Newman MP4P E350 3.6-inch PMP

Hello Newman, your MP4P E350 video player is looking a little smudgy today, but we're willing overlook that for your 3.6-inch screen and touch controls. Well, not really, but maybe somebody in China will, 'cause it's available there now, and that's probably where it's going to stay.

[Singh @ Sep 30th 2007 5:09AM]

I'd rather go with the Credit Card sized Creative PMP ..... Check it out and it even has upto 16GB of storage http://www.gadget9.com/2007/09/05/creative-zen-credit-card-media-player/

[Chris Aubeck @ Sep 30th 2007 5:47AM]

Aliens would think we have been enslaved to produce gadgets for a race of tiny people.

[Stan @ Sep 30th 2007 2:24PM]

Aliens don't think!!!

[ark_v2 @ Sep 30th 2007 11:18AM]

Butit's chunky XD. Anyway, this one owns (almost) any device on the flash player market. The new Sansa sweet too.

[freakmarket @ Sep 30th 2007 6:17PM]

I bought the new Creative Zen ... it's a good player ... the only drawback is the unit can't catalog any music or video on the SD card ... you have navigate through directories to play the specific file you want on the SD card.

Without the use of the SD card the capacity is way too small.

[hp540 @ Sep 30th 2007 5:11AM]

I love how ANYTHING remotely to do with the iPhone or iPod touch gets a mention on Engadget ("iPhone now available in Timbuktu omg!!)

Whereas pretty much everything else gets a dismissive wave. Good job! Why don't we rename this place TUAW2?

[Leonard Nimrod @ Sep 30th 2007 5:22AM]

What does this have to do with the iPhone or iPod except that all are PMPs? Engadget didn't make any comparisons to Apple products but two posts in you lambast them anyway.

[strider_mt2k @ Sep 30th 2007 9:01AM]

I love how these daffy bastards can't wipe a device down prior to taking a picture!

What's with these people?

[Eugene @ Sep 30th 2007 11:39AM]

And for the sake of argument, if i lived in Timbuktu I, for one, would certainly be glad that Engadget was reporting on a gadget release in my corner of the world.

[James M @ Sep 30th 2007 6:07AM]

Love the Seinfeld reference. :)

[SteveMB @ Sep 30th 2007 11:14AM]

Hello Jerry...

[andy @ Sep 30th 2007 6:19AM]

"...a little smudgy today, but but we're willing overlook that..."

Surely you mean this - "...a little smudgy today, but we're willing to overlook that..." - no? Sadly, unlike Engadget writers, I would not be partial to an extra 'but' but (ah, irony!) would consider the use of 'to' (no, not two but[t]s, people - just 'to').

On the actual topic of this PMP, it looks rather nice - rather reminiscent of the LG Chocolate. Still, Aving could have picked a better still to take of the device playing video - that poor lady looks so sad, it quite nearly makes me depressed about a PMP.
Sadly, Aving doesn't actually state what music file types it supports - nor battery life - so who knows what the actual practicality of this device is.
And being only a 2Gb device - needless to say this is far more heinous than Apple's disastrous error in omitting a large capacity for such a nice, large screen in the iPod Touch.

All the best,
Andy

[andy @ Sep 30th 2007 6:31AM]

Firstly, yes I know I'm replying to myself - but I've done some digging around on Newman's website and have been able to uncover some details:-

Highlighted Features
* Support a wide range of audio/video formats
* Touch sensitive navigation keys design
* SD card slot for capacity expansion (64MB - 4GB)

General characteristics
* Capacity options: 1G, 2G, 4G, more
* 3.6 inches 16 million colors TFT LCD
* Size: 108x76x14 mm
* Weight: 110g

Audio
* Support MP3, WMA, FLAC, APE, SRS formats
* Up to 10 sound effects/EQ including BBE and SRS
* Built-in speaker
* Digital voice recording function (MP3 format)
* Built-in microphone

Video/Image
* Support RM, RMVB, AVI, FLV, MPG, MPEG, VOB, DAT formats video files
* Photo album and slideshow: support JPG, BMP, GIF

Battery
Built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery (1500 mAH)

Data transfer/management
* High speed USB2.0 interface
* File management function

Menu Languages
English, French, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Czech, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, more.

Additional features/specs
* Synchronized Song Lyric Showing
* Electronic book (TXT viewing)
* Reset to factory default settings with no influence on saved files
* Automatic power-off setting
* Easy to set screen saver

Not too shabby if you ask me - and a nice, wide range of supported files. If AAC was there, I'd be sold, but there's still the Creative ZEN nagging at the back of my mind - and the fact that I probably won't be able to acquire one of these devices.
Also, has anyone had experience with Newman in the past - it could be useful to know of their build quality. All this, and there still isn't a listed price - useless, I tell you, useless!

[Natedog @ Sep 30th 2007 11:22AM]

It doesn't support AAC either, but if you're looking for a device similar to this or the Zen, check out the Cowon D2. It's pretty nifty.

[TerraCotta @ Sep 30th 2007 7:26AM]

"your MP4P E350 video player is looking a little smudgy today" : ANY mp3 player will have this issue. Strangely enough, this issue is never mentioned for iPhone or iPod touch. And yet, on those, there are plenty of MANDATORY finger prints. The person at EnGadget who reviewed the iPos touch did mention however that the ... back of the player is a finger print magnet.

It seems like when people are forced to watch a screen through their own finger prints, they forget about the issue. Or, they have been hypnotized by the touch junk and be too scared to criticize anything about Apple's new toys.

[jaapV @ Sep 30th 2007 10:21AM]

I also think that the ability to attract smudges is overrated. To me it is really not a big deal. Everything with a big screen will get smudges, no doubt about that.

Some pmp's put the screen, buttons, everything, in one transparent package, which is smooth. For that reason they will get smudges much easier.

But this transparant, smooth, cover-all package is also much stronger, no edges that can get dirty, no buttons that can break, and so on.

How many pmp owners put them in a protective casing anyway....

[Andrew Horn @ Sep 30th 2007 9:24AM]

It's like everyone here is afraid of anything that doesn't put down apple. Would you be happy if every post was about how crappy apple is? You should probably find another site.

[Jesse S @ Sep 30th 2007 6:11PM]

Apple's products aren't bad, they just aren't anything special.

I just want an objective, unbiased tech site/blog to read. Is that too much to ask for?

I don't hate or like Apple, but for some reason people love them. Newsflash: Apple's products are not innovative or special, they are mediocre, like every other one.

I think a good example of EG being way too Apple-centric was when they had a whole post dedicated to the iPhone headset, which, of itself, was nothing special whatsoever, and another one for the cradle.

At least EG isn't as bad as Gizmodo. Gizmodo doesn't just report on every single thing that Apple does, no, they say their competitors suck, when in some cases, they're actually better.

[shamrock593 @ Sep 30th 2007 9:27AM]

Does anyone else think that Kirsten Dunst looks like she's doing a big poo in that photo?

[Low @ Sep 30th 2007 2:33PM]

No, but it does look like she's taking a shit.

[Ricardo @ Sep 30th 2007 9:47AM]

That thing is huge. Why make such a small screen on such a big device? I don't see the point.

[Natedog @ Sep 30th 2007 11:18AM]

I'm glad this article talked so much about how China sucks and didn't even pretend to mention any specs about the player, because racial/national/whatever stereotypes are why I read Engadget. Screw the actual gadgets, just post some more articles making fun of China and how they'll forever be bowing at Steve J... I mean America's feet.