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iriver's T-DMB-packin' B30 portable media player emerges
Check it, North Americans -- yet another PMP that'll never arrive here in this form. The T-DMB-equipped B30 just popped up over on iriver's Korean website, complete with an FM tuner, 2.8-inch QVGA display, a microSD expansion slot, 4/8/16GB of inbuilt memory, white / black / silver color options, USB 2.0 connectivity, a user-selectable equalizer and a list of supported file formats too lengthy to cover in this space. Furthermore, we're told that the battery is good for 40 hours on audio and 5.5 hours with video, and while a ship date has yet to be revealed, we're expecting 'em to go for around $155, $183 and TBD from least capacious to most.[Via PMP Today]
Special edition Mintpass goes dark, gets DMB
Tired of pale gadget offerings? Live in South Korea? If "yes" on both counts you may want to keep your eyes open for what looks to be a special edition of the tiny CE-powered Mintpad MID. It not only offers the rich, ebony exterior that its pasty predecessor could only dream of, but also adds DMB functionality for capturing all the digitally broadcasted media floating through the Asian aether. The announcement page for the Mintpad DMB was hastily pulled after fans picked up on it, but this tease proves to be true look for the dark device to sell for ₩239,000, about $180, or a $30 premium over the vanilla version -- of which we're still waiting on that promised domestic release.[Via Pocketables]
Viliv's Atom-powered S5 MID gets detailed and pictured
Viliv got us salivating when it introduced the S5 MID and S7 UMPC back at IDF, and now we've got a few tasty updates on both. Starting with the former, we've learned via an interview with parent company Yukyung that the S5 MID will come packing a 1.33GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 1.8-inch hard drive (1.3-inch when paired with a WiBro module in South Korea), a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 resolution touchscreen, integrated GPS / DMB and a primary battery good for up to six hours of use. The OS will be a home cooked system that's fairly attractive, though the outfit has made clear that WinXP versions will be available in the future. Speaking of the future, the currently unpriced S5 is expected to ship in South Korea this coming January or February, while the S7 is still on track for release sometime after that.[Via Slashgear]
MAXIAN M1T Pocket Multi TV does the PMP thing like it means it
No use messing around in this space, if you're gonna build the umpteenth 3.5-inch DMB-capable PMP for the voracious Korean market, you might as well put some heart into it. MAXIAN's new M1T Pocket Multi TV shines with 8GB or 16GB of built-in storage, SDHC expansion and just about every codec imaginable, including the extra-sexy ones like OGG, AAC, DivX and XviD. The whole kit is running Windows CE 5.0, with what looks to be a resistive touchscreen (480 x 320) and a purty home-grown interface. No word on price, but it's not like we'd have much use for that DMB antenna anyways. We're not bitter.
New HDPC from MIU offers sleeker shell and Intel Atom-power
When it was introduced two years ago, the premise of the Hybrid Dual Portable Computer was simple: mobile OS up front, Windows XP below, and ugly all over. The most recent refresh was a big visual improvement, but MIU apparently isn't done, teasing another new version that looks far sleeker and packs an Intel Atom processor inside, though exactly which hasn't been revealed. Beyond that, this pocket-wunderkind offers the same bevy of features as before, obviating the need for a separate nav system, PMP, e-book reader, netbook, and even in-car rear-view camera monitor. It'll make phone calls too, and with GSM, GPRS, and CDMA connectivity, you're pretty well guaranteed to be able to check your mail anywhere. No information on price or availability just yet, but hopefully the former stays close to the current version's $500 and the latter extends to somewhere in North America.[Via Pocketables]
E-TEN's V900 gets handled, unloved
Bad camera, poor battery life, a dodgy d-pad, ugly color -- is there anything good to say about the most well-spec'd glofiish in E-TEN's range? Well, yes: with support for not one, not two, but four mobile TV standards under its belt, you'll have a hard time finding a WinMo set out there that's friendlier to telly on the go. Plus, the V900 rocks a flush VGA display and tri-band HSDPA, which are "good things" last time we checked; you're just going to have to put up with flimsy build quality and a host of software and hardware niggles to get 'em. At $700, it's hard to swallow the thought of buying a device this heavily panned in a review, but if you absolutely must be able to switch between DAB and DVB-T with aplomb... well, your crappy phone has arrived.
Norway shuns DVB-H for DMB, European mobile TV drama deepens
Granted, Norway isn't actually a member of the European Union, which makes it slightly less dramatic that they've rejected the Nokia-tested, EU-approved DVB-H standard in favor of DMB -- but it's still Europe, and this just adds to the ugly, fragmented picture that mobile TV is becoming around there. Germany has all but abandoned DVB-H to go with its free, designed-for-TV counterpart, DVB-T, and the UK has recently hooked up Qualcomm with spectrum for a MediaFLO network, so ubiquitous DVB-H is anything but a guarantee across the continent at this point. The current Norwegian plan calls for nine DMB channels to launch by winter, which may be viewed as a superior technology there because it's better able to cover rural areas in a cost-effective way than DVB-H is. Bottom line: if you'd dreamed of some day carrying a single device from country to country to catch all the spellbinding local TV programming, you might be out of luck for a while.
Easycar U7 DMB / GPU unit launches in South Korea
We're (so) looking forward to the day when we Americans don't have to look longingly at the amazing navigation units that pop up every month or so in South Korea, but until that fateful day arrives, we'll continue drooling courtesy of the Easycar U7. This screen-dominated conglomerate features a 7-inch LCD, DMB TV tuner, 19-millimeter thick frame and an integrated multimedia player / text viewer. All that for just ???199,000 ($191)? Nah, we're not envious at all. [Via Techie Diva]
EU edict be damned: Germany looking more and more like a DVB-T house
The problem with selling licenses for spectrum -- any kind of spectrum -- is that there's an implicit assumption that the investment a company's going to make into buying the airwaves and building out the infrastructure necessary to take advantage of it is eventually going to pay off. For the winners of Germany's DVB-H license, though, the economics simply don't make sense; the country's carriers stone-cold gave up on the concept once they lost the license bid, instead turning to bundling DVB-T receivers to steal free signals designed for plain ol' TV reception. The winning bidder, Mobile 3.0, had intended to sell users on packages costing a handful of euros a month -- but "free" is a pretty powerful word, so even if there's a marginal battery performance disadvantage with the DVB-T setup, it's going to be virtually impossible for any pay service to fight it, especially when carriers are putting zero effort into making sure DVB-H tuners are on board their handsets. As best as we can tell, T-Systems' DVB-H trial wrapped up in December, so yeah, that pretty much spells the death of the so-called standard in Bavaria. What say you, EU?[Via mocoNews]
iriver's Spinn hits the FCC, means nothing
Sure, it doesn't look like much thanks to the FCC's staunch aversion to photo glam, but that's iriver's Spinn PMP, a product which had us at a full, rigid swoon back at CES. While this would generally be good news, the model approved features a DAB radio and DMB television tuner -- in other words, it's not intended for US consumption. The user manual also confirms a FM radio, Mini SD slot, Bluetooth, D-Click System interface, 27 hours of audio and 5 hours of video, and support for SWF (Flash), TXT, MP3, WMA, OGG, JPG, AVI, MWV file formats. With FCC approval out of the way, the rumored UK August release date is presumably in the bag.
JATY's multifaceted DR7200 navigator doubles as breathalyzer
Believe it or not, JATY is far from being the first gadget maker to think of stuffing a breathalyzer into something completely unrelated (like a wristwatch), but this do-it-all navigator really has included everything save for the kitchen sink (and an N64 emulator, but you get the point). Specs wise, you're looking at a 7-inch touchscreen, 533MHz CPU, WinCE 5.0, 64MB of NAND Flash / SDRAM, an SD expansion slot, built-in GPS / T-DMB receivers, USB connectivity, integrated speakers and support for MP3, WMV, OGG, AC3, MPEG1/2/4, DivX, XviD, AVI and JPG formats (just to name a few). Chances are you'll never see this on US soil, so you're looking at a flight to Seoul in addition to ???296,000 ($294) in order to procure one.[Via Tech Digest]
LG and Samsung team-up against Qualcomm in fight for US mobile TV standard
In a case of oh shiznit, LG and Samsung are combining forces to protect their mobile TV interests in the US. With Qualcomm's proprietary MediaFLO digital broadcast technology rapidly gaining a mobile TV foothold in the US (thanks to AT&T and Verizon) and Europe standardizing on DVB-H, it seems that LG and Samsung (the once proud and gloating parents of the DMB standard) have little choice but to support the ATSC's attempt to create the ATSC-M/H standard in the US... about three years too late. Of course, the ultimate victor will have very little to do with what's best for the consumer and everything to do with who is most successful at lobbying the government. Oh, did that sound bitter? Good.
D Cube's D9 PMP packs DMB tuner, kickstand
D Cube's been safely off the radar for quite some time, but its D9 includes just enough goodness to warrant a second glance. For starters, you'll find a 3.5-inch 320 x 240 resolution display, support for MP3, OGG, WMA, AVI, WMV and JPEG file formats and a T-DMB TV tuner to keep things interesting. In case the 2GB / 4GB of internal storage proves too tiny for your bloated collection of acid rock, you can fit a few more tracks on there thanks to the microSD / SDHC expansion slot. Not one to stay parked in the palms, the D9 also includes a kickstand and a pair of lackluster speakers for watching extended clips. Probably a good bet for just ???128,000 ($131) -- 'tis a shame it won't ever make its way Stateside.[Via PMPToday]
The iriver NV Life: as stirring and confusing as life itself
Reincomm just announced the new iriver NV Life, the official name of its M20 prototype. New in that they've done away with the big, navigation pad of the original NV in favor of a more sleek, easily portable SatNav device with PMP functionality. Still, it's a near spec-for-spec clone of the bigger, bulkier NV. Available in either 2GB ???328,000 (about $367) or 4GB ???358,000 (about $400) capacities, the SiRF Star III GPS device dedicates an SD slot to maps and second to augment the onboard flash. Inside, the WinCE 5.0-based device packs an FM-transmitter, DMB TV (with GPS PiP support), and a wide selection of codecs synonymous with the iriver name. The only downside is the display: 800 x 480 pixels spread across 7-inches of glass. On par with the industry but pretty poor when compared to cellphones which offer the same resolution on 2.8-inch displays.%Gallery-19199% [Via Akihabara News]
Samsung's AnyCall Haptic is out and UI-licious
While Samsung is a perennial innovator when it comes to hardware, software has never been the company's strong suit. Lucky for us, the new TouchWiz UI Samsung is building for its touchscreen phones is a significant step in the right direction, and the new AnyCall Haptic SCH-W420 looks to be the perfect way to show it off. Centered around a 16:9, 3.2-inch screen, the phone includes DMB, a 2 megapixel camera and Bluetooth 2.0. Haptic feedback in the form of vibrations help out with the UI, and home screen is customizable with widgets. The feature set seems to be squarely targeted at the consumer, but the price sure ain't -- the phone is launching in Korea starting at 700,000 KRW and ramping up to 800,000 KRW ($700 to $800 US). Video is after the break. [Via Engadget Spanish]
MIU's $500 HDPC takes All-in-One seriously
It's huge, no doubt. But MIU's HDPC must be to pack such a broad list of specifications. First spotted as a prototype back in 2006, the 163 x 67 x 24.5-mm / 387-gram brick is now expected to go retail in July for up to ???500,000 or a US-equivalent pricing of just $500. That's dirt cheap for what they seem to promise: 4-inch, 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen display which slides out and flips over for the cellphone interface Up to a 1GHz VIA C7M ULV processor and 4GB of DDR2 memory Dual, Windows XP / Linux Qplus embedded OS Unspecified cellphone radio Maximum 1.3-inch 60GB hard disk (or 4GB SSD) and miniSD/microSD expansion 7-hour battery (or 90-hours at low power) 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 2x USB, docking port, stereo speakers, QWERTY thumbpad and mouse What looks like a 5 megapixel camera DMB mobile television and external GPS add-on All that tech allows the HDPC to function as a portable SatNav device, handheld gaming rig, cellphone, UMPC, PMP, eBook reader, digital camera, etc. Did we already tell you that it will cost less than $500? Oh right. See the unit in-hand after the break.
LG's LH2300 Touch Web phone says "Hello UI" in Korean
Want the Internet in your pocket? Good, because that's what LG is offering to South Koreans with its new LG-LH2300 Touch Web phone. This ain't your father's baby Internet mind you, the LH2300 features a new "Hello UI" riding atop 800 x 480 pixels spread across a 3-inch touchscreen LCD. LG didn't stop with the web though as the LH2300 also packs T-DMB mobile TV, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD memory, and a jog wheel for easy page scrolling. Its 3 megapixel camera sports face recognition and anti-shake tech. No specifics on the included "high speed" data service. Nevertheless, that front facing camera's a pretty good clue that this pup won't be riding EDGE when it launches in Korea next month for a mere $600 US equivalent. %Gallery-18793%[Via AVING]
European Commission standardizes on DVB-H, Nokia dances jig on Qualcomm's grave
As expected, the European Commission just did the obvious and made the EU's de facto DVB-H standard, standard. The move is expected to accelerate the deployment of mobile television services across Europe in the same way that GSM standardization in the early 90s gave Europe a head-start on backwater cellular locations like North America. So get outta Dodge Qualcomm and South Korea with your MediaFLO and DMB mobile television technologies, you aren't welcome around Brussels anymore.
TG's Favicon PMP / navigator gets priced, even sexier
Remember that elegant looking conglomerate we peeked in December of last year? Turns out, said device finally has an appropriate name and price, but sadly, it still isn't apt to head stateside. Nevertheless, the TG Favicon reportedly features a 532MHz Freescale CPU, TPEG navigation, dual DMB / PIP functionality, 4GB of internal storage space, an SD expansion slot and a 7-inch WVGA display. So, just how much coinage will you be asked to fork over to snag this beauty next time you're in Seoul? Around 422 US dollars, that's all.
WithView's HM-U500 do-it-all handles DMB, makes Americans envious
Yeah, we Americans have some pretty fancy toys to play with, but we still can't help but feel a touch slighted each time one of these beauties emerges from South Korea. WithView's HM-U500 sports a whole lot of screen and not much bezel, an ultrathin design and a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 resolution panel. Reportedly, the unit is available in 4GB and 8GB iterations and features an SD expansion slot, built-in camera, a kickstand, headphone jack, a T-DMB tuner, e-dictionary, and support for MP3, WMV, OGG, JPG, BMP, PNG and AVI file formats. No word on a price or anything, but for the US crowd who can't just hop on the next flight to Seoul to pick one up, we're probably better off not knowing.[Via TheGadgetSite]
