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portable audio posts

Safa Xing LED features MP3 playback, 27 pixel resolution

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 7th 2009 at 4:44AM

Safa is a Korean firm that has put out quite a few forgettable DAPs in its day, and while this one isn't going to win any awards for technological advancement, it does look like "fun," for whatever that's worth. The Xing LED is a none-too-shabby 12mm thin and boasts 12 hours of playback time on a single charge. The company fails to mention little things like storage capacity and file format support, but that ain't why we're here: the face of the device features 27 LEDs that can be either programed to display the icon of your choice or used for a rousing game of Rock / Paper / Scissors. Sort of makes that Zune HD of yours look like overkill, eh? Price and availability yet to be announced.

[Via PMP Today]

Continue reading Safa Xing LED features MP3 playback, 27 pixel resolution

Cowon iAudio 9 and iAudio E2 media players make the scene stateside

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 4th 2009 at 12:37PM

Cowon-heads of the world, you are in for a treat today. It looks like not one but two of the company's snack-sized media players are finally hitting the big time. First off, the iAudio 9 PMP is due to hit the states within a week. Available in 8GB and 16GB denominations, for some reason the domestic version will be available only in black. Aside from supporting the usual compliment of media files (MP3, FLAC, Ogg, WAV, APE, WME, XviD, and WMV videos) this guy sports composite video out. Get your hands on the 8GB version for $129, or go wild with 16GB for $169. If video isn't your bag, the enigmatic iAudio E2 (all 2.5-inches of it) is also available. Sporting a bevy of EQ presets, 4GB of storage and a not entirely terrible 11.5 hours of battery life, this is the keychain you've always wanted -- but never wanted to pay $65 for. Additional glamor shots after the break.

[Via Electronista]

Read - Cowon prices iAudio 9 for US
Read - iAudio E2 now available, still confusing

Continue reading Cowon iAudio 9 and iAudio E2 media players make the scene stateside

Solid Alliance's new earbuds are 'crazy,' ugly

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 21st 2009 at 9:36AM

So, you broke the bank (and several credit cards) picking up that uber-stylish Acronym GT-J14 earbud-friendly jacket only to find that no one even noticed? Or perhaps your Lady GaGa-approved beats couldn't endure the Paris Is Burning-style bad craziness you put 'em through? Well, it looks like it's time to sell a pint of plasma and use the cash for some psychedelic (and highly unfortunate) Crazy Earphones from Solid Alliance. Featuring a banana, a kitty paw print, sushi, or a Frankenstein's monster-esque bolt affectation, we promise you that a pair of these will get you noticed. But not in the good way. Pre-order now for $22, shipping in December.

Gallery: Solid Alliance's new earbuds are 'crazy,' ugly

[Via Akihabara]

Archos 5 firmware 1.1.01 rights all wrongs?

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 16th 2009 at 4:51AM

Charbax of ArchosFans.com reports that the majority of issues encountered by early adopters of the Android-equipped Archos 5 Internet Tablet (not to be confused with the older Internet Media Tablet, ugh) have been remedied by the caped crusader that is firmware revision 1.1.01. Forum members do seem to corroborate that the previously habitual lockups are no more, but the complex update procedure has already (probably temporarily) bricked one user's device, while another still has random disconnects when transferring files from his PC under the new firmware. Still, if you've been among the unfortunate victims of the sloppy original software, this is a ray of light for you, and the read link -- featuring input from a source within Archos -- should be considered required reading.

Archos 5 has 99 problems and a glitch is one, 160GB version pulled by Amazon

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 12th 2009 at 4:05AM

It was only just allowed out to play, but Archos' five-inch, Android-sporting internet tablet has been called back in by its fastidious mother, a role played by Amazon in this case. Only the hard drive-based 160GB model is affected at present, with the 32GB version selling as normal and the half terabyte option out of stock already. Charbax of ArchosFans.com, a man in the know on this subject, has suggested this might have been caused by a firmware update wiping out some pre-installed Android apps, which is now being addressed. His site's forums and Amazon customer reviews, however, paint a different picture: there are consistent complaints about bugs and lock ups -- software issues that could well affect the other models in the line -- with some going so far as to suggest Archos has used its customers as Beta testers. There doesn't appear to be anything structurally wrong with the device, meaning a robust firmware update could remedy all ills, so now it's just a matter of waiting for Archos to do what it should have done before release.

[Via Pocketables]

Read - Amazon product page
Read - Archos Fans forums

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXVII: PXP-2000 aspires to little more than playing NES games, a host of video formats

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 6th 2009 at 4:33PM

If we were tickled by how quickly the PSP Go was hacked, we must say that we're surprised at how long it took for this bad boy to get KIRFed. And as most shanzai manufacturers do, they packed as many features into this portable as they could: 4.3-inch display (compared to the PSP Go's 3.8-incher), all kinds of retro gaming support (including NES/Famicom, Gameboy / Gameboy Color, SNES, SFC), a camera of some sort, FM radio, microSD card slot (the device's only form of storage), TV out, and generous video codes: RM, RMVB, AVI, WMV, ASF, MPG, MPEG, MPE, MP4, DAT, and MOV. Not exactly "aspirational" at $84, but we'll take it nonetheless.

Gallery: PSP Go KIRF makes due with NES emulation, generous codecs

[Via PMP Today]

Acronym's PMP-loving jacket keeps your earbuds safe, murders your bank account

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 3:13PM

Sure, the Acronym GT-J14 won't even charge your iPhone, but at first glance we loved the idea: take a stylish GORE-TEX jacket and throw in a couple slick features aimed at the eager urban technophile, including a so-called Gravity Pocket (accessible by a zipper on your forearm, contents can be dropped directly into your hand using a draw string -- demonstrated about 2:25 into the video after the break) and our personal favorite, a magnet that holds your headphones in place while you take that important phone call. We were feeling pretty good about this one, that is, until we finally tracked it down: azitastore.com lists it for €735 (yes, that's around $1,068). This is clearly only for those of you who put the word "disposable" in "income." Looks like we're going to have to find another way to keep our Lady Gaga headphones safe and secure, after all...

[Via Gadget Review]

Continue reading Acronym's PMP-loving jacket keeps your earbuds safe, murders your bank account

Teclast to debut Android-powered PMP? Wake us up when it arrives

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Sep 23rd 2009 at 10:29AM

Oh, Android -- it's obvious that someone out there wants to see it on tablets, netbooks, toaster ovens -- anything, really, that sports a processor and a display (OK, never mind the toaster oven). Now Teclast, fine purveyors of media players with such exciting features as "buttons" and "batteries," just might have a PMP in the works that sports the buzzworthy open source OS. The T58, whose existence is being reported by imp3.net, is said to sport the RK2808 chipset (with dual-core ARM9 RISC processor), 1280 x 720 touchscreen, WiFi, GPS, and support for all of your favorite media types (that is, if H.264, RMVB, MPEG-4, AVS, and WMV9 files constitute your favorite media types). Can the company manage to not bore us to tears with its next device? And will it have to install a cellphone OS on a media player to do so? Only time will tell.

[Via PlayerBites]

Video: KORG places an iPhone pocket in its microSAMPLER, calls it a day

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Sep 16th 2009 at 11:29AM

The kids over at Korg are a savvy bunch -- they know that the best way to perk up jaded bloggers (such as ourselves) is to somehow attach an iPhone to their device. Unfortunately, what we thought at first glance was an innovative/insane new way to make music on Apple's flagship handset turns out to be, in fact, little more than a sampler with a pocket for your media player and a 1/4-inch audio input. While we have you here, however, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that, as samplers go, this one is pretty awesome. Featuring a 37-key keyboard, a number of sample modes (including autonext mode, which auto-magically slices a beat into individual hits, not unlike Propellerhead's ReCycle), a preset sound library, 21 KAOS-driven multi-parameter effects, and a USB cable for managing sounds on your Mac or PC (with the included Editor Librarian software), this could be the perfect companion for the microKORG that's already collecting dust in your bedroom. Of course, Korg wouldn't be able to sell this thing at Guitar Center without a heavy-handed, borderline silly promo vid ("Suddenly... you receive a gift... FROM YOUR OWN MIND... in the form of: THE PERFECT BEAT") which we highly suggest you check out after the break. Yours now for $750.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading Video: KORG places an iPhone pocket in its microSAMPLER, calls it a day

Newsmy A8HD probably looks better than it really is

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 14th 2009 at 3:39AM

After the lustrous ManMan and retro Cool Man, Newsmy has now surprised us with a straight-laced number in the form of the 8GB 4.3-inch A8HD. Packing a pair of serious-looking speakers and a "high definition" microphone, this has all the intent in the world to break away from the cheap knockoff label, but you already know what you're gonna get: a shiny pretty paintjob outside and someone's leftover parts on the inside. Common audio and video formats are supported, and there's even a rather dubious claim of 720p playback. Maybe once the price and release date are cleared up, we'll saunter over to China and check it out for ourselves. Or not.

[Via Akihabara News]

Flash Zunes that disappeared from the Zune site reappear -- is someone toying with us?

by Laura June posted Aug 13th 2009 at 10:22AM

Remember just a few days back, when the sadness and confusion surrounded us as every last flash Zune disappeared, leading us to ponder the meaning of life? Well, they're back! Huzzah! Our suggestion? Get them before they go for good -- unless you're holding out for the Zune HD.

Piggy speakers are so cute they make us wish we were still vegetarians

by Laura June posted Aug 3rd 2009 at 1:46AM

We've seen enough little portable speakers in our day, and we're pretty hard to impress at this point. Now, we're not saying that we're "impressed" with the little ceramic pig speaker that you see in the image above, but... there's something somewhat special about it. While we don't have any specs on this one, we can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that this little speaker's not going to impress even the beginner audiophile, but still, we think it's cute enough to warrant a place on our desk, right between our Fender Mini-Deluxe amp and the tiny reproduction Parrothead visor we made for our Chihuahua. These little porkers (which can be plugged into your favorite PMP for maximum blasting of "Margaritaville" on-the-go) seem to be available in Japan only for the time being, and they run ¥4,725 (about $50). They also come in several different colors -- a photo of the other options is after the break.

[Via Technabob]

Continue reading Piggy speakers are so cute they make us wish we were still vegetarians

7Digital to debut BlackBerry direct music downloads

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 13th 2009 at 2:44PM

Even if no one's ever bought a BlackBerry (or, for that matter, a BlockBerry) for its multimedia prowess, things are starting to get a little interesting for the rock'n'rollers over at RIM. According to the Telegraph (UK), the music download site 7Digital will be launching a service for U2's new favorite handset this September. Based around an application that will be available in BlackBerry's App World, customers will be able to download music (with "most" tracks being DRM-free) directly to their phone for 79 cents a pop. Are you excited? No? Well, RIM CEO Jim Balsillie sure is. According to the article, he believes that the market's experiencing nothing less than the "birth of digital music 2.0." What do you think?

Python skin-covered HOON headphones likely to get PETA in an uproar

by Laura June posted Jul 1st 2009 at 8:23PM

French accessories company HOON has teamed up with audio company The Perfect Unison for a line of python skin skinned headphones. The cans are made of nine layers of birch wood, lined with goat skin, and finally covered in the skin of a mighty snake for the ultimate, luxurious audiophile experience. The ear pieces are made of hand-varnished carbon fibers, presumably because the beaks of dodo birds were unavailable. These high-tech, beastly beauties will run you €1,160.00 (roughly $1,650) should you choose to make them yours.

[Via ChipChick]

Skullcandy intros Decibel Collection headphones for the young, hip, and colorblind

by Laura June posted May 6th 2009 at 5:29PM

We thought that Skullcandy might not be able to top its Special Edition Metallica Death Magnetic headphones in terms of aesthetic loudness, but we were apparently mistaken. The company's just launched its vast Decibel (dB) Collection, a wide range of wildly styled, Limited Edition "high performance" cans that take design up to eleven, to say the very least. With customizable lines including Big Slick, Vibe, Dream Team, Lurker, Catfight, Audiophile, and Illustrative, it's safe to say that Skullcandy will probably have whatever it is you're looking for in headphones... as long as what you're looking for is truly insane. Hit the read link to check out the myriad designs.

[Via Coolest Gadgets]