Gizmodo: PMPs

iRiver Taking Pre-Orders For Retro-Slick Spinn PMP, Shipping October 3rd

John Mahoney — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:45:00 EDT

iRiver's beautifully designed Spinn we handled in Berlin (that giant analog knob, mmm) now has official details on U.S. availability: $250 for 4GB and $280 for 8GB, with pre-orders taken now to be shipped on October 3. We'd love to see a little more storage at that price, but it's a great-looking player with a nice 16:9 AMOLED touchscreen, FM tuner, DMB mobile TV (if you're in Korea), a 1970s hi-fi inspired case and interface as well as support for all the expected video and audio formats. [iRiver]

Rockbox Replacement MP3 Player Firmware Gets Updated

John Mahoney — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:40:00 EDT

Remember Rockbox? Back when MP3 players couldn't do a whole lot more than play MP3s, Rockbox was there to add Gameboy emulators, additional codecs and other homebrew features. And if you're still holding on to an older player, the new version 3.0 now supports a whole lot more of them for squeezing a few more months of life out before you cave. It also now comes with a handy bundled installer. Thrift on. [Rockbox via Lifehacker]

Archos Gen-6 5G PMP is 3G Web Surfing, HD Video, Touchscreen Beauty

Benny Goldman — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Archos just revealed what that curtain tease was all about: the 6th Gen Archos 5, 5G and 7 series PMPs. The 4.8" flagship 5G ditches the tired interface and buttons of the Gen-5 device for a slick UI and touchscreen-only operation. It's got Wi-Fi, HD video support, web browsing, email, a huge HDD (up to 250GB), and built-in HSPDA 3G connectivity. It's also got dock connectors, GPS, DVR, video/audio recording and more. In short, it's everything that the iPod touch isn't, and I got to touch it.

The interface on the 5G is incredibly smooth, scrolling is similar to the iPod touch, and the included Opera web browser does zoom and looks excellent. The device is intuitive and the touchscreen is responsive and big enough to really enjoy movie watching.

The 5 and 7 are also great devices, featuring 4.8" and 7" displays, respectively. They are 3G capable with a separate dongle, and otherwise feature all the great specs of the 5G. The 5 will be available in 60-, 120-, and 250GB varieties, while the 7 carries either 160GB or 320GB under the hood. The products will retail between $350 and $550 when they arrive in September (5), October (7) and January (5G). It's a good day for the little portable-media underdog. Spec sheet down below. [Archos]

All applicable to both series unless otherwise noted:

Capacity
*60GB hard drive stores up to 80 Movies, 600,000 photos or 30,000 songs
*120GB hard drive stores up to 160 Movies, 1.2 million photos or 60,000 songs
*250GB hard drive stores up to 300 Movies, 2.5 million photos or 145,000 songs

Display
* High resolution screen, 800x480 pixels, 4.8'' TFT LCD, 16 million colors
* Touchscreen

Video playback
* MPEG-48 (ASP@L5 AVI, up to DVD resolution)
* WMV (MP@ML, up to DVD resolution) included WMV protected files
* M-JPEG (in QVGA resolution)

With optional software plug-ins:
* HD support: MPEG-4 (ASP 720p) & WMV HD (MP 720p)
* H.264 up to DVD resolution with AAC
* MPEG-2 MP@ML up to 10 Mbps (up to DVD resolution) and AC3 stereo sound (5.1)

Audio Playback
* Stereo MP3 decoding @ 30-320 Kbits/s CBR & VBR, WMA, Protected WMA, WMA pro 5.1, WAV (PCM/ADPCM).
* With optional software plug-ins
*AAC9 and AAC+ stereo audio files
*AC3 stereo audio and 5.1 sound files (via SPDIF output of DVR Station)

Photo viewer10
* JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF

PDF viewer
* Reads PDF documents (may not implement all PDF features)

Video Recording11
* Via the optional DVR Station or DVR Snap-on. Records NTSC/PAL/SECAM in MPEG-4 AVI format with stereo sound, VGA resolution (640 x 480) @ 30 or 25 f/s

Audio recording
* Via the optional DVR Station or DVR Snap-on: Stereo line-in, WAV (IMA ADPCM or PCM) format
* Voice recording via the optional FM remote and its built-in microphone in WAV format (IMA ADPCM)

Email client
* Compatible with Email accounts supporting POP3 and IMAP services
* Import/export of vCard contacts

Interfaces
* USB 2.0 High-Speed Device (compatible USB 1.1 at a lower speed): Mass Storage Class (MSC) and Media Transport Protocol (MTP)
* USB 2.0 Host: Mass Storage Class (MSC) and Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) with optional Mini Dock, Battery Dock and DVR station

Connections
* Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) connection. Free Web Browser (Opera® Web browser with Adobe Flash® 9 video support) upon registration
* 3.5 mm mini jack for headphones
* Accessory connectors to connect to the DVR Station and other ARCHOS accessories

Miscellaneous
* Built-in speaker
* Built-in leg stand

Power source
* Internal: Lithium Polymer battery
* Device charges via computer USB port
* External: Power adapter/charger (via optional accessories)

Battery life
* Music playback time: up to 12 hours
* Video playback time: up to 4 hours

Scalability
* Device automatically downloads latest firmware updates when the WiFi connection is activated
* Updates can also be downloaded at www.archos.com

Dimensions & weight
* Approx 127,5 x 78,3 x 12,9 mm (for 60GB* model) – 250gr
* Approx 127 x 78,8 x 19,4 mm (for 120/250GB* models) – 300gr

Minimum requirement system
*Microsoft® Windows® Vista, XP, ME, 2000 or higher
* MAC OS X and Linux (with Mass Storage Device Support)
* USB 2.0 interface

Package includes
* ARCHOS 5, headphones, ARCHOS USB cable, DVR Station adapter, screen cleaning cloth, Quick Start Guide (QSG), legal and safety notice.

Pricing
* 60GB model - $350
* 120GB model - $400
* 250GB model - $450

7 Series

Display
* High resolution screen, 800x480 pixels, 7'' TFT LCD, 16 million colors

Dimensions & Weight
* Approx. 190 x 110 x 16 mm ; 7.48" x 4.33" x 0.629"
* Approx. 640 gr.; 23oz

Pricing
* 160GB model - $450
* 320GB model - $550

Sony PMX-M80 Big Touchscreen PMP Packs Maps for Chinese Travellers

Benny Goldman — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:20:00 EDT

Sony's PMX-M80 is a cute white touchscreen PMP that stuffs some impressive specs in a 4.3-inch frame, a decent size for watching video without killing your eyes. The player has 16GB onboard memory, expandable via Memory Stick, a microphone, Google Maps-like browser with points of interest and your basic (MP4/AVI/WMA/MP3/AAC) codec support. Sadly, you won't see the PMX-M80 stateside: It's China-only and a little pricey at $330 (2,260 yuan). [Akihabara News]

Custom Journey MP3 Player Comes Loaded With Aging Rock

John Mahoney — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Sure, you could buy the new (yeah, new) Journey album on CD. Even iTunes. Or you could buy it preloaded on this $40 1GB flash player from ZVUE that looks like it may as well be made of black velvet. Tough call. [Product Page via Anything But iPod]

iPod Touch Firmware 2.0 Finally Out

Brian Lam — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:03:32 EDT

It's officially up for $9.95 and you can download it from iTunes. [iTunes via Macrumors]

Creative Zen Getting Bubblegum Pink Makeover

Haroon Malik — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:30:00 EDT

Looks like the Zune isn't the only PMP to be getting a color makeover, Creative's Zen is in on it too. The new model was spotted at Wal Mart, where it is retailing at $69.99 for a 2GB unit, with no other capacities listed. As far as we can tell, the pink Zen is ready for immediate shipping, despite the fact it is not available at Creative's own online store. The new addition has me thinking it is time for a pink gadget in my arsenal; admit it, you want one as well. [Wal Mart via Geek&Hype; Thanks, pickupjojo!]

LG T80 PMP Packs in Touchscreen, DVB for Europeans

Haroon Malik — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EDT

LG has just revealed the T80 PMP, which has the makings of a promising media player, at least for the Europeans. The T80 boasts a 3-inch, 260k color (420 x 240) touchscreen, supports MPEG, MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, ASF, JPEG, TXT files, has an FM tuner, integrated microphone and a DVB-T receiver, which blows for anyone outside of Europe. The T80 will endure 5.5hours of video playback or 3 hours of TV viewing on a single charge, comes with a paltry 4GB disk space and assaults your wallet at €299 ($473). If you're hot for the player, consider getting your import on. [Generationmp3 via PMP Today]

Egoman PMP Has 4.3-Inch Touchscreen, 16M Color Displaying

Haroon Malik — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT

Egoman's latest PMP, the MP810RSTD-43 bears an impressive, 4.3-inch touchscreen, which supports 16.7 million colors, and that just about sets it apart from the other iPod touch clones sitting it out in PMP purgatory. The device will playback WVI and RMVB at 30 fps, is just 7.2mm thick and will happily playback MP3, WMA, ADPCM, WAV, APC and FLAC files. With a USB 2.0 port, integrated FM tuner and an onboard TV out port, Egoman haven't done too bad a job here at all. Still, with the product page stating "[all] specifications are subject to change without notice," perhaps we should take the player's planned existence with a touch of salt. [PMP Today]

Telcast M26 PMP has 2.6-Inch Touchscreen, Multiple Codec Support

Haroon Malik — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:30:00 EDT

We'd be lying if we said we weren't partial to the Telcast M26 PMP, which has a 2.6-inch WQVGA (400x240) display with capacitive touchscreen functionality and supports RMVB, RM, FLV, AVI video codecs, as well as the standard music file formats. The iPod touch-esque styling has us contemplating giving it a chance, not because it's a copy-cat, but because it actually looks a little better.

The M26 has a TV output so you can enjoy your movies on the big screen, and it will be available in either black or white colours, which both look equally fetching. Sure, it may be a sheep in wolf's clothing, but that's quite some alluring apparel the M26 is sporting. [zol via thegadgetsite]

Sansa Fuze Turns Up at Amazon

Haroon Malik — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:30:30 EDT

The Sansa Fuze, which we heard word of earlier, has just turned up at Amazon. The listing confirms the PMP will have a 1.9" screen, voice recording function (that works via the built-in microphone), microSD/microSDHC slot and will offer support for MP3, WMA and MPEG-4 encoded content. Retailing at $99 for a 4GB edition, the internal battery will squeeze out 24 hours of audio playback and 5 hours of video on a single charge. Checkout some more shots of the PMP below.

Amazon lists red, black and pink models, but there are no images of the pink or black varieties as yet. Standing in at 2.2 x 1.5 x 0.6 inches, it is a little thicker than the fruity equivalent, but if you were thinking of settling down with an iPod nano, you may want to wait for the verdict on the Fuze before you make any hasty decisions. [Amazon via DAP Review]

Sony NW-A829, NW-A828 Walkmans Come With Bluetooth Connectivity

Haroon Malik — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:30:24 EST

Sony has just released its first Bluetooth (A2DP) enabled PMPs; the NW-A829 (16GB) and NW-A828 (8GB). With support for MP3, WMA, ATRAC, Sony PCM and AAC/High Efficiency AAC, as well as MPEG-4/H.264, these players come with enough playback potential to make them contenders for a space in your pocket, as well as your heart. More info beneath the gallery.

The 2.4-inch (320 x 240) LCD display may be on the small side for serious video viewing, but the PMPs are sliver thin at 9.3mm wide and weighing in it at only 59g, the screen size is easily excusable. Add to the mix a 36-hour battery life for tunes, or a 10-hour life span for video viewing, and it seems like the new Network Walkmans have quite a bit to shout about. No word on pricing or shipping dates as yet, but we can't wait to give them a go. [Akihabara]

Microsoft Valentine's Day Zune Delayed; Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word

Haroon Malik — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:55:00 EST

Those chaps at Microsoft promised a special edition Zune 80 for Valentine's Day, but the units have struck a delay and will not reach their destinations on time. That surely blows, but if your sweet was due to receive a Cupid red Zune 80, fret not. Microsoft is doing the right thing—they're refunding the cash, and shipping the Zunes for free regardless. Jump for the note they sent out to the lucky/unlucky customers.

We wanted to provide you with an update on your order status. Due to some issues in our fulfillment center there remains a chance we will miss getting your Zune to you by February 14th. We are working hard to get your order to you as quickly as possible and we currently plan to ship your Zune within the next 3-4 days. Once your order is in transit, we will send you a shipping confirmation with a link for tracking.
Our goal is to provide a smooth customer experience for ordering, customization, and delivery. We sincerely apologize for not meeting that goal in this specific case. We will be refunding the entire amount of your order, which you should be able to see on your credit/debit card within 7-10 days. We hope you love your Zune and that you will accept our sincere apology.

If you have additional questions, please call 1.877.GET.ZUNE. For fastest service, press 5 then press 1 and have your order information ready.

The Zune Originals Team

To everyone who has profited from this turn of events: go and buy her a proper present, you Zune-loving cheapskate. [Ars Technica]

Gemei PMP Has Big Screen, Big Controls, Big Heart

Haroon Malik — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:30:00 EST

This Gemei PMP, with the oddly patriotic name of United States X900, thinks big. There is a 4.3-inch TFT screen (480 x 272), but by far the most interesting hardware feature is the full sized, detachable gaming pad.

The controller has two joysticks, which could make retro game playing great fun. However, the weighting may be an issue. If the controller is really light, expect wrist ache to ensue, which will not be a new phenomenon for you, but still would detract from the gaming enjoyment. The device utilizes an ADI chip, which should allow NES and SFC gaming. An additional GPS receiver can also be added on for directional goodness, and the SD slot, with support for up to 4GB cards, provides enough storage capacity for a movie and some games.

If all that was not enough to get your multi function senses tingling, support for AVI, MPEG4, MP3, WMA, FLAC, an integrated ebook reader and an FM tuner should have you in multi functioning convulsions. Ironically, the United States X900 may never hit the United States, as shipping details are non-existent. Dammit. [PMP Today]

Cowon Q5 Media Player To Hit Stores By the End of November

Adrian Covert — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:09:49 EST

Cowon will finally release their Q5 (Q5W for American markets) media player in US stores before the end of the month. The 40 GB model will cost $550 while the 60 GB will cost $600. [Electronista]

Samsung P2 Touch Interface Up Close (Video)

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 20:40:00 EDT

Since the YP-P2 is Samsung's attempt to take on the iPod touch, we thought we'd show you a touching video—one that Jennifer and I shot in a crowded Starbucks today—depicting its (mostly) touch-friendly interface. [Samsung]

Samsung Pimps the P2 PMP With Accessories and Services

hook — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:35:54 EDT

Samsung is launching the P2 PMP with content partnerships with Rhapsody, Napster and CinemaNow. There will also be an array of accessories ready, homespun hardware like speakers and wireless headphones, plus cases from DLO and Belkin. The strategy, which it calls MPfreedom, is acknowledgment that it takes more than a 3" touchscreen to compete with Apple. Here's a gallery of just some of the products and services available at launch. [Samsung]

Samsung Ships YP-P2 Media Player, Bluetooth Phone Compatibility To Come

hook — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:22:24 EDT

Today in NYC, Samsung finally launched its long-awaited YP-P2 PMP, aka "the P2," the Korean powerhouse's rival to the iPod touch. The P2 features a 3" touchscreen display with an "EmoTure" interfaces that allows you to slide and tap your way through menus. But while it will ship fully functional with A2DP streaming Bluetooth stereo, its still-cooler Bluetooth cellphone speakerphone compatibility will come in a December firmware update.

Samsung announced that the PMP will actually receive three updates over the next four months. The first update is set for December and will include the Bluetooth 2.0 cell compatibility, as well as AAC playback. The second set of updates will be available in January and will feature games—titles TBA—and additional functions. The final update hits in March and will feature improvements that Samsung will decide based on market research. [Samsung]

Grundig's MPixx Fine Arts PMPs Look Cool, Out in October

AddyDugdale — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 05:51:53 EDT

Grundig has got three new PMPs coming out next month—two from the MPixx 7000 Fine Arts series, and one from the 4000. Both the 7200 and the 7400 (above) boast a 2.4-inch screen and can record radio to MP3 format, while the 4100 boasts a 3.5-inch screen. Full stats and a pic of the 4100 after the jump.

MPixx 7000 Fine Arts Series

Digital movie & music player for MP3, MPEG4 WMA, WAV, OGG
High-quality stereo FM radio with RDS and direct recording function (MP3) and 25 presets
Extremely sharp 2.4" TFT display (QVGA) with 262,000 colours
Lithium polymer battery / maximum operating time approx. 20 hours
Music library (track, artist, genre) / folder navigation
Slide show for pictures in JPEG / BMP format2 or 4 GB for approx. 40 or 80 albums
WMA-DRM9/10 compatibleID3 tag information for displaying tracks and artists
USB 2.0 high speed connection for fast, safe data transfers
Dictation function (MP3)
Lyric function
Firmware update possible
9 European languages in the user menu

With an internal memory of 2GB, the 7200 will cost $200, while the 4MB 7400 will be $240.

MPixx 4100

Digital movie & music player for MP3, MPEG4 WMA, WAV
High-quality stereo FM radio with direct recording function (WAV) and 30 presets
Extremely sharp 3.5" TFT display (QVGA) with 262,000 colours
Lithium polymer battery, maximum operating time approx. 20 hours
Music library / folder navigation
4 GB memory via SD card, 1 GB internal flash memory
WMA-DRM9 compatible
ID3 tag information for displaying tracks and artists
USB 2.0 high speed connection for fast, safe data transfers
Dictation function (WAV)
Sleep timer, stopwatch, firmware update possible
9 European languages in the user menu

The 4100, pretty much identical to its 7000 Series sisters, only has 1GB memory, but you can boost its memory up to 5GB via its SD slot. Expect to pay $200 for the privilege. [Grundig via Audio Junkies]

Topway's PMP Thinner Than Thin Itself

ybaranovsky — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:29:36 EDT

The TOM-019 from Hong Kong's Topway is so thin it can practically double as a shiv. At 6mm (or 0.24 inches) and weighing a mere 26g, the gadget offers support for MP3, WAV and WMA audio files—it also plays MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG2.5 and MPEG4 videos on its 1.8-inch TFT display. The media player also allows digital audio recording in an MP3 format, has an address book and an FM radio (something that the iPod still doesn't include).

The gadget can also handle BMP, JPG and GIF images and comes in capacities of 120 MB to 2GB—it can also, if you've got the aim for it, double as a deadly ninja star.

No release info is available at this time. [Topway via PMP Today]

Blue Raven MediaMate Is Latest Attempt At Pocket DVR

Wilson Rothman — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 11:01:26 EDT

DVR is one of the only functions you can't yet find on an iPod, and that's probably because it's still pretty complicated, and getting weirder all the time.

The press release on a new pocket DVR from Blue Raven boasts a 7-inch "high def" screen. But when I looked at the specs on the website, it showed that the screen was only 480x234, as in low-def but fine for a 7-incher. Farther down, I noticed that it can record 720x480 (NTSC) and can scale up to 1080i, presumably for outputting to an HDTV set. This just goes to show that while all of these little HDD PMPs seem similar, there are plenty of nuances that set each one apart. A shame, though, that it's not easier to follow.

Other features include a 3-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, or Memory Stick), a wireless remote control and a "Scheduler" feature that I sincerely hope is easier to program than a VCR. The 40GB MediaMate 7040 costs $379 and the 80GB MediaMate 7080 is $429. – Wilson Rothman

Press Release [Blue Raven]