Gizmodo: Wma

Thanko's New MP3 Player Is Cranky for Power

Kit Eaton — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:22:44 EDT

Thanko has gifted its new MP3 player with an additional power source: you. Much like Trevor Bayliss' crank-powered player, but nicer-looking, this new device will give you ten minutes of tunes for one minute of cranking— it's also got an LED flashlight which'll run for 50 minutes for the same effort. And if you're wrists aren't up to the job, it'll also charge via USB or AC power brick. The Cranking MP3 Player is screen-less, plays MP3 and WMA, has 1GB of storage, and will cost you just $60. [Akihabaranews]

Samsung YP-S3 Caught On Video

Eric Sheline — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:30:41 EDT

Our female alter egos at Tech Digest just scored a video hands-on with Samsung's new YP-S3 MP3 player. The iPod nano rival should be out this June and is quite similar to its Cupertino competition, with a screen only 0.2-inches smaller and comparable music, photo and video playback abilities. The Samsung adds a built-in FM radio and a 2GB option to accompany the usual 4GB and 8GB models. [Tech Digest]

Samsung's YP-S2 Pebble MP3 Players Probably Hurt When Thrown

Jason Chen — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:50:23 EDT

These Samsung YP-S2 Pebble MP3 players look quite similar to the Creative Zen Stone (because they both look like small rocks), and hold about 1GB of MP3s and WMAs. They've got about 10 hours of playback, but don't do a whole lot else (other than looking and feeling like rocks). They'll be available in the UK around May, but no release date or pricing yet for the US. [Shiny Shiny]

Slacker Announces Aptly Named "Portable" Music Device

Sean Fallon — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:40:33 EST

Last month we learned that online music service Slacker would debut its own player sometime before the holidays. Today the company made it official with the announcement of their "Portable" portable music player. The device features a 4-inch screen, 15, 20 and 40 station capacities, the ability to play your existing MP3s and WMAs, 10 hours of battery time, and it will work with Slacker Basic Radio and Premium Radio services. The Portable is now available for pre-order at $199.99 (15 stations, 2GB), $249.99 (25 stations, 4GB ) and $299.99 (40 stations, 8GB) . Expect the device to ship on, or before December 13th, 2007. [Slacker via Gearlog]

Palama Poketo DAP is Pantone-tastic but Basic

AddyDugdale — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:05:02 EDT

It was only a matter of time before Japan's color craziness spread from its cellphones to other gadgets. This Poketo DAP player from Japanese company Palama may be basic and cheap, but when has basic and cheap ever stopped people from buying gadgets?

It's MP3- and WMA-compatible, has 512MB of memory, and—er—that's it. No display, no expansion slot, no touch screen, no dancing girls, no AK-47, no watermelon carpaccio, no Princess Leia in a bikini, and no oh noes. Out in September, the Poketo will cost $33. [Newlaunches]

Rock Out All Day (and Night) with Transcend's T.sonic 840 DAP

kthompson — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 23:20:06 EDT

In a world of complex do-it-all gadgets, the T.sonic 840 might seem a little bland. It's a fairly basic digital audio player, supporting everything you'd expect in the audio (MP3, WMA, WAV, WMA-DRM10) and visual (JPG, BMP) departments. But it is the simple yet functional approach that allows Transcend's latest gadget to pump out tunes for thirty hours on single charge. The 1.8" color TFT-LCD displays everything including the karaoke lyrics scroller and will even do text, if you're into reading on tiny screens. It will even help you in your Spanish classes. ¿Qué?

The 13-language display will test your knowledge of worldly communication techniques, but the built-in digital voice recorder pairs with a unique variable-speed A-to-B playback function to help you learn from dictated lectures or notes. As you listen to your recorded file, you can adjust the speed on a whim and repeat a given section with the push of a single button. The U.S. store doesn't have them in stock just yet (they should be available any day now), but the 2GB white version is billed at $125 across the pond with the 4GB black a tad higher at $167. [Transcend T.sonic 840 via Fareastgizmos]

Tree Camera is More Sound Than Vision

AddyDugdale — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 06:16:27 EDT

The Tree Camera is an MP3 player that's made out of wood and cute to boot. It has a 256MB memory, plays MP3s, WMAs and OGGs and plugs into the USB port of your PC.

Available in pink, blue and natural, it costs just $43 and is would be the perfect gadget for kids as it's cheap and its wooden casing surely makes it a lot more resilient than your average MP3 player.

[WorldLingo via Techie Diva]

ZVUE 260 Plays Portable Video For The Thrifty

Jason Chen — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 17:45:09 EST

Despite bearing a slight resemblance to the iPod, the ZVUE 260 is more of a low-end player than the $249 Apple flagship. Priced at less than $100, the ZVUE 260 depends only on external SD memory cards, which means you're only getting a few gigs on this at most.

Despite the lack of storage, the ZVUE does play back video at 30fps on a QVGA display, plus supports WMA-DRM tracks. There's no real reason to purchase this player over, say, another relatively no-name MP3 player, but the combination of WRM-DRM and video playback at under $100 may be just right for some of you out there when it launches mid-2007. – Jason Chen

Product Page [ZVUE via Mobile Mag]

Mobiblu Cubisto: Who Wants to Carry a Cube in Their Pocket?

Gizloco — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 14:00:28 EST

The mobiblu Cubisto digital audio player comes to us from Korea and comes in two sizes, 1GB and 2GB. It's pretty much a bare bones player, supporting MP3 and WMA files formats. Obviously the hook here is its wacky cube shape, but that only gets it so far. Besides, what would you rather have in your pocket, a bulky cube or a tiny-as-a-postage-stamp iPod shuffle? No launch date is known, but expect the 1GB model to cost $90 and the 2GB version $110. If it's just a $20 difference, why wouldn't you spring for the 2GB model? A friendly note to companies: if you want us to part with our hard-earned American dollars, please don't release the same product over and over again and expect us to bite. Thank you. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [mobiblu via dapreview.net]

iRiver S7 Possibly Spotted But Could Just Be Altoids Tins

Gizloco — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 09:53:39 EST

Fans have been awaiting iRiver S7 news ever since a leaked spec sheet documented the digital audio player's possible existence a few weeks back. Now a series of pictures are making their way around the giant interconnected tubes, but color us skeptical. The specs themselves seem more than believable (1GB of flash storage, plays MP3, Ogg, WMA, etc.) and it comes with an FM tuner. These are all pretty typical of iRiver DAPs, but the circulating pics look a little more than suspicious. Beside the fact that they look like Altoids tins, the designs are a little wacky: JAZZ; shoes; abstract art?

Until Reigncom confirms the existence of the S7, we'll just have to hold our breath and speculate wildly. Nothing wrong with that, but sometimes—just sometimes—we like some hard facts to go along with leaked pics. Until then, let the rumors spread. Besides, it's not like this alleged iRiver does anything any other knockoff DAP can't do. – Nicholas Deleon

IRIVER S7, the new Korean DAP [Akihabaranews.com]

Video Playing Watch On Sale at ThinkGeek

Jason Chen — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 15:20:39 EST

If your lifelong dream was to watch 128x128 video on a watch like the one you had in 8th grade, well, now you can die happy. The same watch as sold on Brando, but about $10 cheaper for the 2GB version and ships from inside the US. Of course, the thing uses an OLED display, which means it's going to be a bit harder to watch outdoors. But if you buy the watch, what are the chances you'll be going outdoors?

Besides the 128x128 pixel, 1.5-inch screen, the thing can display the time and date (how does it do that?), plays back MP3/WMA, and even has voice recording. Great for surrupticiously recording yourself being fleeced by the local mechanic. What do you mean it costs $79.99 for an oil change? – Jason Chen

Product Page [Think Geek]

Brando MP4 Watch - Video Killed the MP3 Star

Mark Wilson — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 10:27:30 EST

The Brando MP4 watch is a chunky, geeky fashion statement that's actually packing some impressive features. Syncing with via USB, the watch can store MP3s, WMAs and MP4 video on its 1GB of built-in memory. Playback occurs on a small 128x128 pixel screen, but appears in a potential 65k colors. Plus, you can even record audio on the fly - for up to 8 hours.

We like the orange version quite a bit, as well as the gorgeous $98 pricetag. I hereby name this watch the perfect stocking stuffer for the upcoming holiday season. And you'll need to buy a few of them, because I celebrate Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/The Chinese New Year/MarkDay. I'm very spiritual. Hit the jump for the complete gallery. – Mark Wilson

Product Page [via fareastgizmos]

MC Square X1 DAP Calms Soul, Reduces Stress

Gizloco — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 09:27:34 EDT

I'll spare you the drawn out, inane ramblings fancied by other Web writers when it comes to the MC Square X1. A digital audio player boasting 512MB of built-in memory (which can be increased to 2GB using microSD cards), the X1 sorta has this whole "oh look, I'm from the future!1" aura about it, as the Cyclops-looking dude holding it in this picture so aptly advertises. The screen is on the small side, coming in at 1.3 inches, so viewing pictures on it may be more of a hassle than it's worth. Pretty janky battery life, too, lasting only about 10 hours per charge. Oh, and it's supposed to help increase your concentration and reduce stress. Nothing like unfounded claims.

Like lots of other weird gadgets, the MC Square X1 is only available in Korea. By the looks of it, you're not missing much, unless you plan on reenacting scenes from The Tomorrow People. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [MC Square via dapreview.net]

A Closer Look at the Sound Enhancing Creative Xmod

Gizloco — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 15:08:04 EDT

Just a few days word broke that Creative was about to release onto the world the Creative Xmod, small device that supposedly makes MP3s (and other formats of lossy digital music compression) sound better. Laptop magazine got a chance to play around with it and reports that it's not a complete piece of garbage, going so far as to say "[i]t could change the way we listen to music." How's that for bombast?

The Xmod works by upconverting the digital music using Creative's X-Fi CMSS-3D technology. Here's the kicker: the Xmod "restores" part of the audio information that was originally stripped in order to make the lossy music file. So we're led to believe that the Xmod generates missing information on its own. Laptop seems to think it does, everything from Lauren Hill to Queen. Quite an eclectic bunch they've got over there.

The Xmod is still scheduled to be released later this month for $80.The urge to call "shenanigans" on this product is so immense right now. – Nicholas Deleon

Creative Introduces the Xmod [Laptop Magazine]

Reviewed: iRiver S10 (Verdict: Possibly The Best Money Can Buy)

Gizloco — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 15:59:45 EDT

CNet Asia just reviewed the iRiver S10, generally seen as the one and only possible competitor to Apple's new iPod nano. Typical of iRiver digital audio players, the company has gone to great lengths to ensure that there's enough features here to make you forget that you're not using an iPod. The 1.5-inch screen is too small to enjoy gaming and videos and the like, so iRiver opted to leave out those features. Basically, it's a darn good 2GB little digital audio player with eight hours of battery life. For some reason, though, iRiver's CD ripping software doesn't support ripping into the MP3 format, even though the player supports it. Um, what? Check out the best part of CNet's review:

We auditioned the S10 with Diana Krall's You are Getting to be a Habit with Me. Highs and mids were detailed with ample warmth. There was also plenty of presence in terms of bass. On Massive Attack's Angel, the low end was strong and boomy.

Diana Krall? Way to be thoroughly dorky. Why not throw on Sha Na Na while you're at it?

Still no list price, but the iRiver S10 appears to be a winner. – Nicholas Deleon

iRiver S10 Review [CNet Asia]

Philips SA4000 Digital Audio Player Has 512MB of Memory, Not Much Else

Gizloco — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 16:06:36 EDT

Philips must be trying to redefine the term "entry-level" with is SA4000 digital audio player, which sports a massive amount of built-in storage—512MB— and a seven-color backlit screen. Something called a AAA battery supplies the DAP with power and it's rated to last for 10 hours. Thank God it PlaysforSure. No price listed, though. For shame.

You know what, this player is even bested by digital audio players released years ago, like the Creative Zen Nano, released in 2005: same storage capacity, but with Audible compatibility and an even better battery life (18 hours).

The Philips SA400, say hello to 2004 for us, will you? – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Philips via dapreview.net]

Archos 504 PMP Details Officially Revealed: 160GB Hard Drive For The Win

Gizloco — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 18:19:02 EDT

We've been talking up the Archos 504 portable media player since the summertime, but now it looks like Archos is finally ready to start shipping the thing. What's also nice is that some hard facts have been released by Archos, the most interesting of which is that it has the most storage space of any portable media player. Available in 80GB and 160GB sizes, the 504 has enough space to store 450 movies if you so desire. It'll play most of the digital media formats out there, save for iTunes downloaded music, but you probably guessed that already.

The 504 doesn't come cheaply, however, with the 160GB model coming in at nearly $890. Plus, expect to spend another $130 if you want the fancy dock that lets you record from external sources. Look for it soon. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Archos via dapreview.net]

FairUse4WM Removes DRM From WMA Files

Gizloco — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 15:53:26 EDT

There's a new program on the loose that removes the digital rights management (DRM) from Windows Media files. Called FairUse4WM, the Windows program strips the DRM'd from the targeted Windows Media file. There's a number of checks in the program designed to prevent it from being used to abet piracy (kind of like what hymn does), making sure you're only using it to "free" your files for your own personal use. Also of note is that it only cracks DRM one song at a time, further thwarting potential piracy.

Don't tell the Zune guys that their secure media format isn't so secure anymore. – Nicholas Deleon

FairUse4WM - a WM/DRM removal program [Doom9's Forums via dapreview.net]

Aigo A215 MP3: Must Be On Steroids

Mark Wilson — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 15:20:16 EDT

The Aigo A215 won't be winning any gadget beauty contests, but it may win a few marathons. The Aigo A215 is a fairly standard 2gb MP3 player that supports DRM-10 and WMAs. You can record voice, which is a nice plus. But the most impressive feature? 50 hour battery life. That's more than 4 times the 12-hour rating on the Shuffle.

Sure, 50 claimed hours might really mean 30 or 40 actual hours, but both alternatives are still amazing, pants-wetting numbers. Plus, the other advantage to better battery life is less overall recharging and thereby longer battery lifespan. Apple, start your reverse-engineering now.
-Mark Wilson

Product Page [via mobilemag]

Green House GH-KANA-GT MP3 Player, FM Transmitter, Friend

Gizloco — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 09:26:40 EDT

The great Japanese company with the environmentally conscious name is at it again. Green House is just a few weeks away from launching the GH-KANA-GT series of MP3 players, which comes with 512MB of flash memory and support for both MP3 and WMA digital music files. Even better, the player incorporates an FM transmitter—the headphone cable functions as an antenna—so that you can host your own pirate radio station inside the house, car, space station, etc.

Thankfully, the player comes with a rechargeable lithium ion batter that lasts for seven or four hours, depending on whether or not you're using the FM functionality.

Look for the GH-KANA-GT this August in Japan for around $77. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page (in Japanese) [Green House via Fareastgizmos.com]

Sanyo DMP-M400SD MP3 Player: Who Needs Built-In Memory?

Gizloco — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 08:59:32 EDT

Sanyo thinks that including built-in memory in MP3 players is passé, so that's why its DMP-M400SD requires you to purchase your own SD cards on which to store your music. While this probably helps keep costs down and does give you the most flexibility and sovereignty over how you use your MP3 player, it does give the DMP-M400SD a sort of "also ran" feel.

The player supports MP3 and WMA files, DRM'd or not, and accepts SD cards up to 2GB in size. It'll play music for 12 hours on a single AAA battery, and its backlit LCD handily displays all the pertinent information.

So if all you want is a simple, bare bones MP3 player and don't having a pocket full of SD cards, the $60 DMP-M400SD might not be a bad idea. That is, so long as you're willing to wait until August when it's released in Japan. – Nicholas Deleon

Sanyo DMP-M400SD MP3 player [Fareastgizmos.com]

Sanyo (in Japanese)

Venzero miniONE Portable Media Player

Gizloco — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 15:21:21 EDT

Hold onto your hats because it's time for another iPod wannabe, this time from Venzero. The diminutive (2.95 x 1.73 x 0.35 inches, 0.98 ounces) miniONE comes in both 1GB and 2GB flavors and is compatible with the upcoming MusicMarker service, which supposedly makes finding and identifying unknown songs totally awesome. The miniONE supports all the usual digital music formats, including MP3 and DRM-encumbered WMA. Hooray for choice.

The 1.3-inch OLED display has a color pallet of 265,000 colors and can also be used to display JPEGs and videos. (The player only plays back its own proprietary format, meaning that users will need to convert all those legally-obtained XviDs using the included software.)

The 1GB version will sell for $119 and its 2GB partner for $169. Look for both of them this July, probably without the butterfly. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Venzero via I4U News]

Sumvision Opus Pro Portable Media Player

Gizloco — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 17:58:44 EDT

For the low, low price of $94 (once converted from the British Pound, unless the dollar slides some more), you can get your hands on a full-fledged portable digital media player. The Sumvision Opus Pro plays back MP3, WMA and WAV digital music players in addition to ASF video files stored on its 1GB flash drive. It comes with a lot of the features that digital music player also-rans have, such as an FM tuner and digital voice recorder.

The battery charges when connected to a USB 2.0 port or by a separate power adapter. It's available in black and white, and because it's so cheap you might as well get two, to match your wardrobe of course. Will it dethrone Apple's mighty iPod from its place atop the digital music player hierarchy? Probably not, but the low price certainly won't hurt its cause. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [KJ Global Ltd. via Shiny Shiny]

Samsung Helix Hands On

Jason Chen — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 09:30:12 EDT

The Samsung portable XM player and recorder that debuted at CES landed in the laps of the guys at Personal Tech Pipeline for a hands on review. The distinguishing feature of this media player is its "TiVo for radio" functionality. You can record up to 50 hours of XM programming, including individual songs off any program. You can start recording a song in the middle, and the Helix will capture the entire track due to its 10 minute buffer.

The 1 gigabyte of memory also allows you to store and play back MP3 and WMA files. Another feature similar to TiVo is the ability to be alerted when certain artists are playing on any channel on XM. Problem is, the Helix doesn't record the song if you don't specifically tell it to. This means this artist watch feature only works when you're actively listening.

Stick around for more reviews of the unit as the release date nears.

Review: Samsung Helix [Personal Tech Pipeline]

Lenovo Easy Cube M500

Charlie White — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 11:15:32 EST

Lenovo weighs in with its own take on the cube—the Easy Cube M500 is 2.75 inches square, which is apparently just enough room to squeeze in a portable speaker, four AA batteries and an SD memory card that you supply yourself.

Maybe that's why it only costs $50, a great deal if you want to play MP3/WMA audio on the cheap and already have an SD memory card and a closet full of batteries. Perhaps Wal-Mart will pick this up as a larger alternative to the hot-selling Mobi-BLU, while conveniently locating it near the battery aisle.

Lenovo Easy Cube M500 [The MP3 Players]

DRM Sucks ... Battery Life of MP3 Players

Travis Hudson — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 11:26:51 EST

Some tests have been conducted to find out actually how much DRM sucks—battery life, that is. The general results is a loss up to 25 percent of battery life when playing back songs laced with WMA 10 DRM.

The Creative Zen Vision went from a 16-hour playback time down to 12-hours when playing only WMA 10 DRM songs. Other mp3 players showed similar results. Before the fanboys switch over to attack mode, this isn t just limited to the WMA DRM, Apple's FairPlay DRM also had some battery loss effects, 8 percent to be exact.

In the long run, the plague known as DRM will kill your digital audio players. Shorter battery time means more charges, and less life of a player.

Tests find DRM shortens player battery life by up to ~25% [cdfreaks]

Seagrand XCO90 MP3/WMA Player

Charlie White — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 12:34:49 EST

Even though we think these little players have been OEM ed for years, we couldn't resist showing you this photo of one resting on a teaspoon, ready to be eaten by some unsuspecting, bleary-eyed Gizmodo editor. Seagrand s X-Cute XCO90 MP3/WMA player is so precious it's one of those things you want to put it in your mouth.

But wait, it can store 256MB, or even 512MB of your favorite music. The news here is that these little sugar cubes will be on sale March 23. Weighing slightly more than a half an ounce, you'll find them available in blue, black, pink, red and silver. Even though they're minuscule in size, they have a built-in mic that can record directly into MP3 format. No pricing info was available.

Seagrand s X-Cute XCO90 MP3 Player [AkibaLive]