smartech

Great news from Lenovo, as the company officially announces the new IdeaPad S12, which is considered to be world’s first Nvidia Ion-powered netbook device and one of the only to join this category with an impressive 12-inch display, that easily can handle HD content and high-end gaming maneuvers , thanks to the staggering 1280×800 screen resolution, we barely can find among Atom-based machines, nowadays. With a next month scheduled release, our true excitement goes to the Ion chipset platform, that crams both Intel’s Atom 1.6 GHz processor and Nvidia 9400m graphics set in one tiny mote that flawlessly accelerates 1080p video decoding tasks and smoothly plays Blu-Ray high-def technology scenes without statering reactions. Other goodies you’d get for a starting price of $449, include a full-sized keyboard, 1GB DDR2 RAM, 4-in-1 card reader, VGA/HDMI outputs, WiFi, Bluetooth, three USB 2.0 sockets, ExpressCard slot expansion, 3-cell battery (6-cell optional) and 160/250/320GB HDD capacities to choose from – all operated by Microsoft’s Windows XP OS flavor. To learn more, checkout the full release after the break.

Update1: Hit the jump to watch LaptopMag video preview.

Update2: Checkout the videos from Notebooks.com after the break.

Update3: Looks like Lenovo IdeaPad S12 is finally up and available for purchase, starting at $499 for the base mode, which packs Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU with 1GB of DDR2 memory VGA / HDMI outputs and all the good specs noted above, but even more important, it has Nvidia’s ION chipset that runs 1080p video playback smoothly. Hit the link to get yours.

Update4: It seems Lenovo is now offering the IdeaPAd S12 with a VIA Nano ULV 2250 processor and VIA Chrome9 HC3 graphics, optional to the usual Atom/GMA 950 configuration, with a starting price of $450 and 6-cell battery included.

Update5: Save the date,  Nvidia ION-based Lenovo S12 is finally out. The day is Thursday October 22nd, the place is Japan. The specs include a 12-inch 1280 x 800 display, 2GB of RAM, 250GB HDD, an HDMI port and multicard slot expansion. The price, ¥68,800 (about $755). What do we think? Too expensive at this point, but things will change on Western shores.

Update6: Now it’s official, the IdeaPad S12 is finally up on Lenovo’s online shop, listed in different configurations, as the Windows 7 edition runs for $599 and packs a 12.1-inch 1,280 x 800 display, along with a 1.6GHz N270 processor, a 250GB hard drive, a 256MB Nvidia Ion chipset, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 6-cell battery, and that Windows 7 Home Premium edition, pre-installed inside.

[Lenovo]

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Cube is not a stranger for us, as we’ve already posted about its recent HD-compatible PMPs lineup, not long ago. But having one or two media players is probably not enough for some companies, which explains why Cube has launched another media device, that answers the name H200D and boasts an HDMI output, together with basic formats support and a whole bunch of flavors to choose from. Nothing else to share at this point, although you won’t be able to get this one outside of China, at the moment.

[Via iTechNews]

We’ve recently seen a lot of action coming from MSI’s direction, specially within the netbooks world. However, the company proves to have myriad of values to share with, as a new PMP series has been announced in China, featuring five different platforms to choose from. Starting from the basic, the MV622, which will cost you only 198 yuan (US $29), features a 2.4-inch display, 2GB of internal storage and three flavors to be picked. the second one is the MV651, which boasts a 3-inch 400 x 240 screen, together with FM tuner, 4GB of storage and a TV-output, all priced at 299 yuan ($44). The third, MV652, offers either 4GB ($51) or 8GB ($58) capacities, while seems to be the only kid in the block which has an integrated touchscreen inside, as the fourth version, MV881 sports a 4.3-inch display (without a touchscreen) along with the same traits you get inside the previous device, for $58 (4GB) or $73 (8GB). Last but not least, is the MV882 that comes with an S-video output and 720P video support for high-def interaction, priced at merely $58 (8GB). Naturally, you get to play most of the common formats (available in the market) in all units and some can also handle your e-book files, still we can’t be sure those new cheap PMPs will ever find a place on Western shelves.

[via imp3]

It started getting trendy nowadays, with multimedia companies showing off their top-notch HD devices, covered with lavish designs which contains impeccable capabilities inside. However, while most units support up to 720P, Cube has taken few steps forward by integrating 1080i video output and turned its latest H100HD PMP into one of the most advanced machines in the market, that plays myriad of formats in one small place. Sure, the new player can easily handle 720p as well, but the big thing is the 1920 X 1080 screen resolution this bad boy can handle. HD video aside, the new H100HD player packs an FM tuner, e-Book reader and a nice trait that lets you play flash games on the road. We’re not so sure if any of you, western users, will ever have a chance buying this phenomena across the street, but we do promise to update the price and availability, once released.

[via akihabaranews]

No, Arnold Schwarzenegger is not involved in this new T12 PMP from RAmos, still, it carries the “Terminator” title, along with a 5-inch 800 x 480 display and a strong Rockchip RK2806 processor, which can easily upscale any Avi/RMVB files to 1280×720 resolution at a full 30fps, or just play H.264 videos, placed inside the 8GB, 16GB or 32GB capacities the player has to offer. Additionally, the 12mm device, that somehow reminds us the Archos 5 media tablet, comes with a small knob wheel (on the right side), so you can handle the menus upside down as fast as a rocket while playing your favorite Depech Mode album on the go – And yes, both  T12 and Depech Mode are expected to go out on live tour (separately) somewhere in May – We do hold a DM ticket but still don’t have any clue about the Terminator’s pricing.

Update: Checkout the video after the break.

[via mp4nation]

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Chinese company Teclast introduces a new PMP device, which answers the name M66 and packs a 5-inch display, supporting 720p video decoder, together with a wide range of format compatibility (like H.264 MKV, RM / RMVB, or AVI) to handle high-def media. Additionally, the M66 features a Rockchip RK2806 processor, that seems strong enough to play rich content on the go, while UI control is navigated by a group of sensitive buttons, placed under the screen. Right now, there’s no word on price or availability, but we’re doing our best to bring this info as fast as we can.

[Via PMP Today]

So this is the new trend in Asia, right? high-definition PMP’s to handle quality videos and compete with those big netbooks that hardly can get into your pockets. This time It’s Cube with their latest B52HD device that boasts a 5-inch 480 x 272 display and wide range of codecs support, including MP3, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC, Ogg for audio files or RM, RMVB, MPEG, AVI, FLV for video playback, with a video output that can play 1280 x 720 encoding on your tele. In addition, the B52HD packs 8GB of storage, together with a slot expansion, to make it even bigger room for your media files – all for about 499 yuan ($75).

[Via PMP Today]

According to a tipster, Microsoft will presumably release a new Zune player with HD capabilities, somewhere this year. Naturally, we have no other details, nor any specs of the new device itself, but if this info is correct, and it sure looks reliable, the Zune 4th Generation should be available with a wide and sharp touchscreen, supporting high-def video and some other features, which you can find in the iPod Touch players. Stay tuned for more to come.

Update1: More uncertain specs show up across the cyber world, revealing a 16:9 AMOLED display with multi-touch usability (capacitive), joining the mini-HDMI output and the HD Radio feature, both bundled inside, along with a full HTML browser, to wirelessly surf the web. And while we have no special ability to determine “details accuracy”, you should take our word when we say it’ll be offered either in 16GB or 32GB capacities. However, In case you look for even more speculative rumors, Zune fanboys will also tell you the new HD device might support 3D XBox games, thanks to the integrated NVidia chipset, which we really hope to see included. Other than that, a worldwide release is said to take place somewhere around September, so stay tuned for real things to come.

Update2: May 12th 2009 – According to ZDNet, the next Zune / Windows Mobile device (AKA: Chassis 1) will feature a whole bunch of top-notch specs, including a 3.5-inch multi-touch display along with ARM v6+ processor, 1GB of RAM, OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics hardware, 3 megapixel camera, GPS navigation system, WiFi / Bluetooth connections, built in accelerometer and even Nvidia’s Tegra platform, integrated with TI’s OMAP 3  and “Qualcomm 8k” chipsets, to handle those strong requirements. Of course, these are just rumors, and we can’t take them that serious, although we do hold an opinion that Chassis 1 will be strong enough to match market demands.

[Via Engadget]

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It looks like Chinese corporation Onda is trying to flood the market with HD players, supporting 720P video quality. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why on earth the company has just released the VX555HD, only 3 months after the VX535HD has made its first appearance in public. HD compatibility aside, the new PMP packs a 3-inch display, an FM tuner, TV output and wide range of codecs support. Other than that, the people in Onda  promise a low and competitive price tag that will match global recession atmosphere, and while availability is obscure you’ll have to stay tuned to learn more.

[via gmp3]

Those who own Archos 5/7 devices should be pleased knowing the French company has finally uploaded a new firmware update (v1.6.03) that adds the long awaited high-def video support, which includes MPEG-4 ASP and WMV / VC-1 playback compatibility at 720p (24fps, 6Mbps maximum). Besides that, the new firmware also fixes some pesty bugs within the GUI, MP3 tags and few other TV recording slips. To get this one, just hit the link below and start watching your favorite films in sharp mode.

Update: Only two weeks after releasing firmware v1.6.03, which added high-def video compatibility to the Archos 5, the French corp launches another update (v1.6.53) that brings GPS car holder support, so you can use your media tablet device as a navigation system via Archos’ cradle, and find your way in Europe, North America or Russia through TeleAtlas maps, which are included as well. Further more, with the new firmware update you’ll be able to navigate your way from the inside, thanks to the new file browser, coming with drag n’ drop and multi-selection capabilities. The firmware can be downloaded from here.

[Archos]

In a reasonable course of production, one should realize there will be a Ramos T10 PMP, specially after a miracle sequence of the T8 and the T9 players, already available out there. And while speaking, the Ramos T10 isn’t a stranger anymore, so you’ll be able to find it in some Asian corners, featuring a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen, powerful DaVinci chipset and wide range of formats support, including 1080i HD files that will broadcast quality videos on your LCD TV. And if we’re in thet tele business, there is a nice remote control inside the pack, so no need to jump over whenever you want to switch a movie. Price wise, the 8GB version is offered for only $117 – not bad for an HD device.

Update1: The RAmos T10 gets even more official and you can find full specs with some other images in here.

Update2: And if T10 for itself isn’t enough, meet RAmos’ T10 RK edition, which was recently announced in Asia for a non disclosure price or availability. Basically, it looks and feels exactly the same, with those 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 display on top and rounded curvy shapes on sides. This one, however, comes with an RK2806 chipset inside,to run more formats and decode more videos.

[via gmp3]

Those who live in the Asian part of the world might be interested to learn that Chinese company Gemei has a new PMP to introduce, coming up somewhere this year with a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 display, 32GB of internal storage and 720P HD quality support. This mid-range player is compatible with most common formats like MP3, WMA, FLAC audio files, RM, RMVB, AVI, FLV, MPEG video files and JPG, BMP, or PNG image files, but for a non-disclosure price you also get bundled a TV output cable and a remote control, to let you watch your high-def videos from the couch. Again, no specific release date to share at this point, although it shouldn’t be long until Nicolas Cage and the HD-660 will show up on the shelves.

[via gmp3]

If you’re in a search for a strong PMP device that will serve you in the field, Teclast might have the right solution for you, as the company has just introduced the M50HD player, which comes with a body, made of military-industrial zinc-magnesium alloy that can stand literally any weather conditions. In addition, it has a solid 4.3 inch 800 × 480 display with a “super tempered” Polysilicon glass panel. Other than that, the new M50HD boasts a TV output, up-to-date formats support like FLAC, RM, Xvid or Divx, and even 720P high definition videos, in case you’re into quality technology. Still no word on price or availability, but we like the idea of robust players with HD capabilities hanging in our sack.

[Teclast via DAPReview]

Compal officially announces a new PMP series, including the APA00 (black) and APA01(white), which both feature a 7-inch 800 x 480 LCD touchscreen together with an ARM Sigma Design EM8622L SoC, DVB-T digital TV, FM Tuner, 802.11g WiFi, an SD/MMC slot and up to 80GB HDD storage. The two players house uCLinux system and can easily handle MPEG, Xvid, WMV9, H.264 files additional to the HD support up to 1080i. You also get USB 2.0 connection and component / composite TV outputs, to hook your multimedia junk and watch it from the couch. Still no word on price or availability, but looks like PMPs with HD content support quickly become  part of our 2009 tech life.

[Via Pocketables]

Onda makes a major step towards high-definition integration, as the Chinese company has unveiled their latest VX535HD PMP, which includes the new CC1600 ‘HD’ chip that allows playing quality 720P videos on the efficient 4.3-inch 800×480 display. Unfortunately, the media player is lack of wireless connectivity, but instead you get everything you need to handle your multimedia stuff. There are no further details to share at this point, but you can hit the link below to find more images.

Update: checkout the video after the break, demonstrating the UI.

[via mp4nation]

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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]

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 142.5x81x20 – 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]

DVICO introduces the TViX HD M-6500A, a next generation HD multimedia player with a Sigma SMP8635 processor and wireless HD streaming capabilities. This advanced Linux-based device features a Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 802.11 b/g, internal SATA HDD, housing 320GB to 1TB and Network Attached Storage. The box sports video outputs including component, composite, HDMI v1.3, S-VIDEO, and optical audio outputs, for maximum sound quality. The TViX HD M-6500A player can handle the latest audio formats, such as MP3, WMA, PCM, DTS, WMV9, AAC, Ogg, FLAC and video formats as WMV-HD, DIVX, XVid, H.264 (MPEG4) , HDV, MKV, ripped Blu-ray M2TS files and many more. The sleek and stylish black aluminum gives the TViX a state of the art chic that will cost you between $760 – $1170, respectively.

[via aving]

Another picture after the break.

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So many streamers hit the market nowadays, this time it’s Mvix turn to introduce the MX-780HD, a wireless HD media streamer with a small LCD screen in front. This device features movie player, music system, and internet radio with Ethernet, WiFi 802.11 b/g, USB2.0 host and a 3.5″ HDD storage, at your choice. The box houses video outputs  like component, composite, S-VIDEO, HDMI (1080p) and optical audio outputs as well. The MX-780HD can handle almost any format, including XviD, AVI, MPEG, WMV, ASF, AAC, OGG, AC3, MP3, WMA, JPEG and many more. Just pay $300 and you can start streaming right away.

[via engadget]

Onkyo unveils new PC lineup, designed as Hi-Fi stereo systems. The new APX-2 HD PC sports an advanced digital audio amplifier and Pure Direct Audio Path, allowing you to play high-quality HD Audio tunes, without any audio lost, caused by vista filtering drivers. Other features include:

• Processor: Intel 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo T5500.
• Memory: 1GB RAM.
• Storage Size: 500GB stored in a Super Floating HDD Unit with noise cancellation box.
• Price: Not Available

Unfortunately, the new PCs are not available outside Japan, so if you get a chance to drop by, pick one and bring it to us for a first impression.

[via akihabaranews]