Gigabeat -- Engadget

gigabeat posts

Y2K8 Zune quirk really a Freescale bug?

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 3rd 2009 at 2:04AM

Well, here's an interesting twist to this story. That mysterious and completely enraging "Zune bug" that cropped up on the final day of 2008 may not have been restricted to Microsoft PMPs. A much smaller cadre of Toshiba Gigabeat users reportedly experienced similar issues, and some even noted that the whole "discharge and re-date" rigmarole fixed their unit right up as well. Upon further investigation, it seems that the issue may actually reside in the Freescale MC13783 processor, which -- coincidentally enough -- is used in the Zune 30 and a few of Toshiba's alternatives. We suppose it's a little late to ask, but did any non-Zune owners experience similar issues just prior to the dawn of '09? Or were you too busy, um, partying like it was 1999?

[Thanks nywytboy68]

Toshiba powers cell phone with methanol fuel cell -- no, you can't have one

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Oct 1st 2008 at 4:47AM

Toshiba continues to tease us with its prototype liquid fuel cell-powered gadgets: last year it was a Gigabeat media player, and at this year's CEATEC you can check out a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) that's been crammed inside a cell phone, lending it a robust six hours of talk time (compared to the paltry three or four hours of a traditional battery). Toshiba won't reveal the capacity of the DMFC, but they have said that a 50ml cartridge is good for about 15 refills. No release date yet, but the phone "might" be available "as early as next year." In the meantime, enjoy this picture of a woman holding a flip phone with "DMFC" clearly visible on the display.

Rockbox 3.0 firmware breathes the life back into your MP3 player

by Stephanie Patterson, posted Sep 25th 2008 at 4:31PM

Well it took three years, but Rockbox 3.0 has finally made it on the scene, with a major overhaul in the sound decoding department and support for several new players. This open source firmware replacement is chock full of tasty new features, including codec support for over 15 formats like FLAC and Ogg, 5-band parametric EQ, MPEG video, multilingual interface, Doom and a pile of other games, not to mention freedom from iTunes. Oh yeah, and it can talk to you via a spoken interface -- which comes in handy for not driving off bridges and what not. iPod, iriver, Sansa, iAudio, Gigabeat and Archos models are all supported, though Archos didn't get many of the major 3.0 improvements like expanded codecs.

[Via Ostatic; thanks Eric L]

Toshiba updates Gigabeat lineup from obscure to niche

by Thomas Ricker, posted Feb 7th 2008 at 5:42AM

There was a time not too long ago when Microsoft and Toshiba seemed poised to make the Gigabeat a household name. That all changed when Microsoft killed PMC and then blazed a manufacturing trail of its own with the second generation Zune. Nevertheless, Toshiba trudges on with enhancements to their Gigabeat U-, V-, and T-series of audio and video players. The ¥34,800 (about $327) V81 doubles the flash of its V41 to 8GB while tweaking the 1Seg recording capabilities. The ¥15,800 (about $149) U407 and U408 are just 4GB updates to their 1GB/2GB sibs while sporting an enhanced GUI. The ¥29,800 ($280) T802 (pictured) then, is just a T401 with double the flash (8GB) and new deal to make the wildly popular (in Japan) GyaO video service available for download from NTT hotspots around Japan. Right, the Japanese rough-equivalent of the domestic iPod, Starbucks, T-Mobile, and iTunes mashup. Well, at least you've got your HD DVD business to fall back on Toshiba. Oh... right.

[Via Akihabara News]

Read -- T802
Read -- V81
Read -- U407/U408

Toshiba updates Gigabeat U-series of flash DAPs

by Thomas Ricker, posted Nov 5th 2007 at 5:57AM

Try not to succumb to that waft of staleness overpowering your senses right now. That's just the latest addition to Toshiba's once proud gigabeat series of DAPs you smell. The newest U-series models include the 1GB U104, 2GB U205, and 2GB U206. Besides sporting a set of cross-hair controls, the U206 bests the U104 by stuffing an FM transmitter and tuner into the player along with a pair of canal-type buds. The U205 shares the controls of the U104 with the specs of the U206. Prices will start at ¥9,980 ($87) before topping out at ¥14,800 ($129) when they pop for retail on the 9th.

[Via Impress]

Toshiba's gigabeat prototype sports a 3.2-inch OLED display

by Thomas Ricker, posted Oct 2nd 2007 at 7:21AM

Hey hey, lookie here, a Toshiba gigabeat prototype unearthed by Akihabara News at CEATEC. No real details except for the display: a vivid 3.2-inch, 240 x 427 pixel OLED. Yeah, we also noticed the curvier profile and missing Windows flag from the interface keys. A subtle clue, perhaps, as to how much longer Toshiba is willing to support Microsoft's defunct Portable Media Center platform.

Toshiba tosses gigabeat V41 brick at Sony: misses, throws like girl

by Thomas Ricker, posted Sep 27th 2007 at 6:24AM

First Sony, now Toshiba introduces a new flash-based 1Seg TV totin' media player onto the Japanese market. However, unless you're after SD/SDHC card expansion, Microsoft DRM support, and a larger 3.5-inch display (albeit at the same resolution as the Sony) for the same price but twice the weight, there's just not much to like from the latest Toshiba slab sporting the gigabeat logo. Impress did the dirty work of pitting the gigabeat V41 head-to-head with the smokin' Sony NW-A910 for a feature-by-feature comparison. Damn Tosh, we can feel your embarrassment from here.

Toshiba intros WiFi-less Gigabeat T400

by Donald Melanson, posted Sep 25th 2007 at 11:03AM

While there's still no official word of a North American release of Toshiba's WiFi-packin' Gigabeat T401, it looks like those round these parts can now get their hands on its slightly less-capable counterpart: the WiFi-less Gigabeat T400. Apart from the lack of WiFi, this one looks to be identical to the T401, with it packing 4GB of NAND flash memory, a 2.4-inch QVGA display, and support for WMV video, along with MP3, WMA, WAV and WMA Lossless audio. According to Toshiba, you can also expect about 16 hours of audio playback and 5 hours of video playback from the player's rechargeable battery. It also looks like Toshiba's decided to tone down the color options from the Japanese release, with the player now only available with your choice of blue, pink, or orange trims, each of which will set you back $120.

Toshiba's Gigabeat T401 flash PMC comes packin' WiFi

by Thomas Ricker, posted Aug 28th 2007 at 7:45AM

Ah, so that's what that FCC approved MET401 is, the new Toshiba Gigabeat T401. That spiffy Windows flag should be your hint as to this player's Portable Media Center roots. A lingering death rattle from this once fertile lineage. The player sports a 2.4-inch, 320 x 240 pixel display; support for WMV video and MP3, WMA 9 Lossless, and DRM'd WMA audio; up to 4GB of flash; 802.11b/g WiFi (nice); Toshiba's latest H2C audio processing tech; and the ability to pump the audio for up to 16-hours or 5-hours of video if that's your thing. Looking pretty swank in that 9.9-mm thin packaging when it hits Japan on October 5th for ¥29,800 (about $258). Check out the WiFi-less 401S models (September 7th, ¥24,800, about $213, with three color options) after the break.

[Via Impress]

Continue reading Toshiba's Gigabeat T401 flash PMC comes packin' WiFi

Toshiba's gigabeat U202 supports direct-to-MP3 ripping

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 24th 2007 at 9:46AM

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.

Toshiba Gigabeat MET401 WiFi media device hits the FCC

by Donald Melanson, posted Jul 20th 2007 at 12:58PM

Not a whole lot to go on here, but it looks like Toshiba has a new Gigabeat media device in the works, one that the FCC seems to have already gotten its hands on. Dubbed the MET401, the device looks to boast built-in WiFi capabilities and, as you can see above, appears to run on Windows Embedded. Unfortunately, those are about the only details we know at the moment, but those curious to see the complete FCC test report can get their fix at the link below.

[Thanks, cf18]

Toshiba's 80GB Gigabeat V801: the last Portable Media Center

by Thomas Ricker, posted May 28th 2007 at 7:01AM

In what constitutes a death rattle for Portable Media Center devices, Toshiba just sputtered forth the latest in the V Series of Gigabeat players: the 40GB V401 (¥49,800 / $409) and 80GB V801 (¥59,800 / $491). Each packs a new 4-inch, 24-bit color, 480 x 272 pixel display with built-in brightness sensor for automatic adjustment to local lighting conditions. In addition to supporting WM DRM10 and WMA 9 Lossless as you'd expect in a Microsoft PMC, the device also packs an improved 1Seg tuner and EPG for plenty of digital TV viewing (and recording) while on the go. The latest Gigabeat also features improved sound quality and 24-mm thickness and a battery capable of 28/10/8 hours of playback audio/video/1Seg TV, respectively. Available June 1st in Japan.

[Via Impress]

Toshiba's gigabeat U gets social with FM transmitter

by Thomas Ricker, posted Mar 19th 2007 at 8:48AM

If you're the type to shun audio trend in favor of audio quality then be sure to give a glance in the direction of Toshiba's latest audio player. The new gigabeat U series of music players comes in 1GB (U101) and 2GB (U201) flavors and features Toshiba's new high-quality, 1-bit TC94A82XBG DAC. Otherwise, the most notable feature is the integrated FM receiver/transmitter allowing you record FM broadcasts to MP3 and even share your audio collection with your car audio system or any other DAP equipped with an FM receiver -- pretty much all of them these days. The player sits 11.9-mm thick with a 1.1-inch organic EL display sporting a 96x96 resolution and graphics reminiscent of nascent web interface design. A 20-hour battery and support for Windows Media DRM10, MP3, and WAV (PCM) round out the specs with a full Japanese launch by April 7th -- ¥13,800 ($118) for the 1GB player or ¥16,800 (about $142) for the 2GB model. Not cheap, but not too beaucoup either.

Toshiba Gigabeat V30 goes pink and blue

by Thomas Ricker, posted Dec 5th 2006 at 9:12AM

The buzz (was there any?) surrounding the Toshiba Gigabeat V30 has all but faded. Not unusual what with the bigger, badder V60 and Tosh's other DAP -- the Zune -- already kicked out the door. So in a knee-jerk fit of marketing us-too-idness we've come to expect, out rolls the pastel pink V30E with integrated 1Seg TV tuner. Also available in navy blue, you know, just in case pastels are too much of a challenge to your man palette. Otherwise, same specs for that same ¥49,800 (about $434) when these hit December 15th in Japan. Pictured in blue after the break.

[Via Impress]

Continue reading Toshiba Gigabeat V30 goes pink and blue

Toshiba announces 1GB P10K and 2GB P20K Gigabeats

by Evan Blass, posted Nov 13th 2006 at 11:07PM

If you thought Toshiba was only involved in one DAP launch this week, think again, because ol' Tosh has also decided to revitalize its Gigabeat P-series with the P10K and P20K. Last time we heard from this flash-based line was when the 512MB / 1GB P5L got a multi-colored premium edition, and the pink variety must have been especially popular, as that and white were the two colors chosen for the 1GB P10; white is your only choice for the 2GB P20, but both models can change it up with removable faceplates. Besides the capacity bump over the P5L and P10L, these new P's retain all of their predecessors' features: a 1.1-inch color OLED, MP3 / WMA / WAV / PlaysForSure support, line in / voice / FM recording, and a 14-hour rechargeable battery. Scheduled for release in early December, the P20 is listed at 17,980 Yen ($153), while the smaller P10 will be priced around 13,980 Yen ($119).

[Via Impress]