Gizmodo: portable media player

The Portable Media Player Is Dead, Long Live the... Portable Media Player

matt buchanan — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EDT

The portents have hung in the air for a while, but it's clear now that the traditional dumb PMP is dead, like a dull and rusted Swiss army knife. In their stead we'll have...smart PMPs.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but yeah, we're talking about the iPod touch model: It's about platforms. That run apps. That people can develop awesome little programs for. In other words, a good PMP won't just have great codec support and be able to push HD video, it'll get you on Twitter or Facebook or tell you what's good to eat nearby.

Not convinced? Check out the new Archos 5, which dumps the old OS for Android. Or the Creative Zii, also allegedly launching with Android. If you're in the second tier, grabbing a popular app-friendly platform is not a bad way to compete.

Apple itself noted that old-school iPods were on a death march—so the company added a video camera to the nano, to keep it alive for a generation or two more. True, Sony's X-Series appears to be keeping on keeping on, but it feels like an anacrhonism, albeit with a nice screen—no extendability, and a horrible internet browser.

The argument really comes down to the Zune HD, launching this week. It finds itself in an awkward position, essentially because of the effective limbo Microsoft's mobile OS is in—in other words you can't easily develop apps for both Zune HD and Windows Mobile, which Zune's Brian Seitz basically admitted to the Seattle Times: "What we didn't want to do was build two parallel app store experiences that didn't work together."

So there's no open app store, but in the meantime, Microsoft's providing the apps with a handful of chosen developers, so we're stuck with games, and soon a Twitter and Facebook app. But what is clear is that Zune is a platform that people can develop for. And it seems inevitable that'll be common with the next version of Windows Mobile, or the mysterious project Pink, if that is something else—at least, if Microsoft's actually serious about the Zune having a future.

In other words, it's startlingly clear now that the traditional PMP is history, replaced by PMPs powered by mobile platforms. They're smartphones without the "phone," and even lacking that major element, they're surprisingly valuable, more pocket computer—with internet and apps—than glorified video player.

iPod Touch Second Generation Rocks Our Socks Off

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:34:00 EDT

The new iPod touch is out. It has a new design: chrome rim, with a tapered back similar to the iPhone, but thinner. It now includes external volume controls as well. It also has Nike+ integrated ~~with no transmitter needed~~ (you still need the in-shoe transmitter, but it has an RFID receiver built-in) as well as on-the-fly genius playlist creation, all included in the new iPhone 2.1 software. It also comes with new prices, available today: $229 for the 8GB, $299 for the 16GB, and $399 for the 32GB. That's $100 cheaper than before. Here are all the features:

• 3.5-inch display.
• Volume controls.
• Accelerometer.
• 802.11 b/g wireless.
• Built-in speaker.

But the most important things are:

• The Nike+ is now built-in, with a matching application and ~~without the need of transmitter~~ with the in-shoe RF transmitter on sale separately (as it always has been) for $19. It doesn't require a receiver however, as it comes with it built-in. Looks like the leaked shots.

• The Genius playlist. There's an atom icon up, below the play/pause icon on the Now Playing screen. If you click it, it will create a Genius Playlist of songs that you may like based on the currently playing song.

Apple Introduces New iPod touch

The Funnest iPod Ever - Perfect for Music, Movies & Games

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today introduced the second generation iPod(R) touch featuring an amazingly thin contoured metal design, a gorgeous 3.5-inch widescreen glass display, 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi wireless networking, integrated volume control buttons, a built-in speaker for casual listening, a built-in accelerometer and other advanced sensors, and Apple's revolutionary Multi-Touch(TM) user interface. iPod touch, now available for just $229 for the 8GB model, is perfect for playing music, movies and games, with millions of songs, thousands of Hollywood movies and hundreds of games available on the iTunes(R) Store.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080909/AQTU545)

"iPod touch is the funnest iPod we've ever created," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Users can listen to millions of songs, watch thousands of Hollywood movies and now, thanks to the App Store, download and play hundreds of great games on their iPod touch."

The new iPod touch is smaller and lighter than the original, with a sleek new design that features a contoured metal enclosure with integrated volume control buttons and a brilliant 3.5-inch widescreen glass display. With its rounded edges, flush display and curved, more compact design, the new iPod touch is more comfortable to hold and more portable than ever.

iPod touch users can choose from hundreds of exciting game titles such as "Spore Origins" and "Scrabble" from Electronic Arts, and "Real Football 2009" from Gameloft available on iTunes or directly through the App Store application on the iPod touch. The revolutionary App Store works over Wi-Fi, enabling users to browse, purchase and wirelessly download applications directly onto their iPod touch and start using them instantly. The App Store features an incredible array of applications in a wide variety of categories, including games, travel, entertainment, social networking, sports and much more.

iPod touch works seamlessly with iTunes so you can import, manage, and then easily auto-sync your favorite content. With up to 36 hours of music playback or six hours of video playback on a single charge, the new iPod touch is the ultra-portable way to enjoy your favorite music, TV shows, movies and games on the go. The 32GB model holds up to 7,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 40 hours of video; the 16GB model holds up to 3,500 songs, 20,000 photos or 20 hours of video, and the 8GB model holds up to 1,750 songs, 10,000 photos and 10 hours of video.*

The new iPod touch works with the new iTunes 8 Genius feature, allowing customers to automatically create playlists while on the go. Users can preview the playlist Genius creates, refresh the list to choose different songs and save Genius playlists to enjoy again later.

The new iPod touch also features built-in Nike + iPod support making it an incredible workout companion. Users simply place the optional Nike + iPod sensor ($19 US) in their Nike + shoe to seamlessly connect with the new iPod touch to track miles run or sync with the latest generation gym equipment.

The iPod is the world's most popular family of digital music players with over 160 million sold. Apple's incredible new lineup includes the iPod shuffle in four vivid new colors starting at just $49; the iPod classic in one slimline model with 50 percent more capacity for the same great price — 120GB of storage for just $249; the fourth generation iPod nano featuring a gorgeous curved metal and curved glass enclosure, in nine vibrant colors starting at $149; and the second generation iPod touch now starting at just $229. iPod owners can choose from a vast ecosystem of accessories with over 5,000 products made specifically for the iPod including speaker systems, fitness accessories, fashionable cases and iPod connectivity available in over 90 percent of new car models sold in the US.

Pricing & Availability

The new iPod touch is available immediately for a suggested price of $229 (US) for the 8GB model, $299 (US) for the 16GB and $399 (US) for the 32 GB model through the Apple Store(R) (http://www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. iPod touch requires a Mac(R) with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS(R) X v10.4.10 or later and iTunes 8; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) or later and iTunes 8. Existing iPod touch users can update to the latest 2.1 software for just $9.95 to add the new Genius feature. iPod touch owners who already have the 2.0 software get the 2.1 software update for free. Simply download the latest version of iTunes onto your Mac or PC, and purchase the 2.1 software update via iTunes.

*Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See http://www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; photo capacity is based on iPod-viewable photos transferred from iTunes; and video capacity is based on H.264 1.5-Mbps video at 640-by-480 resolution.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its
award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

First Look at New iPod Nano Interface?

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:59:31 EDT

We have received these two images of the iPod nano showing a new interface. They look like Apple's own product illustrations and the iPod itself looks like the unconfirmed leaked picture, but of course we don't know if they are real or not. They are so polished and we like them so much that we hope they are real, but for now, they are just a couple of images out of nowhere. Check the playback screen after the jump and tell us what you think.

We will see what happens in a few hours. Remember our first rules about rumors and leaks: never trust them, even when they seem like the real McCoy. UPDATE: The first screen was way off, second screen close, and overall rendering spot-on. Check out our hands-on with the real thing. [Thanks tipster!]

Cowon P5 Portable Media Player Has 5-inch Touchscreen, Haptics, Usual Cowon Goodness

Jason Chen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:51:21 EDT

Cowon's upcoming P5 will improve on their A3 and Q5W portable media players (which we've both reviewed) with the addition of a haptics touch-feedback feature. The rest is fairly similar: a 800x480 screen, FM radio, stereo Bluetooth, TV-out, stereo speakers, USB, extreme codec support and 40GB-80GB sizes. There will still be Wi-Fi, but you'll have to get it tacked on after the fact with a dongle. The Korean price is $430ish by the end of the month. No US info yet as far as we know. Maybe we can trade them an early sneak peek at Starcraft 3 for this? [Cowon via CNET]

IOGEAR's Portable Media Player Upscales Video to 720P, Bears World's Most Generic Name

Jason Chen — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EDT

IOGEAR's portable media player, actually named Portable Media Player, may look as generic as its name on the outside, but actually has some good features on the inside (but no screen). There's the most unique one, the ability to upscale video files to 720P for display on an HDTV, but there's also XviD, DivX, MPEG1/2, and full DVD menu support as well as a bunch of audio support. With a 120GB drive on board, the $349.95 price tag doesn't seem all that steep, but there's probably little to no chance that most people will have the use of playing back 720P video on the go, on other people's screens. Maybe if you traveled a lot and wanted to watch your own movies in hotel rooms? [IOGEAR]

Soda Can MP4 is Not All That Refreshing

Sean Fallon — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:40:52 EST

As you might have guessed, the NXMP324 from Neux Corp is not what I would call a "serious" product, but those looking for something a little different may find its support for MP3, WMA, WMV, WAV and ASF file formats, built-in USB 2.0 port, FM radio, and 128MB to 4GB capacities mildly interesting. Not me though—I'm still holding out for the MP4 shaped like a bottle of Thunderbird in a paper bag. Pricing info available upon request. [Globalsources via PMP Today]

Slacker Streaming Net Radio Player Limited Trial Units In the Wild

Jason Chen — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:48:12 EST

We just talked to the guys at Slacker who told us that they've offered trial test units to people who've pre-ordered. Here's our hands-on video from November in case you wanted to see what the thing was all about. [Slacker]

Cowon Q5W Media Player Ships, Wise to Most Codecs

Charlie White — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:41:01 EST

We've been hearing rumblings about its imminent release for a few weeks, and now it's here: The Cowon Q5W is shipping in the US, and the company's released new details about this Wi-Fi-enabled portable media player with its 5-inch 800x400 touchscreen.

Most impressive are the codecs this .79-inch-thick baby will handle, including the pirates' favorites XviD and DivX, the open-source Ogg, and even a favorite audio codec of those with golden ears, flac, along with all the other usual suspects. It's got a tiny remote control, and hey, it even has a Flash player on board. Looks like it might be worth its $550 price of admission for the 40GB model, or $600 for the 60-gig. We just don't think we would name anything that's portable starting off with the word "cow." [Cowon America]

Acelabs S3 Touchscreen PMP Is Handy

Matt Buchanan — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 02:40:44 EST

Too bad these babies probably aren't seeing our shores. Acelabs' do-it-all S3 "Handy" PMP is leaps and bounds ahead of a lot of the generic PMPs we see coming out of Asia, with a 2.8-inch, 260k color QVGA touchscreen, FM radio and transmitter (for jamming wirelessly in your car), voice recording, image/text viewer and support for MP3, WMA and WAV audio-wise, and a mess of video formats: MPEG-4, AVI, Real, WMV, Xvid and ASF.

Storage comes via micro SD—up to 4GB—and a lithium polymer battery gives it 15 hours of music juice or 4 hours of video. No idea on price, but it does come in black, white or pink, and the paint job's what really matters, right?

[Acelabs (Korean) via AVING]

Oppo Super Five PMP Can Handle a Ton of Formats

Sean Fallon — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:05:27 EDT

In the case of this Oppo PMP, the moniker "Super" certainly applies. The Super Five can handle just about any format you can throw at it including: RM, RMVB, FLV, DAT, MPG, MPEG, AVI, 3GP in video and OGG, MP3, WMA and WAV and dual-APE, FLAC Lossless audio. Plus, photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF and PNG pose no problem for this little feature packed device. Speaking of small, all of that functionality is crammed into a credit card sized 2GB flash memory player that features a 3-inch color screen with QVGA resolution. Naturally, something this cool isn't going to be found anywhere outside of China, bu if you can make the trip it will only run you $120. Sounds like a steal, but fear not because Oppo has a reputation for delivering quality video at an affordable price. [Oppo via i4u]

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]

Just One More Archos Post, But It's Got Purdy Pics

Charlie White — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:18:44 EDT

Okay, okay, we've given you plenty of stories about the latest movie-downloadin' Archos Wi-Fi portable media players, but finally we snagged some official press photos of the Archos 605 Wi-Fi portable media player at the company's swank press event in some fancy New York penthouse last night.

Archos didn't serve up any press photos of its other three new players, nor its TV Plus unit, and we especially missed seeing studio shots of our favorite, the 800x480 7-inch Archos 705 WiFi. Anyway, take a look at the gallery below, and you'll see next best thing, the 605 WiFi. Notice its cute little kickstand that holds the thing up for your viewing pleasure. – Charlie White

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]

LG Intros LAN-SD460 GPS Navi with Steering Wheel-Mounted Controls

Charlie White — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 13:42:45 EDT

Among the saving graces of hyper-expensive factory-installed GPS systems are niceties such as steering wheel-mounted controls. LG adds that convenience with its LAN-SD460, a combination GPS navigation system and portable media player which also has DMB to receive those digital broadcasts in Japan. All of that video content shows up on its larger-than-average 4.1 inch screen. That steering wheel control lets you adjust the volume, channel, and zoom, keeping your hands where they belong. Just don't be watching that digital TV while you're driving.

Although this particular device may not show up in the States, we're hoping the idea of including a steering wheel-mounted control device with these portable GPS and PMP units will become a commonplace feature. We're big fans of most GPS devices, but have noticed that sometimes they can be distracting to the point of being dangerous. Well, especially when you're using four of them at the same time. – Charlie White

LAN-SD460, the LG Portable Navigation Device [Akhihabara News]

Toshiba Intros Portable Media Player at CEATEC

Charlie White — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 09:50:43 EDT

Toshiba was showing off a video player at CEATEC in Japan that's a hybrid DVD and personal media player (PMP), and it also supports the DivX video codec and 1seg digital TV.

If you're not familiar with 1seg, it's an HD mobile digital video broadcasting service in Japan that was officially launched in April of this year, and uses the H.264 video codec.

Although this Toshiba unit does have a widescreen, there was no info available about its resolution, nor was there any word about its ship date and availability. But if it can't handle at least 720p, well, that would be just dumb. – Charlie White

CEATEC - Toshiba 1Seg DVD-PMP player [Akihabara News]

iRiver T10 2GB Portable Media Player Now Shipping in US

Charlie White — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 15:17:34 EDT

iRiver announced it's now shipping a 2GB version of its T10 portable media player in the United States. It's an attractive and ergonomic device that plays back MP3, WMA, OGG and Macromedia Flash Lite 1.1 file formats and has an FM tuner along for the ride.

To sweeten the deal, iRiver is offering a free audiobook download from Audible, Inc. along with the player, which also supports almost every subscription-based music download service except iTunes. You'll recall our post about the player's release in Japan last April, and now it's finally available in the US for $150. – Charlie White

Press release after the jump.

iriver Announces 2GB T10 Portable Media Player

New Device Delivers Higher Storage Capacity With Bundled Technology and Special Promotions from Audible Inc.

Vancouver, Wash. - August 15, 2006 iriver America, the leading innovator in digital entertainment, today announced availability of a new higher-capacity version of its T10 portable media player, which comes bundled with technology and special content offers from Audible, Inc. the leading provider of spoken entertainment and information on the Internet.

The iriver 2GB* T10 comes bundled with AudibleReady technology and is capable of storing and playing back Audible s audio titles right out of the box. The T10 is PlaysForSure verified to support subscription-based music download services, including URGE, Napster, Rhapsody, Yahoo! Music Unlimited and eMusic. Customers who purchase the new 2GB iriver T10 media player are also immediately eligible for a free book download from Audible.

iriver is committed to providing valuable features, content and services to our device customers, said Jonathan Sasse, president of iriver America. We are thrilled to continue offering direct access to Audible s impressive library selection of quality digital audio content including books, radio broadcasts, magazines, news and podcasts.

Customers of the 2GB iriver T10 may select the free book download from the following popular titles, available at the audible.com website: -1984, George Orwell -It s Not About the Bike, Lance Armstrong -The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis -The Silence of the Lambs, Thomas Harris -The Soul of Capitalism, William Greider -Talk to the Hand, Lynne Truss -The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger -Scientific American, 12-Month Subscription

Audible is pleased to work with iriver in delivering thousands of hours of amazing content to the T10, creating a truly rich, on demand listening experience. said Chia-Lin Simmons, Vice President of Strategic Alliances of Audible, Inc.

Pricing and Availability The 2GB iriver T10 is priced at US $149.99 and is available now at the iriver eStore at www.iriveramerica.com/estore and at Amazon.com. Visit www.iriveramerica.com for more retail locations. About iriver iriver is the emerging global leader in delivering portable digital media devices. iriver provides consumers with the viewing, listening and recording flexibility to accommodate their active lifestyles by manufacturing award-winning hybrid products supporting existing and emerging formats, including MP3, WMA, OGG and Macromedia Flash Lite 1.1. iriver America, Inc. can be found on the Web at www.iriveramerica.com.

About Audible Inc. Audible (www.audible.com) is the leading provider of spoken entertainment and information on the Internet. Content from Audible is downloaded and played back on personal computers, CDs, or AudibleReady(R) computer-based mobile devices. Audible has 105,000 hours of audio programming from 334 content partners, including leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible.com is the Apple iTunes Music Store's preeminent provider of spoken products for downloading or streaming via the Web. Among Audible's other key business relationships are Bookspan, Creative Labs, Dell, iriver, Microsoft, Palm, SanDisk, Texas Instruments, and XM Satellite Radio.

Audible, www.audible.com, www.audible.co.uk, AudibleListener, and AudibleReady are registered trademarks of Audible, Inc. and all are part of the family of Audible, Inc. trademarks. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.iriver America is a registered trademark of iriver America, Inc. All other registered or unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.

* 2GB equals 2 billion bytes, not all drive space is available for file storage.

Audible, www.audible.com, AudibleListener, and AudibleReady are registered trademarks of Audible, Inc. and all are part of the family of Audible, Inc. trademarks.

Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their
respective owners.

Samsung Brings PMP to USA

tgrumet — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 09:37:33 EST

We won't see it until January at CES, but Samsung is planning to bring out the YM-P1 portable media player for the US market. The company says this is the first pocket-sized satellite TV reception-enabled portable media player, but I have doubts if this thing is really going to happen. Samsung also says the device can store and play music and videos, and of course, allows you to view your digital images. I would say we'll be waiting until sometime toward the middle of next year to see any sort of product, but you never know.

Samsung's YM-P1 and SCH-i730 received 2006 CES Innovations Awards [Palm Addict]