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iriver U100 PMP gets official reveal, P100 and D2000 leave something to the imagination
The teases over at iriver are ready to show you what they've got: the neon-colored U100. We reported on the PMP, along with the P100 and the D2000 last month, but it looks like iriver is going to leave us guessing on the last two. The U100 sports a 3.1-inch (320 x 480) touchscreen, up to 16GB of internal memory, WiFi, microSDHC, and an FM tuner for those who still listens to the radio. It plays 720p video and touts 50 hours of battery life for audio playback and 11 hours for video. iriver isn't ready to give us all the details quite yet -- an official release date and pricing are still under wraps -- but they have provided another video to keep us interested. Hit up the source link to see for yourself.
UK charity wants hearing loss warnings on DAPs
Even though it may seem rather obvious that listening to loud music (whether through headphones or speakers) has the potential to cause hearing damage, apparently 58% of 16 to 30-year-old Brits are blissfully unaware of this fact, so a UK-based charitable organization is now calling on DAP manufacturers to affix more prominent warning labels to their products. The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) has apparently contacted all of the leading makers of MP3 players with a plea to include cigarette-type notification on all of their packaging, citing music lovers like 27-year-old "Cath" who claimed, "I was shocked when I found out that by listening to my MP3 player too loudly I could do serious damage to my hearing. If I saw a warning on the box I'd definitely take it more seriously." RNID has even set up a website called Don't Lose the Music where folks like the gentleman who sued Apple can find supposedly unbiased statistics and facts about hearing loss, along with tips -- such as turning the volume down -- that will reduce your chances of going partially or fully deaf. We're most interested in finding out how our readers feel about this issue; i.e. how far do companies need to go in order to convey the dangers of their products -- for instance, do knife manufacturers need to tell us in big bold letters that we risk cutting ourselves, or should the makers of sunglasses warn us not to stare directly into the sun?[Via ArsTechnica]
NYPD marking iPods, phones to aid in theft recovery
Myth or not, the story that muggers are specifically targeting folks with iPods has gotten a fair amount of press since it was first reported, and has convinced at least one police department to make a rather half-hearted attempt at returning peace of mind to the city's subway commuters. For the past three months, New York City cops have been offering iPod and other portable device owners a way to "register" their gear -- wherein the officers mark your hardware with invisible ink and copy down the serial number -- in order to provide victims with a slim but tangible chance of recovery. The two-pronged approach ensures that even if thieves figure out a way to wash off the ink. which is only visible under infrared lighting, they may not be wise enough to file off the serial numbers as well. So far, over 2,000 gadgets have been marked at Transit Bureau offices and tables located around the subway system, although the program has yet to help any victims recover their stolen goods, so it's probably not a bad idea to continue sporting your Thomas Pink tie.[Via NY1, thanks Leon F]
