Among the other low-rate gear unveiled this evening by Audiovox comes the RCA RIR205, a tabletop internet radio that may have gotten away with that design in 1992. Instead, we have no option but to recommend this one only for rarely used spare bedrooms, though the built-in AM / FM tuner, WiFi radio streaming (complete with a Slacker song tagging feature) and the integrated support for WeatherBug forecasts are quite nice. Additionally, users can record up to 10 hours of music and other radio programming onto the unit's 512MB of inbuilt memory, and of course, you can set the alarm to wake you with online music or your favorite local sports talk host. Not too shabby for $149.99, but that exterior could use some work.

Look out, Pure Digital -- you've got a new rival in town. Radiopaq, best known for bringing thousands of internet radio stations and podcasts to listeners via the web, has decided to hop into the hardware game. The Rp5 tabletop radio features a five-way speaker system, digital / analog processors, a headphone jack, remote control and a rather stylish design. There's also an integrated WiFi module for tuning into the outfit's website and even sucking down news, weather and traffic information. Of course, the more traditional FM / DAB tuners are there as well, making this one quite the multifaceted box. Word on the British streets has this one pegged for a September launch at £250 ($468).

[Via Pocket-lint]

It's just what you've been waiting for -- a Nokia N95 running Windows Mobile. It looks like the rumors were true after all! What's that? This is not a real phone? It's just an FM radio with a sticker on the screen? Oh bother. Yes folks, thanks to eagle-eyed tipster Eric, you're looking at the next evolution in gadgetry -- the Asaki N95 FM radio. We're not sure what the going price for this is, but we'd imagine slightly less than $779, though the real N95 doesn't come with those totally pimped-out headphones, does it?

We're still not totally convinced this isn't just some joke gone too far, but given the fact that they're accepting PayPal payments as we speak, we're going to have to go with "scarily real." The FM DockRadio is simply an FM radio for your Bose SoundDock. Obviously the iPod doesn't have an FM radio tuner, so the need is there, but we're guessing the $89+ cost isn't going to fly for something as incredibly janky and featureless as this. Especially when we could just go out and buy a Coby for twenty five cents at Costco -- which plays CDs and keeps you warm.

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.

As discussed in last week's Switched On, the PopCatcher Ripper scours FM radio stations to separate the music from the mumble and transfer songs to flash drives, memory cards and several brands of MP3 players. Using the product, one can harvest hundreds of megabytes of music without any service or song acquisition fees or touching a PC.

However, there are some limitations. First, while songs are captured as 192 kbps MP3 files, captured song quality will be less than that of purchased or CD-ripped tracks due to the limitations of FM radio. Furthermore, files are named according to the order in which they were captured. There is no automatic song identification, nor does the company provide an Internet-based song identification service for captured tracks. Radio stations are inserted for the album title field. Because of these analog disadvantages, developing a version of the PopCatcher technology based on HD Radio would be a natural future improvement.

The beginnings and ends of songs will also often be a bit clipped although this generally wasn't as much of a disadvantage as anticipated. Also, because there is no programming guide or way to set manual recording times, you cannot use it to record talk-radio programs, one of the key applications of the PoGo Products' RadioYourWay devices.

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.

Before MP3 players, CD burning and even the Mini-Disc, there was the analog mix tape. Patient proto-playlist creators would wait as a needle hovered over vinyl, descending into a groove that would cue the synchronized pressing of 'Record" and "Play" buttons. The truly determined would stage vigils by a cassette-recording boombox, hoping to catch a telltale chord or DJ introduction to songs now offered on "FM gold" compilations.

Terrestrial radio recording has faded in the post-CD era. The original Napster established the PC as the epicenter of digital music acquisition. Portable players -- from last year's Sansa Connect to Archos Generation 5 players to the just-released Slacker Portable -- have only begun to break free from the PC's tether. Even these rely on broadband and WiFi for Internet service-based music discovery, making them pricey and relatively complex "poor man's" alternatives.

But new hope for the thrifty and technophobic is on its way from a Swedish company called PopCatcher. The PopCatcher Ripper records songs from FM radio and transfers them to an MP3 player. The product is no homage to the notorious Jack the Ripper, a depraved murderer who disemboweled destitute victims peddling sex, although that description approximates how the content industry characterizes entertainment pirates.

Surely not as flashy as the gilded i.Beat organix seen at last year's CeBIT, TrekStor's i.Beat blaxx still looks mighty fine in its own right. Debuting at IFA, this diminutive player weighs in at just 26-grams and features a 1.3-inch 160 x 128 resolution display, MP3 / WMA / OGG / WAV / SMV file support, a built-in FM tuner, line-in port, a rechargeable Li-ion, and USB connectivity. The units arrive in both 2GB and 4GB flavors and come bundled with a set of Sennheiser headphones, and while the least capacious iteration will ring up at €119.99 ($162), you can double the storage space for just €30 ($41) more.

[Via DAPReview]

We'll admit, the last iteration of T.sonic DAPs were just a sliver above atrocious (and that's being exceedingly kind), but apparently Transcend's design team broke out of their slump on the T.sonic 840. The sleeker, sexier player touts a 1.8-inch 220 x 176 resolution color LCD, supports MTV, JPG, BMP, MP3, WMA, WMA-DRM10, and WAV file formats, and also includes a customizable equalizer, FM radio / recorder, a 13-language interface, digital voice recorder, and world clock to boot. Additionally, this 70-gram device comes in your choice of white (2GB) or black (4GB), and claims to last a respectable 30 hours before requiring a recharge. You can snag either iteration right now, and while the 4GB edition will run you €122 (167), the half-sized (capacity wise) flavor will demand €91.30 ($125).

[Via FarEastGizmos]

If you passed on Toshiba's first few U-series DAPs due to their lively color schemes and substitutable feature sets, the new 2GB U202 goes a long ways to correct both of those quibbles. The exceedingly simplistic device dons a silver / black motif, an uncomplicated "PlusPad" control scheme, and a 1.1-inch color OLED display. Furthermore, this unit sports the same 20-hour battery life, FM tuner, and MP3 / WMA / WAV playback capabilities as its predecessor, but the newfangled direct-to-MP3 CD ripping ability enables users to "record audio tracks digitally from a CD player directly to the gigabeat." Consider it yours in one to two weeks for $99.99.

iriver's delightful W10 is looking better all the time, as just a fortnight after being showcased on the firm's teaser site, it's now drawing attention to the iriver Europe portal with a rundown of specifications. Arriving in your choice of black or white, this sleek PMP will of course boast 8GB of internal storage space, an integrated WiFi adapter, WiFi positioning system, three-inch WQVGA widescreen display, built-in FM tuner, miniSD expansion slot, and an integrated speaker to boot. The most noticeable bit, however, is that this device will rely on Windows CE beneath the shell to keep things rockin', and even iriver admits that you'll likely see firmware updates down the road to account for future applications and formats. Still no word on price nor availability, but the "coming this year" tagline means launch day is (sort of) in sight.

[Via PlayerBites]

Mmm, nothing like a sleek, glossy black PMP to get your juices flowin'. If you tend to agree with that sentiment, Memup's Orizon should suit your fancy quite well, as the 30GB unit comes in an ebony outfit, sports a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 resolution display, and even includes an SD / MMC card slot to watch media clips stored on your flash memory. You'll also find a text viewer and built-in FM tuner to complement the obligatory MP3, WMA, MPEG4, JPEG, BMP, and GIF file support, but the ability to play nice with Motion JPEG and XviD are welcome extras. Unfortunately, you're going to have to love the looks some kind of fierce in order to find value in the purported $378 pricetag. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via AnythingButiPod]

UPDATE: Looks like this creature may actually be a straight up rip of another. Check out Coby's PMP4330 to see for yourself.

Oppo most certainly is accustomed to cranking out digital music players with eye-catching designs, and the pendant-styled UP-9 is no exception. Showcased in Korea, this wee DAP sports a jeweled exterior, diminutive display for showing track names, time remaining, and battery life information, a built-in FM / AM radio tuner, recording functions, equalizer settings, and an obligatory lanyard for tossing around your neck, arm, or other extremity. The unit will reportedly come loaded with 1GB of internal capacity, and while there's no sign of an American release, those in South Korea can snag one for ₩79,000 ($85).

Eleksen's newest "Common Interface" technology doesn't do you much good without modules to interact with it, so the company has introduced a bevy of accessories that play nice with the next-generation embeddable ElekTex sensor. Up first is an FM radio add-on, which offers consumers access to FM broadcasts either from a commercial radio station or FM transmitter, and is fully controlled by an ElekTex fabric sensor integrated into any garment or knapsack. Next up, we've got "updated electronics modules for iPod and iPod+Bluetooth devices," and while details are certainly slimmer on this one, we do know that the sensor is "programmable and compatible with a range of electronics including iPods, smartphones and other personal digital devices." Now, let's see some end products with this stuff in it, capiche?

Read - Eleksen's FM Radio module
Read - Eleksen's iPod, Bluetooth modules

Grundig probably isn't a premier name that comes to mind when shuffling through DAP manufacturers, but the company has delved into the low-end music player arena with its new MPixx 2000 series. The 2001 FM and 2002 FM only differ by the amount of internal capacity stocked within (1GB and 2GB, respectively), and each sports a 1.8-inch TFT display, built-in photo viewer, USB 2.0 connectivity, ID3 tag support, support for MPEG, WAV, SMV, JPEG, BMP, MP3, and WMA formats, an FM tuner, and a rechargeable Li-ion that supposedly lasts 21 hours or so on a single charge. Unsurprisingly, there's no word on these things ever making it stateside, but Europeans shouldn't have too much trouble scrounging one up for €79 ($106) or €89 ($120) depending on size.

[Via AnythingButiPod]

We've watched Greenhouse's wee Kana grow up from its early Kana-SD stages and evolve into the entirely more mature Kana D, and now the next logical growth spurt is in order as the device makes the leap to include a voice recorder and FM transmitting capabilities. The Kana GT packs the same 1GB of internal memory that was seen in its predecessor, still lasts just seven hours on a full charge, handles MP3 and WMA files, and connects to your PC via USB 2.0. This iteration, however, also includes an OLED display, up to 140 hours of voice recording potential, a built-in FM tuner and FM transmitter, a dedicated antenna, and even a car cigarette USB charger to keep the music flowin' on lengthy road trips. The newest Kana will come in black, red, and silver motifs, and should land in mid-June for an estimated ¥7,980 ($66).

[Via Impress]