GoGear Muse refresh sports touchscreen, Songbird media player, HDMI output
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted February 24th 2010 3:55PM
posted February 24th 2010 3:55PM
Looks like the Android-powered Connect isn't the only bit of GoGear news coming out of the armed Philips compound as of late. The Pocket-lint gang have got their hands on a refresh of the GoGear Muse and we should say that the thing looks pretty sweet. In addition to a rare new modern interface solution called "touchscreen," this bad boy eschews Windows Media Player in favor of the open source Songbird player, and sports an FM radio, iPlayer, Audible, FLAC, and APE support. As for video playback, the device's 3.2-inch display is complimented by a 720p HDMI out. Look for this bad boy in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB sizes; all models include a 32GB microSD slot. We're still holding out on the definitive word regarding price, but apparently Philips is estimating something in the £100 - £120 ($155 - $185) range.
Looks like the Zune HD.
@koolaidalan
You're on crack.
@Tiptup300
I agree with the other guy, this looks like the zune HD's cousin.
Maybe it should be called stu HD.
Why didnt mircosoft put a HDMI port like this on the Zune HD?! grr
@dds1043 Mebey because HDMI charges royalties on every device that it's put on, in addition to an annual fee that manufacturers must pay to use it. Also, HDMI is a output only interface, so it would only be useful for hooking the Zune HD up to a screen.
Don't be too disappointed. From the looks of it, this thing doesn't even have an audio line-out jack. So that pretty much kills it.
GJ Phillips. You almost had an interesting product there.
@Information Central Yeah there is a royalty but I'm guessing Microsoft already pays for it with that dock. They could have easily put it on the zune, but they they wouldnt have made money from the dock. Its all amount making you buy that accessory.
As far as no line out. Hdmi does audio too!
I bet the "metal" look will become a trend. I don't mind at all!
@Mtmrob
I always wondered why it wasn't more popular . . . for that bit of extra price a company would pay just to put a thin little sheet of aluminum over their device of choice they'd be able to snag the whole "I feel like Im buying a premium product" crowd.
looks nice, but what does it have that other players don't have? HDMI ok.. but is that such a differentiater if a phone will have this also by next holiday season?
for that price range Im considering it. Now i just need to know some specs
Is that the same Songbird that is based on Firefox?
@0megapartcle
Yes Songbird media player based off Firefox.
I think it means this baby is supported by Songbird by default and not that Songbird is the music player inside.
Nice Phillips really liked the previous version of the GoGear unfortunately the 3.5mm headphone jack was placed on the wrong side. Hopefully this time they will get it right.
I like the brushed metal look too, and since this device will support FLAC as SD expansion, it's now competitive with the Korean (Cowon, Creative) mp3 players sold here, if not more so since you'll actually be able to find this in your local electronics chain store.
Not bad. I've seen a lot worse.
I played with one not long ago. There are lots more goodies/features planned for this baby. Hopefully it makes the cut (licensing, pricing, etc.You know... the usual business stuff...)
@ Drybones5.. you are absolutely right... The editors got it really confusing..
WMP & Songbird support meant like what iTunes is to iPod...
The specs are good... trust me... I have it with me, but I can't share... not till it's official launched. =)