smartech

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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After a quick appearance at the CES show, Samsung has officially launched the MBP200 micro projector unit in Korea, to be available for ₩ 400,000.00 (€225). Sized only 109.7×48.8x19mm at 140g, the new ultra portable device features a 2.2-inch 320 X 240 color LCD, along with 190MB of internal memory (expendable up to 16GB with both included microSD/SD card slots), DMB TV tuner and photo viewer. But if projecting your stuff isn’t enough, the MBP200 can also be used as an mp3 player, supporting most common formats, like MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC, and WAV for audio playback, or DivX, Xvid, WMV9 Simple Profile, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 for video broadcasting. Additionally, you’ll be able to read your Adobe/Office documents through the machine itself, which can easily load up PDF, PPT, DOC, XLS, and TXT files whenever you’d like. Still no word when this thing is about to make a Stateside debut, but in the meantime you can hit the jump to read the full specs.

[via akihabaranews]

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Nothing special about the new MRT800 PMP besides the “Lenovo” pedigree. But brand aside, it has a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 TFT LCD with FM tuner, voice recorder, microSD expansion slot and wide range of codecs support, including RMVB, AVI, ASF, MP4, or FLV for video, and MP3, WMA, OGG, APE, FLAC, or WAV for audio. Regretfully, there’s nothing else to share in terms of pricing and availability, so stay tuned.

[via imp3]

Following the popular E100 and its “Season 2” sequel, iRiver has just introduced the E150, which is pretty much the same PMP from inside and a little different from the outside. So what do you get for a $78 4GB bit or alternatively, a double storage $100 device? Well…Pretty much the same 2.4-inch QVGA screen, microSD slot, a full range of formats support and either black, silver, and pink colors to choose from. Only different, if you’re asking, is the extra 2mm width, housing integrated buttons and attractive speaker grills, which give a lucrative look to the new player. Regretfully, there’s no word about a US release at the near future, but you can start counting down until it comes – because it will.

[iRiver via DAP Review]

Only reason we got our eyes on these players from Evergreen is the special design, featuring Chinese horoscope figures in each of the units, allowing you to choose between a monkey, a tiger, a boar, a bull, a chicken, a dragon, a horse, a mouse, a rabbit, a sheep, or a snake accordingly. Other than that, you get 2GB of storage and some fragile buttons at the back of the animal, to handle the entire system, which can play up to 5 hours of audio for less than $30.

[via Akihabaranews]

Like there’s no recession, Philips launches two new GoGear PMPs for the European market, as the GoGear Ariaz sports a 2-inch display, together with a built-in mic, an FM tuner, and 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB of storage capacities at your choice. Additionally, it has four-pad buttons to help you navigate through the menus, while some other clickable buttons are considered to be working with Touch technology. The GoGear Opus, from the other side, is the bigger between the two, boasting a 2.8-inch display, a mic, Bluetooth, an FM tuner with RDS technology, 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB capacities to choose from and integrated BBC iPlayer support. Still no word when exactly these two are about to be released (probably somewhere in April), but getting them, you’ll have to shell out €79 ($100) or €179 ($230) respectively.

Update: Moments before a Stateside release, Philips releases more info, as the Aria goes for $80 (8GB) or $100 (16GB), while the Opus will be available for $100 (8GB) and a 16GB version in plans. The ViBE, which carries a 1.5-inch display will be yours for either $50 (4GB) or $60 (8GB).

[via gmp3]

Most of our reports deal with advanced multideia players, the kind that have impressive touchscreens and top-notch features that combine wifi, GPS and huge storage capacities, but the low-end market is still there, producing new colorful devices, specially made for those who seek for pure music instead of complicated interfaces. Samsung’s DoReMi U5 is one of them, housing 4 lines OLED screen, along with 2/4/8GB of internal memory, FM tuner, built-in mic and battery that delivers up to 18 hours of audio playback. No hidden catch, no strings attached, just a simple USB thumb machine to hook and listen.

Update1: The U5 is now officially available for US residents, priced at $39.99.

Update2: May 6 2009 - Apparently, the U5 will have a new version in the coming weeks, that includes an integrated fitness program, to keep your calories on the safe side while listening to the band you like. Unfortunately, we have no other details, but we’re following the news to bring them for you ASAP.

[Via DAPReview]

We’ve already expressed our huge disappointment from the iRiver Spinn and conveyed our hopes when the new firmware update showed up, but recent cheering rumors, coming from Korean forums, imply for a new black Spinn edition to be released during this year in addition to the already exist silver version. Naturally, no other details are available at this stage, so we can’t tell if new specs are coming up, but be sure we will share the info as soon as it arrives.

[iRiver via MovePlayer]

Following recent T50 PMP announcement, mobiBLU introduces the UFO A10 player, which looks exactly like a mini UFO spacecraft without any aliens inside. Instead, you get 2GB, 4GB or 8GB capacities to choose from, together with a built-in speaker, integrated Bluetooth connection and basic audio formats support, including MP#, WMA, ASF, and OGG. Battery wise, this 130g player provides 6 hours of speaker output playback or 15 hours, if you choose to listen through your earbuds. Although we have no info regarding price or availability, we must admit we do like this new Sci-Fi concept.

[via mobiBLU]

We know many users who wish to have a simple mp3 player, the kind you take in your bag wherever you go and simply connect whenever you want, without any tricks or complexity, just pure music. For this target specifically, Korean manufacturer MyRacer has launched its latest Lisse S10 player which packs a four lines 128 x 64 OLED display, together with an FM tuner, a microphone, 2GB/4GB internal storage and a four-way pad to navigate the menu. Although we have no details concerning price or availability, this small 46x40x10mm DAP is promised to be released in a wide batch of colors to choose from, so stay tuned.

[via gmp3]

Nothing special about this new Kana Micro player from Green House, except the seven colorful transparent flavors it offers. Other than that, it’s just another stick player with a USB connection, 2GB microSD capacity (supplied) and the usual codecs support, including MP3, WMA and WMA DRM files. To grab one, you should count ¥1,480 or $16 instead.

[Via Akihabara News]

Haier really wants to have a footstep in the world of media players, where giants like Apple, iRiver, Cowon, Creative, Sony and Sandisk are dominating. To do so, there’s a need for consistency and we truly can see efforts coming from this direction, as the company has introduced the Ibiza Theatre, a 2.4-inch touchscreen PMP (320 x 240) with an integrated FM tuner, a microSD expansion, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, and either 8GB/16GB capacities to choose from. The removable battery can provide up to 30 hours of Audio playback and the player supports most of the common formats, so in case you’re looking for a low badget player, Ibiza Theatre will be offered somewhere around Q2 2009, at merely $109.99 for the 8GB version or $129.99 for the 16GB flavor.

[via DAPreview]

iRiver likes to keep many of its announcements to the CES show in Vegas. This time, the Koreans are offering a glimpse at the new P7 PMP, a 4.3-inch media player with WQVGA (480 x 272) touchscreen, an FM tuner, a microphone, a microSD slot, 7EQ and either 4GB, 8GB or 16GB Flash storage memories to choose from. You get a wide range of multimedia support, along with SRS WOW HD audio enhancement and strong battery that provides up to 50 hours of continuous audio playback. Still no word on price or availability, but in addition to the P7, the Koreans has officially introduced the E50 and the E100 Season II players, which we’ve already discussed recently. Checkout the full release and a video from Slashgear after the break.

Update1: The iRiver P7 is up for a Stateside pre-order at J&R, for $200, as shipping is still unknown but marked “coming Soon”.

Update2: Looks like South Korean fanboys can finally order the 8GB P7 PMP for ₩200,000 ($160), and a little more, in case they’re after the 16GB version.

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Moments before the CES show, iRiver has introduced two new media players, already available for purchase in Korea (although no one actually knows about it), featuring basic specs and updated design to cover your ordinary needs wherever you are. Truth to tell, both the T6 and T5 players have some decent alternatives out there in the market but hey, you’re buying reputation, don’t you?

iRiver T6 might have a misterious resemblance to the e50 PMP, with the same rectangular shape and similar brushed metal style, but the Koreans have also added some LED lighted touch-based controls upfront, in order to make it comfortable to navigate while hanging anywhere in the dark. The 1.8-inch 128 x 160 display looks pretty simple, and without the ability to play high-res videos, you can get your 2GB/4GB player mainly used for audio playback of formats like MP3, WMA, OGG, or WAV. Yes, there is a microphone, together with the traditional FM tuner inside, but nothing else to knock us down in this crowded market. Having said that, a 50$ price tag for a Black/White 2 gigs version can easily place the T6 in one of your modest holidays list.

[via pocketables]

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Korean company iRiver, knows how to create a buzz, specially when it comes to the end of the year, right before the CES show on January. That’s why we weren’t surprised to see the new E50 PMP (E100 successor?) emerging from no where, boasting a nice brushed metal design with a 1.8-inch color LCD, an FM tuner, a microphone, 10EQ and wide formats support, including MP3, OGG, FLAC, WMA, WAV, SMV (video), JPEG, BMP, or GIF. It will be offered in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB capacities, while the battery is expected to deliver up to 52h of continuos audio playback. Still no availability indo, so stay tuned for more to come next month. Meanwhile, you should know the iRiver E50 4GB model can be yours for €69 ($90).

Update: The guys at Journal du geek have managed to put their hands on this little device from iRiver and you can read their full review in here [French]. Meanwhile, there’s a video preview after the break.

[via gmp3]

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The guys at Haier have decided to go sportsmanlike with the new Ibiza Rhapsody player, which packs a mediocre 2.5-inch 320 x 240 display, an FM tuner, a touchpad surface and even a WiFi 802.11 b / g connection, to directly download music from the Rhapsody service. The 4GB/8GB Sport device is compatible with AAC, MP3, WMA, WAV, JPEG, PNG, MPEG-4, WMV , H 264, MPG, AVI, M4V files and can be used in extreme situations, thanks to the new rugged weather resistant proff that covers the player and provides protection, but also a fugly look. Still, you can get one from amazon, for $220 or $240, respectively. Now that’s EXPENSIVE !

[via dapreview]

Korean multimedia corporation, iRiver announces the release of the “Season 2″ E100 player, which is literaly the same version like the previous model, only with new colors. The new lineup will be available at the end of the year, with the same specs, including a 2.4-inch screen, microSD slot, a built-in stereo speaker, an FM tuner and storage capacity, ranged from 2GB up to 8GB. It will also support MP3, WMA, OGG, ASF, FLAC, MPEG4 SP, WMV9 SP, XVID SP (@ 30fps), JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF and TXT file formats. Price wise, count 70 euros for the 2GB PMP or 90 euros for the 4GB device.

[iRiver]

Creative announces the release of the Zen Moo, a new Zen Stone mp3 player evolvement with various amusing cows design, in tribute to Chinease 2009 year of the plastic cow. The Moo version includes a small OLED screen, a microphone, an FM tuner, a tiny speaker, 2GB of memory and battery that can provide up to 20 hours of playback. Mind you, it is exlusive to China, so if you wish to have one of those funny cows, just order a ticket to Beijing and don’t forget to visit the Chinese wall.

[via imp3]

Nothing is official yet, but looks like Samsung has started paving the way for the new P3 PMP, to be shown off on January, at the CES show in Vegas. Meanwhile, the company has delivered the P2 successor to some lucky bloggers, to tease us with more info and images. From their tidbits, we learn the new multimedia player features a haptic (480 x 272) 3-inch touchscreen, along with an FM tuner, a microphone, a single speaker, and storage capacities, ranged from 4GB up to 32GB. You also get Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity with A2DP support, and new customizable interface. Formats wise, the new device can play MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC, FLAC, MPEG4, WMV, H.264, JPG, PNG, and BMP files, for 30 hours of audio or 5 hours of video. Still, no word on price or availability, but be sure the Koreans will release those details soon.

Update: checkout the video after the break.

[via gmp3]

http://www.dailymotion.com/videox7fuud

Zune owners already know they can add customized laser-engraved designs to their players via the Zune Originals website. However, if it wasn’t enough, Microsoft has decided to add 46 cool and refreshing designs to decorate the zune devices with your favorite theme, all for a few bucks.

[Zune Originals]