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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
iriver N20 Mariah Carey edition reveals an unfortunate case of man-hands
While iriver might not be the mega brand in Europe and North America, it does dominate on its home turf in South Korea. Enough so to attract music celebs like Mariah Carey who's pitching a butterfly approved, Special Edition N20 preloaded with her latest contractual obligation. The $120ish player with integrated clip is limited to 5,000 units so act now... or not. See the songstress in an awkward mid-shill moment after the break.[Via Anythingbutipod]
iriver's N20 DAP shuffles onto the scene, complete with PMOLED screen
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]
ASUS debuts 12-inch N20A ultraportable
It looks like those sold on the ASUS N10's good looks but not on its netbook-style size or processor now have yet another model to consider from the company, which has expanded its overflowing laptop offerings even further with its new N20A model. This one ups things to a slightly more spacious 12.1-inch WXGA display, which is actually described as "glare-type" (points for honesty, ASUS), and it gets a boost in the performance department from your choice of four different Core 2 Duo processors, though it seems you will have to make do with integrated Intel GMA X4500HD graphics instead of the N10's GeForce 9300M chipset. Otherwise, you can expect up to 4GB of RAM, a max 320GB hard drive, and a DVD burner, plus the usual built-in webcam, memory card reader, and a generous array of ports (including HDMI and eSATA connectors). No official word on a price just yet, but at least one retailer already has a Core 2 Duo T5800-based model available for $999.[Via Laptoping]
ASUS N Series: at long last, a laptop with a built in 'Air Ionizer'
Yesterday we finally got our hands on the N10 non-netbook, and today we'll be taking a look at the rest of the N Series lineup. There's a little something for everybody here, from the mobility-minded N10 to the higher-end N50. The models include Express Gate, and we're looking forward to finding out if the Super Hybrid Engine power management is all it's cracked up to be. All N Series models also include the SmartLogon facial recognition system (for those of you who are too busy to type a password), but so far the N50 is the only ASUS offering with a built in "Air Ionizer." Check out each machine in detail after the break.[Thanks, Kunal]
Sony launches myriad of Vaio updates, including SZ4 and FE40 lappies
Moderation is the conspicuously absent ingredient in CES releases, and it looks like Sony is sticking to the recipe with its new Vaio spec bumps -- minor as they may be. First off is the Vaio C2 series of laptops, which keeps close to those 13.3-inch stylings of the original C series, with a brand new "rediscovery blue" color (pictured) to keep things fresh and a media friendly X-black display. Specs are relatively unchanged, but Sony is packing Vista into all of these new laptops, so that's worth remembering. Sony's SZ4 13.3-inch ultraportable Vaios haven't budged a whole lot on specs either, with T7400 Core 2 Duo procs now in the high end, and of course Vista Business pre-installed. The FE4 media laptops do a similar jig, with X-black LCD technology, Double Lamp illumination, and a Core 2 Duo T7200 processor, but little else. The fashionable Vaio N20 laptops adopt X-black tech as well, but don't even manage do break free of their Core Duo shackles -- hopefully they didn't break free of that sultry "wenge brown," either. Finally, Sony's recently updated Vaio LA2 all-in-one desktop gets the Vaio and X-black love, but understandably little more. Most of these models look to have received RAM and HDD bumps to make way for Vista, but it's still a pretty weak showing, despite the sheer volume of updates. No word on prices or availability, but we're figuring that since Vista isn't out until the 30th, we've got a few weeks to wait. A couple more shots after the break.
Navman drops four new GPS devices
Navman is bumping the specs and shortening the names of its GPS units, with the F20, N20, N40i and N60i (pictured) set to launch this fall. All four look to be relatively minor updates, with each getting a built-in camera for use with Navman's Navpix service as standard issue, as well as an upgrade to the SiRFstarIII chipset, TeleAtlas 2006 maps, and Navman's latest software interface (as seen on the iCN750 and iCN720). While Navman itself seems to be staying mum on these for now, with not so much as a mention on its website, some European retailers already look to be taking pre-orders for 'em, with prices coming in between €249.99 and €499.99 ($318 and $635).[Via MobileWhack]
iRiver N20: first pix of the tiny DAP
Looks like the cats over at iRiverFans scooped themselves some shots of iRiver's forthcoming N20. You know, the latest DAP to battle for the title of the world's smallest audio player with a screen. Here it is nuzzled up to its big bro, the 2.7 x 1.8 x 0.6-inch iRiver Clix for comparison. So yeah, it's small, that much we know but we'll have to sit tight for the rest of the details. But in a battle for eye-strain and impossibly small buttons, do we really care who wins? Damn straight we do.[Via dapreview]
iRiver rumor roundup
Straight from the rumor mill to your brain: Korean forums are buzzing about a pair of upcoming devices from iRiver, one of which is being touted as the world's smallest DAP with a screen, while the other sounds like a W10-esque palmtop that will supposedly be running some flavor of Windows. Obviously deets are very thin at this point -- and the pictured mock-ups that look like cocktail napkin sketches don't help much -- but apparently the MP3 player will be a followup to the pendant-style N10 and N11 / N12 models that are already available, and is said to "focus on size, not features," meaning that MobiBlu and Klegg need not fear an equally-diminutive competitor with video playback (or even a color screen, for that matter). Even more interesting than the so-called N20 is a product being referred to as the J10, which could be anything from a Windows Mobile-powered PDA to a UMPC running the full version of XP Tablet Edition, and which is rumored to sport both a DMB tuner and of course the WiBro functionality that iRiver has so much love for. We wish that we had some more info for you -- and, like, some real pics -- but we're committed to bringing you only the freshest of gossip, even if there's very little evidence to support it. Keep reading to check out seven of the supposed sixteen designs that are being considered for the "J10," and stay tuned for more details as they become available...Read- N20 [Via DAPreview]Read- J10 [Via DAPreview]
