X700 PMP, coming with a 3.0-inch screen (400 x 240), 2GB of internal flash storage, an FM tuner, a microphone, an e-Book reader and an SD slot to expand capacity. It is compatible with RM , RMVB, AVI, FLV, MP3, WMA, WAV file formats and supports Microsoft’s PlayFX. No word on availability but this player is priced around $60.

[via PMP Today]

Microsoft plans to launch a Joy Division limited edition version of its Zune MP3 player, courtesy for the the band’s Unknown Pleasures DVD release on June 10th. To shed more info, Unknown Pleasures is the first album by Joy Division, released in 1979. In 2000, Q Magazine has placed this great album at number 19 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever, as Pitchfork Media placed it at number 9 in its list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1970s, so it’s very exciting to see a company like Microsoft, making this nice gesture, by endorsing the band with a special Zune edition, that will be designed by Peter Saville, the original graphic designer behind the Joy Division album covers.

Update: There are 500 copies available in the US for $400, coming in a luxury package.

[via wired]

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Hong Kong company, Sunview has introduced the PMPP, a new media player that squeezes inside an illuminated iView IPL630 projector and lots of other features, including a speaker, an SD slot, a remote control and more. The 3.5-inch LCD device runs a Windows CE operating system and allows you to project documents or PowerPoint presentations at 640 x 480 resolution, on the go, which is a pretty cool thing. No word on price or availability, but we hope to find it on west side very soon.

[via displaydaily]

We’re all familiar with the handwriting recognition function, coming with every PDA device as part of the UI. Well, now you can find something similar for jailbroken iphones, as a Chinese developer has created a cool application, called HWPen. Although it is just in beta version and not working smoothly, the new software can take over the standard keyboard and serve as a great alternative, both in Latin and Chinese. To install the HWPen, just goto Installer.app -> Sources -> click on “Edit” and “Add” a new source: http://iphonecake.com/src/new. Then refresh your sources and look for HWPen in the iPhoneCake packages category. Finally, Install the application and restart the iPhone - and Voila !

[via gizmodo]

Finally, after long expectations, there’s a VoIP application for jailbroken iphones, thanks to an Israeli-based company, named Fring. The company has developed (for the first time) a great mobile feature that enables users to install Fring VoIP solution into the iPhone devices and speak freely with their friends from Skype, MSN Messenger, ICQ, SIP, and Google Talk, or send chat messages to their Twitter followers, via the WiFi connection. To learn more, please check the video after the break. In addition, there’s a nice step-by-step installation guide, available here.

[via Fring]

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Ramos unveils the new V8 PMP, coming with a 4.3-inch touchscreen and a nice black sleeky design. It is equipped with a special motion sensor that detects screen rotation (like the one in the iPod Touch) and adjusts the image respectively. It also features a TV output, USB 2.0 connection, a built-in camera and more. The player is compatible with MP4, AVI, DivX, RMVB, MP3, WMA, FLAC file formats, and has a text viewer, to read your documents directly from the device itself. No word on price or availability but we hope it will go live very soon.

[via gmp3]

This low cost PMP from Gemei is not available outside China but it does have a nice 8mm thick design and a 2.4″ QVGA screen. The new X-100 houses 2GB of storage, a microphone, an FM tuner, USB 2.0 and more. It is compatible with formats like MP3 , WMA, APE, FLAC, WAV, AMR, RM / RMVB, ASF, AVI, MP4, and FLV files, so in case you tend to visit Asia in the nearer future, the X100 can be yours for $56.

[via akihabaranews]