Memorex -- Engadget

memorex posts

Memorex MyVideo pocket camcorders are content to fit the mold

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 15th 2009 at 3:52PM

Memorex has never exactly been one to go out on a limb with its consumer electronics, and it looks like that's especially true of its new MyVideo pocket camcorders, which the company itself doesn't even bother to go into much detail about in its press release -- other than that they'll let you "zoom in on life's moments before they zoom out," of course. A bit more digging turns up some expectedly standard specs, however, including 4GB of memory and an HDMI port on the MyVideo HD model and 2GB and no HDMI on the MyVideo VGA, along with a two-inch screen and the usual integrated USB connector on each. Then again, they do just cost $99.99 and $129.99, and seem like a prime candidate for discounts in the run up to the holiday season.

Memorex hears the cry of underserved female gadget hounds, delivers the pink

by Laura June posted Jul 10th 2009 at 2:39AM

Memorex recently had a study carried out on its behalf, which found that roughly 70 percent of women feel "underserved" by electronics companies. Women, who buy about 40 percent of electronics, think (according to this study) that most products are made and marketed for men. Memorex ingested that data, and decided to offer up some new options for the ladies... and they came up with a neon pink, purse-shaped iPod dock. The miniMove Boombox would be just another crummy looking piece of gadget noise, had it not come swaddled in such a spate of condescending mumbo jumbo. Kasia van Hall (a woman!) of Memorex told the Times of London that "women want to know about technology, but only just enough to get a taste of it," adding that the majority "simply don't have time or energy to read long instructions and play with cables." The device, in similar, less-pink form, has been on shelves since last December.

Now, it's true, we of the Engadget nerdom are possibly in the minority, but it seems like a crappily designed iPod dock painted pink is hardly the answer to the conundrum of women's gadget needs. Then again, we have been known to try to insert our BlackBerry into the VCR. Were we not supposed to do that? The miniMove Boombox will be available in the next two weeks in the UK for a totally cute £59 (that's $96 for all you mathematically-challenged gals).

[Via Jezebel]

Memorex TouchMP PMP gets reviewed: not bad for $99

by Donald Melanson posted May 14th 2009 at 7:34PM

Memorex's TouchMP MP3 player may not exactly do much to stand out from the pack of PMPs, but it does only cost $99, which is no doubt enough to earn it some serious consideration from at least some potential customers. According to the folks at CNET, however, while they likely won't find themselves too disappointed by the player, they also shouldn't expect something that rivals ones costing twice as much. On the upside, while the touchscreen interface isn't much to look at, it apparently does get the job done fairly effectively, and the player itself boasts a pretty impressive battery life of 50 hours for music or 3 hours for video. Then again, while the PalmPilot-esque design is nice enough, CNET says that the player "feels as cheap as its price," and that its sound and video quality is merely "acceptable." Hit up the read link below for the complete rundown, plus a quick video overview of the player.

[Via PMP Today]

Memorex introduces TouchMP portable media player

by Donald Melanson posted Jan 7th 2009 at 11:49AM

Memorex's portable media players aren't exactly always attention-grabbers, but it looks like the company's new TouchMP model could be a slight exception, if only for the fact that it's a full-on touchscreen PMP for $99 (and no doubt less after retailers start their usual discounting). For that price, you'll get a 2.8-inch QVGA display, along with 8GB of storage, a microSD card slot for additional expansion, an FM radio, and all the usual media playback options, including podcast support. Somewhat notably, the device is also "adaptable" to both portrait or landscape modes, although it's not clear if it actually makes use of an accelerometer or not. Look for this one to hit all the usual sources sometime in March.

Memorex SingStand iPod karaoke mic critiqued and in the wild

by Darren Murph posted Nov 30th 2008 at 12:16PM

Sadly (very, very sadly, in fact), this isn't the first device we've seen that poorly attempts to mix your iPod into a karaoke-type device, which probably means you'll be glancing right over it. Memorex's recently released SingStand MKS-SS1 Microphone and Speaker System was apprehended and photographed by the iPod fanatics at iLounge, and while the powered speaker base, auxiliary input for an additional microphone / instrument and the audio controls were swell, the lackluster iPod integration sort of left the critic wondering why Cupertino's darling was even associated. And seriously, are you really considering spending $70 on this with Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2 widely available and able to satisfy your off-key singing desires? No, no you are not.

Memorex MVBD-2510 Blu-ray player hits $139.99 (but not for long)

by Darren Murph posted Nov 17th 2008 at 1:24AM

Okay, so maybe Memorex's Profile 1.1 MVBD-2510 was only $269 from the get-go, but busting through the unofficial $150 price barrier is a pretty big deal for Blu-ray. Granted, we're totally expecting a few more to join the fold come Black Friday, but who's not all about buying from the comfort of one's home versus braving frigid temperatures only to catch eight airborne diseases and shave 2.85 years from your life due to statistically significant levels of stress on a day off? Bottom line: $139.99 for a BD deck is pretty darn cheap (even for Woot's standards), and even if there's no BD-Live support baked in, it'll still handle the 1080p basics. Order now, debate later.

[Thanks, Jamil]

Memorex intros $269 MVBD-2510 Blu-ray player

by Darren Murph posted Sep 18th 2008 at 8:42AM

Right, so we're pretty stoked about having one more option in the sub-$300 Blu-ray deck club, but the lack of Profile 2.0 (which is only the latest, most up-to-date Profile, you know) is a real bummer. That aside, the BonusView-enabled MVBD-2510 doesn't seem like a half bad attempt from Memorex. It features audio decoding for Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD High Resolution along with Master Audio bitstream output. You'll also find 5.1 analog audio outputs, a white LED display and a few brushed metal accents to jazz it up externally. Look for it this November beside a whole host of new Memorex cleaning supplies.

Memorex pumps out new line of Essential TravelDrives

by Darren Murph posted Aug 4th 2008 at 2:31PM

It's hard to say if we've ever laid eyes on a family of portable hard drives with less vigor and pizazz, but Memorex isn't kidding around when it calls these things "essential." Boasting nothing more than the bare necessities, the new line of TravelDrives arrives with 2.5-inch HDDs that pack 160GB, 250GB or 320GB of space. You'll find a USB 2.0 port and a flashing LED to keep you from dozing off, and there's even a few color options to choose from in case you're partial to Spring Blossom, Tropic Green, Caribbean Blue or Cool Silver. At least they start at just $89.99, right?

Memorex pushes out two digiframes for proactive Mother's Day shoppers

by Darren Murph posted Apr 9th 2008 at 10:25AM

Oh sure, Mother's Day is over a month away (in the US), but don't let mama know that reading this post was the only thing that reminded you. If you're suddenly stricken with panic, take heart, as Memorex has a new duo of digital photo frames sure to make the woman most special to you smile. Purposely designed with "feminine graphics," the Special Occasions and Floral models both feature 7-inch 480 x 234 resolution panels and USB connectivity. As for the former, you'll find four interchangeable inserts and a SD / MMC expansion slot, while the latter provides a 4-in-1 reader and oodles of floral patterns. Interestingly, we've no idea if either will be seen outside of K-Mart, but both frames can be purchased at the aforesaid retailer next month for $89.99 apiece.

Memorex intros SimpleSave DVDs to "simplify" backups

by Darren Murph posted Jan 6th 2008 at 12:18PM

Considering the plethora of one-touch backup drives currently hogging space on store shelves everywhere, we're not exactly sure the general public needs yet another option for "simplifying" the process. Particularly one that sounds this awful. Apparently, Memorex is gearing up to ship its SimpleSave DVDs, which automatically installs and fetches documents when loaded into one's PC and subsequently writes those files to the disc for archiving. From what we can tell, these aren't DVD-RWs -- which would at least make this alternative mildly palatable -- and obviously won't allow customers to keep daily backups unless they don't mind filling up their guest room with optical media. Nevertheless, those who do fall for this can snag a five-pack for $12.99 or a three-pack for $9.99 when they launch in April, but go on and warn your susceptible loved ones to steer clear.

Memorex makes playing DVDs as unfortunate as possible

by Nilay Patel posted Jan 6th 2008 at 12:16PM

Considering the noise Memorex just made about its ReNew line of green-friendly devices, you'd think it would think twice about adding to the landfills of the world with yet more forgettable cheap crap -- yet here we are looking at the MVDP1085-FLRB portable DVD player (pictured) and MDV2040-FLR Fashion DVD player. $39.99 is all it takes to bump your home theater up to Fashion status with the MDV2040, which comes with 480p component output and stunning pink urban-floral casing, but road warriors will have to pay $129.99 for the privilege of toting the Memorex label around on the MVDP1085 -- at least for the paltry two hours the internal battery will last them. Check a pic of the Fashion player after the jump -- and then move on with your life.

Continue reading Memorex makes playing DVDs as unfortunate as possible

Microsoft talks third-party Zune accessories

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 30th 2007 at 5:44PM

You can't run around launching fancy new music players these days without a secondary offensive of cases and car chargers following close behind, and Microsoft's new Zunes have a veritable cavalry behind them. In addition to the official accessories we've already heard about from J Allard and crew, the company's lined up a number of third-party manufacturers to crank out 60 different Zune-friendly products, including Polk, Belkin, DLO, Monster, Altec Lansing, Targus, iHome, Memorex and Griffin. Microsoft's new pals will be releasing everything from speaker docks to RCA cables, so it looks like you'll be able to build a happy little home for that new Zune of yours when it launches next month.

Memorex ReNew line cashes in on green

by Paul Miller posted Sep 24th 2007 at 4:08PM

Memorex is hitting all the right buzz words with its new line of "ReNew" products, unfortunately the company forgot to spend much time thinking about the products themselves. Sure, it's all packaged in recycled cardboard and egg carton recycled paper, built with recycled plastics, meets RoHS standards and all that jazz -- Memorex will even plant 75k trees through the Arbor Day Foundation with a portion of the sales -- but unfortunately the products themselves scream "cheap crap." However, if you're really bent on saving the planet the Memorex way, you can pick up the ReNew Alarm Clock, ReNew Digital Music Player (with 1GB memory and a pitiful monochrome display), ReNew Boombox and ReNew iPod Speaker in November.

Memorex's M-Flyer Pilot USB drive gets its wings

by Darren Murph posted Jun 27th 2007 at 3:46AM

Granted, we're not exactly grasping the full connection between aircrafts and Memorex's TravelDrive M-Flyer Pilot, but the sleek, "aerodynamic" design and cutesy wing logo probably make this the USB flash drive of choice for the average commercial pilot. Regardless, this minuscule device touts a retractable, capless design, ReadyBoost compatibility, and comes with Portable Vault USB security software from Migo Software. Available in 2GB and 4GB sizes, the latest M-Flyer should be available in the US and Canada next month for $49.99 and $79.99, respectively.

Memorex adds scent to prevent kids from huffing its Air Dusters

by Ryan Block posted May 24th 2007 at 4:31PM

No joke, man, Memorex -- yeah, that Memorex -- recognized that teenage huffers are so into snorting their compressed-gas dusting products they went ahead and added a deterrent ("bitterant", a "bitter safety additive") to keep impressionable youth from getting all whacked up on the stuff. So far as we can tell, their new, smellier Air Dusters won't be branded any differently, so the next time you go "bagging" or "dusting" (we love the fact their press release quotes euphemisms for getting high), don't be too surprised at the awful and/or vomit-inducing scent emitted. Remember kids: no huffin.