smartech

Not sure whether it’s a new trend or not, but we’ve already seen Samsung’s MyFit storming out to the pond, and now it’s Philips’ turn to get the spot. It’s a fitness MP3 device called Activa and it would tell you when to start a calories-burn activity and when to stop. The body is relatively tiny and packs either 4GB or 8GB flash storage inside, but most importantly, it would match your music playlist with the phase of your workout. As for debut, check April 20 in your diaries, 130 bucks with your banker and PR after the jump.

Read more…

It’s small, black (with golden touch) and looks like Hello Kitty, have you guessed? Well, that wasn’t hard, was it? I guess not, especially when it comes from a company – AKA iRiver – that already launched Mickey Mouse players to the pond. This time it’s a cat, THE cat, if you take Garfield out of the equation. The DAP itself offers either 2GB or 4GB storage capacities at your choice, along a USB cable and color matched ear buds bundled inside. Japan release is set for December 18, just before the holidays, with prices around Â¥7,980 ($90). Miao

[via Akihabaranews]

Read more…

Just when you were thinking that Creative has abandoned its X-Fi2 users in favor of the Zii EGG ones, the Asian corporation has rolled out a new firmware update, version 1.10.04, that reportedly includes some neat add-ons to Zen devices, but first and foremost fixes some responsive issues that bothered many users for quite some time. Besides that it brings games like Sudoku, new set of colorful icons, accelerometer usability (at last) and plenty items more. Download link is right in here, while a walkthrough demo was added right after the break.

[via DAPreview]

Read more…

Korean manufacturer SAFA has rolled out a new mp3 player, SAFA XING LED, cramming both audio and style in one  small device. The Xing LED, which comes with 27 LED lights that can be tweaked with various icons at your choice or used for playing simple enjoyable games like Rock, Paper, Scissors or Dice, packs a 12 hours battery, paired with a G-sensor mode, one USB connector, a mono speaker lump and 4-directions touch keys. Price and availability are yet to be released while storage capacity is still under examine – well, nothing that’d stop us announcing the XING as our new fashion accessory.

[via Safa]

You didn’t really think Archos was going to give up the Vision 1 mp3 lineup, after already launching Vision 2 and Vision 3 in the past few months, did you? Well, given the fact a vision 1 device, equipped with 4GB of storage and 1.5-inch LCD display is rumored to be out at the end of this month, we’d surely say “NO”. And, despite the absolute lack of video support inside this 28 grams weight and €30 ($45) money, the added 20 hours battery, pumped in one single charge, would probably give this tiny Frenchi chap an extra fervency value.

Update: Archos 1 is now available around Europe, priced at £24.99 ($40), stores up to 4GB of content and plays almost every common format available around, like MP3, WMA, APE, WAV and FLAC for audio, and JPEG or BMP files for photos. Still no word on a US release.

[via LeJournalDuGeek]

Chinese company Cube already tossed some HD-compatible media players into the pile. This time it’s no different from others, but design wise, a lot more attractive. Today’s new boy on stake is the H600HDMI, which practically boasts a 5-inch 800 x 480 display on top, with a batch of refreshing specs underneath. Sized only 6.99mm thick, this skinny PMP device can literally handle any viable format you’ve ever tackled with, including 720p/1080i video files via the HDMI hub, along with RMVB, RM, AVI, FLV, MKV, DAT, WMV, MPG, MP4, MOV, PMP, VOB, H.264 (HP) and H.26, while audio range supports MP3, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC and OGG. Regretfully, there’s no WiFi inside to surf the web, but a USB host, an FM tuner, an eBook reader, and 8GB of storage are all bundled onboard, as price goes somewhere around $73, which are approximately 499 yuan in local currency.

[Via akihabaranews]

It’s not official yet, but word on Chinese streets says that iRiver is launching the N20 mp3 player these days, coming with either 2GB or 4GB capacities at your choice, along with a four lines greyscale PMOLED display, a built-in FM tuner, 26 x 55.5 x 13mm size dimensions and wide range of formats support – MP3, WMA, APE, WAV, FLAC and OGG audio files included. As said, nothing official from iRiver at this point, but this way or another, we hear you’ll probably have to shell out 649 yuan ($95) or 749 ($110), respectively, to have one.

Update: Mariah Carey fans, this is your day. A special iRiver N20 edition, preloaded with  Carey’s new album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, is just around the South Korean corner. First 5000, you’re on, only $120 out of your pockets, and this LE  DAP is yours. Another image is just after the break. Hurry up!

[via imp3]

Read more…

Hope you’re not confusing with Cowon’s S9, which is more of a PMP rather than an mp3 player. Anyway, we’re glad to see the Koreans keeping up with the good media-players launching pace, while this time it’s the iAudio 9, which apparently packs a 2-inch LCD screen, along with a built-in microphone, an FM tuner, TV output, an integrated speaker and lots of media codecs to play, including AVI, WMV, XViD, ASF and many more. Regretfully, we’re still missing storage capacities and pricing details, but as you know we’re all over it to bring’em on.

Update1: While Western debut may  look vague at the moment, Asian release is much clearer, as Cowon’s iAudio 9 is expected to see light, in Japan, on mid-November, priced at 14,800 yen (around $160) for the 8GB model, and 17,800 yen (around $195) for the 16GB model.Stay tuned.

Update2: The guys at Le Journal Du Geek were lucky enough to put their hands on a Cowon 9 mp3 player, few weeks before its European start, which suppose to give you, for merely €180 ($265), a 16GB of internal storage, a 2-inch screen display, integrated mic, built-in FM radio, wide range of codecs support and a pocketable sized black/silver body design. Hit the break for one more footage, or click this spot for the entire collection.

Update3: Looks like Cowon’s iAudio 9 is finally up on sale in the US, with prices starting at $129 for the 8GB version and climbing up to $169 for the 16GB one.

[gmp3]

Read more…

Did you miss RAmos? Well, here it is, live and kickin’ with the new Q25ihi touchscreen player, which makes a debut in Korea these days, boasting a 3.1-inch capacitive display, which means we’re going to see some multi-touch features ahead. Other than that, the new PMP packs a G-Sensor for landscape view, a built-in FM tuner radio, wide formats support (audio/video) and finally, myriad range of storage capacities at your choice, starting from 1GB and climbing up to 16GB. Still no word about pricing but Korean retailers should already have it on their shelves under RAmos’ MuMu Music moniker.

[Via iTech News Net]

Apple’s Rock n’ Roll event just went down with Steve Jobs up on stage again, this time suggesting a new colorful iPod nano lineup, available today at the online store, delivering two different storage capacities, 8GB ($149) and 16GB ( $179), to choose from. Other than that, the fifth-generation nano is now offering some neat improvements, with Cupertino unveiling a small video camera, integrated at the back of each player, allowing live video shooting in 640 x 480 video capture resolution at H.264 format, which gets up to 30fps capabilities and including 15 real-time special effects, such as Sepia, Black and White, X-Ray, 2.2Film Grain, Thermal, Security Cam, Cyborg, Bulge, Kaleido, Motion Blur and many others. Additionally, you get a bigger 2.2-inch 376 x 240 display, holding an FM tuner that has Live Pause feature underneath, sitting along with iTunes Tagging support, a pedometer element, built in speaker / microphone  and a voice over trait – all packed into a small sized 3.6 x 1.5 x 0.24-inches body frame that holds a battery which literally plays up to 24 hours of audio and 5 hours of video. Stay tuned for more to come.

Update1: Turns out the new nano camera can only handle video footage without stills. Nonetheless, it still looks pretty amazing, so hit the break and checkout the video walkthrough right away.

Update2: Hey, we know you’re all excited to take a peek at those sexy inner parts of the new nano video cam player. And as we speak, the guys from iFixit were rapidly nabbing a nice blue fifth-gen nano device, tearing it apart and showing its bowels wide. Hit the jump to watch from close, or click the link to look at the entire process done.

[Apple]

Read more…

With one more hour to go before announcing some new players, Apple is now reported to quietly slash down iPod Touch, Nano and Classic iPod prices on Cupertino’s on-line store, as follows:  iPod Touch – Apparently, the 8GB model is now priced at $189 (instead of $229), while 16GB version now stands at $249 (instead of $299), and the 32GB flavor is merely $279 (was $399 before). iPod Nano – The 8GB model will now set you back for $129 (instead of $149), as the 16GB Nano is now offered for only $149 (instead of previous $199). iPod Classic - Gets the competitive price of $229 instead of $249.

Update1: Turns out a new whopping 64GB iPod Touch version is now up and available for $399.

Update2: Looks like the $249 iPod Classic player is now being offered in 160GB storage. That’s extra 40GB to its predecessor.

Update3: So it seems a new iPod Touch 3G is out after all, but regretfully without a camera inside. Prices remain the same but the UI looks a little snappier than previous gen. Surprisingly, the guys at iFixit have managed to find a potential spot for a video camera, that Apple has probably allocated in the top of the device. That said, Steve Jobs already made it clear that Apple won’t integrate any footage features at this point. Stay tuned.

Update4: The guys at engadget have thrown themselves all over the “new” iPod Touch 3G, moments before it goes live. Hit the jump to take a look.

[Apple]

Read more…

While vigorously pushing the limits and thereupon, making big headlines with its latest Zii EGG capacitive-compatible prototype, it seems that Creative isn’t going to give up any of its PMP lineups in favor of new ones. On one hand, Zen’s X-Fi first edition wasn’t exactly the one player we’d get ourselves over iPod Touch or Zune HD expenses, but from the other, it looks like Zen’s new version -X-Fi2 – the company has recently announced, is more of the type we’d buy for a use. Regretfully, at this point you’ll only get a 3-inch resistive touchscreen display, but nonetheless, the new device still has a lot to offer, with Creative dropping those pesky buttons out of the top, while looks and design are cleaner and sleeker. Other than that, the list goes pretty much the same, including a microSD card slot expansion, FM tuner radio, a mic, an RSS reader that syncs with your PC and three optional storage capacities – 8GB ($129.99), 16GB ($179.99) or 32GB ($229.99) to choose from. No word about availability, but full specs list is just after the break, paired with unboxing and UI demo videos for your convenient.

[via prweb]

Read more…

Apparently, SanDisk wasn’t having a lot of success, last time it has launched to the market a slotMusic Sansa machine, almost 12 months ago. Even so, it seems the company wasn’t planning to give up on this category that fast, otherwise, how can you explain Sansa’s Clip+ mp3 player recent launch? A closer look at the unit itself will make you realize it’s literally a similar version of the legendary Sansa Clip, we’re all familiar with for many years, with all the good traits it packs, including a small and attractive body design, easy to use interface menus, mass storage files compatibility (drag n’ drop), FM tuner radio support, 4/6/8GB internal flash capacities, and last but not least – great audio quality. But if that’s not enough, the new Sansa Clip+, is also offering a microSD slot expansion to make your storage even bigger, and three beautiful theme colors  (Black, Red, Blue) to choose from, now, at any local US retailer for $39.99 (2GB), $49.99 (4GB) or $69.99 (8GB).

Update: For some, an inside look into new gadgets’ circuits  is literally a preliminary term before getting the real thing. So there you go folks, SanDisk’s Sansa Clip+ (plus) mp3 player is spread wide open and ready for dissection right after the break (courtesy of anythingbutipod) with all its inner glory, which houses two SanDisk chips that run the entire system, and a long lasting battery that makes it happen. However, ig one gutsy shot isn;t enough, hit the link and get even more.

[via gmp3]

Read more…

Samsung has been very active lately within the media players market, and even when we were thinking we’ve seen them all, the South Korean giant has given us yet another prove  it ain’t going to halt any production. In fact, not only the company has never stopped, it was actually shifting gear and going official with another PMP player, this time the Samsung YP-R1, which is scheduled to go live at the Berlin IFA trade show, next month, for a starting price of $180. Specs wise, the new player will presumably pack a 2.6-inch 400 x 260 touchscreen, while the TouchWiz interface will give you the freedom to enjoy any audio/video files anywhere, and the BeatDJ feature will enable users adding their own voice and sound effects to their favorite songs. Besides that, the 8.9 millimeter-thick player will eventually come with a choice of 8GB or 16GB memory capacities, while Samsung’s DNSe 3.0 digital sound engine is about to be the first to support DivX format. Regretfully, no other details, nor video previews were popping up at this point, so stay tuned for more updates to come.

[via Newswire]

With strong and powerful audio brands like Cowon, iRiver or Samsung, it’s probably hard for unknown Asian companies to get their 15 minutes of fame in such an overcrowded market of dominant media players. But brands and popularity aside, sometimes you pay a lot more for much less and today, when recession keeps knocking our windows (or bank accounts), maybe it’s time for other names to make their debut. And, one of the companies that recently decided to go out with a new player is Atree, that has rolled out the J100 machine, which boasts a 3-inch touchscreen, together with a microSD expansion, DMB digital TV tuner, 4GB of internal flash storage and even an e-dictionary support. Formats wise, the J100 is compatible with MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC and APE lossless audio files while video playback will presumably run any AVI, DivX, Xvid and WMV footage. Hence, if you happen to visit the southern part of the country and find it attractive having an “anything but iPod” DAP in your pocket, you should start counting 198,000 KRW (about $158), the price it costs.

[Atree]

With so many rumors and speculations floating around, it’s time to organize the latest details we know about the coming release of the Zune HD. Apparently, according to a Gizmodo tipster, the official debut is now scheduled to September 15th (one week past September 8th). In addition, both Zune HD 16GB and 32GB models are already available for a pre-order in Amazon and Newegg, priced at $219.99 and $289.99, respectively (requires a $25 deposit).  From what we know, the player itself will be equipped with a tiny impressive on-screen keyboard that brings up a nice small arch graphic whenever you tap a letter, to distinguish it from its neighbors (See image after the break). Other than that, the internet browser is claimed to be an Opera one, but we can’t be 100% sure, yet. Meanwhile, until things get more clear (and there’s not much time left), checkout the latest hands-on video from CrunchGear, or the Grand Tour video (courtesy of Tech Flash Videos), featuring Brian Seitz of Microsoft’s Zune team demonstrates the Zune HD. Hit the jump, to read the updates.

Read more…

After so many rumors and speculations floating around, Microsoft has finally announced the Zune HD, which suppose to make its first appearance somewhere this fall, competing head-to-head with Apple’s popular iPod Touch player. Regretfully, there’s nothing much to share in terms of specs or features, but from the very few fragments we’ve managed to collect, you briefly can figure out it’ll probably pack a 3.3-inch 480 x 272 OLED capacitive touchscreen, together with a built-in HD Radio receiver, 720P HD output (via dock station), integrated WiFi connection and accelerometer sensors for landscape usability. Additionally, you might find a designated Explorer browser for internet surfing purposes and hopefully, a mashup interface with Xbox / Xbox Live gaming consoles. Still, no pricing or capacity details to write about, although one should expect either 16GB or 32GB flavors inside, but this way or another those rumored images earlier published, make no place for mistakes – Zune HD is live and kicking. Full press release after the break.

Update1: The guys at Gizmodo have managed to put their hands on the freakishly new Zune HD while hanging around D7′s conference hall. First images indicate an incredibly thin-and-light design, combined with a stunning 3.3-inch OLED touchscreen, basic Zune UI, adjusted to the touch navigation mode and rounded edges, build with a big “Home” button placed at the bottom lefte.  Hit the jump to watch the video or their link for even more images.

Update2: Zune Insider has officially confirmed that Zune HD will be running NVIDIA’s Tegra chipset inside, which means – full high-def video compatibility in the palm of your hand. Still no word about final release dates, but we’re following.

Update3: Rumors around claim the new Zune HD will be priced somewhere betweem $249 and $280 for the 16GB version, while a 64GB modelis on the prep for a late release. Stay tuned.

Update4: Both BestBuy and Amazon have just listed up the Zune HD on their inventory system , priced at $220 for the 16GB model, and $290 for the 32GB version, coming on September 8th. It’s less than a month to go, so stay tuned.

Read more…

With its alien capsule design, the new X-mini Happy PMP from XM-I can definitely win our “most bizarre look” of the year, as the grayish player reminds sort of a medical device rather than a multimedia package. And we say “package”, we refer to both player and speaker integrated inside the tower, which also houses a built-in SD card reader that seats next to a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB 2.0 port, to transfer your files. Battery wise, the Happy delivers up to 6 hours of playback, or 11 hours of speaker use, although you won’t be enjoying them, probably until Q3, when the new PMP is scheduled to be released.

[via Cnet]

LEGO (in partnership with Digital Blue) releases a new mp3 player, shaped as a colorful brick and scheduled  to hit your kids’ playground somewhere this summer for $39.99. The new audio toy comes with 2GB of storage and includes a small LCD screen to display playing songs together with their talented performers.  Other than that, the brick can easily connect speedy USB 2.0 ports to let you transfer any MP3 or WMA files, while the bundled pair of earbuds will smoothly hook into the built-in 3.5mm Headphone Jack, so you won’t have to listen to Tweedledee and Tweedledum back and forth.

[via engadget]

With only 950 pieces available, the Prince Opus limited edition version hits the iPod Touch scene (storage capacity is obscured), featuring purple shade on front and big Prince’s symbol at the back, preloaded with an exclusive 40 minutes movie, made by Prince himself, joining the live soundtrack from Indigo Nights, which includes 15 tracks aboard. Additionally, you get a rare book of Prince photography, taken from Kraken Opus and offered as part of the package, that can easily attract worldwide fans, in case they have $2100 to shell out.

[Via All Things Digital]