If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That must be the corporate mantra at Sony these days, where the former undisputed king of portable audio is still playing catch up with current market leader Apple, doing everything it can to pry consumers away from the iPod's loving embrace. At today's official unveiling of the NW-S700 and NW-S600 series' of flash-based DAPs, Senior EV Hiroshi Yoshioka let slip an even more tantalizing bit of info: Sony is developing a "video Walkman" that will go head-to-head with the 5.5G iPod and Microsoft Zune. No details were revealed regarding the specs of this upcoming device, but what's interesting is the fact that this will actually be the company's third foray into portable video players, following 2003's GigaPocket PCVA-HVP20 (pictured) and 2004's HMP-A1. For those of you that can remember back that far, you'll recall that these 20GB models offerred fairly attractive features for their time, including MPEG-1/2/4 support, and, in the case of of the A1, very un-Sonlylike MP3 playback. Now that the availability of downloadable video has blossomed -- both legally and illegally -- it would seem that Sony has a better shot this time around, although it's unlikely that the new PMP will achieve the status of "iPod-killer." And hey, even if this product turns out to be another flop, they still have the PS3 to fall back on, right? Right?

JXD, one of our favorite Chinese knockoff manufacturers (its previous victims include the PSP and iAudio M3) is back on the scene to delight us with a new PMP that's surprisingly heavy on the features and light on the ripped-off design cues. Thanks to some sweet machine translation, we're able to report that the 1GB JXD638 sports a 3.0-inch display (high definition, it's claimed, but we have our doubts), two megapixel camera, video in as well as video out, some manner of videogame functionality, an SD slot, and the usual bells-and-whistles additions of a calendar, calculator, and electronic dictionary. As far as file support goes, you're getting DivX, XviD, and ASF on the video tip, MP3, WMA, and WAV for music, and obviously JPEG for annoying all your friends with those boring slideshows. The major downer here seems to be the measly four to five hours of battery life that this thing manages to squeeze out of its 1,100mAH pack, but at around 1,554 yuan ($196), you can't really expect all your portable media desires to be fulfilled.

[Via dapreview, photo courtesy of AVING]

Chinese DAP manufacturer Meizu has seen quite a lot of interest in its M6 MiniPlayer -- so much so that it recently became available Stateside -- and now word on the street (and by street, we mean overseas internet forums) has the company poised to release an updated version. At this point details are still very sketchy -- all the more so because of the nature of machine translation -- but from what we can tell, the upcoming M8 will sport a 533MHz Samsung ARM processor, 2.6-inch VGA screen (compared to the M6's 2.4-inch QVGA display), and the latest Windows CE OS, but not, unfortunately, memory card support nor a user-replaceable battery. There's also no word yet on what capacities this model will come in, though we've heard rumors that Meizu is trying to break through the 4GB ceiling of the original MiniPlayer. That's all we've got for now, and please bear in mind, the pic you see above is simply one fan's fantasy and probably won't bear much of a resemblance to the final product.

[Via Engadget Chinese]

Well, well, well -- it seems that Toshiba's been up to more in the portable media space lately than just helping Microsoft out with the Zune manufacturing. In fact, ole Tosh has been working on a DTV-less version of its Japanese OneSeg-capable 30GB V30T; shake off the TV tuner, and you've got America's own MEV30K. This model borrows many of its features from the popular S series -- including Microsoft's Portable Media Center software, WMV9, WMV10, and PlaysForSure video playback, plus support for MP3, WMA, WMA lossless, WAV, and Windows DRM 9 / 10 audio files -- but, like the V30T, tosses what will probably be some well-received spec bumps into the mix. Besides the addition of a built-in speaker, the main changes here involve screen size and battery life: the V30K sports a 3.5-inch TFT LCD (compared to the 2.5-incher on the S, though both share the same QVGA resolution) and promises up to 8 hours of video or 25 hours of audio playback on a full charge (as opposed to the meager 2.5 and 12 hour lifespans for video and audio, respectively, on the S). We're sure that there are more than few people interested in this stamina-filled $400 Gigabeat, so the good news is that pre-ordering begins today through Crutchfield and Amazon, though a nationwide rollout is not expected until sometime in October. Let the iPod comparisons commence!

So Acer's upcoming MP-340 PMP doesn't really hold a candle to the last media player we saw from the company -- it's pretty sparse in the video codec department and has a smaller, lower-resolution screen -- but on the plus side, it's infinitely more pocketable and probably a whole lot cheaper. Unlike the MP-500 which preceded it, this model's got just a 1.8-inch, 160 x 128 TFT display (a little too small for extended viewing sessions, in our opinion) and only supports H.264-formatted video; however, you're still getting a 20GB hard drive, MP3, WMA, and WMA DRM compatibility, along with voice recording and the obligatory JPEG photo playback. Also on board are an SD slot for a little expansion action, two headphone jacks for sharing that tiny screen with a friend, a 10-hour rechargeable battery (with the screen off, of course) and a number of preloaded games, including everyone's new favorite, Sudoku. Since this model is officially debuting at IFA in Germany next month, pricing and availability are still a closely guarded secret, but if you happen to be in Berlin from the 1st through the 6th, try to stop by the Acer booth and smooth talk that info out of the booth babes company reps for us.

[Via MobileWhack]

Speaking of unholy abominations, Sony decided to take some design tips from their own PSP, functionality from the OQO, usage scenarios from Nokia's 770 (and a wee dash dash of inspiration from Ixi's OGO), and mash it up all together into a single device: the mylo. The name refers to "my life online," ahem, which we assume probably has a little something to do with the Sony's old school MYLO / My Life Online, a wireless service Sony launched launched at PC Expo 2001 "to offer mobile users an original and personalized way to access information and entertainment content for work and play." (Yeah, that's specific.) This blast from the past now takes shape as a $350 WiFi-centric handheld features a slide-up 2.4-inch screen, VoIP capabilities via Skype, web access, media playback capabilities, 1GB flash, and a Memory Stick slot -- just think of it as a UX180P, you know, for kids.

[Thanks to Eric and everyone who sent this in]

So word going around late this week was that the Zune, better known as Microsoft's supposed iPod killer, is slated to ship without support for video. Yeah, you heard that right. According to a report on from the New York Post, "Microsoft called up some content providers and said the video portion of its Zune device... was being delayed." (The other juicy tidbit was that they'd have ad-supported downloads, but that's still unsubstantiated as far as we know.) Microsoft's Zune PR, of course, provided us with the following statement with regards to the story: "We do not have product details to share at this time and as such cannot comment on rumors or speculation." Then, on top of that TechWeb reported that Microsoft actually referred to the rumor as "speculative." It's all the standard fare non-denial denial, we know, but we still don't have any strong reason to believe the Post's report has any weight. Besides the fact that sources told us nothing of the like, Microsoft would effectively be committing Zune to launch failure this buying season if they trot it out into the market place not even as well equipped as your standard iPod. That is, after all, the point of Zune, right? To best the iPod in all the ways Apple's been dragging its feet, and provide a viable alternative? It's 2006, look at that device right up there. If you think that's not going to have video, well, may god rest Zune's soul.

[Via Macsimum News, thanks CoreyTheGent, Jon, and Conor]

Read - NY Post
Read - TechWeb

Alright everybody, we've all had a few days to cool down on the Zune stuff -- hope you've been well rested. So with no further delay here's the latest from from the inside: a trusted source has given us a little more to go by on the hardware end, including a few specs we more or less expected or heard, such as that the Zune should have a 30GB drive, black, brown, and cotton color options, FM tuner, 13 first party accerrories available at launch (and who knows how many 3rd party accessories), and a 50% larger screen than the iPod with video (making it 3.75-inches if you're talking diagonal, and not areal). The jucier bits, however, are that we can all expect to find out some hard information from Microsoft in August, and that the player is slated to launch on November 14th, right in time for the holiday buying season (what a huge surprise). As always, more to come.

From the looks of it our own Stephen Speicher was on to something in his latest edition of The Clicker. We've received word from a trusted insider (no, not Mr. Speicher) that the shape everyone's been expecting the Zune to take may not be the approach most people (including us) assumed. Here's what we learned:

• The Zune name isn't being kicked around with Microsoft; so as far as we know that's still a project codename, but probably will not be the device's final title. This is no surprise.
• Microsoft's forthcoming portable will not use Microsoft's established media platforms. This includes Windows Media, Windows Media Player, URGE, PlaysForSure DRM, and probably also Portable Media Center. Instead it will use its own software, music store, and DRM that will be incompatible with all the major stores, systems, and device out there right now. Yes, this will piss off the industry (and some of the Microsoft faithful) to no end.
  
• Due to this approach, the system is being referred to as the "Integrated Experience." This, we can assume, is not going to be positioned as the final name for the device, but the implications of the description and MO are clear.
  
• It will be wireless and not flash-based, so large storage capacities are to be expected; wireless music trading is an important part of the device's feature set and marking presence. This we all already knew.
  
• All this information does not conflict with information we've received from our other trusted sources.

We know, we know, this raises more questions than it answers. When Microsoft has already invested millions in establishing their software and DRM platforms, hooking up with huge names like Napster, Yahoo, Real, and MTV, and encouraging hardware partners to get Microsoft-centric devices on the market, now they're going to throw all that away and compete with everyone else (and themselves)? Well, the answer is very simple. In order to fight fire with fire against Apple, it's obvious a music service + device ecosystem like what Microsoft offers now can't compare to the user experience of an incredibly tight vertical integration. Microsoft can't take on the iPod without taking on its own platforms and partners -- they have to fight fire with fire.

If J. Allard and his crew at Microsoft really are behind this project, these details make perfect sense. The corporate culture of the company is such that Allard's team is expected to work outside the confines of Microsoft's typical boundaries, which might otherwise hinder the company getting a foothold in previously unentered markets. Does anyone actually think the Xbox 360 is anything like the normal Microsoft product and marketing experience? No. But it's definitely shaping up so Microsoft's media player is going to be more media player than Microsoft.

Reader Matt Z. spotted yet another PSP knockoff in the wild, this one at a computer show in Pittsburgh. C'mon, guys, if you're gonna have the nerve to copy a product's name along with its design, at least take the time to get the logo right.

Either Microsoft has never had a Super Bowl commercial, or they've wasted some serious cash on mega-expensive advertising that no one -- at least not at Engadget HQ, anyway -- can seem to recall being aired in recent memory. Looks like that could soon change though; amidst all this hype about the Zune / Argo / Xboy / Microsoft portable media player / whatever the hell it's called, we've received word that Microsoft may be taking this effort all the way to the end zone. According to Digital Music News, the Zune could be starring in a Super Bowl XLI commercial in 2007, which would, of course display the company's commitment to the project initiative -- as well as giving it the kiss of death. Remember what happened to the last prominently placed portable media player to get some Super Bowl commercial action? Yeah, barely, right?

Well, the info's finally starting to come in about Microsoft's wireless media player; the project, dubbed Argo, will apparently spawn at very least one device, which we saw yesterday. By way of our trusted sources we now know the device is currently dubbed Zune -- though we don't know whether that name will stick -- and we've got ourselves a product logo (shown above). We also understand that Zune to Zune wireless song transfer -- a PlaysForSure feature currently highlighted in the MusicGremlin -- is said to be a prominent aspect of the device's development, and in addition to the white shade we saw yesterday, we can expect a complement of colors to be available at or near launch. Oh, and apparently the Zune will have a brushed metal back with an engraved logo, not unlike the you-know-what. More to come, folks.

There are plenty of ways to get your favorite TV shows onto your iPod, but if for some reason you don't want to frequent the iTunes store or have to endure tedious conversion processes, iLuv has a new dock that takes your computer out of the equation altogether and records directly from almost any video source. Before you get too excited, though, you should know that iLuv's got no love for electronic program guides, so you actually have to be sitting by your TV to manually trigger each recording -- which severely limits this device's utility as a DVR. Obviously, then, the main selling point of the so-called i180 is the ability to transfer footage from your camcorder, and adjustable quality settings up to 1.5Mbps probably ensure that it performs this function pretty well. Still, we doubt most people would be willing to pay $200 to save a few minutes here and there transferring the occasional home movie, so it sounds like you should really hold on to that PC after all.

[Via iLounge]

It's not like we all didn't know that Vongo and Toshiba were bedfellows that begot the Gigabeat S in hardware and service, but today they made it official, laying down the 30GB MES30VW (left) for $299.99 and the 60GB MES60VK for $399.99. The part where they said the players are "available now" was news to us, but Starz's $10 per month Vongo movie download service is up and running, so assuming you actually find a place to pick up that Gigabeat S (with 2.4-inch QVGA display, PMC 2.0, FM tuner, USB On-The-Go, etc.) you can get your "iPod-killer" on post-haste. And it's about freaking time, too.

A trio of new PMPs from Archos have been popping up around the web courtesy of a snapshot from the Trois Suisses winter catalog, but details are still scarce as all that's known about these models comes from the little big of information we can glean from the included French description. Making matters even more confusing is the fact that the so-called 604, with its 10.9-centimeter screen and 30GB hard drive, appears to cost about $130 more than the $500 504 which has the same screen but 10GB greater capacity -- although its seemingly slimmer design may account for some of the disparity. Meanwhile, the 404 sports an identical drive to the 604, but only an 8.8-centimeter screen, and is supposedly priced at $440. Both 30GB models are said to be scheduled for a July release, while the 504 should be available in August, but we'll do our best to get specs on these before then, because we like knowing about stuff before anyone else does.

[Via GenerationMP3]