smartech

After the new lineup announcement, at IFA 2008 in Berlin, Korean company, Maxian, rolls out the M1PMP, coming up with a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 touchscreen, a strong 500Mhz CPU and Windows CE 5.0 onboard. It packs a T-DMB tuner, an electronic dictionary, 9 EQ, an FM tuner, a microphone, SDHC slot and TV output. In addition, the M1supports MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, AAC, FLAC, APE, TTA, JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG, AVI, MPEG4, WMV , ASF, VOB, MP4, SMI, TXT, DOC, HTM, XLS, PPT, PDF file formats, and sized at 106.5 × 61×13. 1mm (113g). Still, no word on pricing or international availability, but if you happened to be in Asia, you will be able to choose either 8GB or 16GB internal flash storage, covered with a nice black flavor.

[via moveplayer]

Fuze owners can clap hands with joy, as firmware version 1.01.15, that was recently released, has brought FLAC and Ogg codecs to their Sansa players, which means – quality sound, spiced with lossless encoding. In addition, the new update fixes some of the bugs and improves the user interface, and the rumor says the Sansa Clip is next, to get these cool additions.

[Sandisk via DAPreview]

Shooting games are very popular among the gamers communities, specially when it comes to futuristic combat zones, which provide next-gen battle field experiences and top-notch weapons to handle. But the excitement, doesn’t necessarily, have to stay in our leaving rooms, in front of the game consoles,  It can also be shifted to our multimedia hanheld, as it was carried out by Microsoft, with the announcement of the “Gears of War 2″ Zune 120 special edition PMP, pre-loaded with tons of freebies, including 244 fragments from the game, the soundtrack, behind-the-scenes videos, making the art, and many more, all packed in a blackish version, engraved with a shady skull at the back, now available for pre-orders at Walmart.com and Amazon.com, if you can shell out $280 and wait for the shipping date, somewhere around November.

[via gmp3]

SmartQ has officially introduced the new TAO media player, coming up with a sleek blackish design and a 3.3-inch 480×320 HVGA display. It has a 500mhz Blackfin processor, a 4GB capacity, an FM tuner , A microphone and SDHC slot, to expand your storage. This 105 × 62×14 mm PMP supports wide bunch of formats, including MP3, OGG, WMA, FLAC, APE, AAC, WAV (PCM, ADPCM), FLV, WMV, ASF, 3GP, MPEG, RMVB, DAT, MP4, Xvid, and even high-def Divx (720 × 480). Battery can provide up to 20 hours of audio or 6 hours of video, which is fairly reasonable for a $100 price tag.

[via gmp3]

The new BenQ S6 Mobile Internet Device makes a debut right on time, via Italian carrier TIM, with a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen and a powerful 800MHz Atom MID processor, to handle the 3G 7.2Mbps HSDPA. It features a 2GB SSD drive, 512MB of RAM, a microSD card slot, Bluetooth 2.0 and WiFi connectivity, adorned in a small 159 x 89 x 22mm, 330gm package. To get this amazing Linux Midinux-based device, you’ll have to shell out €429 ($626), which means, giving up your next laptop procurement. Still, it looks like a top-notch portable machine with endless capabilities, the kind we’d like to see in our hands.

[Via UMPC Portal]

Korean company MobiBlu has released their latest T20 media player, coming with a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 display, an FM radio, a voice recorder, and flash storage, ranged from 1GB up to 8GB. It is compatible with MP3, WMA, FLAC, AAC, APE, RM / RMVB, AVI, JPG, BMP, TXT file formats and already available in Asia for around $200 (8GB). I guess there are some other alluring alternatives to spend the money on. Meaning, we need a better price.

[via gmp3]

The T-Mobile G1 event was definitely a game changer, to how the mobile phone and the Internet have merged to bring us innovative solutions in one device, the kind that can provide Email, Maps, Calendar, instant messaging, Contacts, Search engine and Media player, all together in one strong Open Source platform that will be able to compete those lavish smartphone handsets, with a fair and affordable price. As the clock pointed at 10:30 AM (East time), a group of distinguish representatives from companies like Deutsche Telecom, T-Mobile, HTC and Google were gathered on one small New York stage, to announce the long-awaited HTC Dream, powered with Google’s Android operating system, to be available in T-Mobile stores and dealers on October 27th, for merely $179, subjunctive to a two year contract – $25/month deal, including unlimited internet access plus a certain amount of messaging package, or $35/month deal with unlimited internet access and unlimited messages to send.

The new phone, also known as the G1, is equipped with a quadband GSM HSDPA 1700/2100, a stunning flip-out 3-inch 320 x 480 HVGA touchscreen, a full QWERTY keyboard to make it easier when you type-in a web address or any other online form, a 3.2MP camera with auto focus, a microSD card extension (1GB microSD card included, supports up to 8GB card), GPS navigation system, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. The continuous collaboration with Mountain View brings a smooth multitasking UI, packed with many Google apps, such as Gmail, GTalk IM, Google Maps, digital compass, integrated Traffic view / Street View, Google calender and last but not least, Google’s search engine, assimilated inside the built-in browser. In addition, you get more applications pre-loaded, like Android Market, which is equivalent to Apple’s App Store, Amazon’s MP3 store, allowing to download from 6 million DRM-free tracks (starting at 89 cents), YouTube and many other third-party goodies onboard. The unit comes with a designated Search Button that lets you work across the entire interface and search any application you want. Thus, you can look for your friends in the contact list or search for a special occasion within your calender, etc. Regretfully, it doesn’t support the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, nor A2DP stereo Bluetooth, but you can expect to see them in future versions. Sized at 4.60” x 2.16” x 0.62”, the G1′s battery provides up to 5 hours of speech or 130 hours in standby mode and potential buyers will be able to choose between black, white or brown flavors, when the phone goes live, in early November.

Checkout the videos after the break. For more images you can click in here.

[via Android Community]

Read more…

iRiver has officially released the P20 media player, to be available in 80GB or 120GB storage capacities, along with 4.1-inch 480 x 272 AMOLED screen, an FM tuner, a microphone, a speaker, a DMB tuner, and SD-MMC-CF card slot. It packs a TV output and compatible with MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, APE, FLAC, JPEG, RAW, BMP, GIF, PNG, MPEG4, XviD, WMV9, DOC, XLS, PPT, PDF, HWP, GUL, HTML / HTM / MHTML, TXT, SWF file formats, so there are plenty of audio, video and image codecs you can stock inside. Prices start at $430 for the 80GB version and climb up to $460 for the 120GB model, but these are probably Korean rates only. In any case, the iriver Spinn looks more appealing to me.

Update: the P20 will make a debut in Japan on February 27th, priced at ¥39,800 ($436) for the 80GB version.

[iRiver]

Read more…

The new Porient H12 UMPC can easily compete head-to-head with the latest Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet, as it comes with a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen and a strong 520MHz Intel XScale PXA270 processor. However, the 300gm device packs only 2GB of flash storage, so i guess there’s an obvious winner between the two, having the Archos 5 housing 60/120/250GB capacities onboard. Notwithstanding, the H12 features an SD/MMC card slot, mini-USB port, 802.11b/g WiFi connectivity, built-in GPS navigation system, DAB/DVB-H/DVB-T tuners and assimilated capabilities, including a web browser, RSS reader, multimedia player, voice recording, email, PDF viewer, office software, etc. Still, no word on price or availability, but it seems you can place your order for a bulk of units.

[via pocketables]

It might look like one of those updated cell phones, but it’s actually RCA’s new Lyra slider PMP, to be available somewhere in the fall, with 4GB / 8GB storage capacities, an FM radio, USB 2.0 connection and battery life, delivering up to 50 hours of audio or 8 hours of video. Count $79.99 for the 4GB version or $99.99 for the 8GB one.

[via engadget]

This new XM XMP3 Sattelite radio PMP from Pioneer, showed up on Best Buy’s website for couple of seconds and immediately vanished for some reason. Naturally, it has a built-in XM sattelite radio with up to 170 channels that you can access for a flat monthly fee of $12.95. In addition, you can play any MP3 / WMA files, stored on any microSD card with 8GB capacity at most. You can also record 100 hours of XM Radio on five different channels simultaneously, and schedule them as you want. The package contains a home dock, home antenna, a remote control and cables that will be available in about 2 weeks, for $279.99.

Update: checkout the video after the break, featuring the XM’s interface.

[via orbitcast]

Read more…

The new Video Touch PMP from Quantum has been officially announced, featuring GPS navigation capabilities, including traffic and weather updates, plus a built-in digital TV with up to 30 channels, using Siano DVB-H receiver inside. In addition, the new PMP supports mp3 audio files – to listen to your favorite music, images  – to collect your entire digital album and video – to watch your movies on the go. The touchscreen is compatible with gesture interface so the UI is expected to work smoothly. Still no word on price or availability.

[via techfresh]

Japanese corporation Kenwood has introduced a new mp3-players lineup, to be available at the end of September in black, white or red flavors. The Media Keg MG-E devices feature a 1.5-inch color organic display, 2GB or 4GB Built-in flash memory capacity, 9EQ, a microSD / SDHC slot, and lithium ion battery that can deliver up to 54 hours of music. Also, they are compatible with wide variety of formats, such as MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, JPEG, BMP and there are 7 different menu languages available, including Japanese, English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, or Spanish. You can get the 2GB version for $130 or the 4GB for $145.

[Kenwood]

Apple has officialy confirmed the release of a 2nd generation iPod Touch player, to hit the stores right away with the same 3.5-inch widescreen display,  802.11 b/g Wi-Fi connection, a built-in speaker and the amazing integrated accelerometer that turns your device into an interactive machine. The new Touch boasts a thinner chrome budy design with those curvy tapered edges, that can be found in the new iPhone 3G. It has external volume controls (finally) and runs the latest 2.1software with the App store inside and those Genius playlist menus, to automatically create smart playlists and save them for a repeatable use. You get 3 different versions to choose from, including an 8GB player to set you back for $229, 16GB for $299, and 32GB for $399. Battery life can deliver up to 36 hours of music or 6 hours of video. Another big addon, is the Nike+ receiver, to be used as your workout companion, once you place the optional Nike + iPod sensor ($19 US) in your Nike + shoe.

Read more…

Apple cuts Classic’s sizes, announcing new skimmed iPod Classic player with 120GB storage capacity, to match the Microsoft Zune head-to-head. Regretfully, this is going to be the only available Classic model in the market, since Cupertino has decided to bury those fatty 160GB players and reduce the storage by 40GB. However, you still have some limited time to get one to your collection before it leaves us forever.

So there it is, the new iPod Nano 4th generation was officially announced at Apple’s “Let’s Rock” event and it looks exactly as we’ve expected. The new Nano comes with a 2-inch display, integrated accelerometer that will automatically switch from Landscape mode to Cover Flow, a voice recorder(!) inside the new enclosed headphones, a tall skinny design with curvy edges on both sides and a brushed metal body, offering 9 colors to choose from, including silver, gunmetal, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and pink. In addition, the fourth generation player packs storage capacity ranged from 8GB ($149) to 16GB ($199), as the fresh seamlessly interface features the new Genius playlists menu that we’ve seen in iTunes 8, together with a surprising shake to shuffle feature, to choose random tracks while listening to your favorite music. Battery can provide up to 24 hours of audio or 4 hours of video, same as previous generations. To get one, you can start ordering right now from Apple’s online store or wait until it hits the shelves this weekend. Meanwhile, checkout the video after the break.

[Apple]

Read more…

iTunes 8 officially goes live at Apple’s “Let Us Rock” event, introducing HD shows from ABC, NBC and Showtime, to run for $2.99 per episode (the rest priced at $1.99). In addition, the 8 version comes with the new “Genius” sidebar feature, which lets you automatically create playlists from songs in your music library that go great together. Meaning, iTunes has a smart music reccomendation tool that helps users to rediscover favorite songs in their existing music library and suggests related music on the iTunes Store they might want to add to their music collection (sort of Pandora like). Furthermore, you can visualy browse your iTunes’ music / video libraries, using your album or video cover art and enjoy some new stunning Magnetosphere visualizations, once you turn your favorite music on. Tunes 8 is now available for download via Apple’s website.

[Apple]

Following last week’s Zune 16GB and Zune 120GB appearance, turns out there’s another kid on the block, joining the forthcoming lineup, a blue 8GB flash Zune, to be released in September with a 320 x 240 LCD display, wireless sync capabilities, Zune to Zune wireless sharing, an FM tuner and other alternative flavors, including black or silver. The new Zune supports wide variety of formats, like WMA, AAC, MP3, MPEG-4, WMV, H.264, or JPEG to play all your videos, music and images.

In addition, Microsoft will launch the Zune 3.0 platform, which includes some new features, such as Buy from FM, which lets you listen to your favorite FM radio stations and click to tag the songs you like for later purchase when you sync your device with your PC1. Zune Pass that lets you download millions of tracks, whole albums or playlists with Zune Pass subscription service. Device to Cloud that allows you to access thousands of wireless hotspots around the country to automatically update your collection, browse Zune Marketplace, refresh Channels, exchange favorites with friends, or buy songs you’ve tagged from your FM radio. Channels are custom programming stations that deliver personalized playlists to your Zune from a variety of sources you select, such as music experts, celebrities, or top radio stations. Games Zune Players now come with a selection of fun free games to choose from. Play the popular poker game Texas Hold’em or challenge yourself to a game of Hexic, and make sure you play your favorite song from your collection to create your own personal game soundtrack. Video/TV Shows you can choose from a growing selection of TV shows now available on the Zune Marketplace video store. Recorded TV shows or movies from Windows Media Center in Windows Vista can be imported and synced to your Zune.

The 8GB flash-based model will be available for $149.99 and we look forward to play with the new models.

Update1: Redmond has confirmed the new lineup, to be scheduled for September 16th. Prices, as expected, stand at $250 for the 120GB Zune, $199 for the 16GB flash version and $149 for the latest 8GB model. Mind you, the new Zune 3.0 software supports all Zune players, so if you hold in your pockets older devices, you’re covered. Hit the jump to see the video from CNET News, hosting Joe Belfiore from Microsoft.

Update2: As promised, Microsoft has launched Zune 3.0 update, now available to download from here. Mind you it’s one hefty file, sized 165MB(!).

[via Zunerama]

Read more…

With Apple, it’s all about enigma, spiced with some mystery and tidbits that show up in the wild from time to time, make you wondering if it’s fake or real, specially when unofficial images emerge to the cybernetic medium, introducing new ipod Nano and ipod Touch players with a refreshing design and mint dimensions.

This time, these are the guys from iLounge who break the news with sketchy pictures of the presumable future devices, that will probably make it official at the Apple event on Thursday the 9th this month. From those pictures, we learn that Apple plans to release a 4th generation iPod nano and a 2nd generation iPod touch, while the new Nano measures at 90.75mm x 38.75mm x 6.08mm (compared to 90mm x 40mm x 6.5mm 2nd Gen nano), and the new iPod touch looks like the iPhone 3G, with a curved back and tapered edges, sized at 111mm x 61.8mm x 8.4mm (against 110mm x 61.8mm x 8mm at the first ipod touch version) with the same headphone jack and dock ports. Mind you, these are unofficial images, so you’d better hold your breath for the real thing next week.

[via iLounge]

Read more…

It was back at the CeBIT show when we first spotted the Meizu M8 UI, but ever since, there were more speculations than a real product. Today, we finally get a chance to look at what appears to be a tangible video of the new Meizu M8 interface, presented by Mr. Jack Wong himself, introducing a smooth iphone-alike surface, with a flowing touchscreen and some new icons, different from the first imitating ones. Still, no word on when or where this long-time saga is about to end, if at all, but we do keep following. Meanwhile, checkout the new video.

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Flash video.
_____________________________________
[via meizume]