At a glance, it's easy to mistake the Maxian E900T for other members of the Maxian family, such as the E900DIC or D900 Neo. Let's face it -- this company has some fundamental problems when it comes to differentiating between models. The latest entry into the lineup comes in the form of a wild, do-it-all PMP -- one which incorporates audio and video playback, a DMB receiver, GPS navigation, and an always-handy dictionary into one delicious package. The Windows CE-based system boasts an 800 x 480 4.3-inch touchscreen, a 30GB or 60GB hard drive, support for WMV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DiVX / XviD, H.264, WMA, AAC, MP3, and OGG formats (amongst others), plus the aforementioned DMB compatibility. The E900T is capable of outputting 720p HD video, sports Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound, and includes Burr-Brown audio circuitry which it outputs via S/PDIF. When you slap this thing into its carmount, it also becomes a full featured GPS navigator, taking advantage of the GPS receiver in the cradle to provide turn-by-turn directions and other navigation functions you know and love, like locating Wendy's (in Korea, at least). No word on when, or if, this will be available in the States, but it couldn't hurt to write some letters of encouragement.

[Via Navigadget]

We know you've heard a lot of Zune 2 info today, but we've got the word on some other details and features that we thought our loyal, highly intelligent, and downright handsome readers would like to know. Also, the folks at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer have scored some quality hands-on time with the 80GB version, and you can see breathtaking video of the interface in action after the break. But first -- here's more goods on Microsoft's newest entry into the media player world:

• The new players will support lossless audio of the Windows Media variety (don't go screaming FLAC just yet)
  
• The WiFi is just b/g, so no n, a or x (the sexiest form of WiFi)
• Microsoft is still in the testing phase for battery life and will have numbers "later"
• You can manually sync up the player wirelessly on battery power, but you can't do auto-sync -- you'll need the dock for that action
• All your old accessories are said to work with the new models
• The screens are glass, not plastic
• Green is the new brown... but brown is sticking around on the 30GB models
• You can connect the Zune to an Xbox 360 to create "your own soundtrack"

[Thanks, Nikropht]

The info is flying fast today as Sony's launches a multi-tiered attack on the entertainment community. Luckily, we've got some additional info on the just announced PlayTV TV tuner / DVR for the PS3, and we'd like to share it. The unit will apparently be coming to Europe "early in 2008" with other territories to follow (PAL only for now). The new box will feature two 1080p tuners, which utilize the European Digital Video Broadcasting system (DVB-T) -- which should dash any US hopes for the time being. The system will allow you to store recorded broadcasts on your PS3 drive, and also transcode and transfer the saved files to your PSP. Additionally, you'll be able to use the PSP's "Remote Play" feature to program and watch your PlayTV away from home. Sony reps also make the bold pronouncement that the PlayTV architecture will "never be out of date" due to automatic network updates from the company. We're gutted that the US gets no love from Sony on this one, but it's a good time to be a European PlayStation 3 fan, that's for sure.

Ever since it began offering consumers the then-innovative option to have their DVD rentals delivered by US mail, Netflix has been a major pain in Blockbuster's ass. And just when the retail giant finally began to leverage its brick and mortar locations to offer its own online subscribers a sweeter deal, Netflix swoops in and announces it's Watch Now feature: free streaming flicks for all. So it didn't surprise us one bit to learn that the Wall Street Journal is reporting on talks between the rental stalwart and 'veteran' download service Movielink, a deal that, if closed, would give Blockbuster easy entry into the nascent and exciting world of internet-delivered video content. Giving some weight to this rumor is the fact that BB CEO John Antioco has already expressed interest in offering a so-called 'triple-play' -- wherein consumers can get their movies in-store, by mail, or online -- along with the ongoing pressure from investor and board member Carl Icahn to return the company to its glory days. Movielink -- which is jointly owned by the major studios -- is said to be on the table for only about $50 million, although its significance to Blockbuster is probably much greater than that valuation. Watch Now, TiVo with Unbox, BTEN, and now this potential pairing -- these are exciting times, people, and once all the dust settles in this battle to pwn digital downloading, it's the end who user who's gonna benefit most.

[Via ZatzNotFunny]

Camcorder accessory manufacturer Bella has just announced a new device that will let you toss those MiniDV cassettes straight out of your bag and replace them with your iPod or nearly any other USB 2.0-compliant storage system. The Catapult, as it's known, is a paperback-sized digital encoder that plugs into any standard or HD camcorder with a FireWire port and processes the video as you're recording, eliminating the need to convert your footage later on. Besides saving time and offering access to higher storage capacities, the Catapult also enables your cam with a number of features not available out of the box, such as time-lapse recording, remote trigger capabilities, and both pre- and post-recording ability. Pre-recording is an especially attractive option, as it seems to buffer whatever your CCD is capturing for a preset timeframe, allowing you to essentially "turn back the clock" and preserve events that already happened once you hit the record button. Bella tells us to expect their new product sometime during the second half of the year, for some amount of money less than $300.

[Via T3]

Yahoo swallowed another company this morning, one to flesh out that Go TV home digital media effort of theirs. Just not the DVR company we'd all kind of hoped and idly thought it would be, TiVo. Nope, Yahoo now owns Meedio, whose IP, technology, and staff are being folded into their Digital Home team. If you're a Meedio TV fan, steel yourself: according to Meedio, your EPG will be updated until July 1st, their support center is shuttering, and downloading Meedio will no longer be possible. Which, we'd postulate, means it'll be a little while before you'll be able to get your Yahoo Go TV DVR on download. And since Yahoo bought the company and not the Meedio product line, what comes out the other end could wind up looking, feeling, and working completely differently, totally ready and able to leverage all kinds of Yahoo media from ten feet away. In the mean time, for those not wanting to run Windows (Media Center) or sign up for TiVo, you've still got options, like MythTV, BeyondTV, SageTV, ChrisTV, Freevo, ShowShifter, WinDVR, and so, so many others.

[Via Zatz Not Funny, thanks Richard B]

Canon is throwing down four new consumer camcorders designed for DV beginners -- three models in the ZR series and the Elura 100. All four sport Canon's Widescreen high resolution feature allowing full-screen image viewing on widescreen TVs, and each uses a 2.7-inch Widescreen display planel. The ZR series features 25x optical zoom, with the ZR500 and 600 (pictured above left and right, respectively) doing an 800x digital zoom and an 1000x digital zoom available on the ZR700. All the ZRs also include a level shot control to avoid crooked shooting and digital photo capture to SD media, and are available for $299 (ZR500), $349 (ZR600) and $399 (ZR700), respectively, with the Elura coming in at $399. Look for availability on the ZRs at the end of this month, with the Elura making its appearance at the end of February.