Apparently reviewers weren't the only ones not totally satisfied by iriver's new E100. Crave UK has gotten wind of an upcoming revision from iriver already in the works that will get rid of that built-in speaker and redo the casing in aluminum -- which would certainly be a nice switch from that weightless plastic of the E100. The lackluster screen is also getting swapped out for a "much brighter" version. No word of slimming the device down, but hopefully that's in the works as well. Word is we can expect the E150 and E200 sometime later in the summer, but obviously none of this is official just yet.

[Thanks, T.I.]

Nothing makes us think "educated" more than a Korean gadget-waif holding a text book twice the size of her skirt. Or so says LG who just launched their 12.1-inch XNOTE TX for the "young generation." The E200-series sports a 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of memory, 1.3 megapixel webcam, super multi-drive DVD, and HDMI-out standard while being one of the first batch of laptops to pack a 120GB hybrid hard disk (HHD) with 256MB of flash. This 3.96-pound, WXGA laptop hits for ₩1,400,000 or about $1,500.

Now's your chance to cast your ballot for the 2006 Portable Media Device of the Year! Our Engadget Awards nominees are listed below, and you've got until 11.59PM EST on Sunday, April 15th to file your vote. You can only vote once, so make it count, and may the best tech win! The nominees: Apple iPod shuffle (2g), Archos 604, Creative Zen Vision:W, iRiver clix, Microsoft Zune, and SanDisk Sansa e200.

We're not sure how this one slipped under the radar, but earlier this month, Sansa announced that its e200 and c200 (pictured) MP3 player series would be coming to Europe with and without FM tuners. Apparently, all players that ship with an FM tuner are subject to an additional tax by the European Union, and Sansa was originally afraid that people wouldn't buy the player with a slightly raised price. Well, Sansa has come to its senses and realized that people probably would be willing to pay just 10 percent more to have the pleasure of gettin' that good ol' fashioned radio right on the same device. The new versions, with and without radio, should be on European shelves already, just in time for Chrismahanukwanzakah.

[Via Trusted Reviews]

If you've settled on picking up a SanDisk Sansa e200 or c200 but feel a bit left in the cold in terms of specialized accessories, Altec Lansing is rushing in to heat things up. In what appears to be a spinoff of the "Made for iPod" agenda, Altec Lansing has partnered with SanDisk to create a lineup of accessories geared specifically towards the Sansa music players. The flagship device -- dubbed the inMotion iM510 -- is a black docking speaker station that doesn't veer too far from the company's iPod-friendly versions, save for its Sansa compatibility, of course. While details thus far are a bit slim, we do know the portable system will dock, sync, and charge the e200 and c200 series DAPs, and will play nice with the (optional) BB2001 subwoofer. Although no word on pricing nor availability has been given, the coinage should be a tad lower (we'd guess, um, 10 percent or so) than the iPod-conforming units when it hits the street.

[Via MobileWhack]

If you're one of the non-conforming, iDon't conformers then you'd best get with the program son. SanDisk just hit us with their Sansa Base Station which, for all the hyperbole about it transforming your Sansa MP3 into a home audio jukebox, is just a run-o-the-mill dock and remote for you Sansa player. As such, it includes a USB 2.0 and RCA jack, remote control, and of course, a "universal connector" which slots into the bottom of your e200 or C200 series players for some hot DAP-on-dock charging action. Thing is, for all their marketing audacity, the only bit we find surprising is the fact that this "must-have" accessory didn't already exist. Yours for $70 bills by October in the both the US and Europe, you choose.

Loyal Engadget reader turned gadget pornographer Francis noticed how much we cared for Sandisk's new Sansa e200 series MP3 players, so he cracked his open and sent us pictures of the silicon and flash memory goodness that spilled forth from within. Sure, the photos don't leave much to the imagination, but you can't tell us you weren't wondering what that navigation wheel looked like under its shiny plastic cover. Don't worry, we're not here to judge.

[Thanks, Francis]

You already know how we feel about SanDisk's new 4GB Sansa e260, but apparently SanDisk isn't averse to a little help on the firmware side of things. They've just pinged the Rockbox community for a port of the open source Rockbox firmware to the e200 series, which at least should give them some serious nerd cred in a time when most everyone else is locking down their hardware. Rockbox has been ported to plenty of music players over the years -- including quite similar iPod hardware to that of the Sansa -- and its codec support, gapless playback, equalizer and numerous plugins make it an often preferable option to standard firmware. So there a lots of opportunities, but so far there's no word on if or how SanDisk is going to aid Rockbox in this endeavor, or if they have any plans for the Rockbox firmware other than as a nerdy alternative to theirs.

A couple of years ago this would have sounded crazy, but SanDisk, which is probably best known for flash drives and memory cards, just put out one of the best MP3 players on the market. Yeah, I know, I'm just as surprised as you are, but after spending a few weeks with the new 4GB Sansa e260, part of SanDisk's new Sansa e200 series, I'm going to be sorry to send this one back. The e260 isn't without its faults, but if you're looking for a solid alternative to the iPod, and haven't been so fired up by the latest models from Creative, Samsung, et al. (or are still in mourning for Rio), then you should do yourself a favor and check this one out. Or at least keep reading the rest of this review.