Mp3Player -- Engadget

Mp3Player posts

Cowon iAudio 9 and iAudio E2 media players make the scene stateside

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 4th 2009 at 12:37PM

Cowon-heads of the world, you are in for a treat today. It looks like not one but two of the company's snack-sized media players are finally hitting the big time. First off, the iAudio 9 PMP is due to hit the states within a week. Available in 8GB and 16GB denominations, for some reason the domestic version will be available only in black. Aside from supporting the usual compliment of media files (MP3, FLAC, Ogg, WAV, APE, WME, XviD, and WMV videos) this guy sports composite video out. Get your hands on the 8GB version for $129, or go wild with 16GB for $169. If video isn't your bag, the enigmatic iAudio E2 (all 2.5-inches of it) is also available. Sporting a bevy of EQ presets, 4GB of storage and a not entirely terrible 11.5 hours of battery life, this is the keychain you've always wanted -- but never wanted to pay $65 for. Additional glamor shots after the break.

[Via Electronista]

Read - Cowon prices iAudio 9 for US
Read - iAudio E2 now available, still confusing

Continue reading Cowon iAudio 9 and iAudio E2 media players make the scene stateside

iriver's N20 DAP shuffles onto the scene, complete with PMOLED screen

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 9th 2009 at 8:43AM

We first caught sight of an N20 MP3 player from iriver way back in 2006, but it looks like the company is now back with another player that shares the same moniker, and thankfully boasts a few improvements over its predecessor. The biggest of those is a new greyscale PMOLED display, which is just big enough to display four lines of information, but small enough to keep the player for expanding beyond its 26 x 55.5 x 13mm dimensions. Otherwise, it looks like you can expect your choice of 2GB or 4GB capacities, a full range of supported audio formats (including FLAC and OGG), and even a built-in FM tuner despite its diminutive size. Still no official word over here, but it looks like folks in China will be able to pick this one up for 649 yuan or 749 yuan depending on the capacity, or roughly $95 or $110.

[Via PlayBites]

NTT DoCoMo's eye-controlled music interface evolves at CEATEC (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 6th 2009 at 4:08AM

NTT DoCoMo's R&D labs are amongst the busiest in the world, and here at CEATEC the company is showing off a development that it has had in the oven for quite some time. The difference now? Elegance. The eye-controlled music interface that we first spotted in mid-2008 is being showcased yet again here at the Makuhari Messe, but instead of having a short straw-drawing employee stand around with an absurd amount of headgear on, this year's demonstrator was equipped with little more than a special set of earbuds, a few cables and a swank polo. Put simply, the contraption watched subtle changes in eye movements and altered the music accordingly. A look to the right moved the track forward, while a glance to the left went back a track. The demo seemed buttery smooth, but there's still no telling when this stuff will go commercial. Still, progress is progress, and there's a video after the break showing as much.

Gallery: NTT DoCoMo's eye-controlled music interface evolves at CEATEC

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo's eye-controlled music interface evolves at CEATEC (video)

iriver B30 pmp finally on sale in the UK

by Laura June posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 11:10AM

Remember this little guy? That's right, it's the nearly forgotten iriver B30 which we caught our first glimpses of way back in May. This pmp packs DAB radio with RPG recording for listening later on, a 2.8-inch QVGA display, a microSD expansion slot, and comes in 8 and 16GB varieties with a battery that's supposed to get you 40 hours of audio and about 6 hours of video time. The B30 is listed now on DAD's site for £139 -- though we assume that's for the 8GB model, and that the 16GB will run you more.

[Via Pocket Lint]

Thanko Microsports MP3 player is small, really small

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 17th 2009 at 5:50AM

Thanko is a brand forever tied to crapgadgets. It can, however, surprise us occasionally as it has with its new Microsports MP3/WMA/WAV player in 2GB (¥4,980 / $55) or 4GB (¥5,980 / $66) models. Measuring 16×25×22mm / 8g, it's about the size and weight of an average Bluetooth headset. And while we've seen similar micro players strung from lanyards, this is the first we can recall with an integrated ear-bud -- the second bud attaches via USB-cable for stereo audio. Looks comfy, eh?

Gallery: Thanko Microsports MP3 player is small, really small

[Via Akihabara News]

SanDisk Sansa Clip+ gets torn down, presumably built back up again

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 3rd 2009 at 10:25AM

No need to twist our arm to get a confession: we absolutely enjoy seeing ultra-complex hardware getting dissected bit by bit. But sometimes -- particularly on cold and unwelcoming mornings with no coffee in the cupboard -- we prefer to keep things simple by just cracking open a shockingly rudimentary MP3 player. The spartan Sansa Clip+, which you may know as the Sansa Clip plus a microSD slot, turned out to be a doddle to undress, and its insides were about as uncomplicated as they come. Two SanDisk chips dominate the miniature motherboard, and the fabled marathon-running battery also makes an appearance. If you're not 1) disgusted or 2) confounded by the details we just discussed, you owe it to yourself to check out all the bare naked circuitry in the read link.

[Thanks, Yuki]

SanDisk makes room for unwanted slotMusic cards in new Sansa Clip+

by Darren Murph posted Aug 31st 2009 at 9:49AM

Remember slotMusic? How about slotRadio? Don't feel bad -- no one else on the planet does either. To that end, SanDisk is apparently hoping to push some aging inventory on unsuspecting consumers with its new Sansa Clip+, which is essentially a Sansa Clip with a microSD card slot. The device will ship in a trio of hues (red, blue or black), and you can rest assured that it won't blow any minds with sick new features. It'll play MP3 files on a relatively small screen, get great battery life and barely put a dent in your wallet -- what more could you really want? It's available starting today from Best Buy and the like for $39.99 (2GB), $49.99 (4GB) or $69.99 (8GB).

Update: Looks like a few early reviews have sprung up, with most folks being totally pleased given the low price.

Samsung YP-R1 get first unboxing, approving review

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 21st 2009 at 11:37AM

You should already be familiar with (or able to guess) the YP-R1's specs and pricing, so we'll just head straight to the good stuff. Our colleagues at MovePlayer handled a pink sample of the device and liked its 720 x 480 uncompressed video playback, slim casing, DJ utility (your use of which will be inversely proportional to your age), and the host of extra features like FM radio, voice recording and photo organizer. Their one major gripe related to scrolling around in landscape mode, but all in all they found it a very competent, sophisticated-looking entry into the PMP market.

[Via PMP Today]

Atree J100 gets lost in the forest of Korean PMPs

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 18th 2009 at 9:53PM

We certainly can't knock the 4GB Atree J100 when it comes to its well stocked arsenal of goodies: it has a three-inch touchscreen, an e-dictionary, DMB digital TV tuner, video playback, and microSD expansion -- and it plays music too. Audio formats are also plentiful, with MP3, WMA and OGG for the commoners, and FLAC and APE for the lossless fanatics. Too bad it's held back by the chunky casing, which looks big enough to have fit a five-inch screen if the designers were so inclined. With slicker-looking competition from the likes of Cowon and Samsung, the otherwise entirely useful J100 might struggle to stand out, but if you're willing to look beyond its superficial shortcomings, it's available now for 198,000 KRW ($158).

[Via PMP Today]

Newsmy A8HD probably looks better than it really is

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 14th 2009 at 3:39AM

After the lustrous ManMan and retro Cool Man, Newsmy has now surprised us with a straight-laced number in the form of the 8GB 4.3-inch A8HD. Packing a pair of serious-looking speakers and a "high definition" microphone, this has all the intent in the world to break away from the cheap knockoff label, but you already know what you're gonna get: a shiny pretty paintjob outside and someone's leftover parts on the inside. Common audio and video formats are supported, and there's even a rather dubious claim of 720p playback. Maybe once the price and release date are cleared up, we'll saunter over to China and check it out for ourselves. Or not.

[Via Akihabara News]

iriver officially recognizes E200 PMP, does it proud in glorious press shots

by Darren Murph posted Aug 6th 2009 at 9:04AM

It wasn't like iriver's E200 was really hiding from anyone, but it's still swell to see the parent company take some initiative and create a dedicated place on the web for its newest OLED-infused portable media player. Said device looks better than ever in the company's press shots, but we're still not convinced that it stands a chance in the oversaturated market without a delightfully low MSRP. Feel free to hit the read link if you're into eye candy, but don't mind those user interface shots if you're a fan of revolutionary coding.

[Via PMP Today]

USB retro wooden speaker escapes the crap pile by the slimmest margin

by Darren Murph posted Aug 5th 2009 at 8:06AM

Try if you wish, but you'll never convince us that the masterpiece you're peering at above should be lumped in with every other crapgadget out there. Sorry, it just ain't happening. The wondrous USB Retro Wooden Speaker / MP3 Player Cube does mostly what it says: you insert a flash card or USB drive, and it plays back MP3 files through the pair of 3-watt stereo speakers. Those vintage buttons can skip tracks and pause things for a brief moment of silence, while the bundled remote keeps your nates planted after a hard day's night. There's even a 3.5 millimeter auxiliary input in case you're short on flash, and the built-in rechargeable battery ensures that this bad boy will be showcased at your forthcoming tailgate parties. There's a whole lot of awesome here for $29, wouldn't you concur?

iMuz launches three new PMPs for your amusement

by Tim Stevens posted Aug 3rd 2009 at 8:56AM

The already crowded PMP space just got a little more busy thanks to a trio of new portable players from iMuz. Starting with the smallest, we have the above-pictured 39,000KRW ($31) 2GB and 49,000KRW ($40) 4GB MX1, which goes nicely with creepy looking dolls and sports a 1.5-inch TFT LCD, video playback of .avi files, FM radio, a voice recorder, and the ability to read e-books (if you really hate your eyes). Next up is the MX5, a brief video tour of which is included after the break. It has a 3-inch, 240 x 400 LCD, 16GB of storage, TV output, and all the same functionality as the baby MX1. Finally comes the MU-959, featuring VibeTouch haptic feedback. It too has a 3-inch, 240 x 400 LCD, but sports a dual-core processor, enabling it to decode a flurry of video formats and play games in addition to the standard voice recording, e-book reading, and FM tuning stuff. It comes in three colors: pink, black, and luxury brown. At this point we don't have a price to pass along for either of the two proper-sized ones, but it's not likely that you'll stumble across any of the trio in a domestic retailer anyhow.

[Via AVING]

Gallery: iMuz PMPs

Read - MX1
Read - MX5
Read - MU-959

Continue reading iMuz launches three new PMPs for your amusement

Wizards beware: the Window W26 Sorcerer's Stone plays WMA files

by Joshua Topolsky posted Aug 3rd 2009 at 8:23AM

There aren't really any specs available for the Window W26 "Sorcerer's Stone" MP3 player, but we can tell you this: it won't turn anything into gold, and Muggles can't figure out how to use it.

[Via PMP Today]

Samsung YP-R0 outed, not exactly groundbreaking

by Laura June posted Jul 31st 2009 at 9:35AM

In the vein of the previous yawnfest, the YP-R1, Samsung's apparently got this baby -- the YP-R0 -- on the decks as well. Maybe it's just the naming scheme that bores us -- after all, it's not a bad-looking slim little device, with a 2.6-inch touchscreen display, and this model will supposedly house 8GB of storage, an RDS FM tuner, a microphone, plus a microSD card slot. It'll support a host of formats, including MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, FLAC, WAV, AAC, MPEG4, WMV, JPEG, PNG, BMP, and GIF -- just to name a few. The whole thing weighs in at about 60 grams, and is expected to run about €130 (about $183) when it is made available, though we don't know yet when that will be. There's one more shot after the break.

Continue reading Samsung YP-R0 outed, not exactly groundbreaking