Teclast's M25 PMP has love for lots of formats

No sense in forcing someone to stick with the tried and true MP3 / WMA regimen when formats such as OGG, APE, FLAC and AAC are out there, right? Apparently, the folks at Teclast are nodding their heads in agreement, as the firm's latest PMP handles all of the aforementioned files alongside WAV, AVI, RM and RMVB. Additionally, the 7.9-millimeter thick PlayFX-compatible unit features a 2.4-inch QVGA (320 x 240) resolution display, 2GB / 4GB / 8GB of capacity, a built-in FM tuner / recorder and a text viewer. No word on price or availability, but considering the dearth of integrated WiFi, we can't actually see Mariah being interested.

[Via PMPToday]

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 9th 2008 10:12AM]

that would be really nice for me when I can only find a sing in a format I can't play, like RM. Converting can be a pain

[Wonderkid @ Mar 9th 2008 10:18AM]

Engadget: You are barking up the tree of buggy whip technology. Just why is WiFi useful in a portable device? It has been almost 10 years since it was introduced, and it is HARDER today to gain access to a free WiFi signal (can people really be expected to purchase roaming accounts for each and every WiFi hotspot on Planet Earth?) On the other hand, as the makers of some European mobile phones have realized, the future lies in widely accessible wireless broadband in the form of technologies like HSDPA. Just yesterday, I got to play with an LG Viewty. Unlike the device you display above and other WiFi equipped devices, the Viewty (and others like it), can download music and video from almost anywhere - and if you are listening to some music when the phone rings, the music pauses and you can talk. The PMP was still born as a concept and will never take off. Evidence? The fantastic but flawed iPod Touch is NOT selling that well. It is not properly connected. When people are at home, they use their laptops/PCs to access the web through WiFi, not some tiny device. Now, if Apple had put HSDPA in the Touch, they would be selling like hot cakes - and you could run Skype on it!

[Aguiluz @ Mar 9th 2008 10:25AM]

"Just why is WiFi useful in a portable device?"

Uhm... Because you don't want wires dangling and restricting your movement? Maybe you still use cables for your laptop.

"It has been almost 10 years since it was introduced, and it is HARDER today to gain access to a free WiFi signal."

Ow! Agree with that. But do neighbors count? (hee hee hee...) Anyway, it is hard -but not impossible- to get a free WiFi signal in Canada.

"if Apple had put HSDPA in the Touch, they would be selling like hot cakes.

If I remember right, HSDPA would require a sim card. And another lock-in to some *bleep* provider.

[Kizorblade @ Mar 9th 2008 11:55AM]

"The fantastic but flawed iPod Touch is NOT selling that well."

Oh really? Link please.
I'm pretty sure Apple just says "We sold x amount of iPods" instead of "We sold x many Shuffles".

And I use my touch for the internet when away from my computer (sitting on the couch, toilet, ect.), just because you don't doesn't mean other people don't.

"Now, if Apple had put HSDPA in the Touch, they would be selling like hot cakes - and you could run Skype on it!"
Where are iPod Touchs being sold? (Hint: not just America) the city that I live in has no (I really mean that) 3G coverage. So having 3G would be a complete waste, not to mention Apple going around to get the corrupt bastards here to actually put some form of 3G up, the increased drain on the battery life and also a lovely contract that you're tied into.

Oh and having Wi-Fi on all the time (Skype) is a bitch to the battery.

[PEZ @ Mar 9th 2008 12:53PM]

WiFi on the Touch isnt for the internet moreso than it is for the wireless itunes music store. You stupid jackass. Which happens to be FREE at starbucks, Panera and in such places like:
http://www.free-hotspot.com/
http://www.wififreespot.com/

Get a clue pig.

[Aguiluz @ Mar 9th 2008 10:19AM]

Talking of Mariah Carey (spelling?), I also got her song "Hero" bundled in a crappy PMP, a 200 MHz Celeron and included in my phone. Why does it come with EVERYTHING!

[fanman @ Mar 9th 2008 10:27AM]

It's rectangular! iPod rip off!

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Mar 9th 2008 10:32AM]

looks similar but I don't think it meant to be an ipod ripoff. The wheel would look more ipod esque then

[Baba Booey @ Mar 9th 2008 10:37AM]

@Cubswillwin(eventually ;P)
If anything it looks like the Insignia NS-DV or the Insignia Pilot.

[Shan @ Mar 9th 2008 11:17AM]

You would think that for the screenshot - the lazy marketing department would have at least added in an album cover! Whats with hero.MP3? Doesn't it support ID3 tags? lol

[some1 @ Mar 9th 2008 1:50PM]

actually, the interface is very iPhone-Music-Player-Esque. The top menu and volume are almost identical.

[XGM @ Mar 9th 2008 8:35PM]

Its not a iPod rip-off, its a hybrid zune+iPod rip off. The size of it and the screen look like a zune, and then the wheel with the UI looks like iPod.

[mahmud @ Mar 9th 2008 10:34AM]

holy crap it supports FLAC. i might have to get one.

[Avedis @ Mar 9th 2008 2:31PM]

One of the few indeed... my interest is piqued. I wonder how it compares to the iAudio A3?

[Avedis @ Mar 9th 2008 2:35PM]

whoops, guess it compares the the flash memory Cowon models, not the HD models. ::shrug::

[Wolfticket @ Mar 9th 2008 11:12AM]

What (some) people want is a player that supports flac, has loads of storage and decent line level/digital output. Ya know, for us audiophile snobs.
Supporting flac but only having 8gbs of storage and a crappy headphone out is like < please insert simile here >

[Baba Booey @ Mar 9th 2008 11:16AM]

It's like buying expensive headphones for an iPod?
And my Cowon D2 has 12gb(4gb + 8gb card) and it works fine for me. I do ~400kbps .flac files.

[Paul in Maryland @ Mar 9th 2008 2:07PM]

Wolfticket wrote: "What (some) people want is a player that supports flac, has loads of storage and decent line level/digital output. Ya know, for us audiophile snobs."

That would be the Cowon D2: FLAC, 36mW/channel OUT, 2, 4, or 8GB built-in and able to accept a cheap 16GB or not-so-cheap (yet) 32GB HDSC card.

[CitizenKlaw @ Mar 9th 2008 11:55AM]

It has a wheel. iPod knockoff!

[PEZ @ Mar 9th 2008 12:50PM]

It plays MP3's and has a screen so its violating at lease 17 patents already.

[karlthebaer @ Mar 9th 2008 1:02PM]

For format support I love Conwon audio. I have a 1gb U2 and it supports pretty much anything you could want. Any word on whether this has a mic/line in? I like my U2 because you can go to any concert and just patch it into the board. I do agree with wolfticket that a better line in jack and more storage would make it the audiophiles dream.

[John Bailey @ Mar 9th 2008 1:38PM]

How come nobody ever accuses these things of being Zune knockoffs?

[Abuzar @ Mar 9th 2008 2:00PM]

Because it looks much more like a iPod than a Zune?

I can kind of see the Zune in it with the big screen, but that scroll wheel and the top of the screen where it says "Now Playing" looks too much iPod like.

[John Bailey @ Mar 9th 2008 7:49PM]

I'm sorry. I should have put a kidding indicator somewhere.

[HunterXI @ Mar 9th 2008 2:14PM]

Not to beat a dead horse into the ground even further, but is anyone bothered by the level of UI unoriginality going on in the PMP market? I can name at least four UI elements in that picture that are pretty much stolen directly from iPod UIs. Honestly, what does it say about the market if no one can come up with designs but Apple and Microsoft? Pretty pathetic if you ask me.

FYI: iPod and Zune owner. Not a fanboy.

[Chris @ Mar 9th 2008 2:37PM]

Anyone else think the interface is really similar to an ipod

[ReggieXuk @ Mar 9th 2008 2:45PM]

Its shape has been done to death.
The GUI and controls are just ideas taken from many other designs.


Even if its a good PMP, its still rubbish design wise.

[Leroy Jenkems @ Mar 9th 2008 11:05PM]

Their next PMP will be shaped as a rainbow to appease originality seekers and the homosexual crowd.

[zed @ Mar 9th 2008 3:37PM]

this is more of a knock off of the meizu m6 than anything.

[ark_v2 @ Mar 9th 2008 5:19PM]

I seriously need OGG. I didn't beieve the difference was so huge until I ripped some CD's into OGG. It's HEAVEN.

[Jeebus @ Mar 14th 2008 2:17PM]

Please. You should try FLAC then.

[Hawk @ Mar 10th 2008 8:34AM]

All of yall are wrong. It is a dead ringer for the Insignia Pilot!!